Miracles on Maple Hill

Joe loves to explore on his own, and Marly sees him as fearless. Much of his wanderlust stems from his competitive nature and his desire to be the first to see something. Often, he will only let Marly tag along once he’s already explored a location. Marly is happy when Joe takes her along on his adventures, but it angers her that girls aren’t allowed to explore on their own. However, Marly admits that when she is alone, she gets frightened and disoriented. Joe is annoyed by how slowly Marly walks through the woods, for she makes it a point to notice every flower and bird, but Mr. Chris is more patient with her; Marly always looks forward to their walks together. Two weeks before Easter, Mr. Chris takes Marly into the woods to show her all the blooming wildflowers, including his favorite: brilliant white flowers that he calls “Easter candles” (49). The flowers, traditionally called “bloodroot,” only bloom for one day and wilt by the next day. Each day, Marly gathers bouquets of wildflowers for Mother, who tells Marly that she is just like Grandma in her love of the natural world. Marly wonders at the miracle of spring, marveling at how the tender roots must struggle to push up through the decay of winter each year to start life anew.

One day, Marly decides to venture off on her own, and a bright yellow flower growing near the rail fence catches her eye. Marly moves to collect it, wondering if she has discovered a new type of flower. She is amused by the idea of “maybe finding a flower Mr. Chris had never met” (52). As she moves closer to the fence, however, Marly realizes that the ground is boggy and her feet are stuck. Suddenly, she looks up to find a herd of cows staring at her. Terrified, Marly tries to shoo the cows away, but they just keep mooing at her. Marly reassures herself that the cows are harmless, but she wishes that she hadn’t ventured out on her own. She eyes the fence in front of her and decides that the only way to save herself is to leapfrog onto points of solid ground until she can climb over the fence to safety. She whispers a prayer and speaks to the cows, introducing herself by her full name, Marline. Once she leaps to safety, she examines the cows through the fence and realizes that they must belong to Mr. Chris. Later, she relates the story to her family, and everyone laughs. Although Mother is sad that Marly lost her shoes to the mud, Mr. Chris is thankful that she found the swamp and the yellow flowers, which are called cowslips or “meadow boots” by some due to their shape. The flower is toxic to cows and could have killed them all.

Joe offers to take Marly to a strange place he found on the hill; it is covered with bumps that Mother calls “hummocks” (57). Marly is so overjoyed that she awakens early the next morning to pack their lunch for the adventure. She knows that she will be safe with Joe. Mr. Chris has been teaching Joe about the different parts of Maple Mountain, including swamps. Marly notices that Joe is interested in the odder parts of nature, like mushrooms, moss, and lichen. When she mentions telling Mr. Chris about this place, Joe says that Mr. Chris is the one who showed it to him. Marly is upset to learn that Mr. Chris climbed the steep hill and reminds Joe what Chrissie said about minding Mr. Chris’s health. She is angry that they lied and claimed that they were going to town, but Joe explains that they did go to town first to see the man Mr. Chris sells syrup and chestnuts. Joe insists that Mr. Chris didn’t overexert himself and makes Marly promise not to tell anyone.

As the children are walking home after watching Mr. Chris fell an old tree, they see a fox. The fox disappears, but when they follow it, they find five baby foxes. Marly adores the cute little foxes, and when they arrive home, she can’t wait to tell everyone. Mr. Chris, Chrissie, and Fritz are at the house, and before Joe can stop her, Marly tells everyone about the foxes. The fox has been killing the Mr. Chris’s chickens, and now that his hired man, Fritz, knows where the den is, he plans to shoot them. Marly pleads with everyone not to hurt the little foxes, but even Mr. Chris has no sympathy this time and tells her that they will eat all the mice. Later, Marly begs Joe not to show Fritz the den, but Joe feels conflicted and is angry with Marly for blabbing. Eventually, the two children devise a plan to block the entrance to the den, force the foxes out, and barricade the entrance so they will have to find a new home. They venture out into the night and find the den. Joe lights a cloth and tosses it into the den, and soon the foxes scurry away to safety. They use rocks to plug up the entrances before returning home. The next morning, Marly hears Joe ride off in Fritz’s truck and she anxiously awaits the sound of gunshots. When none come, relief floods her heart, and she makes biscuits for everyone. When Joe and Fritz return, Joe pretends not to understand why the den was barricaded and Daddy seems suspicious, but Marly just starts singing as she cooks.

Mother, Joe, and Marly move to Maple Hill for the summer, and when they arrive, they find Daddy making a special dinner to celebrate the occasion. The Chrises and Fritz join them, and everyone enjoys the delicious steak and sense of fellowship. Mr. Chris wishes that they could stay through the fall when the leaves turn, but Marly thinks as she stares at the stars, “Autumn can’t be prettier than this […] It just can’t” (69). Maple Hill is alive during the summer season as all the flowers, trees, and grass are bursting with green. Joe awakens early each morning to explore, and Marly enjoys helping Daddy tend to his garden where he is growing vegetables that Mr. Chris helped him plant. Everywhere that Mother looks, she sees things that remind her of Grandma. Fritz and Daddy enjoy taking breaks from work to go fishing, and they often take Joe with them. Over dinner, they discuss the possibility of living completely off the land. Mother thinks it would be difficult, but Joe proclaims that this is the way he intends to live. Mr. Chris says there is a man called Harry the Hermit who lives near the pond, raises goats, and keeps to himself, but Chrissie thinks he is strange and smells like goats.

