The first mention I give of the Loonsfoot family comes in Chapter One. When Linn meets Joe Trumbull he quickly tells her he’s on his way to Loonsfoot’s. That’s all that’s said then and there. Linn isn’t interested in what the young fellow plans to do, and as readers soon learn, she doesn’t want to think too much about the Loonsfoot family.
As the chapter continues, I revealed a little more information. Not much, but just enough to hopefully whet the reader’s appetite for more.
Here’s a little bit of foreshadowing. Does it arouse your curiosity?
“Listen, Joe, you look like a strong fellow. Why don’t you carry my bags to the livery for me, and then you can go on to…” Linn had to stop and swallow before she could get the name out. “To Loonsfoot’s.”
How was James Loonsfoot doing these days? Her mother never mentioned him in her letters. The man no longer ran his seed and feed business himself, Linn knew. He’d turned that responsibility over to his sons years before, right after the accident.
After this rather awkward moment for Linn, I wanted to end the chapter on a lighter note. Most of all, I wanted to show that underneath Linn’s stage-star persona, she was still a bit of a country girl at heart.
These closing lines of the chapter are, in fact, among my favorite lines in the story:
“Buy some good shit, Joe,” she called out as he headed in the direction of the seed and feed store. “And good luck with the squash.”
Summertime 