The Red Pony

Jody destroys birds’ nests and sets up Doubletree Mutt to get his nose in a rat trap. Mrs. Tiflin tells Jody to leave the dog alone after he throws a rock at Doubletree Mutt. He kills a bird with his slingshot, then disembowels and cuts it apart with his knife to conceal his actions. Then, he lays on the grass near the and looks at the clouds. They move over the mountains, and Jody remembers asking his father about them. His father said there were more mountains beyond the mountains they could see, and eventually the ocean. Jody asks his mother about the mountains, and she makes a joke about a bear. Billy tells Jody that there are few people in the mountains, which makes Jody afraid. The Gabilan mountains, in contrast, are populated.

Jody sees a man walking from Salinas along the road to his father’s house. The man tells Jody that his name is Gitano. Jody runs inside and tells his mother. She comes out to the gate, and Gitano tells her he was born in the adobe house on the ranch, which was washed away by rain. Gitano wants to die on the ranch, offering to do chores in exchange.