Chapter 5 Summary

The family travels to church in this chapter, comprised of the parents, son, and their aunt. They ride in a wagon pulled by the ox, Solomon. Later in the day, Robert and Pinky take a walk in the countryside, although Robert takes pains to make sure he doesn't get near the place where he helped Apron deliver her calves. The place has too many painful and fresh memories for the boy.

The countryside seems like a boy's paradise on this April day. Because the snow is melting, there are small streams of water going everywhere. Pinky does what pigs do, which is rooting in the earth, digging around with her snout. She finds a butternut, which is like a walnut, in the earth but she lacks the strength to crack it. Robert cracks it and several subsequent nuts to feed Pinky. Then he...