Of Mice and Men Audiobook

recorded books incorporated presents an unabridged recording of of mice and men by john steinbeck narrated by mark hammer this work is copyrighted 1937 by john steinbeck this recording is copyrighted 1999 by recorded books incorporated born in salinas california in 1902 john steinbeck grew up in one of the most fertile valleys in the state an area that became the setting for much of his greatest fiction in the 50 years prior to the publication of of mice and men much of the region's wheat and fruit crops were picked by migrant workers who followed the harvests mostly single men without home or family with a knapsack and a bedroll as their only possessions steinbeck himself had worked the fields and packing plants as a high school student and after leaving stanford university where he only half-heartedly pursued his studies he joined the ranks of the migrants moving from ranch to ranch for nearly two years experiencing first hand the loneliness and isolation of the itinerant working man in 1935 many years after his laboring days and more than a dozen after he had begun to scratch out a living as a writer john steinbeck published his first major success tortilla flat at the age of 33. it was quickly followed by in dubious battle a bestseller as well when tortilla flats sold to the movies for the fabulous sum of four thousand dollars steinbeck found himself for the first time in a position of financial security in this newfound state of artistic independence he began work on a novel that he originally titled something that happened it was published in 1937 as of mice and men the title is taken from a robert byrne's poem and now of mice and men a few miles south of soledad the salinas river drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green the water is warm too for his slip twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool on one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky gabilan mountains but on the valley side the water is lined with trees willows fresh and green with every spring carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding and sycamores with mottled white recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool on the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of coons and with the spread pads of dogs from the ranches and with the split wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark there's a path through the willows and among the sycamores a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle up near water in front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there's an ash pile made by many fires the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves the shade climbed up the hills toward the top on the sandbanks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray sculptured stones and then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves the rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover a stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down river for a moment the place was lifeless and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool they had walked in single file down the path and even in the open one stayed behind the other both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons both wore black shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders the first man was small and quick dark of face with restless eyes and sharp strong features every part of him was defined small strong hands slender arms a thin and bony nose behind him walked his opposite a huge man shapeless of face with large pale eyes with wide sloping shoulders and he walked heavily dragging his feet a little the way a bear drags his paws his arms didn't swing at his sides but hung loosely the first man stopped short in the clearing and the follower nearly ran over him he took off his hat and wiped the sweat band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off his huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool drank with long gulps snorting into the water like a horse the small man stepped nervously beside him lenny he said sharply lenny for god's sake don't drink so much lenny continued to snort into the pool the small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder lenny you're gonna be sick like he was last night lenny dipped his whole head under hat and all and then he sat up on the bank and his hat dripped down on his blue coat and ran down his back that's good he said drank some george you take a good big drink he smiled happily george unslung his bindle and dropped it gently on the bank i ain't sure it's good water he said looks kind of scummy lenny dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose and little splashes rings widened across the pool to the other side and came back again then he watched them go look george look what i've done george knelt beside the pool and drank from his hand with quick scoops tastes all right he admitted don't really seem to be running though you never ought to drink water when it ain't running lenny he said hopelessly you'd drink out of a gutter if he was thirsty he threw a scoop of water into his face and rubbed it about with his hand under his chin and around the back of his neck then he replaced his hat pushed himself back from the river drew up his knees and embraced them lenny who had been watching imitated george exactly he pushed himself back drew up his knees embraced them looked over to george to see whether he had it just right he pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes the way george's hat was george stared morosely at the water the rims of his eyes were red with sun glare he said it angrily