Thomas J. Scott (2)–Jess (5) Summary
Thomas J. Scott (2)
Scott reflects that even though he is a “free labor man,” he would buy Jarret if he could, for the boy is the best assistant he has ever had. He would also paint Jarret, but he lacks the skill. He did paint Darley, though, and gave the portrait to the boy, whom he has learned to respect. The painting clearly gives Jarret great joy.
Scott then describes a family dinner and his first meeting with Clay, who is a formidable man. Tension fills the air as Clay’s wife, Mary Jane, and her sister, Anne, barely acknowledge Clay’s presence. Anne, Scott notes, is a scandalmonger, and she hints at Clay’s unfaithfulness to his wife. Mary Barr is clearly uncomfortable in her father’s presence. Dr. Warfield makes a remark about Jarret’s ability to become an excellent trainer but then notes that he could easily sell Jarret. His wife declares that a child will not be sold away from the Meadows.
Clay, Scott reflects, offers a compelling argument for emancipation but has struggled with his in-laws, especially Mrs. Warfield, who has never approved his marriage to her daughter. Anne begins to taunt Clay again, and Mary Barr runs out of the room. Clay goes after her to check on her, leaving an “awkward silence” in his wake.
Warfield’s Jarret (4)
It is 1852, and Jarret has broken Darley using an unconventional method that involves looking at the situation from the horse’s point of view to minimize the fear of predators. Darley easily takes to being ridden by John Porters.
Harry and Beth are married now, and Beth keeps house well and cares for Jarret. Harry has bought her freedom but assures his son that there is plenty of time for him to buy Jarret, too. Things are different now with Beth in the house, and Jarret takes walks at night to give the couple privacy. He discovers Mary Barr in the riding room one evening. She snaps at him and says she wants to be alone, yet Jarret is concerned about both her and the mare. Mary Barr finally obeys him when he says the horse has had enough. She starts to cry because of the incident with her father at the family dinner, and the two go to work on the horse.
Then Clay arrives. He is somewhat drunk and quite angry. He questions Jarret and Mary Barr and gets Jarret to admit, indirectly, that he would wish to have his freedom. Clay scolds Mary Barr for taking up Jarret’s time when the boy should be resting. Jarret leaves, overhearing Clay plead with his daughter not let her mother poison her against him. Jarret looks at the painting of Darley as he goes to bed and reflects on the mystery of Clay and Mary Barr. He wonders if Dr. Warfield would sell him, and then he scolds himself not to waste sleep on worry. Darley is turning out to be an excellent horse, and Jarret plans to continue his training to build him up. Both horse and boy will love the job.
Jess (4)
Catherine Morgan analyzes the horse skeleton while Jess watches and listens to Catherine’s exclamations of wonder. Jess reflects on what she knows about previous studies of racehorses like Eclipse at the Royal Veterinary College, the British institution where Catherine works. The Smithsonian had obtained its famous racehorse after the animal had been exhumed. The horse had been buried in its own coffin with ceremony, and it had been widely beloved. Yet the horse was forgotten over time.
Now Jess looks at images of the...
(This entire section contains 1235 words.)
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animal and marvels at an earlier photograph that shows the horse with a Black man. She wonders how the horse was not startled by the photographic process. The man was not even holding him. Catherine tells her that portraits of the horse are also available from painters Edward Troye and Thomas Scott. Jess notices that the skeleton’s articulation is wrong, and she thinks she could do better from the portraits and photograph. The horse should not be left up in the attic, and both women can see plenty of opportunity for deeper study.
Warfield’s Jarret (5)
The spring of 1853 is rainy, yet Jarret continues to train Darley in all weather, and the horse does exceptionally well. Darley’s first race is fast approaching, and he will run under Dr. Warfield’s name and colors, with the doctor splitting the winnings with Harry if Darley is victorious.
Jarret takes Darley out to the Association course two days before the May 23 race. The rain is pouring down, but a crowd gathers on race day anyway. Jarret sees a carriage drive in and admires the gray harness ponies. He overhears someone say that the man in the carriage is Richard Ten Broeck from New Orleans, the owner of the Metairie Race Course. Dr. Warfield, Mary Barr, and Thomas Scott arrive also, and Harry is there, looking elegant. Everyone is impressed with Darley.
John Porters will ride Darley as jockey, and Jarret escorts the pair to the starting line. Then the wind picks up suddenly, and three horses, including Darley, lunge forward. Porters cannot control him, and the colt sets out at a run, going two miles before Porters can reign him in. Jarret thinks that Darley will not be able to race now, but Harry assures him that the horse is just warming up.
Indeed, when the race starts, Darley quickly leaves the other horses behind and finishes first. Jarret weeps with relief and joy and then goes to take care of Darley. In the second heat, Darley again takes the lead and wins easily. Mary Barr and Scott come to visit Darley and Jarret, and Scott tells the boy that Dr. Warfield wants a portrait of Darley. Then Ten Broeck arrives with Dr. Warfield and Harry and examines and praises Darley. Dr. Warfield gives credit to Harry and Jarret and then tells Jarret to accompany Ten Broeck back to the Meadows.
On the way, Ten Broeck questions Jarret about the Meadows and Darley’s training. Jarret answers with common knowledge but keeps private business to himself, understanding that Ten Broeck need not know certain things. When Jarret is released from the carriage, he is exhausted and decides to go to bed.
Jess (5)
Jess invites Catherine for supper at her apartment. As she goes back to her bike, she sees a Black man bent over it and immediately assumes he is trying to steal it. The bike is his, however, and hers, which is almost identical, is on another rack. Jess is embarrassed, but the man smiles at her and tries to cover her mistake. She realizes her own prejudice.
Back at the apartment, Catherine tells Jess of her parents’ veterinary work, her polo attempts, and her love for horses. She also speaks of the way racing harms horses and of her regrets about her own participation in that as a racing veterinarian. She describes her work with an Arabian horse herd that changed her direction away from racing and toward research. Catherine describes the style of nineteenth-century racing and the power and celebrity of the horses at that time. Jess realizes that one of the reproduction paintings Catherine has been working from is at the Smithsonian, and both women wonder how anyone could get a racehorse to stand for his portrait.
Warfield’s Jarret (2)–Jess (3) Summary
Thomas J. Scott (3)–Ten Broeck’s Jarret Summary
