# Fay Larkin — Riders of the Purple Sage character guide

> Fay Larkin in Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Fay, little Fay, Mrs. Larkin

**First appearance:** 0018-xix-fay

## Snapshot

A violet-eyed child taken in by Jane Withersteen, whose piercing questions about love and truth unsettle the adults around her.

## Who they are

Little Fay Larkin lives under Jane's protection while her mother, Mrs. Larkin, fades into illness, and her innocent observations cut through the polite fictions the adults maintain. She asks Lassiter and Jane why they pretend to love each other, and her unblinking sincerity forces Jane to confront how much of her own life has become performance. Fay is the story's moral tuning fork — a child whose clear sight measures the distance between what people say and what they do, and whose safety becomes one more reason Jane cannot simply surrender.

## Relationships

### [Jane Withersteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/jane_withersteen)

_family_

Fay Larkin is a young girl adopted and cared for by Jane Withersteen, forming a mother-daughter bond.

### [Jane Withersteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/jane_withersteen)

_family_

Fay Larkin is a young girl adopted and cared for by Jane Withersteen, forming a mother-daughter bond.

### [Jane Withersteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/jane_withersteen)

_family_

Fay Larkin is a young girl adopted and cared for by Jane Withersteen, forming a mother-daughter bond.

## In the story

### [The Daughter of Withersteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/vii-the-daughter-of-withersteen)

A beautiful, ragged child who greets Jane and leads her to her sick mother.

### [Faith and Unfaith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xi-faith-and-unfaith)

Little Fay forms a close bond with Lassiter, calling him 'I like oo' and later 'I love oo,' and her innocent presence deepens the emotional ties between Jane and Lassiter.

### [XII: The Invisible Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xii-the-invisible-hand)

Mrs. Larkin's daughter, cared for by Jane and Lassiter; her bright spirit is dimmed by the growing gloom of Withersteen House.

### [XV: Shadows on the Sage-Slope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xv-shadows-on-the-sage-slope)

Fay becomes an orphan after Mrs. Larkin's death and is taken in by Jane, who loves her deeply. Lassiter watches her with growing sadness and concern.

### [XIX: Fay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xix-fay)

Innocent child whose questions about love and marriage prompt deep revelations; disappears at the chapter's end.

### [Lassiter's Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xx-lassiter-s-way)

Her abduction is the catalyst for the chapter's events; she is compared to Milly Erne's stolen child.

### [XXIII: The Fall of Balancing Rock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/chapters/xxiii-the-fall-of-balancing-rock)

Carried by Lassiter and Jane, her golden curls and trusting smile inspire Jane's courage.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters/fay_larkin
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riders_of_the_purple_sage_se/characters