wicked just as well of rode clear to the ranch if that bastard bus driver knew what he was talking about just a little stretch down the highway he says just a little stretch got him near four miles that's what it was didn't want to stop at the ranch gate that's what too goddamn lazy to pull up wonder isn't too damn good to stop and solo that at all kicks us out and says just a little stretch down the road i bet it was more than four miles damn hot day lenny looked timidly over to him george yeah what do you want where are we going george the little man jerked down the brim of his hat and scowled over at lenny so you forgot that already did you i gotta tell you again do i jesus christ you're a crazy bastard i forgot then he said softly i tried not to forget honest to god i did george okay okay i'll tell you again i ain't got nothing to do might just well spend all my time telling you things and then you forget them and i tell you again tried and tried said lenny but it didn't do no good i remember about the rabbits george the hell with the rabbits that's all you ever can remember is them rabbits okay now you listen and this time you gotta remember so we don't get in no trouble you remember sitting in that gutter on howard street and watching that blackboard lenny's face broke into a delighted smile am i sure george i remember that but what'd we do then i remember some girls come by and you says you say to hell with what i say is you remember about us going into murray and readies and they give us work cards and bus tickets oh sure george i remember that now his hands went quickly into his side coat pockets he said gently george i ain't got mine i must have lost it he looked down at the ground in despair you never had none yet crazy bastard i got both of them here think i'd let you carry your own work card lenny grinned with relief i i thought i put it in my side pocket his hand went into the pocket again george looked sharply at him what'd you take out of that pocket i ain't a thing in my pocket then he said cleverly i know there ain't you got it in your hand what you got in your hand hiding it i ain't got nothing george honest come on give it here lenny held his closed hand away from george's direction it's only a mouse george a mouse a live mouse just a dead mouse george i didn't kill it honest i found it i found it dead give it here said george oh let me have it george give it here lenny's closed hands slowly obeyed george took the mouse and threw it across the pool to the other side among the brush what do you want of a dead mouse anyways well i could pet it with my thumb while we walked along said lenny well you ain't petting no mice while you walk with me you remember where we're going now then he looked startled and then an embarrassment hit his face against his knees i forgot again jesus christ george said resignedly well look we're gonna work on a ranch like the one we come from up north up north in weed oh sure i remember in weed that ranch we're going to is right down there about a quarter mile we're gonna go in and see the boss now look i'll give him the work tickets but you ain't gonna say a word you just stand there and don't say nothing if he finds out what a crazy bastard you are we won't get no job but if he sees your work before he hears you talk we're set you got that sure george sure i got it okay now when we go in to see the boss what are you gonna do i um lenny thought his face grew tight with thought i ain't gonna say nothing just gonna stand there good boy that's swell you say that over two three times so you're sure you won't forget it lenny droned to himself softly i'm gonna say nothing i ain't gonna say nothing i ain't gonna say nothing okay said george and you ain't gonna do no bad things like you done in weed neither lenny looked puzzled like a dunn in weed oh so you forgot that too did you well i ain't gonna remind you of fear you do it again a light of understanding broke on lenny's face they run us out of weed he exploded triumphantly run us out hell said george disgustedly we run they was looking for us but they didn't catch us lenny giggled happily i didn't forget that you bet george lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under his head and lenny imitated him raising his head to see whether he were doing it right god you're in a lot of trouble said george i could get along so easy and so nice if i didn't have you on my tail i could live so easy and maybe have a girl for a moment lenny lay quiet and then he said hopefully we gonna work on a ranch george all right you got that but we're gonna sleep here because i got a reason the day was going fast now only the tops of the gabalan mountains flamed with the light of the sun that had gone from the valley a water snake slipped along on the pool its head held up like a little periscope the reeds jerked slightly in the current far off toward the highway a man shouted something and another man shouted back the sycamore limbs rustled under a little wind that died immediately george why aren't we going on to the ranch and get some supper they got supper at the ranch george rolled on his side no reason at all for you i like it here tomorrow we're gonna go to work i've seen thrashing machines on the way down that means we'll be bucking grain bags busting a gut tonight i'm gonna lay right here and look up i like it lenny got up on his knees and looked down at george ain't we gonna have no supper sure we are if you gather up some dead willow sticks i got three cans of beans in my bindle you get a fire ready i'll give you a match when you get the sticks together and we'll heat the beans and have supper then he said i like beans with ketchup