Summary

The chapter takes readers into the beginnings of John H's story. When he was 4 years old, John H's mother left him with his father. John H's father could have been a baseball player, but loses his eye right before the scout comes around with the contract. He ends up working under an old German horse trainer, who is getting older and older. While John H's father is optimistic that this is his lucky break, he really doesn't truly understand horses. John H does, however, and when the trainer drops dead and John H's father takes over his duties, John H ends up doing the job instead. News that the owners of the stable are going to hire another trainer, letting John H's father resume his original responsibilities, sends the father into depression. When the truant officers arrive, because John H skips school...