- Time passes, and soon it's November. Still there's been no sign that Pinky is going into heat.
- Rob mentions the problem to Mr. Tanner, and Mr. Tanner comes by the next morning with his boar Samson.
- He explains that sometimes a sow has to be "coaxed" by a boar into going into heat. We'll let you look that one up.
- Mr. Tanner and Rob put Samson into the pen with Pinky.
- Pinky wants to stay on her own, so Rob hits her with a small stick until she comes out to where Samson is.
- Samson sniffs at Pinky, but Pinky wants nothing to do with him, and she kicks at him and tears at his ear with her mouth.
- Mr. Tanner asks after Papa's health, and Rob awkwardly says that he's fine.
- Which, by the way, he totally isn't.Mr. Tanner tells Rob that if Pinky does have piglets, he will expect two of them to be given to him as a "stud fee."
- Samson corners Pinky in the pen, and climbs on top of her, although she's obviously not happy with the situation.
- Mr. Tanner asks Rob how old he is, and then tells Rob that he's going to be a man soon—"twelve's a boy, thirteen a man," he says (13.42.)
- He asks about Rob's schoolwork. Rob does well in school (except for English!), and his teacher has told him that he could be "more than a farmer" (13.56).
- Mr. Tanner isn't psyched about that answer—he says there's nothing better than a farmer.
- Mr. Tanner tells Rob that he can look forward to a lot of piglets from Pinky, which will turn into a lot of money, which will help him pay off the farm. Well that sure would be nice.
- Rob says that he's not sure it's the Shaker way to think so much about money. Mr. Tanner tells Rob that he and his wife are Baptists, which surprises Rob and makes him feel foolish for thinking Baptists were so different from him and his family.