The Virginian

As they gather cattle on a cold Spring day at Sunk Creek Ranch, the cowboys listen and laugh as the Virginian sings a bawdy song 79 verses long. Riding the trail, they come upon the new schoolhouse, which makes them edgy about oncoming changes as more settlers arrive. They stop for dinner at the house of an old comrade who has gotten married, fathered two children, and settled down. The man’s wife adjures them to get married, too. That night on the prairie, lying in their bedrolls, the cowboys hear the Virginian mention the comrade’s new family obligations and curse elegantly: “Oh, sugar!” (98).

Molly Wood, meanwhile, boards the train for Wyoming. Immediately, she misses her home, but her spirits lift as the train lumbers west. In Nebraska, she realizes that trees will be sparse and perils plentiful out on the frontier.

At Wyoming’s Rock Creek station, Molly boards the stage to Bear Creek. Thirty hours later, crossing a stream, the stage wheels get caught, and the vehicle leans crazily. A tall man on horseback reaches into the stage, pulls her free and onto the horse with him, rides to safety, and sets her down. A group of cowboys help right the stage. As Molly continues her journey, something about the brief ride with the tall horseman captivates her, and she keeps thinking of him. Two days later, the Virginian learns that the woman he rescued from the stranded stagecoach is Molly Wood.

That fall, the price of cattle rises steeply, and the Swintons of Goose Egg Ranch announce a party for the neighbors, many of whom travel 40 miles to attend. The Virginian arrives from more than 100 miles away, dressed in new clothes, his eye out for Molly Wood. 

At the Swintons’ party, the Virginian listens as other cowboys kid each other about their failed attempts to catch Molly Wood’s interest. Trampas is there, and he disparages her character, whereupon the Virginian demands that he admit he’s a liar. The Virginian then scolds the group, and they squirm and agree that Molly is a good person. Satisfied, the Virginian walks away.

Alone, he regrets his impulsive anger, as it reveals his own intentions. Molly arrives, and the Virginian quickly cleans up and changes into dressier clothes. Molly sees him standing in a doorway and at once recognizes him; the Virginian notices it. She ignores him and accepts dances from a few of the men; when she takes a break and walks past him, she continues to ignore him; he notices that, too.

A waltz plays and, knowing he is one of the few locals who can do that dance, the Virginian asks Molly to take a turn with him. She stalls, declaring that a Southern gentleman ought first to be introduced. The Virginian bows and departs, to return moments later with Mr. Taylor, who handles the introductions. Uncle Hughey steps over and asks Molly for a dance; Molly, fearing she is in over her head with the Virginian, accepts and escapes.

The Virginian, momentarily nonplussed, commiserates over drinks with another cowboy, Lin McLean, who’d befriended Molly and once tried to kiss her, but she rebuffed him. Near them, sleeping, lie a dozen babies, children of guests. As a prank, the two men switch the infants around, expecting a few to end up in the wrong homes that night. 

Jim and Lizzie Westfall return home from the party with two infants who, they quickly discover, aren’t their children but belong to the Taylors. Jim, realizing it’s a prank, bursts out laughing, but Lizzie protests, and Jim becomes properly concerned. They drive to the Taylors’s, but that couple already has returned to the Swinton house.

Lin and the Virginian are still there, sleeping over. Lin awakens and decides it’s best to leave before prank victims begin showing up angry. He urges the Virginian to escape, too, but the Southerner declines, knowing that “it is the absent who are always guilty” (125-26).

The beleaguered parents arrive, and the Virginian helps with their horses and expresses his concern. After several hours, all the babies are back with their proper families. The men began to relax, but their wives want blood. Rumors erupt that the scoundrel is Lin McLean, and a search party goes out but returns empty-handed. The Virginian admits that he’s the real scoundrel. His confession is so charming that the parents can only grumble a bit before forgiving him.

The next day, the Virginian rides to Molly’s cabin, where he invites her to go riding. They banter, each trying to get the advantage. She persists in her objections, and the Virginian begins to take his leave. Molly looks at him in his cowboy attire: “She did not want him to go” (130). She knows about the baby-switching prank and tries to scold him for it, calling it a childish act, but he retorts that she refuses to acknowledge him for saving her from the stagecoach at the creek, as if playing hide-and-seek like a little girl. They continue to flirt, and at one point, she taunts him: "I don't think I like you”, but he replies, “You're goin' to love me before we get through” (133). Molly continues to refuse his offer of a ride but suggests she might agree to it at a later time. He asks for a flower from her garden. He puts it in his hatband and rides away. That night, they each dream about the other. 

Molly writes home, describing the baby-switching prank and how she enjoys horseback riding and the “fine air” but not mentioning the Virginian. Her mother and friends are properly scandalized. Molly asks for books, and they send her the classics—Shakespeare, Tennyson, Hawthorne, Emerson—plus the complete works of Jane Austin, Molly’s favorite.

The Virginian visits Molly when he can. Wanting to improve his education, he borrows books from her; they discuss them but don’t always agree about them. The Virginian especially likes a Russian novel about a young man greater than his circumstances whose opportunities are cut short by death; the hero’s struggles remind the Virginian of his own frustrations with the limits of ranch life.

On one of their rides, the Virginian confesses his love for Molly. The Virginian says people aren’t born with equal resources, but they can improve themselves. He will prove his worth to her. She tries to wave him off, but “Her woman's fortress was shaken by a force unknown to her before” (142). She insists they can only be friends, yet she admits that their rides together are her “greatest pleasure.” He agrees not to mention his love again, but he will be gone awhile, and during that time, he’ll try not to miss her. She teases him, saying she won’t miss him. He replies, “I doubt if yu' can help missin' me” (146).