well we ain't got no ketchup you go get wood and don't you fool around it'll be dark before long lenny lumbered to his feet and disappeared in the brush george lay where he was and whistled softly to himself there were sounds of splashings down the river in the direction lenny had taken george stopped whistling and listened poor bastard he said softly and then went on whistling again in a moment lenny came crashing back through the brush he carried one small willow stick in his hand george sat up all right he said bruscley give me that mouse but lenny made an elaborate pantomime of innocence what mouse george i ain't got no mouse george held out his hand come on give it to me you ain't putting nothing over lenny hesitated backed away looked wildly at the brush line as though he contemplated running for his freedom george said coldly you're gonna give me that mouse or do i have to sock you give you what george you know god damn well what i want that mouse lenny reluctantly reached into his pocket his voice broke a little i don't know why i can't keep it but ain't nobody's mouse i didn't steal it i found it lying right beside the road george's hand remained outstretched imperiously slowly like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master then he approached drew back approached again george snapped his fingers sharply and at the sound lenny laid the mouse in his hand i wasn't doing nothing bad with it george just stroking it george stood up and threw the mouse as far as he could into the darkening brush and then he stepped to the pool and washed his hands you crazy foo don't you think i could see your feet was wet where you went across the river to get it he heard lenny's whimpering cry and wheeled about blubbering like a baby jesus christ big guy like you lenny's lip quivered and tears started in his eyes oh lenny george put his hand on lenny's shoulder i ain't taking it away just for meanness that mouse ain't fresh lenny and besides you've broke it petting it you get another mouse it's fresh and i'll let you keep it a little while lenny sat down on the ground and hung his head dejectedly i don't know where there is no other mouse i remember lady used to give him to me everyone she got but that lady ain't here george scoffed lady don't even remember who that lady was that was your own aunt clara and she stopped giving them to you you always killed him then he looked sadly up at him there was so little he said apologetically i'd pet him and pretty soon they bit my fingers and pinched their heads a little and then they was dead because they was so little i wish we'd get the rabbits pretty soon george they ain't so little to hell with the rabbits and you ain't to be trusted with no live mice your aunt clara give you a rubber mouse and you wouldn't have nothing to do with it it wasn't no good to pay it said lenny the flame of the sunset lifted from the mountaintops and dusk came into the valley and a half darkness came in among the willows and the sycamores a big carp rose to the surface of the pool gulped air and then sank mysteriously into the dark water again leaving widening rings on the water overhead the leaves twist again and little puffs of willow cotton blew down and landed on the pool's surface you can't get that wood george demanded there's plenty right up against the back of that sycamore floodwater wood now you get it lenny went behind the tree and brought out a litter of dried leaves and twigs he threw them in a heap on the old ash pile and went back for more and more it was almost night now a dove's wings whistled over the water george walked to the fire pile and lighted the dry leaves the flame cracked up among the twigs and fell to work george undid his bindle and brought out three cans of beans he stood them about the fire close in against the blaze but not quite touching the flame there's enough beans for four men george said lenny watched him from over the fire he said patiently i like him with ketchup well we ain't got any george exploded whatever we ain't got that's what you want god i'm mighty if i was alone i could live so easy i could go get a job and work and no trouble no mess at all and when the end of the month come i could take my 50 bucks and go into town and get whatever i want well i could stay in a cat house all night i could eat any place i want hotel or any place and order any damn thing i can think of and i could do all that every damn month get a gallon of whiskey or sit in a pool room and play cards or shoot poo lenny knelt and looked over the fire at the angry george and lenny's face was drawn with terror and what i got george went on furiously i got you you can't keep a job and you lose me every job i get just keep me shoving all over the country all the time and that ain't the worst you get in trouble you do bad things and i gotta get you out his voice rose nearly to a shout you crazy son of a you keep me in hot water all the time he took on the elaborate manner of little girls when they're mimicking one another just wanted to feel that girl's dress just wanted to pet it like it was a mouse well how the hell did she know you just wanted to feel her dress she jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse she yells and we gotta hide in an irrigation ditch all day with guys looking for us and we gotta sneak out in the dark and get out of the country all the time something like that all the time i wished i could put you in a cage with about a million mice and let you have fun his anger left him suddenly he looked across the fire at lenny's anguished face and then he looked ashamedly at the flames it was quite dark now but the fire lighted the trunks of the trees and