The Four Winds

That night, Loreda sneaks into town to attend the union meeting. An angry crowd packs the basement of the hotel while Jack fires them up with stories of injustice and greed. The willingness to strike spreads among the workers. Suddenly, Elsa shows up, sending Loreda out of the meeting while she speaks with Jack alone. She agrees with Jack’s cause but fears Loreda will become “a casualty in this war you’re playing at” (385). She drags Loreda back to camp and, despite her daughter’s pleas, refuses to concede.

The next morning, Loreda sees Ike, who was also at the meeting. Careful not to attract attention, she walks over to him, and he whispers that the workers are meeting again that night. As she heads back to her cabin, Welty calls her over and asks if she’s heard any rumors of a strike. She denies hearing anything. As they are driven out to the fields, Loreda sees barbed wire fencing and men with shotguns patrolling the perimeter. In the middle of the field, workers build a guard tower. Welty announces that, due to the cost of the fencing and hiring the guards, he is cutting wages by another 10%, adding, “’Anyone who leaves will never pick for me or any other grower in the valley again’” (389).