- We start off with an old woman running errands in a small town. Okay—easy enough.
- Her last stop is the butchery to get some tasty (and cheap) dog-meat. Nothing better than deep-fried Lassie. Fortunately, the butcher is a nice guy, so he'll probably throw in a liver or two.
- Although there are many like her, the narrator is talking about one old woman in particular "who used to come into town past [his] house one Summer and Fall" (1.4).
- This woman lives with her husband, Jake Grimes, and their son outside town. These two fellas aren't exactly gentlemen. They're always stealing horses and getting up to no good—not to mention drunk.
- Jake's dad had owned a profitable saw-mill but wasted his fortune on booze and women. Jake sure took after the old man, didn't he?
- Jake "got his wife off a German farmer" (1.9). Er, sleazy much? The future-Mrs. Grimes was working as the German's indentured servant (strike one), is sexually harassed by him (strike two), and mistreated by his wife (strike three). You're outta here!
- She meets Jake when he gets hired as extra help one summer. They try to run away, but the German isn't willing to give her up without a fight. He's a bit more amenable to discussion after taking a whip to the face, however.
- With that taken care of, the woman tells Jake about her abuse at the hands of the German. She had no way to fight back because she's a "bound girl"—an orphan forced, by law, into servitude (1.13).