Hattie Big Sky

Hattie waits for rain, but it does not come. Rooster Jim visits, and he asks her if she is going to the meeting at the school. Hattie does not know what meeting he is talking about, so he explains that there is a new meeting in town where everyone will be asked to buy war savings stamps. Hattie worries because she has already bought a Liberty Bond, but Rooster Jim says that war is expensive and that no one cares about them on the homestead.

At the war savings meeting, Hattie pledges money, but the man says that the requirement is $100. Hattie says that she will never be able to pay any of her bills, and she has already pledged $50 in Liberty Bonds. The man tells her that he will bring her before a judge if she does not pledge more, so she writes down $100 and leaves. Leafie follows her outside, and Hattie tells her that she will never be able to pay for both her property and the bonds. Leafie asks her to come with her and Perilee’s children the next day to Wolf Point to see the parade, and Hattie agrees.

In Wolf Point, the town is busy because of National War Savings Day. Chase buys some flags for himself and his little sisters. As they watch the parade, Fern’s flag flies away. After the parade, Mr. Hansen says that he will treat the children to sarsaparilla, and Hattie says she will find Fern’s flag. Hattie sees a group of men, led by Traft, pushing Mr. Ebgard up against a wall. Traft accuses Mr. Ebgard of not supporting the war. Traft tells Mr. Ebgard that they know about him writing a letter to the governor about the German minister. Mr. Ebgard says that most of the congregation at the church are immigrants who would not understand their pastor if he spoke in English. Traft says that English is the language of America and that they will need to learn it if they want to stay there. Traft says that to prove himself, Mr. Ebgard needs to crawl on his hands and knees to the American flag and then kiss it.

Hattie tells herself to do something, but she feels too frightened. The men push Mr. Ebgard to the ground, and Traft tells him to crawl. The men kick Mr. Ebgard as he crawls, and Hattie suddenly says Traft’s name. One of the men tells her to leave, but Hattie says that she has legal business with Mr. Ebgard. Mr. Ebgard stands up and asks Hattie to step into his office with him. The men let them go. When they get into Mr. Ebgard’s office, Hattie feels sick. Mr. Ebgard pours them drinks, and Hattie asks what has happened to those men. Mr. Ebgard says that the war has become so divisive that even his act of writing a letter about a pastor seems like treason to the men. Hattie says that she must get back to Leafie, and Mr. Ebgard says that she is brave. When Hattie gets to the store, she tries to forget about what she witnessed in the street.

Chase tells Hattie that his family will pick her up to take her to the Independence Day celebration at Wolf Creek. Everyone is excited about the baseball game. Hattie joins one of the teams. When the bases are loaded, Hattie offers to give the pitcher a break. Hattie strikes out the first two batters, but the third batter hits a home run, and they lose the game. When Hattie gets home, she sees Traft waiting for her. He tells her that he did not start the fire at Karl’s house and that he dragged the burning bundle away from her barn to save it. He apologizes about the confrontation with Mr. Ebgard getting out of hand, but he says that he must make sure people do their duty. Hattie tells him that he has no right to judge people when he is not fighting in the war. Traft tells her that he enlisted but that he found out that his mother spoke to the governor about appointing him to the Council of Defense to prevent him from fighting. Traft looks angry, and Hattie remembers how she felt when she let Aunt Ivy run her life. Hattie tells him that she is sorry. Traft asks her if she will sell her land, but Hattie refuses again. Later, Hattie reads Charlie’s letter. Charlie writes that he misses her, and he wonders if he will ever come home.

It finally rains during the first week of August. However, the rain does not continue, and Hattie worries about her crops. Traft offers to buy her land again, but she refuses. Later, Hattie speaks with Leafie and Perilee about Traft trying to buy her land. Perilee and Leafie offer to help in any way they can. Suddenly, they see clouds approaching, and Perilee says that rain is coming. As it approaches, Leafie warns that it is hail. Perilee screams for Chase, who is helping Karl and Wayne Robbins in the fields, but Leafie pulls her inside. After a while, the hail lessens, and Karl, Chase, and Wayne come inside. Chase says that Karl threw him under the tractor, which is why Karl’s face is cut up from the hail. Hattie sees that her fields are ruined. Wayne tells her to sell it all for feed. Hattie worries how many other farmers will need to sell their fields for feed and if she will make any profit from it. After the others leave, Hattie looks in Uncle Chester’s chest, hoping to find some hidden money. Instead, she finds a picture of Uncle Chester, her parents, and herself as a baby. She presses the picture to her lips and tries to gain comfort from the smiling faces of her family.