Mother makes Rita get black dye to dye her pink and purple shoes so they will not be so attractive. Rita is understandably upset about this. She's already being forced to essentially wear bedsheets.

While Mother and Rita are shopping for dye, Dorcas mans the roadside produce stand. Several neighbors stop to talk, including one who calls Rita a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Then the book decides to become racist, because why not. Dorcas's only black neighbor comes to visit the stand. The book makes sure to mention he is a black neighbor, but very spiritual multiple times. He talks like a caricature from the 1950s ("sho fine," "we loves it.") None of the simple white farmers in the area talk like this, so you can't say it's a regional thing.

Then an entire page is spent talking about skin color and how Dorcas's parents are kind to black people. Dorcas thinks to herself that she loves black people, too.

Now that we've cleared all that up, Dorcas ponders the recent problems with Rita. At the church youth group, Rita has been talking to both girls and boys, ignoring Mother and Father's rule to speak to girls only. The little kids' table manners have also been getting more sloppy because of Rita's influence. Rita also laughs too loud at the table. Lately, Mother has had to go to bed with a headache, something she never had before Rita. Dorcas has never remembered there being so much stress in the family.

At lunch, they have strawberry shortcake, and the older boy, Philip, jokes that there will be none left for the younger boy. The younger boy gets upset and tells him to not be a pig before he can get to the table. Father is speechless with shock, and then drags him away from the table for using language like "pig." Dorcas's heart is heavy because she knows this is also from Rita's influence.

After lunch, they work till dinner, then do chores and errands, and finally have reading hour between 8 and 9 PM. Rita says she feels stressed because she never has time for reading or pleasure anymore. Even the youngest kids sleep or work except for reading hour.

Rita isn't sure what book to read next, so Mother suggests Safe in His Care, a book published by the same company that produced this one. 10/10 for the self-promo. Rita asks if all their books are written by Mennonites, or if they have any of her favorites: Grace Livingston Hill, Janette Oke, Lori Wick, Gilbert Morris, or the Sugar Creek Gang.

Mother is speechless, and finally asks in "disbelief" if Rita had those books in her home. Rita says yes, and Mother goes on a sermon about books. Honestly there is so much to say here, just bear with me.

The authors listed are Christian authors from long ago, but Mother disapproves of their books because they often contain romance. The Sugar Creek Gang are simple chapter book mysteries that I encountered growing up. Mother says such books are popular with "nominal" Christians, but actually make us servants to the carnal desires within us.

Mother goes on to explain that the Sugar Creek Gang may not have romance, but they are "poor reading for Christians with their glorification of fantasy, imagination, and the unrealistic. Already such reading has done a lot of damage to your sweet, innocent character." (This is verbatim.)

Dorcas has heard of these books, because she sees them on the shelves of
"professing" Christian neighbors, but she is shocked a Mennonite would read such books.

Dorcas is stressed by these events, and tries to go outside for some time alone, but Mother makes her come back inside because she says they're having family time.

The next morning, Dorcas feeds the calves and thinks how much she loves farm life and how she desperately hopes God doesn't lead her to become a teacher, because she would hate teaching. Then the chapter randomly ends.