The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The night after Gar’s death, Trudy and Edgar struggle to keep up the appearance of normal kennel operations. The next morning, after making the rounds with the dogs, they head into town to talk with Glen Papineau, the vet’s son and the town’s sheriff. Glen gently interrogates them. Because Trudy was in town when Gar died, the focus rests on Edgar. The sheriff is interested in why the phone was destroyed. Initial reports from the coroner’s office, however, indicate the death was caused by an aneurysm. Claude returns but does not attend the service. He shows up at the gravesite, however. After the funeral service, neighbors bring food to the house. When the day is over, Edgar falls exhausted into bed with Almondine, now his constant companion.

It is spring, and Trudy and Edgar focus on the kennel. Without his father, Edgar, though just 14, shoulders more and more responsibilities. He rejects his mother’s suggestion that when he completes high school, they sell the kennel to help pay for his college. Edgar assures her of his commitment to the family business.

The farm is becoming important to Edgar. In sorting through his father’s papers in the barn, Edgar comes across letters and newspaper articles, some dated more than 40 years earlier, about efforts his grandfather made to genetically engineer a new breed of dog.