This Tender Land

In another small town further down the river, Albert and Odie enter a department store to buy shoes. When Albert hesitates to present a convincing backstory, Odie takes over. His performance wins the sympathy of the woman who runs the store with her husband, and she gives them a significant discount on three pairs of boots. As they leave, Albert expresses regret for tricking her, but Odie defends himself. When they return to the river, they find Mose, Emmy, and the canoe gone.

Albert and Odie find Emmy and Mose half a mile downstream. The boys put on their new boots, and Odie transfers the $10 from his old shoes. As they set off down the river, Odie makes a sock puppet for Emmy.

That afternoon, they stop near another town, and Albert goes to buy food. Odie asks Emmy whether she remembers what she said last night; she doesn’t. Odie goes to a nearby farmhouse to take some clothes off a clothesline. A young girl who is home alone sees him and tells him of her family’s economic struggles, and he leaves $3 hanging on the clothesline. Albert scolds Odie.

Further downriver, they take refuge in a small shed during a storm. During the night, Emmy has a seizure-like fit, as she does from time to time. As it ends, she says, “He’s not dead, Odie” (118). In the morning, they are woken by a man with an eye patch whom Odie recognizes as a customer at the store where they bought the boots.

Pointing a gun at them, the man takes their supplies and locks the boys in the barn. Odie refers to him as “the pig scarer” for his frightful appearance until he later learns that his name is Jack (118). Jack takes Emmy with him and threatens to hurt her if they try to escape. He puts them to work on his farm all day, then locks them in the barn. He reappears with Emmy to feed them at the end of the day. As he drinks, Jack asks Odie to play “Red River Valley” on his harmonica but cuts him off the second time through. Odie, Albert, and Mose sleep on a broken bale of hay.

Mose cries in his sleep. The next day, they return to work. A car comes to the house, and Odie overhears a police officer telling Jack to look out for Emmy and her kidnappers. The officer also asks Jack whether he has heard from Aggie and Sophie, whom Odie later learns to be his estranged wife and daughter.

That night, Emmy returns to the barn with Jack as the boys eat. After playing a few tunes at Jack’s request, Odie offers to help Jack make “the best corn liquor you ever tasted” (131).

The next morning, Jack goes to town with Albert. While they are gone, Odie sneaks into the house and sees a photograph of Jack with Aggie and Sophie, who resembles Emmy. He finds Emmy locked in Sophie’s room. After making sure that she is okay, he locks her back in the room, explaining that they can’t leave yet. He also explores the attic, where he finds a living space with a violently shredded mattress. As he returns to work, he encounters a woman who is Jack’s neighbor. Pretending to be Jack’s nephew, Odie learns that Aggie left with man named Rudy.

Jack and Albert return and set up the still. Odie tells Jack about the neighbor’s visit, and Jack is pleased at how Odie handled the situation. That evening, Jack accompanies Odie on his fiddle, but his mood sours when he thinks of Sophie.

Over the next few days, Odie becomes increasingly sympathetic toward Jack as he learns about his difficult past. Using spare wire, Odie devises a means of escape from the barn, but they resolve to wait for the right moment. The night after their fifth day of work, Jack is in a bad mood, so Odie leaves the barn, wanting to check on Emmy. Mose follows him. They are surprised to see Jack leave the house and make his way to a solitary oak tree, where he cries desperately.

The next day, Jack is in a good mood. Albert tells him that they need more firewood for the still, which is ready for its first run. Jack takes Odie and Mose to cut down a tree near the river. He sends Odie looking for mushrooms, and Odie stops by the oak tree where Jack wept the night before and sees that it is a family burial site. When Odie returns, Jack shares his belief that God is within and all around them in “this beautiful, tender land” (151).

Jack sends Odie back to the barn with some wood. Odie takes the opportunity to go into the house. He comes across a photo of Jack in the military with his friend and fellow soldier, Rudy. He finds the items they took from the Brickmans, except the money, under a kitchen floorboard. He takes Mr. Brickman’s gun with him and hides it in the barn before returning to Jack and Mose

That night, Jack invites all four of them into his home for dinner, though he keeps his gun nearby. Afterward, he leads them to the barn for a “hoedown.” Jack and Odie play music as Emmy and Mose dance. After a while, Jack requests “Red River Valley” and cries as they play it. Afterward, he refers to Emmy as Sophie, then grows upset when he realizes his mistake. As he and Emmy stand to return to the house, Emmy accidentally knocks over his bottle of liquor. When he swears and grabs her arm, Albert and Mose make threatening moves. While Jack confronts Albert, Odie retrieves the gun he hid earlier. Fearing that Jack will shoot Albert, Odie shoots Jack, who falls to the ground, apparently dead. Shaken, Odie sends Albert to retrieve the documents from the Brickmans’ safe. A few minutes later, they set off down the river.