There was a scarecrow named Sam. He lived in a field of corn, with no shelter from the sun and snow. He wore an old felt hat — gray — and a faded black suit jacket. On special holidays, he wore certain accessories: on Easter, flowers; on Halloween, a mask; at Christmas, a cross. Sam was four years old, but he felt older, possibly from living outdoors. Once a year he came inside. The family near him, the Andersons, invited him for dinner on July 13. (They pitied him more in the heat than in the cold.)