- Sarah Hale: [describing the deceased Mr. Wright] Well, he didn't drink, kept his word as well as most, I guess. Paid his debts. But he was a cold, harsh man. Well, just passing the time of day with him was like a raw wind cuttin' clean to the bone. And that's the only human bein' Millie ever saw, day in, day out.
- Jim Hale: You've been sitting here all day while he's been lying up there?
- Mrs. Millie Wright: Didn't seem like there was anything else for me to do, seeing he was dead.
- Mrs. Mary Peters: I've been living in the town long enough.
- Sarah Hale: How long?
- Mrs. Mary Peters: Five years.
- Sarah Hale: [laughs] Five years. Five years living right in the heart of town, surrounded by people, nothin' to do but keep a house neat. What would you know about living for 20 years out on a farm like this? Miles from anywhere. Never seeing a living soul from one month's end 'til the next. Getting into town maybe, oh, four or five times a year, if you're lucky. And even then, having to worry about how you'd get caught up with the work when you came back. And never really catching up. Only thing that makes it bearable is having a decent man like my Jim, who loves you.