A Gathering of Days

A Gathering of Days Summary | Plot Summary

Pioneer life was simple and joyful but hard and devastating at the same time. The essence of being a pioneer meant that life was an adventure full of new things and risk. With risk, there is either loss or reward. The characters in this story feel both.

As the story begins, Catherine is writing in a journal that her father had brought back as a gift from Boston. In it, she chronicles the story of her life, the lives of her friends, and the people in the community.

Her mother dies after giving birth to the couple's youngest child and only son, Nathaniel.

Catherine describes the life she leads with her father and sister, and, despite the loss of her mother and not getting to know her brother, she is happy. Her best friend and confidante is Cassie Shipman, who lives on the neighboring farm. Cassie has two brothers who are also friends of Catherine's.

One of the main events in the story is the discovery of a runaway slave. Asa is the first child to discover him and, in confidence, tells Catherine of the discovery. Together, Cassie, Catherine, and Asa find ways in which they can help the man. While they know he is a black man, they see further into him and regard him as a person. They do not label him as a black man, a slave, a fugitive, or a runaway as the adults around them do. By thinking the way they do about this human being, they are able to act humanely toward him.

Another main event is the remarriage of Catherine's father to Ann Higham. With this marriage comes a stepbrother to Catherine and Matty. As is usual, there is much for each person to learn about each other as a result of blending families. Catherine learns much and turns her resentment into admiration and love for Ann. Despite vowing not to call her "Mother," Catherine refers to Ann as "Mammann," a play on both mamma and her name.

As things calm down within the Hall family, things in the Shipman family go awry. Cassie comes down with a fever and 5 days later, she dies. This event brings grief and sorrow to everyone who knew Cassie. As time passes, sorrow slowly turns to joy. A wedding occurs in the Shipman family, and shortly thereafter, news of a spring birth arrives. The death of Cassie takes away Catherine's best friend, but it also gives her a new friend in David, Cassie's older brother.

Nearly a year and a half passes from the beginning of the journal to the time in which Catherine embarks on a new journey of her life. The story ends with a closing letter from Catherine to her great granddaughter explaining the events, as she understands them to be, from the period in the journal to the current time.