the curving branches overhead lenny crawled slowly and cautiously around the fire until he was close to george he sat back on his heels george turned the bean cans so that another side faced the fire he pretended to be unaware of lennie so close beside him george very softly no answer george what do you want i was only fooling george i don't want no ketchup i wouldn't need no ketchup if it was right here beside me if it was here you could have some but i wouldn't eat none george i'd leave it all for you you could cover your beans with it and i wouldn't touch no no but george still stared morosely at the fire when i think of the swell time i could have without you i go nuts i never get no peace lenny still knelt he looked off into the darkness across the river george you want i should go away and leave you alone where the hell could you go well i could i could go off in the hills there someplace i'd find a cave yeah how'd you eat you ain't got sense enough to find nothing to eat i'd find things george i don't need no nice food with ketchup i'd lay out in the sun and nobody'd hurt me and if i found a mouse i could keep it nobody take it away from me george looked quickly and searchingly at him i've been mean ain't i if you don't want me i can go off in the hills and find a cave i can go away anytime no look i was just fooling lenny cause i want you to stay with me trouble with mice is you always kill him he paused tell you what i'll do lenny first chance i get i'll give you a pup maybe you wouldn't kill it that'd be better than mice and you could pet it harder lenny avoided the bait he'd sensed his advantage if you don't want me you only just gotta say so and i'll go off in those hills right there right up in those hills and live by myself and i won't get no mice stole from me george said i want you to stay with me lenny jesus christ somebody shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself no you stay with me your aunt clara wouldn't like you running off by yourself even if she is dead then he spoke craftily tell me like you done before tell you what about the rabbits george snapped you ain't gonna put nothing over on me then he pleaded come on george tell me please george lucky done before you get a kick out of that don't you all right i'll tell you and then we'll eat our supper george's voice became deeper he repeated his words rhythmically as though he'd said them many times before guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world they got no family they don't belong no place they come to a ranch and work up a stake and then they go into town and blow their stake and the first thing you know they're pounding their tail on some other ranch they ain't got nothing to look ahead to lenny was delighted that's it that's it now tell how it is with us george went on with us it ain't like that we got a future we got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us we don't have to sit in no bar room blowing in our jack just because we got no place else to go if them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn but not us then he broke in but not us and why because because i got you to look after me and you got me to look after you and that's why he laughed delightedly go on now george you got it by heart you can do it yourself no you i forget some of the things tell about how it's gonna be okay someday we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs and and live off the fat of the land then he shouted and have rabbits go on george tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and stove and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it tell about that george once you do it yourself you know all of it no you tell it that ain't the same if i tell it go on george how i get to tend the rabbits well said george we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens and when it rains in the winter we'll just say the hell was going to work and we'll build up a fire in the stove and sit around it and listen to the rain coming down on the roof nuts he took out his pocket knife i ain't got time for no more he drove his knife through the top of one of the bean cans sawed out the top and passed the candelini then he opened the second can from his side pocket he brought out two spoons and passed one of them to lenny they sat by the fire and filled their mouths with beans and chewed mightily a few beans slipped out of the side of lenny's mouth george gestured with his spoon what you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you questions then he stopped chewing and swallowed his face was concentrated i i ain't gonna say a word good boy that's fine lenny maybe you're getting better when we get the couple of acres i can let you tend the rabbits all right especially if you remember as good as that then he choked with pride i can remember he said george motioned with his spoon again look lenny i want you to look around here you can remember this place can't you the ranch is about a quarter mile up that way just follow the river sure said lenny i couldn't remember this didn't i remember about not going to say a word of course you did well look lenny if you just happen to get in trouble like you always done before i want you to come right here and hide in the brush hide in the brush said lenny slowly hide in the brush till i come for you can you remember that sure i can george hide in the brush till you come but you ain't gonna get in no trouble because if you do i won't let you tend the rabbits he threw his empty bean can off into the brush i won't get no trouble george i ain't gonna say a word okay bring your bindle over here by the fire it's gonna be nice sleeping here