Chapter 1 Summary

A newly married couple is aboard a coach headed toward Yellow Sky. They both appear very nervous, glancing shyly and blushing at other passengers, but despite this, they are both very happy. The man asks his new wife if she had ever been in a parlor car before - she hadn't and was very impressed and somewhat overwhelmed with the whole experience. She is concerned about the money, but he says that the occasion requires the money to be spent.

He explains to her about trains, brimming with pride as if he were the owner. She is bedazzled by the elegance of the fittings, which in turn reflect their feelings about their marriage. The man was particularly happy, a Negro porter noted, looking upon them with an air of superiority that he subtly enforced upon the couple that did not seem to notice...