narrator henry stamp my name is henry stamp and i am eight years old my daddy works at colonel palmer s mill shovelin coal my best friend is thomas and he lives through the wood lot over there his momma s ms constance his daddy was mr aaron vale but daddy calls thomas a quadroon boy called mr aaron a half breed mrs constance a whore and i don t understand i remember buildin dams with thomas down by colonel palmer s creek mr vale was building him a mansion thomas watched it rise with me me and thomas ran to get the doctor after mr vale collapsed ms constance says the palmers broke their promise and cut his pay in half but daddy says sinners always get what they deserve and momma told thomas not to come round any more and i don t understand