CHAPTER ONE<br >Virginia--Fall 1859<br >Leaning back against his grandmother s tombstone， sit-<br >tJag very still， John Geyser stared at the rolling Virginia<br >farmland. For as far as the eye could see this land be-<br >longed to his family. It seemed to be spread out like a<br >quilt; the lush blue-green of the grassland and the rich<br >brown of the newly plowed earth blended in a patch-<br >work of muted colors. The smeUof the earth and of the<br >newly fallen leaves floated up the hill to him. He bent<br >over to draw.<br > He was sketching the scene spread out below him，<br >his father and three brothers in the orchard， gathering<br >apples~ John s hand moved swiftly and with a sure<br >touch， his sepia brush bringing the pencil outline to life.<br >His drawing was sensitive， yet startling in its detail. Be-<br >side him was his watercolor box and a tin of water. He<br >was dressed in the same clothes his brothers wore---<br >faded overalls， work shirt， homespun jacket， and heavy<br >farm boots.<br > He held the drawing up and compared it to the scene<br ><br >