The Virginian

The narrator believes the American ideal of equality is that people should have equal chances to prove themselves: “Let the best man win! That is America's word. That is true democracy” (147).

He bumps into the Virginian in Omaha, Nebraska while on his way to the judge’s ranch. They meet at Cyrus Jones’s Palace, a busy eatery that serves ordinary Western fare but pretends to serve fancy cuisine. The Virginian shows the narrator the latest of his reading assignments from Molly, Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott. The narrator gets the sense that the Virginian has become more mature and less the boyish prankster.

Judge Henry has tasked the Virginian, now a deputy foreman, with managing a handful of cowboys, including Trampas, who guard a rail shipment of cattle bound for Chicago. He is also to negotiate a better rate from the railroad company. The narrator accompanies the party for a short time as it rolls east. The Virginian enthuses about the characters in books he’s read lately, admiring the cleverness of Falstaff and the brilliance of Queen Elizabeth. The narrator hops off the train at a siding, telling the Virginian he’ll inform Judge Henry that the cattle shipment is well on its way.