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344 books
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511 voters
“The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.”
―
―
“He sat a long time and he thought about his life and how little of it he could ever have foreseen and he wondered for all his will and all his intent how much of it was his doing.”
― Cities of the Plain
― Cities of the Plain
“It had ceased raining in the night and he walked out on the road and called for the dog. He called and called. Standing in that inexplicable darkness. Where there was no sound anywhere save only the wind. After a while he sat in the road. He took off his hat and placed it on the tarmac before him and he bowed his head and held his face in his hands and wept. He sat there for a long time and after a while the east did gray and after a while the right and godmade sun did rise, once again, for all and without distinction.”
― The Crossing
― The Crossing
“Men speak of blind destiny, a thing without scheme or purpose. But what sort of destiny is that? Each act in this world from which there can be no turning back has before it another, and it another yet. In a vast and endless net. Men imagine that the choices before them are theirs to make. But we are free to act only upon what is given. Choice is lost in the maze of generations and each act in that maze is itself an enslavement for it voids every alternative and binds one ever more tightly into the constraints that make a life. If the dead man could have forgiven his enemy for whatever wrong was done to him all would have been otherwise. Did the son set out to avenge his father? Did the dead man sacrifice his son? Our plans are predicated upon a future unknown to us. The world takes its form hourly by a weighing of things at hand, and while we may seek to puzzle out that form we have no way to do so. We have only God's law, and the wisdom to follow it if we will.”
― The Crossing
― The Crossing
“He shortened up the rope a couple of reaches and dragged the wolf through the bar ditch and stood by the fence and watched the truck come over the hill and approach in its attendant dust and clatter.
The old man slowed and peered. The wolf was jerking and twisting and the boy stood behind her and held her with both hands. By the time the truck had pulled abreast of them he was lying on the ground with his legs scissored about her midriff and his arms around her neck. The old man stopped and sat the idling truck and leaned across and rolled down the window. What in the hell, he said. What in the hell.
You reckon you could turn that thing off? the boy said.
That's a damn wolf.
Yessir it is.
What in the hell.
The truck's scarin her.
Scarin her?
Yessir.
Boy what's wrong with you? That thing comes out of that riggin it'll eat you alive.
Yessir.
What are you doin with him?
It's a she.
It's a what?
A she. It's a she.
Hell fire, it dont make a damn he or she. What are you doin with it?
Fixin to take it home.
Home?
Yessir.
Whatever in the contumacious hell for?
Can you not turn that thing off?
It aint all that easy to start again.
Well could I maybe get you to drive down there and catch my horse for me and bring him back. I'd tie her up but she gets all fuzzled up in the fencewire.
What I'd liketo do is to try and save you the trouble of bein eat, the old man said. What are you takin it home for?
It's kindly a long story.
Well I'd sure like to hear it.
The boy looked down the road where the horse stood grazing. He looked at the old man. Well, he said. My daddy wanted me to come and get him if I caught her but I didnt want to leave her cause they's been some vaqueros takin their dinner over yonder and I figured they'd probably shoot her so I just decided to take her on home with me.
Have you always been crazy?
I dont know. I never was much put to the test before today.
How old are you?
Sixteen.
Sixteen.
Yessir.
Well you aint got the sense God give a goose. Did you know that?
You may be right.
How do you expect your horse to tolerate a bunch of nonsense such as this.
If I can get him caught he wont have a whole lot of say about it.
You plan on leadin that thing behind a horse?
Yessir.
How you expect to get her to do that?
She aint got a whole lot of choice either.”
― The Crossing
The old man slowed and peered. The wolf was jerking and twisting and the boy stood behind her and held her with both hands. By the time the truck had pulled abreast of them he was lying on the ground with his legs scissored about her midriff and his arms around her neck. The old man stopped and sat the idling truck and leaned across and rolled down the window. What in the hell, he said. What in the hell.
You reckon you could turn that thing off? the boy said.
That's a damn wolf.
Yessir it is.
What in the hell.
The truck's scarin her.
Scarin her?
Yessir.
Boy what's wrong with you? That thing comes out of that riggin it'll eat you alive.
Yessir.
What are you doin with him?
It's a she.
It's a what?
A she. It's a she.
Hell fire, it dont make a damn he or she. What are you doin with it?
Fixin to take it home.
Home?
Yessir.
Whatever in the contumacious hell for?
Can you not turn that thing off?
It aint all that easy to start again.
Well could I maybe get you to drive down there and catch my horse for me and bring him back. I'd tie her up but she gets all fuzzled up in the fencewire.
What I'd liketo do is to try and save you the trouble of bein eat, the old man said. What are you takin it home for?
It's kindly a long story.
Well I'd sure like to hear it.
The boy looked down the road where the horse stood grazing. He looked at the old man. Well, he said. My daddy wanted me to come and get him if I caught her but I didnt want to leave her cause they's been some vaqueros takin their dinner over yonder and I figured they'd probably shoot her so I just decided to take her on home with me.
Have you always been crazy?
I dont know. I never was much put to the test before today.
How old are you?
Sixteen.
Sixteen.
Yessir.
Well you aint got the sense God give a goose. Did you know that?
You may be right.
How do you expect your horse to tolerate a bunch of nonsense such as this.
If I can get him caught he wont have a whole lot of say about it.
You plan on leadin that thing behind a horse?
Yessir.
How you expect to get her to do that?
She aint got a whole lot of choice either.”
― The Crossing
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