George covers his fear of loss by trying to be as much of a man as he can. As a boy, he lost his mother and feels like it's his fault. He doesn't want to find a wife, she would be just another woman for him to lose. When he seeks the attention of the new poetry teacher, it's only to have a good story to tell the other hands. Unfortunately, every time he gets near her, he can't think of anything but poetry. Phoebe Root believes if she doesn't spread...