Christy

Typhoid, a regular hazard of life in Cutter Gap, often emerges seasonally after the spring thaw, but it can spread just as effectively with the autumn rains. It is caused by bacteria that fill water sources contaminated with contact by human and animal waste. In the hilly terrain of the Cove, that means that it flows down from cabins on the slopes to infect the supposedly pristine waters in the valleys. Most locals have no sense of how it spreads and cannot imagine their mountain water being anything but clean.

With the school starting up again, students gather at the mission, hoping it will prove a safer space than the epidemic-afflicted homes. Some even come to the mission as boarders, thus fulfilling one of Christy’s dreams for the school. Lundy Taylor is one of these boarders, but his presence at the school turns dire when it becomes clear that he, too, is falling ill with typhoid. Doctor MacNeill comes to attend to the situation, and he sends Christy rushing back to his cabin for medicines stored in the secret locked room. She is struck by what she finds there—not a shrine to his dead wife, as the local rumor had it, but a laboratory for the study of mountain diseases, shielded from prying eyes that would not understand.

There are urgent cases of typhoid all around the Cove, and so Doctor MacNeill presses on, leaving Lundy in the care of the mission staff. As soon as he is gone, however, word comes that Ruby Mae has come down with a serious case, and Miss Alice and Christy go to attend to her. Though they are unsure if it is typhoid in Ruby Mae’s case, they do their best to administer a mountain remedy of onion bandages, and by the time Doctor MacNeill comes to assess the situation, she is already on the way to recovery. The doctor gives Christy a ride back to the mission house, along with some instructions for keeping herself safe from infection after having tended a sick patient. While never overtly expressed in words, a mutual attraction between Christy and the doctor has taken root, and she even gives him a spontaneous kiss on the cheek.

Miss Alice recognizes that Christy’s questions about the mystery of Doctor MacNeill are always on her mind, and she makes herself available to answer those questions. She tells the story of her daughter’s romance with the doctor, the young couple’s struggles with faith, and how their love ended tragically with the young woman’s death from typhoid. This event also sealed the death of Neil’s faith, but that did not diminish his standing in Miss Alice’s eyes: “Neil has strengths and depths in him that not many of the mountain people understand” (459).

When the doctor next comes by the mission house, he gives them an update on the course of the epidemic and lays out instructions for how to safely deal with patient care. Recognizing that Christy lacks experience in nursing typhoid patients, he coaches her closely. Despite round-the-clock care, Lundy’s condition deteriorates, further exposing Christy and the others to potential typhoid infection. Desperate and delirious in the middle of Christy’s night shift, Lundy cries out for his absent father. As morning approaches, Bird’s-Eye unexpectedly appears at the back door of the mission house.

Bird’s-Eye explains that he came around because he heard about Lundy’s condition, and he surprises everyone by offering to help around the mission. Lundy’s recovery is progressing, but Doctor MacNeill grows increasingly concerned about him. The boy has lost significant weight and is constantly hungry, but to allow him to eat solid food at this juncture in his recuperation could lead to a perforated bowel—a fatal condition. So now, in addition to caring for other typhoid patients, the women must vigilantly monitor Lundy to ensure he avoids solid food, which is made even more difficult by his self-centeredness and deceit. Meanwhile, Christy wrestles over her romantic dilemmas, and a frank conversation with David reveals how far apart the two still are from truly understanding one another.

Christy learns that one of her students, Bessie Coburn, has recovered from typhoid, but her mother is unwell, and Bessie is struggling to keep up with the care. Despite her exhaustion from constant nursing duties, Christy goes to the Coburn cabin to help. She spends the day cleaning and offering patient care until exhausted, she heads back to the mission. There, she finds that Lundy’s situation has grown chaotic, and the young man is howling in agony. Miss Alice suspects he has secretly consumed solid food, and it is soon discovered that he stole and ate two hard-boiled eggs. Consulting her medical books, Miss Alice says that immediate surgery might be necessary for a perforated bowel. Unfortunately, Doctor MacNeill is hours away attending other cases, so all they can do is sit by Lundy’s side, offering comfort. When Doctor MacNeill finally arrives, Lundy is already in shock, and he passes away before anything more can be done.

In a dramatic turn of events, Bird’s-Eye now offers Lundy’s confession for him, pointing to the young man as the murderer of Tom McHone. Initially, Bird’s-Eye refrained from sharing this while Lundy suffered from typhoid, but now that Lundy has passed away, Bird’s-Eye no longer feels he’s betraying him. Although David initially doubts Bird’s-Eye’s account, Miss Alice knows it to be true. Amid their conversations, Miss Alice observes that David still struggles with the demands of his ministry and uncertainty about his calling. She shares the story of the prophet Jonah with him, and David agrees that he has much to consider. During this conversation, Christy, too, is present, but her fatigue catches up with her—now she is battling typhoid, and she slips into a series of delirious dreams.

Christy’s restless dreams weave in and out of delirium, eventually amounting to a near-death experience of renewed life in paradise. She finds herself moving in a world of light and beauty, and she encounters children who seem vaguely familiar, but whom she does not recognize. It is only after a few moments that she realizes that these are some of the Spencer children who passed away in infancy but here were bright, vibrant, and alive. As she moves forward in the scene, she encounters Fairlight herself, radiant and alive. She longs to be with Fairlight but feels the weight of something else pulling her back. She awakens slowly, hearing Doctor MacNeill’s voice pledging his love for her and pleading with God, in a renewed sense of faith, for Christy’s life and another chance. Christy comes back to consciousness, now fully aware of the doctor’s love for her, rooted in honesty and forthrightness that was never the case with David: “So his was the voice that called me back. Dr. MacNeill’s. He needed me. He loved me” (501).