The War That Saved My Life

Ada reverts to crawling again the next morning because it’s “so much easier” (44) for her after a day of walking. She feeds Jamie bread for breakfast, then decides to go outside to look for the pony. She makes a point of walking to meet Butter outside rather than crawling. Ada wants to ride Butter but isn’t sure how to go about it, so she stays in the field all morning watching him. 

Susan takes both children to see Dr. Graham. The doctor confirms that both Ada and Jamie are severely malnourished, and Ada has the beginnings of rickets forming. He also examines Ada’s foot and confirms that it’s an untreated clubfoot that could have been corrected in infancy. Ada is uncomfortable during the exam and goes away inside her head again. This time, it’s easy for her to escape to thoughts of Butter.

There’s a chance that a specialist can operate on Ada’s foot to correct it, so Susan writes to Mam for permission to have the surgery. In the meantime, the doctor gives Ada crutches, which make walking much easier. With her new crutches, Ada is able to accompany Susan on errands in town. They go grocery shopping, clothes shopping, and to the bank, and Ada even gets a new pair of shoes.