Simon the Fiddler

As the war ends and life becomes peaceful again, Simon tries to write a letter to Doris. To get the letter past the Webbs, he has Damon write it as if it was from Patrick, since both Patrick and Doris are Irish, and merely mention Simon in flattering ways. Afterwards, the band goes and swims naked at the beach.

A midsummer storm strikes, and the band goes to stay at the Jamaica to avoid ruining their instruments. Their skill begins to make them more money, which allows them to eat better and dream about the future. Simon finds a washerwoman and buys them better shirts, even though they have bullet holes in them, and posts advertisements for their band around town to get better jobs. They are eventually summoned to play at the Pryor House.

The band is reviewed and interrogated by a servant named Heidemann, who agrees to pay them $25 for the evening’s performance despite his suspicions about their departure from the Confederate army. They scramble to clean themselves up and find suitable songs for the elevated audience. After arriving at the house, they go near the kitchens to rehearse and promise to play music to convince a servant girl to give them food.