How would you interpret this sentence?
The hell you yell, Asheville has instant coffee now? I might have to come and review the action myself. The boss sends me out on the trail to beat the gums with the richie riches, so they’ll loan out their Picassos for our big shows. Lately he’s been scobo for the Vanderbilts. So wipe your feet on the mat, cat, I might be headed for your roost.

How would you interpret this sentence: Lately he’s been scobo for the Vanderbilts?
Whom do you think the pronoun ‘he’ refers to here? His boss? If so, I think the phrase ‘on the rail’ in the preceding sentence means following his boss, right?
And do you know what’s the meaning of scobo? According to the context, I guess it maybe mean ‘go’. What do you think?
Thanks! And this excerpt is taken from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Question

How would you interpret this sentence?
The hell you yell, Asheville has instant coffee now? I might have to come and review the action myself. The boss sends me out on the trail to beat the gums with the richie riches, so they’ll loan out their Picassos for our big shows. Lately he’s been scobo for the Vanderbilts. So wipe your feet on the mat, cat, I might be headed for your roost.

How would you interpret this sentence: Lately he’s been scobo for the Vanderbilts?
Whom do you think the pronoun ‘he’ refers to here? His boss? If so, I think the phrase ‘on the rail’ in the preceding sentence means following his boss, right?
And do you know what’s the meaning of scobo? According to the context, I guess it maybe mean ‘go’. What do you think?
Thanks! And this excerpt is taken from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.

Answer

"Scobo" is not a word that you will find in a dictionary. I believe it is an African American slang word that means "to put on airs or to change one's routine to impress someone (especially a girl.)"

So here "he's been scobo for the Vanderbilts" probably means "he has been trying to impress/be on good terms" with the Vanderbilts.

"He" refers to the speaker's boss, but "on the trail" does not mean that the speaker is following his boss. The sentence means that the boss is sending the speaker "out on the trail," that is, "out to find and follow" rich people in order to convince them to lend their Picasso paintings to the speaker's boss to show the paintings at an exhibit.