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Henry Marshall
Devil John Smith is a local moonshiner who lives with his wife, Martha Hannah, and their pack of children in the mountains around Troublesome Creek. Although he complains to Cussy Mary Carter that her books distract his family from their chores and responsibilities, he has a soft spot for reading and can be convinced to continue to accept library materials that are useful. He also seems to be keeping a protective eye on Cussy Mary while she rides along her route, and he stands up for her when she and Jackson Lovett run afoul of the anti-miscegenation laws.
Devil John Quotes in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek quotes below are all either spoken by Devil John or refer to Devil John. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 22 Quotes
“I’m sorry, Mr. Smith,” I said, secretly touched they loved the books so dearly. Without the loans, his young’uns couldn’t learn because the moonshiner refused to send them to school. No man, no Kentucky law, could make a hillman do that. Most folks hadn’t even heard it was law. The land had its own decrees, held tight its hard ways of handling harder things. Folks would pack their little ones off to school only if it suited them, and not because of something written somewhere far away by city folks they’d never seen, or would ever see.
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Devil John Character Timeline in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The timeline below shows where the character Devil John appears in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 22
...up short in alarm. Fortunately, it’s not another Frazier. It’s Martha Hannah’s husband, the moonshiner Devil John . He looks to be in a troublesome mood, and he tells Cussy that there’s...
(full context)
Cussy Mary apologizes but secretly she’s thrilled. Devil John refuses to send his children to school—most mountain folk don’t know it’s the law and...
(full context)
The mention of sermons only riles up Devil John , who doesn’t want a “charlatan’s fire-waving finger up [his] ass.” He wasn’t a fan...
(full context)
Chapter 35
...Mary is lost in grief as she rides away from Henry’s house, so Junia notices Devil John first. He has found her to report that his children are working hard on their...
(full context)
Chapter 46
...to a few people while he was clearing Cussy’s trails. Birdie, R.C., Ruth, Martha Hannah, Devil John , Timmy Flynn, his mother, and Miss Loretta’s nephew (bearing her wedding present) are there....
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...who has stepped forward from the crowd with a triumphant look on her face. Now Devil John adds his voice to the cries to let Jackson go, but he quiets when Sheriff...
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...arrest her and send Honey to the “Home of the Idiots” in the state capital. Devil John pushes through the crowd to Cussy Mary. He warns Sheriff that he’ll dedicate himself to...
(full context)
