Reginald “Son” Tidwell

Reginald “Son” Tidwell is the guitarist at the far end of the Red-Tops’ stage during Mike Noonan and Kyra Devore’s time-slip to the 1900 Fryeburg Fair. His familiar appearance and intimate musical exchange with Sara Tidwell turn a performance into evidence of their sibling relationship, while Sara’s conspicuously modern appearance makes the scene feel out of step with its historical setting.

Identity and Appearance

Son performs with the Red-Tops, whose members Mike recognizes from a photograph in Edward Osteen’s book. The band is arranged across a stage beneath red, white, and blue bunting; its men wear white shirts, arm-garters, dark vests, and dark trousers. At the far end, Son wears the derby seen in the photograph, linking the performer before Mike to the historical image he has already encountered.

Performance with Sara

During an instrumental break, Son strolls over to Sara while his hands move rapidly over the guitar’s strings and frets. Sara turns to face him. They press their foreheads together and meet each other’s gaze: she laughs, while he remains solemn. The crowd cheers and claps, and the other Red-Tops laugh as they play. Their ease with one another is visible within the performance, not explained in dialogue.

Relationship and Recognition

Watching the exchange, Mike recognizes that Son and Sara are brother and sister. Their resemblance, he concludes, is too strong to mistake. The scene gives the recognition a physical and musical form: their faces draw close, their eyes meet, and their interplay takes place in full view of the cheering crowd. Sara’s brotherly familiarity with Son belongs to the same scene in which her difference from the period becomes conspicuous.

Place in the Time-Slip

The performance takes place while Mike and Kyra are dressed in turn-of-the-century country clothes, but Sara is wearing Mattie Devore’s white sleeveless dress, which ends above the knee. Kyra trembles and asks why Sara has Mattie’s dress; Mike cannot explain it. The crowd appears not to notice the dress’s anachronistic cut, while the band plays on. Son’s historically recognizable derby and guitar-playing help anchor the scene in the past even as Sara’s clothing unsettles that apparent setting. When Sara turns to sing the next verse, she looks directly at Mike, making the performance part of the uncanny encounter rather than merely a glimpse of a band at work.