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John Wilson first meets Polly
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John and Polly get married
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John's parents die
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Period: to
John and Alex take over the family business
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John's first boy is born
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Family business goes broke
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*John Wilson sails to Canada
John's decision to move to Canada is crucial to the events later in the story.
He is attempting to escape all the mistakes he has made over the last few years.
He still at this time hopes to be able to return to Scotland when enough time has passed that people are no longer angry with what he had done.
This shows a repeating trend with John Wilson running away from the problems that he has created.
This will be the start of him leaving his old life behind. -
John Wilson arrives in Canada
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John Wilson arrives in Saskatoon
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John Wilson's second child is born
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World War 1 begins
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John is rejected by the army
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*John Wilson joins the RNWMP
Prior to joining the RNWMP John was working odd jobs here and there.
He had a tomato farm that failed showing his inexperience with his new landscape.
When John got rejected from the army he made the decision either consciously or sub-consciously that he would no longer return home.
The RNWMP gave John the chance to rebuild himself as an Honorable and trustworthy person. This allows him to bury his past more then he already has. -
John arrives in Blaine Lake
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John meets Jessie
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John again gets rejected by the army
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*John gets diagnosed with TB
It is during his deployment at Blaine Lake that John would meet Jessie. It did not take long for a connection to be formed.
John was, prior to his diagnoses was trying to build a new life for himself and distance himself from his past.
Upon the RNWMP finding out that he had TB they discharged him from the force.
John would get really sick to the point of death, during this time he would try and make amends and asked Jessie to marry him. -
*Polly Decides to go to Canada
Due to the lack of messages from John, Polly has grown worried about him.
It was now many months since she last herd from John and began to talk to close family and friends about what she should do.
It is after talking to her family and friends that she decides to go against what many of them told her was a foolish idea and go to Canada.
Herself being to poor to get a ticket for transit across the Atlantic causes her to reach out to family and friends for economic support. -
Polly arrives in Canada
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Polly arrives in Regina
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*John and Polly reunite in Saskatoon
John had no prior knowledge about Polly coming to Canada.
This sudden development could ruin his new life he had tried to create.
This is quite possibly the moment he first considered that he could kill Polly.
He made sure that he got her out of Regina to avoid any police officials familiarizing themselves with her.
He also has only limited connections in Saskatoon that could recognize him when he would be around Polly. -
*Polly finds John's letter
This is the moment that Polly's suspicion is confirmed, John was romantically involved with Jessie.
She would immediately upon finding the letter locate and confront John.
John who was drinking with his buddies at the time would just tell her off and told her that they would talk about it latter.
John could have done this for a few reasons. One is that he did not want his close friends to know who she was or why she was there. -
*John and Jessie finalize the marriage date
For the last few months John has been delaying the marriage date.
Finally events have led to a point were he can no longer delay.
He sends a letter to Jessie confirming a date and also sends a letter to Polly telling her to pack her things and that they would be buying a house in Saskatoon.
John still has not presented his "divorce papers" to Jessie's family making them hesitant. -
*John and Polly leave Regina
Polly is excited at the prospect of living in a house with John in Saskatoon.
She does what John says and only packs the essentials in the bag she will bring on the car trip, the rest is to be shipped to Saskatoon by train.
During the time it takes for her to pack John goes and buys a marriage certificate for Jessie.
During the drive he informs Polly that they will head to Blaine Lake first to talk to Jessie. -
*John kills Polly
During the drive John decides to take a route that leads them down an isolated road.
John also makes a reason to have his gun out and at the ready, that being killing a goose for dinner.
Upon stopping to shoot a goose John turns the gun on Polly and kills her.
He drives away from the crime scene to a remote location to hide the body, upon the car getting stuck he burns it.
He goes to a local farm and claims the car caught on fire. -
*John marries Jessie
John has now eliminated his one connection in Canada to his past and is ready to move on.
Although he has already killed Polly he still is very nervous and distraught.
Most of Jessie's family is still apprehensive about the marriage due to the lack of divorce papers.
In the end they allow the Marriage to continue and John makes plans to move to Vancouver.
