The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent

Book Club: Discuss/find out about a Classic Tale Set in Wyoming: The Virginian

<< < (21/27) > >>

Front-Ranger:
The narrator and the Virginian made camp in the Tetons, and TN slept in the next morning, even though he bunked on the cold hard ground.

Finally, the Virginian shook him awake. “Both of us were glad when presently we rode into a steeper country, and among its folds and curvings lost all sight of the plain. He had not slept, I found. His explanation was that the packs needed better balancing, and after that he had gone up and down the stream on the chance of trout. But his haunted eyes gave me the real reason—they spoke of Steve, no matter what he spoke of; it was to be no short thing with him.”

Front-Ranger:
Before taking off on their journey that morning, TV goes off to be with his friend, his horse Monte, and he talked to it as the narrator writes in his diary.

Later, TV observes that Monte is among the few horses that are shod front and back--with horseshoes on all four hooves.

Again, TV is musing about Steve. They used to run together as young men. "'We was just colts then' he said. He dwelt on their coltish doings, their adventures sought and wrought in the most perfect fellowship of youth. 'For Steve and me most always hunted in couples back in those gamesome years,' he explained. And he fell into the elemental talk of sex, such talk as would be an elk's or a tiger's; and spoken so him, naturally and simply, as we speak of the seasons, or of death, or of any actuality, it was without offence, or would be offence should I repeat it."

Front-Ranger:
The title of this chapter is "Superstition Trail" and on the trail, the narrator and the Virginian suddenly become aware of fresh horse's hooves. They study them for a while, and begin to realize that there are actually two men with one horse--they trade off riding the horse. Since one is much heavier than the other, they begin to call them "Ounces" and "Pounds." Tension mounts as they follow the tracks.

Front-Ranger:
At the end, the two travelers come upon…Shorty. Yes, there were two men, one horse, and Shorty had the short end of the stick. In his hands was…the newspaper that the narrator had lent to Steve on his last day on earth. Taking it up, the narrator read a note scribbled in the margin:

‘Good-by, Jeff,’ it said. ‘I could not have spoke to you without playing the baby.’

‘Who’s Jeff?’ I asked. “

But, you all know by now who Jeff is.

Front-Ranger:
Chapter 34: To Fit Her Finger

“The Virginian had touched the whole thing the day I left him. He had noticed me looking a sort of farewell at the plains and mountains. ‘You will come back to it,’ he said. ‘If there was a headstone for every man that once pleasured in his freedom here, you’d see one most every time yu’ turned your head. It’s a heap sadder than a graveyard—but yu’ love it all the same.’”

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page