John gets sick and Dutch, Hosea, and Arthur decide to stay in a room to avoid John camping out in the cold. During that time, Arthur reads to him to pass the time.
A continuation of Chores 1. I imagine John got beaten frequently at the orphanage before he ran away and became a street kid. Arthur's anger got the better of him and threw the kid a little too roughly.
The first couple months were difficult to adjust for John. All he wanted to do was be a bandit and go out shooting with the gang. Like all gang members, they had to pay their dues by doing the chores around camp. He finds Arthur's cattleman revolver and takes it out for a spin. And guess who catches him.