All the Pretty Horses

the truth will be in other hands. You see. We can make the truth here. Or we can lose it. But when you leave here it will be too late. Too late for truth. Then you will be in the hands of other parties. Who can say what the truth will be then? At that time? Then you will blame yourself. You will see.
    There aint but one truth, said John Grady. The truth is what happened. It aint what come out of somebody’s mouth.
    You like this little town? said the captain.
    It’s all right.
    It is very quiet here.
    Yes.
    The peoples in this town are quiet peoples. Everybody here is quiet all the time.
    He leaned forward and stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.
    Then comes the assassin Blevins to steal horses and kill everybody. Why is this? He was a quiet boy and never do no harm and then he come here and do these things something like that?
    He leaned back and shook his head in that same sad way.
    No, he said. He wagged one finger. No.
    He watched John Grady.
    What is the truth is this: He was no a quiet boy. He was this other kind of boy all the time. All the time.
    When the guards brought John Grady back they took Blevins away with them. He could walk but not well. When the padlock had clicked shut and rattled and swung to rest John Grady squatted facing Rawlins.
    How you doin? he said.
    I’m okay. How are you?
    I’m all right.
    What happened?
    Nothin.
    What’d you tell him?
    I told him you were full of shit.
    You didnt get to go to the shower room?
    No.
    You were gone a long time.
    Yeah.
    He keeps a white coat back there on a hook. He takes it down and puts it on and ties it around his waist with a string.
    John Grady nodded. He looked at the old man. The old man was watching them even if he didnt speak english.
    Blevins is sick.
    Yeah, I know. I think we’re goin to Saltillo.
    What’s in Saltillo?
    I dont know.
    Rawlins shifted against the wall. He closed his eyes.
    Are you all right? said John Grady.
    Yeah, I’m all right.
    I think he wants to make some kind of a deal with us.
    The captain?
    Captain. Whatever he is.
    What kind of a deal.
    To keep quiet. That kind of a deal.
    Like we had some kind of a choice. Keep quiet about what?
    About Blevins.
    Keep quiet about what about Blevins?
    John Grady looked at the little square of light in the door and at the skew of it on the wall above the old man’s head where he sat. He looked at Rawlins.
    I think they aim to kill him. I think they aim to kill Blevins.
    Rawlins sat for a long time. He sat with his head turned away against the wall. When he looked at John Grady again his eyes were wet.
    Maybe they wont, he said.
    I think they will.
    Ah damn, said Rawlins. Just goddamn it all to hell.
    When they brought Blevins back he sat in the corner and didnt speak. John Grady talked with the old man. His name was Orlando. He didnt know what crime he was accused of. He’d been told he could go when he signed the papers but he couldnt read the papers and no one would read them to him. He didnt know how long he’d been here. Since sometime in the winter. While they were talking the guards came again and the old man shut up.
    They unlocked the door and entered and set two buckets in the floor together with a stack of enameled tin plates. One of them looked into the waterpail and the other took the slop pail from the corner and they went out again. They had about them a perfunctory air, like men accustomed to caring for livestock. When they were gone the prisoners squatted about the buckets and John Grady handed out the plates. Of which there werefive. As if some unknown other were expected. There were no utensils and they used the tortillas to spoon the beans from the bucket.
    Blevins, said John Grady. You aim to eat?
    I aint hungry.
    Better get you some of this.
    You all go on.
    John Grady scooped beans into one of the spare dishes and folded the tortilla along the edge of the dish and got up and carried it to Blevins and came back. Blevins sat holding the dish in his lap.
    After a while he said: What’d you tell em about me?
    Rawlins stopped chewing and looked at John Grady. John Grady looked at Blevins.
    Told em the truth.
    Yeah, said Blevins.
    You think it would make any difference what we told them? said Rawlins.
    You could of tried to help me out.
    Rawlins looked at John Grady.
    Could of put in a good word for me, said Blevins.
    Good word, said Rawlins.
    Wouldnt of cost you nothin.
    Shut the hell up, said Rawlins. Just shut up. You say anything more I’ll come over