looking up in the leaves don't build up no more fire we'll let her die down they made their beds on the sand and as the blaze dropped from the fire the sphere of light grew smaller the curling branches disappeared and only a faint glimmer showed where the tree trunks were from the darkness lenny called george you asleep no what do you want let's have different color rabbits george sure we will george said sleepily red and blue and green rabbits lenny millions of them furry ones george like i've seen in the fair in sacramento sure furry ones because i can just as well go away george and live in a cave you can just as well go to hell said george shut up now the red light dimmed on the coals up the hill from the river a coyote yammered and a dog answered from the other side of the stream the sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze the bunk house was a long rectangular building inside the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted in three walls there were small square windows and in the fourth a solid door with a wooden latch against the walls were eight bunks five of them made up with blankets and the other three showing their burlap ticking over each bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for the personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk and these shelves were loaded with little articles soap and talcum powder razors and those western magazines ranch men loved to read and scoff at and secretly believe and there were medicines on the shelves and little vials combs and from nails on the box sides a few neckties near one wall there was a black cast iron stove its stovepipe going straight up through the ceiling in the middle of the room stood a big square table littered with playing cards and around it were grouped boxes for the players to sit on at about ten o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars the wooden latch raised the door opened and a tall stoop-shouldered old man came in he was dressed in blue jeans and he carried a big push broom in his left hand behind him came george and behind george lenny and the boss was expecting you last night the old man said he was sore as hell when he wasn't here to go out this morning he pointed with his right arm and out of the sleeve came a round stick-like wrist but no hand he can have them two beds there he said indicating two bunks near the stove george stepped over and threw his blankets down on the burlap sack of straw that was a mattress he looked into his box shelf and then picked a small yellow can from it say what the hell is this i don't know said the old man says positively kills lice roaches and other scourges what the hell kind of bed you giving us anyway we don't want no pants rabbits the old swamper lifted his broom and held it between his elbow and his side while he held out his hand for the can he studied the label carefully tell you what he said finally last guy that had this bed was blacksmith hell of a nice fella and as clean a guy as you want to meet he used to wash his hands even after he ate then how come he got gray backs george was working up a slow anger lenny put his bindle on the neighboring bunk and sat down he watched george with open mouth tell you what said the old swamper this here blacksmith named whitey was the kind of guy that would put that stuff around even if there wasn't no bugs just to make sure see tell you what he used to do at meals he'd peel his boiled potatoes and he'd take out every little spot no matter what kind before he'd eat it and if there was a red splotch on an egg he'd scrape it off finally quit about the food that's the kind of guy he was clean he used to dress up sundays even when he wasn't gone no place put on a necktie even and then sit in the bunk house i ain't so sure said george skeptically what'd you say he quit for the old man put the yellow can in his pocket and he rubbed his bristly white whiskers with his knuckles why he just quit the way a guy will says it was the food just wanted to move didn't give no other reason but the food just says give him my time one night the way any guy would george lifted his tick and looked underneath it he leaned over and inspected the sacking closely immediately lenny got up and did the same with his bed finally george seemed satisfied he unrolled his bindle and put things on the shelf his razor and bar of soap his comb and bottle of pills his liniment and leather wristband then he made his bed up neatly with blankets the old man said i guess the boss will be out here in a minute he was sure burned when you wasn't here this morning come right in when he was eating breakfast and says where the hell is that new man and he gave this stable buck hell too george patted a wrinkle out of his bed and sat down give the stable buck hell he asked sure you see the stable books yeah nice fella too got a crooked back where a horse kicked him the boss gives him hell when he's mad but the stable bug don't give a damn about that he reads a lot got books in his room what kind of guy is the boss george asked well he's a pretty nice fella gets pretty mad sometimes but he's pretty nice tell you what nobody done christmas bring a gallon of whiskey right in here and says drink hearty boys christmas comes but once a year the hell he did whole gallon yes sir jesus we had fun they let the come in that night little skinner named smitty took after the done pretty good too the guys wouldn't let him use his feet so the got him if he could have used his feet smitty says he would have killed the the guy said on account of the nigger's gotta crooked back smitty can't use his feet he paused and relished of the memory after that the guys went