The Yearling

August is hot, and the Baxters have plenty to eat; they anticipate harvesting peas, sweet potatoes, and sugar cane, creating more variety in their diet. The Baxters’ pigs return, along with one branded for them, which Penny views as a peace offering from the Forresters. Jody’s fawn, Flag, is rapidly growing and learns to let himself inside the house, often causing mischief. He tries to start fights with the dogs outside, but his favorite pastime is wrestling with Jody. On his way to the sinkhole, Jody sees the image of a Spaniard on horseback and wonders if it’s the same one Fodder-wing saw—but realizes it’s just an illusion created by trees and shrubs; he wishes he didn’t know the truth. Jody lays down and gazes up at the panoramic view from the sinkhole, and notices a mother raccoon fishing in the troughs. She feeds her babies a crayfish and hurries them out of the water. Suddenly, Jody feels that Fodder-wing is nearby: “It came to Jody that he need not be lonely for his friend again. He could endure his going” (230). Over dinner, Jody shares the story of the raccoons, but when he tries to explain what he felt at the sinkhole to Penny, he can’t find the right words.