This lengthy excerpt comes from the novel The Homeplace by Gilbert Morris, with copyright held by Zondervan in 2005. The text introduces the Freeman family in 1928 Arkansas, focusing on the strong-willed sixteen-year-old protagonist, Lanie Belle Freeman, as she copes with the challenges of rural life and her mother’s failing health. The narrative quickly progresses, covering the death of Lanie's mother during childbirth and the subsequent imprisonment of her father, Forrest Freeman, for murder. The latter half of the excerpt details Lanie's struggle, with the help of her siblings and their eccentric Aunt Kezia, to save the family home from foreclosure by the wealthy Langley family. Throughout the text, themes of faith, community support, and the budding romance between Lanie and the young Dr. Owen Merritt emerge as the family strives to overcome adversity during the Great Depression.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.