The next day, Joe sets out to find Harry, and Marly follows him silently on winding roads and through a meadow until she sees a barn and a small house. She reveals herself to Joe, but he is not angry that she followed him. In the home’s mailbox, Joe finds honey and a note that says, “Take honey. Leave money. Gone for the day” (73). Joe wants to explore the house, but Marly says they shouldn’t trespass on someone’s property. Joe peeks inside and discovers that the man creates intricate wood-carved chains. They follow a set of handmade steps to a small stone spring house. Inside they find a dipper for the spring water, more honey, and handmade cheeses wrapped in cloth. Just as Marly is enjoying a drink from the cool spring, they hear footsteps and realize that the man has returned. They freeze and the footsteps stop, but Joe says they must move to the door and run away as fast as they can. Once they bolt from the springhouse, they see the man standing with a water-carrying yoke around his neck. He is old, has a beard, and walks with a cane. He calls to them, but the children keep running. Once they reach the safety of the road, Joe claims that he wasn’t really scared and only ran to save Marly. He feels bad for running away from the man and says they should go back, apologize, and introduce themselves. Instead, they walk home arguing over who is at fault for the whole incident.

At home, Marly fights to contain their secret, but Joe says he will go to see Fritz about it. However, later that evening, Harry arrives at their house looking for the children. He worries that he frightened them earlier and has come to introduce himself and invite them back to his farm to learn how to make goat cheese. Joe asks if Harry can teach him how to whittle the wooden chain, so Harry stays for four hours, visiting with the family and instructing Joe on woodcutting. Before leaving, Harry invites the children to visit him and use his telescope. He has lived alone ever since his son left to become a soldier. Mother thinks the goat cheese stinks, but Joe loves it and declares that he wants to learn to live just like Harry.

Summer brings a bounty of fruits and vegetables to Maple Hill. Marly enjoys collecting berries to be made into delicious cobblers. Mr. Chris explains that spring brings the flowers, but summer brings fruit that they harvest to eat and preserve for the coming winter. Mr. Chris teaches Marly about a fruit called pokeberry whose juice can be used as ink. She soon collects enough pokeberries to make the ink and writes a letter home to her friend Carol. Signs of fall appear, and Mr. Chris becomes sad knowing that soon the children will have to leave. Mother begins to pack boxes, but Joe doesn’t seem to mind since he enjoys living in the city.

Marly overhears her parents discussing the possibility of staying at Maple Hill through the winter. Daddy has spoken to Mr. Chris, and he believes that they should have no issues living there if they keep the snow cleared and the house warm. Their only concern is Joe. Marly can hardly contain herself and wakes Joe to tell him the news. She explains that they haven’t yet decided for certain but are considering staying, which would force the children to change schools. Having previously seen the tiny, one-room schoolhouse on their explorations, Joe is not excited about leaving his friends in the city. Marly reminds him that Daddy’s health has improved drastically since moving to Maple Hill, and she can tell that this fact pains him. Before she can stop him, Joe storms downstairs and demands that his parents explain. Daddy conducts a family meeting, and they make a chart cataloging the pros and cons of staying at Maple Hill. By the time they finish, the benefits of staying far outweigh the negatives, and they decide to stay for a year. Marly is excited and can’t wait to tell Mr. Chris and Chrissie, but Joe leaves the house and doesn’t return for dinner. Marly races to the Chrises to share the good news, and Mr. Chris tells her that Joe won’t have to attend the small school. He will take the bus to a larger school in town which has an award-winning band.

Marly walks to Harry’s house and finds him and Joe building a natural fence by bending and intertwining branches. She is excited to tell Joe the news about the school and the band, but she barely gets a word in before Joe shouts that he is bringing home two goats. Harry is teaching him to milk them and make cheese so that they will have provisions for the winter. Harry also tells Marly that he is giving her six chickens. Marly surveys Harry’s homestead and notices all the handcrafted items he has made. Harry says that people often ask him if he is lonely, but he has all the animals to keep him company. Joe tells Marly that Harry used to live in the city. He was a soldier like Dale, and after the war, he too was sad and depressed. After his wife left him, he took to the road and walked to Maple Hill, where Mr. Chris sold him property and helped him to start his own homestead. They all agree that Mr. Chris is a generous and humble man who has helped many people. Harry and the children gather the goats and chickens and begin walking home. Once they arrive, Harry delivers a speech in celebration of the family’s decision to stay at Maple Hill and offers the goats and chickens as a gift. Daddy invites Harry to stay for dinner, but he declines saying he must get back to his goats, and Mother appears relieved as she is still averse to his goat smell. Joe declares Harry “the most wonderful man in the world” (93), and both children exchange a knowing glance, hoping their parents will decide to let them stay.