# XIV: Between the Acts explained — The Virginian

> Chapter companion for The Virginian by Owen Wister.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_virginian_se/chapters/xiv-between-the-acts
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_virginian_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_virginian_se/chapters