Lonesome Dove: Chapter 92 Summary & Analysis

Sally and Betsey pester Lorena with questions about her past that she doesn’t always know how to answer. Conversely, she wishes she could say more to Clara, to apologize for her old way of life. Clara doesn’t care about the past. She likes that Lorena makes her girls happy, and she appreciates the help around the house, which frees her up to work with the horses. She’s always loved working with the horses, although Bob thought of that as a man’s job.

When Bob finally dies, Clara isn’t surprised—indeed, she already has a coffin hidden in the barn, waiting for this day—but she does feel melancholy. She loved Bob—slow, quiet, bad-with-horses Bob—in her own way, and she feels less relief than she had expected. Mostly she finds the prospect of the funeral arrangements tiring.

July is happy when Bob dies, because he fell in love with Clara almost immediately, even when he was still supposed to be grieving Elmira. He hasn’t said anything directly, but Lorena and Clara both know what’s going on. The lovesick and lustful look in July’s eyes disturbs Lorena. In her experience, the only thing any man (except Gus) wants is sex. Clara is annoyed by July’s lack of experience and gumption.

Still, July does what Clara asks, like fetching a preacher and inviting the nearest neighbors—two German families—to the funeral. Cholo digs a grave near where the three boys are buried. The day of the burial feels surreal to Clara, who’d rather not have to deal with the neighbors or with the preacher, a widower who’s far too eager to chat with women and indulge in drinking to make him good company. Throughout the day, Betsey turns to Lorena for comfort. And at bedtime, Sally comes to Clara. Although she’s been quiet all day, Sally now weeps, telling her mother she had wished for Bob to die after the accident. Now she regrets her thoughts. Clara understands the feeling. She wishes Bob had been more careful around horses.