Homecoming Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary

  • The next morning, the Tillerman kids set off towards Rockland State Park, where Dicey thinks they can stay for a few days.
  • On the way there, Dicey stops to buy food and fishing supplies. The clerk is friendly and lets her know that they might have better luck catching clams; he also gives her a map of the park. Three cheers for free maps.
  • At the end of this shopping trip, the family is left with only twenty-six cents. Yikes.
  • When they get to the park, they see campsites, bathrooms, fire pits, and a playground. This place is perfect.
  • They can't catch any clams because it's high tide, but James manages to find some mussels that Dicey steams and they have a little seafood feast on the beach.
  • That night they sleep in the woods near a campsite, and once the little kids fall asleep, Dicey wanders out onto the beach by herself.
  • There she meets two teenaged runaways—Edie and Louis.
  • Dicey pretends to be a boy again and tells Edie and Lou that her name is Danny. Lou asks her all kinds of questions, but Edie tells him to lay off.
  • No worries, Lou explains. He can tell Dicey has runaway and they won't bother her—he and Edie have been camping out in Rockland for the last two weeks themselves.
  • The next day, Dicey tells her siblings about her little run in with Edie and Louis, and reminds them that she's a boy since things are safer that way.
  • She tells James and Sammy to try fishing, but James gets bored when they don't catch anything. He starts playing on some rocks and falls over, hitting his head.
  • Dicey rushes over to see that James is fine… though he might have a concussion. Looks like they're going to have to stay in Rockland until James is doing better.
  • In the meantime, Sammy has managed to catch some fish and Dicey cooks it up for lunch. James won't eat, though, because his head is hurting.
  • After dinner, Dicey, Maybeth, and Sammy head over to the playground to give James some time to rest by himself.
  • They end up running into Edie and Lou again. Lou sees that Dicey isn't alone, but is with other kids and starts asking questions again.
  • Dicey lies and tells them they're heading to Provincetown, and Lou suggests that he and Edie tag along. Dicey isn't too thrilled about the idea, but Lou suggests it would be a good way for them to hide out from Edie's dad.
  • Edie doesn't seem to think this is such a swell idea either. Lou teases her. What is she, chicken? Edie most definitely is not chicken, though, since she already stole her dad's checkbook in order for them to runaway together.
  • Dicey manages to get rid of Edie and Lou and drag Sammy and Maybeth back to their campsite where she makes dinner for James who is feeling a bit better. Everyone drifts off to sleep with full little bellies. Yay.