Summary

An unnamed white girl narrates this short story of an incident that occurred when she was 10 or 12 years old. In the early spring, she is living with her grandfather, Puss, in a house on an unnamed beach. She loves to ride her horse in the foam when the tide is out, but when the tide is in, the horse is too timid to brave the waves.

Puss doesn't care to dirty his feet by walking on the sand. He prefers to rent a chair and ride along the boardwalk, with a view of the water on one side, and the shops on the other. Puss is interested in the shops and people on the promenade, and he enjoys picking out a black boy to push his chair, as if the boys were horses for his consideration. The little girl notices that...