into soledad and raised hell i didn't go in there i ain't got the poop no more lenny was just finishing making his bed the wooden latch raised again and the door opened a little stocky man stood in the open doorway he wore blue jean trousers a flannel shirt a black unbuttoned vest and a black coat his thumbs were stuck in his belt on each side of a square steel buckle on his head was a soiled brown stetson hat and he wore high-heeled boots and spurs to prove he wasn't a laboring man the old swamper looked quickly at him then shuffled to the door rubbing his whiskers with his knuckles as he went damn guys just calm he said and shuffled past the boss and out the door the boss stepped into the room with the short quick steps of a fat legged man i wrote murray and ready i wanted two men this morning he got your work slips george reached into his pocket and produced the slips and handed them to the boss it wasn't murray and reddy's fault says right here on the slip that used to be here for work this morning george looked down at his feet bus driver gave us a bum steer he said we had to walk 10 miles says we was here when we wasn't we couldn't get no rides in the morning the boss squinted his eyes well i had to send out the green team short two buckers won't do any good to go out now until after dinner he pulled his time book out of his pocket and opened it where a pencil was stuck between the leaves george scowled meaningfully at lenny and let he nodded to show that he understood the boss licked his pencil what's your name george milton and what's yours george said his name's lenny small the names were entered in the book let's see this is the 20th noon the 20th he closed the book where you boys been working up around weed said george you two to lenny yeah him too said george the boss pointed a playful finger at lenny he ain't much of a talker is he no he ain't but he's sure a hell of a good worker strong as bull then he smiled to himself strong as a bull he repeated george scowled at him and lenny dropped his head in shame at having forgotten the boss said suddenly listen small then he raised his head what can you do in a panic lenny looked at george for help he can do anything you tell him said george he's a good skinner he can wrestle grain bags drive a cultivator he can do anything just give him a try the boss turned on george then why don't you let him answer what are you trying to put over george broke in loudly oh i ain't saying he's bright he ain't but i say he's a goddamn good worker he can put up a 400 pound bale the boss deliberately put the little book in his pocket he hooked his thumbs in his belt and squinted one eye nearly closed say what you selling huh i said what steak you got in this guy you taking his pay away from me no of course i ain't why you think i'm selling him out well i never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy i just like to know what your interest is george said he's my cousin i told his old lady i'd take care of him he got kicked in the head by a horse when he's a kid he's all right just ain't bright but he can do anything you tell him the boss turned half away well god knows he don't need any brains to book barley bags but don't you try to put nothing over milton i got my eye on you why'd you quit and weed job was done said george promptly what kind of job we uh we was digging a cesspool all right but don't try to put nothing over because you can't get away with nothing i've seen wise guys before going out with the grain teams after dinner they're picking up barley at the threshing machine go out with slims team slam yeah big tall skinner you'll see him at dinner he turned abruptly and went to the door but before he went out he turned and looked for a long moment at the two men when the sound of his footsteps had died away george turned on lenny so you wasn't gonna say a word he was gonna leave your big flapper shut and leave me do the talking damn near lost us the job lenny stared hopelessly at his hands i forgot george yeah you forgot you always forget and i gotta talk you out of it he sat down heavily on the bunk now he's got his eye on us now we got to be careful and not make no slips you keep your big flapper shut after this he felt morosely silent george what you want now i wasn't kicked in the head with no horse was i george be a damn good thing if he was george said viciously save everybody a hell of a lot of trouble you said i was your cousin george well that was a lie and i'm damned glad it was if i was a relative of yours i'd shoot myself he stopped suddenly stepped to the open front door and peered out say what the hell you doing listen the old man came slowly into the room he had his broom in his hand and at his heels there walked a drag-footed sheepdog gray of muzzle and with pale blind old eyes the dog struggled lamely to the side of the room and lay down grunting softly to himself and licking his grizzled moth-eaten coat the swamper watched him until he was settled now one listening i was just standing in the shade a minute scratching my dog i just now finished swamping out the wash house you was poking your big ears into our business george said i don't like nobody to get nosy the old man looked uneasily from george to lenny and then back i'd just come there he said i didn't hear nothing you guys were saying i ain't interested in nothing you were saying a guy on a ranch don't never listen nor he don't ask no questions damn right he don't said george slightly modified not if he wants to stay working long but he was reassured by the swampers defense come on in and sit down a minute he said that's a hell of an old dog yeah i had him ever since he was a pup god he