按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
the world ive seen has not made me a spiritual person。 not like her。 she worries about me； too。 i see it。 i reckon i thought that because i was older and the man that she would learn from me and in many respects she has。 but i know where the debt lies。
i think i know where were headed。 were bein bought with our own money。 and it aint just the drugs。 there is fortunes bein accumulated out there that they dont nobody even know about。 what do we think is goin to e of that money？ money that can buy whole countries。 it done has。 can it buy this one？ i dont think so。 but it will put you in bed with people you ought not to be there with。 its not even a law enforcement problem。
i doubt that it ever was。 theres always been narcotics。 but people dont just up and decide to dope theirselves for no reason。 by the millions。 i dont have no answer about that。 in particular i dont have no answer to take heart from。 i told a reporter here a while back — young girl； seemed nice enough。 she was just tryin to be a reporter。 she said： sheriff how e you to let crime get so out of hand in your county？ sounded like a fair question i reckon。 maybe it was a fair question。 anyway i told her； i said： it starts when you begin to overlook bad manners。 any time you quit hearin sir and mam the end is pretty much in sight。 i told her； i said： it reaches into ever strata。 youve heard about that aint you？ ever strata？ you finally get into the sort of breakdown in mercantile ethics that leaves people settin around out in the desert dead in their vehicles and by then its just too late。
she give me kindly a funny look。 so the last thing i told her； and maybe i shouldnt of said it； i told her that you cant have a dope business without dopers。 a lot of em are well dressed and holdin down goodpayin jobs too。 i said： you might even know some yourself the other thing is the old people； and i keep in back to them。 they look at me its always a question。 years back i dont remember that。 i dont remember it when i was sheriff back in the fifties。 you see em and they dont even look confused。 they just look crazy。 that bothers me。 its like they woke up and they dont know how they got where theyre at。 well； in a manner of speakin they dont。
at supper this evenin she told me shed been readin st john。 the revelations。 any time i get to talkin about how things are shell find somethin in the bible so i asked her if revelations had anything to say about the shape things was takin and she said shed let me know。 i asked her if there was anything in there about green hair and nosebones and she said not in so many words there wasnt。 i dont know if thats a good sign or not。
then she e around behind my chair and put her arms around my neck and bit me on the ear。 shes a very young woman in a lot of ways。 if i didnt have her i dont know what i would have。 well； yes i do。 you wouldnt need a box to put it in； neither。
it was a cold blustery day when he walked out of the courthouse for the last time。 some men could put their arms around a crying woman but it never felt natural to him。 he walked down the steps and out the back door and got in his truck and sat there。 he couldnt name the feeling。 it was sadness but it was something else besides。 and the something else besides was what had him sitting there instead of starting the truck。 hed felt like this before but not in a long time and when he said that； then he knew what it was。 it was defeat。 it was being beaten。 more bitter to him than death。 you need to get over that； he said。 then he started the truck。
。。！
No Country for Old MenXIII
（小//说；网/
where you went out the back door of that house there was a stone water trough in the weeds by the side of the house。 a galvanized pipe e off the roof and the trough stayed pretty much full and i remember stoppin there one time and squattin down and lookin at it and i got to thinkin about it。 i dont know how long it had been there。 a hundred years。 two hundred。 you could see the chisel marks in the stone。 it was hewed out of solid rock and it was about six foot long and maybe a foot and a half wide and about that deep。 just chiseled out of the rock。 and i got to thinkin about the man that done that。 that country had not had a time of peace much of any length at all that i knew of。 ive read a little of the history of it since and i aint sure it ever had one。 but this man had set down with a hammer and chisel and carved out a stone water trough to last ten thousand years。 why was that？ what was it that he had faith in？ it wasnt that nothin would change。 which is what you might think； i suppose。 he had to know bettern that。 ive thought about it a good deal。 i thought about it after i left there with that house blown to pieces。 im goin to say that water trough is there yet。 it would of took somethin to move it； i can tell you that。 so i think about him settin there with his hammer and his chisel； maybe just a hour or two after supper； i dont know。 and i have to say that the only thing i can think is that there was some sort of promise in his heart。
and i dont have no intentions of carvin a stone water trough。 but i would like to be able to make that kind of promise。 i think thats what i would like most of all。
the other thing is that i have not said much about my father and i know i have not done him justice。 ive been older now than he ever was for almost twenty years so in a sense im lookin back at a younger man。 he went on the road tradin horses when he was not much more than a boy。 he told me the first time or two he got skinned pretty good but he learned。 he said this trader one time he put his arm around him and he looked down at him and he told him； said： son； im goin to trade with you like you didnt even have a horse。 point bein some people will actually tell you what it is they aim to do to you and whenever they do you might want to listen。 that stuck with me。 he knew about horses and he was good with em。 ive seen him break a few and he knew what he was doin。
very easy on the horse。 talked to em a lot。 he never broke nothin in me and i owe him more than i would of thought。 as the world mig