Mom decides it’s time to move to Dad’s hometown of Welch, West Virginia. Unfortunately, Dad loses his job, and his alcoholism reaches crushing lows. For about a year, the kids enjoy regular meals, their own bicycles, and public schooling. They move into the massive house, and Dad gets a job as an electrician. On the way to Phoenix, Jeannette learns that Grandma Smith has passed, leaving Mom a large sum of money and a house. She misses him on purpose, but the police get involved. Jeannette returns fire with Dad’s pistol. Their time in Nevada comes to an end when Billy Deel, a delinquent neighbor boy whose advances Jeannette rejected, comes to the Walls residence and opens fire with his BB gun. Dad confiscates most of her paycheck, and the family continues to go hungry. After an explosive argument, Mom gets a teaching job. The family enjoys six months of relative stability until Dad loses his job. Dad moves the family to Battle Mountain, Nevada, where he works as an electrician. When Jeannette is in first grade, Mom gives birth to another baby, Maureen.
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