"The Funeral"
Tull tells Quick, a neighbor, that the bridge won't hold the weight of a wagon. Meanwhile, Anse looks more dignified in his white shirt.
Cash is filling up the holes in the coffin, doing it the hard way, as usual. They laid Addie opposite the normal way so that her big dress would fit better.
Whitfield, the preacher, is late because the bridge is out. It will take even longer to get to Jefferson now.
We learn about Cash's fall when he broke his leg (28 feet, 4 inches, which is hilariously exact).
The funeral service is very short, and we learn that Addie was in the coffin for 3 days before Darl and Jewel got back.
Italics mark later recollections by Tull and Peabody. Cora and Tull see Vardaman fishing in a dead pond...this boy doesn't know how to express his grief. Why is it fitting that he is fishing in a dead pond?
It's remarked that 3 days is a long time for a body to be above ground in Mississippi in the summer. Yikes.
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