Years later, the young boy is now an adult and, although having moved away from his dirt-poor farming community, is now a farmer himself and is plowing his own field. He talks about a letter he received from his family back home, by which he learns from his mother that, among other things, Old Rivers has died. The protagonist is deeply saddened by this news, and needs to find shade in which to rest and gather his thoughts and grief. He is able to take comfort in what Old Rivers one day told him about Heaven.
