- On the next morning, Emil rides over to visit his friend Amédée. He finds Angélique, his wife, baking pies in the kitchen with old Mrs.Chevalier, Amédée's mother, and the baby boy, Hector Baptiste.
- She tells Emil that Amédée is out working in the fields. He's driving a new wheat header, a machine to harvest wheat. She also tells him that Amédée was up all night with stomach pains and should be in bed.
- Still, she doesn't sound at all worried. As the narrator tells us, she couldn't be more confident in the youth and strength of her husband and her baby boy.
- Emil plays for a bit with the baby, and remarks jokingly that he looks like a little Indian. His grandmother is not pleased.
- Emil rides out to the fields. He's really impressed by his friend and his new machine, but it quickly becomes clear that his friend is really sick. He doubles over with stomach pain and appears to have a fever. When Emil tells him to get some rest, Amédée seems anxious about harvesting all the wheat on time.
- Emil can see that he's too busy to talk, so he heads over to the French church to say goodbye to another friend. When he passes by the field again, he helps some men carry Amédée off and put him to bed.