These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901

Sarah’s first months as a widow are difficult; she is angry often, and although her neighbors, the Maldonados, help on the ranch, she is frustrated and exhausted by all she must manage on her own. Early in the chapter, Sarah shocks Savannah when she flies into a rant, confessing her hatred for Jimmy, the ranch, and the conditions of her life. She had wanted only to be happy, but there is nothing happy about her circumstances. Savannah encourages her to pray for strength, but Sarah declares that will do no good, which upsets Savannah. Ashamed of her behavior, Sarah later apologies.

Soon afterward, Sarah’s dog, Toobuddy, leads her to a man in the woods who had a riding accident; his legs are pinned beneath his dead horse. As Sarah is cleaning him up, he recognizes her. The man is Jack Elliot, returned to Arizona Territory to defend the settlers against Geronimo and his Apache tribe. Sarah takes him back to her house, and he rests there for two days, during which she fears he will die of his injuries. He makes a surprising recovery, however, and Sarah tells her family of the unlikely rescue. Before they arrive for a visit, Elliot leaves for the Tucson fort.