Summary
Palermo, a sun-bleached hamlet baked into the folds of an unnamed frontier, breathes through the mouth of one man: Squire Phin, laconic adjudicator of quarrels, part-time soothsayer of chicken disputes and fence-line theology. His gavel is a smile; his robe, a canvas coat the color of river clay. Enter the prodigal Hiram—broad as a barn door, grin like a busted harmonica—back after a decade of rail-yard brawls and rail-sleeping indignities. Memory here is longer than the shadows at high noon: every porch dog growls his name. Yet Hiram bears fresh scandal—Judge Willard, marble-mouthed monarch of the courthouse, has been siphoning the communal purse to gild his own privy. An election looms like thunder on the ridge. Blood calls: Hiram will unseat the embezzler. The catch? Squire Phin, enamored of Willard’s ethereal sister, pins his heart to the judge’s campaign banners, pitting fraternal loyalty against civic honor. Villages split like overripe fruit—cider for some, rot for others. In the end, only one currency can reconcile ledger, love, and legacy: restitution. Phin, with velvet diplomacy and the threat of public shame, coaxes Willard into disgorging the coins. Hiram’s rage cools; the gavel passes; wedding bells tint the air with copper sweetness.
Synopsis
Squire Phin endears himself to the residents of Palermo for his ability to settle all disputes, while his brother, Hiram, who returns after 10 years' absence, is well remembered and disliked for being the town bully. Hiram learns that Judge Willard is using the town treasury for his own ends and seeks to defeat him in an election. Meanwhile, Squire Phin, who loves Willard's sister, campaigns for the judge. Hiram is appeased when Squire Phin persuades Judge Willard to return the money, and the peacemaker receives the judge's permission to marry his sister.
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