The Whittaker Saga

On the day of his graduation, Arthur barely knows what to do with himself. There is nothing else to study, no new books to read, no new papers to write. Restless, he goes to the commons, for food and recreation, and ends up alone at the chess table, while waiting. He hasn't sat there long, however, before a girl he's never seen (as there are no women who attends Foxbury) walks through the door. She smiles and sits down and asks if she can join in the game. Soon the two are involved in deep conversation as time ticks by, and when it's time to leave Arthur is so wrapped up in the conversation he is actually running late for his own graduation! He doesn't even have time to run back to the dorm to pick up his robes, so he runs there in just the hat as he had that with him. Luckily, once inside, there were robes to spare, so when he and the others leave the auditorium, Arthur is dressed as he should as they toss their hats into the air. That night, they all gather at the loc...

On a Saturday morning, Susan suddenly begins to crawl. For Betty this is a bit bittersweet as it means she's starting to grow up. Soon she too will be running around with her brothers. And if she knew her mother's thoughts, she decides to stand up on her own for the first time the very next day. Betty wants to cheer and cry at the same time. When Thomas is away at work, the family sometimes visits Grace. The kids are then allowed to watch television or play with the cat, while Betty helps with the baby so that Grace can get some rest. "But you have three! I should be helping you!" Grace points out. "Well the first on is always the hardest," Betty replies. But as life goes on for them, it doesn't for some others. The murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi reaches even white suburban California when his open-casket funeral and photos of his mutilated body were published in national media. When his murderers are then acquitted by an all white jury...