Plainsong

Raymond attends a meeting of the local Farmers’ Co-op Elevator. Afterward, while drinking in a bar, an unknown man offers his commiserations that “that little girl didn’t work out” (183). When Raymond asks what he means, the man says, “you taking turns with her, I mean” (183). Raymond grabs the man’s wrist and tells him never to talk like that again. Raymond drives home and tells Harold that “they’re talking” (184) at the bar. Harold is unsurprised by the rumors, though Raymond is still perturbed. 

Bobby and Ike wake up and dress themselves, meeting their father who is already at the breakfast table. Elko the horse is “kicking himself in the stomach” (186) and the boys run outside to check on him. The horse is having a fit, and the boys run to get their father. Guthrie tells them to eat breakfast while he goes to check on the horse; they obey. Ike announces that Elko is going to die, Bobby tells him to be quiet, and Guthrie tells them both to stop. The boys set out on their paper route.

By the time they arrive home, the vet’s truck is still in the driveway. They pedal their bikes toward the corral and see Elko laying down on the ground. Guthrie tells his sons that the horse is dead. He warns the boys to go into the house because the vet needs to conduct an autopsy. Reluctantly, Guthrie agrees to let them watch, even though they “won’t like it” (189).

They watch the vet cut open the horse. As the knife cuts apart the flesh and tendons, the “boys began to understand that Elko was dead” (190). The vet cuts through the ribs with a tree trimmer. He rifles through the entrails and finds that the horse had a twisted gut. Guthrie asks the boys if they are all right, and they silently nod. The vet stiches up the horse’s chest. When he is finally finished, Guthrie enlists his sons to help him drag the horse’s body out into the pasture.

They drag the horse behind the pickup truck while the boys open and close the gates, mindful of the other horse. Once they leave the horse in the pasture, Guthrie takes the boys for lunch in the café. Later that afternoon, Guthrie finds the boys quietly sitting in the hayloft, looking toward town. After the boys go to bed, they wake up in the night, look out of the window, and see nothing but “the familiar high white stars and the dark trees and space” (194). 

Maggie dances with Guthrie on a Saturday night. She invites him back to her house. They had been dancing for most of the night and leave the bar separately. Guthrie arrives at Maggie’s house, lets himself in, and then kisses her. As they move into the bedroom, he tells her that she takes “the breath out of me” (197). When they climb into bed, Guthrie confesses, “I can’t say I know what to make of you” (198).

The next morning, Guthrie wakes up, says goodbye, and goes to complete the boys’ paper route while they are in Denver with their mother. He spends the day doing very little and then schedules a date with Maggie for that evening. Guthrie gets ready to leave, telling himself, “You don’t deserve it,” (200) while looking in the mirror. 

Dwayne wants to attend another party, but Victoria does not want to go. This angers Dwayne, who slams the door as he leaves. She wakes up at three in the morning, when Dwayne arrives home and smashes something in the kitchen. He gets into bed beside her and “smell[s] of smoke and beer” (201). Dwayne tries to initiate sex, but Victoria tells him no. She reluctantly finds another way to satisfy his urges; when Dwayne has finished, she goes to the bathroom, brushes her teeth, and then lays in bed next to him but cannot sleep.

At six in the morning, after a sleepless night, she calls Maggie and asks whether “[the McPherons] would let me come back” (202). As quietly as she can, Victoria begins to pack. She takes money from Dwayne’s wallet and walks through the cold to the bus station with her meager possessions. After hours of waiting, she begins to board the bus but discovers that Dwayne has been looking for her. She feels “suddenly frightened of him” (203). Dwayne tries to stop her, but the driver allows her to board the bus. Dwayne takes Victoria’s purse and tells her to “come and get it” (204). Victoria ignores Dwayne and, with the driver giving her a helping hand, boards the bus. Dwayne stands outside of the bus as she sits, telling her that she will be back. The bus departs.

Victoria sleeps part of the way and watches out of the window while she’s awake. She begins to see the familiar sights of Holt as the streetlamps begin to ignite. When the bus stops, she disembarks and thanks the driver. Victoria calls Maggie, who offers to drive Victoria to the McPheron farm.