The Murphy family returned to Little Valley on the twenty-fourth, bringing with them their new daughter-in-law. Lawrence came too, although he would have to return the following afternoon as work on the room started at 6 AM on Monday morning. It would be another two or three months before he would be returning home for the winter. Adam would be back in the fishing boat with his father and Simon on Monday as well, giving Mary and Becky some time to get better acquainted.

Mary, of course could hardly contain her joy, at having the company of her daughter-in-law while the men were out fishing, and despite their age differences, the two quickly became fast friends. Soon other women and girls began dropping by to meet Lawrence’s “women” and to welcome her to the tiny community. Although she missed Lawrence terribly and looked forward to his homecoming every Saturday, her new in-laws made her feel very much at home. The older boys had been a little shy at first, but before long were treating her as one of their own. Shamus and Peter even began calling her “sis” and eventually even Simon stopped blushing at the thought that Becky might be washing his underclothes. Mom and dad, as she called Mary and Eli, were also delighted to see how quickly Becky was becoming one of the family. Like all young women of the day, she was adept at the various household chores, and when all the washing, scrubbing and cooking had been done, there was always mitts, socks and sweaters to knit for the winter. October found Mary working on a patchwork quilt while Becky was hooking a mat for the kitchen floor.

Adam, always the quiet one in the family, was nevertheless pleased to see that his mother now had someone to help with the housework. Probably because he was the youngest, he had always felt a closeness to his mother and worried that she was working too hard. Now, he would often close the schoolbook he was reading, and listen happily, as Becky and his mother worked together on making supper or shared a laugh over something that had happened earlier that day. Eventually, Adam too was relaxed around his sister in-law, and the two became good friends. Sensing that he was quieter and more sensitive than most boys, she would soon become his confidant when he felt unsure of himself, or wondered why he was sometimes uncomfortable in a group, even among boys of his age.