Summary

In “Across Oklahoma,” Woody wished he could “skip to the finish without having to ride through Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle again” (227). As they drove across Oklahoma, they encountered dust storms that reminded Woody of his dead family and the “nesters and tenant famers” who fled the area in “droves” (228). Woody bought Vaseline to soothe the giraffes’ nostrils when the Old Man had no clue how to help them. At a gas station, Woody saw Red steal an apple, and encountered a “church revival like the ones I got dragged to every year of my life” (232). Woody and the Old Man discussed the “strange and wondrous things” the Old Man has seen “working with animals all these years” (237). At the next stop, Red visited with Woody on top of the giraffe crate, and Woody asked her if she is “married,” prompting Red to...