One Came Home Violence Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #10

What was Mr. Olmstead talking about? How did he know about the counterfeiters? And what did he mean by "the men that did this to you"? Then part of it dawned on me: "Are you talking about my face?"

"Someone hit you."

I sighed. "Everyone seems to deduce that I got hit, but I fell. I fell off a big pile of rocks, landed on my cheek, and earned this bruise fair and square. Mr. Garrow and his men are innocent of hurting me. I hurt them. The man traveling with Mr. Garrow? Well, I accidentally shot off his thumb." I realized how that sounded, and added: "In defense! He was going to hurt Billy."

Mr. Olmstead's eyes went wide. "You shot off his thumb?" (19.35-38)

Poor Georgie—she keeps trying to tell people she fell, but everyone assumes she took a good smack across the face. In this passage, she fairly well sums up the various kinds of violence she's dealt with on her quest: taking it and dealing it out.