How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Ned's shoulders stiffened. It was this whole notion of lineage and background that had sent him back into the mines for a second shift. (16.19)
Mrs. Larkin's concern with bloodlines really gets Ned's goat. Especially since her buddies at the mine use the same thing—Ned's unknown background—as an excuse to force the poor guy to work a double shift. But isn't there more to a person than genetics? Moon Over Manifest certainly seems to think so.
Quote #5
I wondered what Gideon was doing right then. […] On a good day, a man eating at the counter might buy him a sandwich and a cup of coffee. It always helped to have a little girl in tow. He needed me. (18.16)
Finn used Jinx in his cons, and now Jinx uses Abilene to get sympathy and free handouts. He doesn't mean to, but it's the only life he knows. What do you think: is that an okay excuse?
Quote #6
Jump on, jump on, jump on, the boxcars taunted. I reached out my hand. Reaching for the only home I'd ever known. Reaching for Gideon. Then the sound died down and the train moved on. (20.41)
Whew. We can't help but feel bad for Abilene. Being with her dad is all she's ever known, and not she's totally separated from him.