Unfortunately, the storms hits hard and devastates the area. While fleeing from the rising waters, Janie is almost attacked by a dog but Tea Cake saves her. He is bitten but insisted that he was fine. A few weeks pass and Tea Cakes health begins to suffer with complications. The dog that bit him was rabid and the illness was taking affect. Janie tried to get medications for him, but Dr. Simmons advised her that it may be too late and will probably succumb to its effects. He also advised her not to sleep with Tea Cake as he may bite her and then she will face the same ordeal. Tea Cake becomes extremely grumpy and is unable to keep any water intake. His constant vomiting is making him dehydrated and he begins to act like a wild animal with sporadic behavior. He began questioning Janie during a rabies induced fury and begins to take aim and fires at Janie with a revolver pistol. Janie protects herself and kills Tea Cake in self defense. Janie is put on trial but is cleared of Murder.
Janie returns home to Eatonville after the trial, where the towns folk gather and begin to speculate and gossip. They assume that Tea Cake had stolen all of Janie’s money which is why she returned and looked so haggered, dressed in dirty overalls. Unknown to them, she had suffered much worse. She had lost the one true love that she had searched hard for. Janie ends by telling Pheoby the story, so she could defend her honor from the malicious gossip mongers and explain what really occurred to the nosy