Where the Lilies Bloom

Mary Call and her siblings discover the hardships of wildcrafting, including proximity to dangerous animals and physical exhaustion. Romey becomes convinced one morning that they have found goldenseal, a highly coveted herb which will make them rich. They take a basket of the healthy goldenseal roots and leaves home. All of the siblings discuss what they would do with the abundance of money. Mary Call tells Roy Luther about the goldenseal, assuring him that he shouldn’t worry about anything. She explains that the land is theirs now and that the Wildcrafting will take care of their expenses during the winter months. In the spring and summer, they will work the land. Roy Luther listens but then falls asleep. Mary Call realizes that he will not live past spring.

The siblings take the goldenseal to a cheerful Mr. Connell. With a portion of the money, Ima Dean and Romey treat themselves to soft drinks. Mr. Connell gifts a few cans of peaches to Mary Call and inquires after her father; he and Mrs. Connell plan to make a visit to their house soon to check on Roy Luther.