《No Country for Old Men》第38章

yeah。　i　dont　think　hes　a　lunatic　though。
well　what　would　you　call　him？
i　dont　know。　when　are　they　fixin　to　close　it？
its　done　closed；　as　far　as　that　goes。
you　got　a　key？
yeah。　i　got　a　key。　its　a　crime　scene。
why　dont　we　go　over　there　and　look　around　some　more。
all　right。　we　can　do　that。
the　first　thing　they　saw　was　the　transponder　unit　sitting　on　a　windowsill　in　the　hallway。
bell　picked　it　up　and　turned　it　in　his　hand；　looking　at　the　dial　and　the　knobs。
that　aint　a　goddamn　bomb　is　it　sheriff？
no。
thats　all　we　need。
its　a　trackin　device。
so　whatever　it　was　they　was　trackin　they　found。
probably。　how　long　has　it　been　settin　there　do　you　reckon？
i　dont　know。　i　think　i　might　be　able　to　guess　what　they　were　trackin；　though。
maybe；　bell　said。　theres　somethin　about　this　whole　deal　that　dont　rattle　right。
it　aint　supposed　to。
we　got　a　ex…army　colonel　here　with　most　of　his　head　gone　that　you　had　to　id　off　of　his fingerprints。　what　fingers　wasnt　shot　off。　regular　army。　fourteen　years　service。　not　a piece　of　paper　on　him。
hed　been　robbed。
yeah。
what　do　you　know　about　this　that　you　aint　tellin；　sheriff？
you　got　the　same　facts　i　got。
i　aint　talkin　about　facts。　do　you　think　this　whole　mess　has　moved　south？
bell　shook　his　head。　i　dont　know。
you　got　a　dog　in　this　hunt？
not　really。　a　couple　of　kids　from　my　county　that　might　be　sort　of　involved　that　ought not　to　be。
sort　of　involved。
yeah。
are　we　talkin　kin？
no。　just　people　from　my　county。　people　im　supposed　to　be　lookin　after。
he　handed　the　transponder　unit　to　the　sheriff。
what　am　i　supposed　to　do　with　this？
its　maverick　county　property。　crime　scene　evidence。
the　sheriff　shook　his　head。　dope；　he　said。
dope。
they　sell　that　shit　to　schoolkids。
its　worse　than　that。
hows　that？
schoolkids　buy　it。
xs
No　Country　for　Old　MenVII
？小说、网
i　wont　talk　about　the　war　neither。　i　was　supposed　to　be　a　war　hero　and　i　lost　a whole　squad　of　men。　got　decorated　for　it。　they　died　and　i　got　a　medal。　i　dont　even　need to　know　what　you　think　about　that。　there　aint　a　day　i　dont　remember　it。　some　boys　i know　e　back　they　went　on　to　school　up　at　austin　on　the　gi　bill；　they　had　hard　things to　say　about　their　people。　some　of　em　did。　called　em　a　bunch　of　rednecks　and　all　such as　that。　didnt　like　their　politics。　two　generations　in　this　country　is　a　long　time。　youre talkin　about　the　early　settlers。　i　used　to　tell　em　that　havin　your　wife　and　children　killed and　scalped　and　gutted　like　fish　has　a　tendency　to　make　some　people　irritable　but　they didnt　seem　to　know　what　i　was　talkin　about。　i　think　the　sixties　in　this　country　sobered some　of　em　up。　i　hope　it　did。　i　read　in　the　papers　here　a　while　back　some　teachers　e across　a　survey　that　was　sent　out　back　in　the　thirties　to　a　number　of　schools　around　the country。　had　this　questionnaire　about　what　was　the　problems　with　teachin　in　the schools。　and　they　e　across　these　forms；　theyd　been　filled　out　and　sent　in　from around　the　country　answer　in　these　questions。　and　the　biggest　problems　they　could name　was　things　like　talkin　in　class　and　runnin　in　the　hallways。　chewin　gum。　copyin homework。　things　of　that　nature。　so　they　got　one　of　them　forms　that　was　blank　and printed　up　a　bunch　of　em　and　sent　em　back　out　to　the　same　schools。　forty　years　later。
well；　here　e　the　answers　back。　rape；　arson；　murder。　drugs。　suicide。　so　i　think about　that。　because　a　lot　of　the　time　ever　when　i　say　anything　about　how　the　world　is goin　to　hell　in　a　handbasket　people　will　just　sort　of　smile　and　tell　me　im　gettin　old。　that its　one　of　the　symptoms。　but　my　feelin　about　that　is　that　anybody　that　cant　tell　the difference　between　rapin　and　murderin　people　and　chewin　gum　has　got　a　whole　lot bigger　of　a　problem　than　what　ive　got。　forty　years　is　not　a　long　time　neither。　maybe the　next　forty　of　it　will　bring　some　of　em　out　from　under　the　ether。　if　it　aint　too　late。
here　a　year　or　two　back　me　and　loretta　went　to　a　conference　in　corpus　christi　and　i got　set　next　to　this　woman；　she　was　the　wife　of　somebody　or　other。　and　she　kept　talkin about　the　right　wing　this　and　the　right　wing　that。　i　aint　even　sure　what　she　meant　by　it。
the　people　i　know　are　mostly　just　mon　people。　mon　as　dirt；　as　the　sayin　goes。　i told　her　that　and　she　looked　at　me　funny。　she　thought　i　was　sayin　somethin　bad　about em；　but　of　course　thats　a　high　pliment　in　my　part　of　the　world。　she　kept　on；　kept　on。
finally　told　me；　said：　i　dont　like　the　way　this　country　is　headed。　i　want　my granddaughter　to　be　able　to　have　an　abortion。　and　i　said　well　mam　i　dont　think　you　got any　worries　about　the　way　the　country　is　headed。　the　way　i　see　it　goin　i　dont　have　much doubt　but　what　shell　be　able　to　have　an　abortion。　im　goin　to　say　that　not　only　will　she be　able　to　have　an　abortion；　shell　be　able　to　have　you　put　to　sleep。　which　pretty　much ended　the　conversation。
chigurh　limped　up　the　seventeen　flights　of　concrete　steps　in　the　cool　concrete well　and　when　he　got　to　the　steel　door　on　the　landing　he　shot　the　cylinder　out　of　the　lock with　the　plunger　of　the　stungun　and　opened　the　door　and　stepped　into　the　hallway　and shut　the　door　behind　him。　he　stood　leaning　against　the　door　with　the　shotgun　in　both hands；　listening。　breathing　no　harder　than　if　hed　just　got　up　out　of　a　chair。　he　went down　the　hallway　and　picked　the　crushed　cylinder　out　of　the　floor　and　put　it　in　his pocket　and　went　on　to　the　elevator　and　stood　listening　again。　he　took　off　his　boots　and stood　them　by　the　elevator　door　and　went　down　the　hallway　in　his　sockfeet；　walking slowly；　favoring　his　wounded　leg。
the　doors　to　the　office　were　open　onto　the　hallway。　he　stopped。　he　thought　that perhaps　the　man　did　not　see　his　own　shadow　on　the　outer　hallway　wall；　illdefined　but there。　chigurh　thought　it　an　odd　oversight　but　he　knew　that　fear　of　an　enemy　can　often blind　men　to　other　hazards；　not　least　the　shape　which　they　themselves　make　in　the　world。
he　slipped　the　strap　from　his　shoulder　and　lowered　the　airtank　to　the　floor。　he　studied the　stance　of　the　mans　shadow　framed　there　by　the　light　from　the　smoked　glass　window behind　him