The Virginian · Chapter
XIV: Between the Acts explained
The narrator travels to Sunk Creek via a circuitous route through Fort Meade and the Black Hills, enduring rain and discomfort.
What happens
The narrator travels to Sunk Creek via a circuitous route through Fort Meade and the Black Hills, enduring rain and discomfort. He joins a stagecoach with strangers Scipio Le Moyne and Shorty, and they miss a train due to a schedule change. The Virginian appears on a caboose, hires Scipio and Shorty, and kicks a disruptive man off the train into Dakota.
Themes in this chapter
Friendship and Betrayal
Shorty's trust in a friend who left him stranded, and the Virginian's quick offer of a job to Scipio and Shorty.
Code of the West
The Virginian's decisive action in kicking a man off the train for insubordination, and his hiring based on character assessment.
Characters to notice
- The Virginian
Deputy foreman who hires Scipio and Shorty, kicks a man off the train.
- Scipio Le Moyne
Traveler from Gallipolis, Ohio, hired by the Virginian after missing the train.
- Shorty
Lost-looking traveler who misses the train and is hired by the Virginian.
- Trampas
Mentioned as the man Shorty lost his job and horse to.
- Judge Henry
Arranged for the narrator's autumn holiday and a horse at his ranch.
Key passages
“Six legs inside this jerky tonight? said somebody, as I climbed the wheel. Well, we'll give thanks for not havin' eight, he added cheerfully.”
A passenger jokes about the cramped stagecoach, saying they should be grateful there aren't more people inside.
Shows the camaraderie and humor among strangers traveling together.
“Why, you seem to think you've left me behind, he began easily, in fawning tones. You're too much of a kid to have such thoughts. Age some.”
Scipio mockingly taunts the departing train, pretending it thinks it has outsmarted him.
Highlights Scipio's wit and refusal to be defeated by the missed train.
“I'm wild, and woolly, and full of peas; I'm hard to curry above the knees; I'm a she-wolf from Bitter Creek, and It's my night to ho‑o‑wl”
The men in the caboose chant a boastful, rowdy song about being untamed and dangerous.
Reflects the rough, masculine culture of the cowboys and railroad workers.