Summary

“Spoil the Child” by Howard Fast tells the story of a young boy named David, who is traveling through the prairie in a wagon with his father, mother, and sister. One early morning, his father goes hunting and David uses the occasion to ride one of the mules, but his sister tells his mother who scolds him. The family is soon running out of water and the mother, who is feeling sick, starts worrying about the father being late.

David decides to take one of his father’s guns and go looking for the man, riding one of the mules. After an hour, he eventually finds his father shot dead and his gun missing. He returns to the wagon but decides not to say anything to his mother. The water runs out, and he sends his sister Maude to stay with his mother ...