was a good sheepdog when he was younger he stood his broom against the wall and he rubbed his white bristled cheek with his knuckles how'd you like the boss he asked pretty good seemed all right he's a nice fella this swamper agreed he gotta take him right at that moment a young man came into the bunk house a thin young man with a brown face with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair he wore a work glove on his left hand and like the boss he wore high-heeled boots seen my old man he asked the swamper said he was here just a minute ago curly went over to the cook house i think i'll try to catch him said curly his eyes passed over the new man and he stopped he glanced coldly at george and then at lenny his arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists he stiffened and went into a slight crouch his glance was at once calculating and pugnacious lenny squirmed under the look and shifted his feet nervously curly stepped gingerly close to him you the new guys the old man was waiting for we just come in said george let the big guy talk lenny twisted with embarrassment george said i suppose he don't want to talk curly lashed his body around by christ he's got to talk when he's spoken to what the hell you getting into it for we traveled together said george coley oh so it's that way george was tense and motionless yeah it's that way lenny was looking helplessly to george for instruction and you won't let the big guy talk is that it he can talk if he wants to tell you anything he nodded slightly to lenny we just come in said lenny softly curly stared levelly at him well next time you answer when you spoke to he turned toward the door and walked out and his elbows were still bent out a little george watched him out and then he turned back to the swamper say what the hell's he got on his shoulder then he didn't do nothing to him the old man looked cautiously at the door to make sure no one was listening that's the boss's son he said quietly curly's pretty handy he done quite a bit in the ring he's a lightweight and he's handy well let him be handy said george you don't have to take after lenny then he didn't do nothing to him what's he got against lenny the swamper considered well tell you what curly's like a lot of little guys he hates big guys he's all the time picking scraps with big guys kind of like he's mad at him because he ain't a big guy you seen little guys like that ain't you always scrappy sure said george i've seen plenty tough little guys but this curly better not make no mistakes about lenny then he ain't handy but this curly punk is going to get hurt if he messes around with lenny well curly's pretty handy the swamper said skeptically never did seem right to me suppose curly jumps a big guy and licks him everybody says what a game guy curly is and suppose he does the same thing and gets licked then everybody says the big guy ought to pick somebody's own size and maybe they gang up on the big guy never did seem right to me seems like curly ain't giving nobody a chance george was watching the door he said ominously well he better watch out for lenny lenny ain't no fighter but lenny's strong and quick and then he don't know no rules he walked to the square table and sat down on one of the boxes he gathered some of the cards together and shuffled them the old man sat down on another box don't tell curly i said none of this he'd slew me he just don't give a damn won't ever get canned because his old man's a boss george cut the cards and began turning them over looking at each one and throwing it down on a pile he said this guy curly sounds like a subtle to me i don't like mean little guys seems to me like he's worse lately said the swamper he got married a couple of weeks ago wife lives over in the boss's house seems like curly is cockier than ever since you got married george grunted maybe showing off for his wife the swamper warmed to his gossip you seen that glove on his left hand yeah i seen it well that glove's full of vaseline vaseline what the hell for well i'll tell you what curly says he's keeping that hand soft for his wife george studied the cards absorbedly that's a dirty thing to tell around he said the old man was reassured he'd drawn a derogatory statement from george he felt safe now and he spoke more confidently where do you see curly's wife george cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay slowly and deliberately birdie he asked casually yeah purdy but george studied his cards but what well she got the eye yeah married two weeks and got the eye maybe that's why curly's pants is full of ants i've seen her give slim the eye slim's a jerk line skinner held a nice fella slim don't need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team i seen her give slim the eye curly never seen it and i seen her give carlson an eye george pretended the lack of interest looks like we was gonna have fun the swampers stood up from his box know what i think george didn't answer well i think curly's married a tart he ain't the first said george there's plenty done that this ends disc one of mice and men disc two the old man moved toward the door and his ancient dog lifted his head and peered about and then got painfully to his feet to follow i gotta be setting out the wash basins for the guys the teams will be in before long you guys gonna buck barley yeah you won't tell curly nothing i said hell no well you look her over mister you see if she ain't a tart he stepped out the door into the brilliant sunshine george laid down his cards thoughtfully turned his piles of three he built four clubs on his ace pile the sun square was on the floor now and the flies whipped through it like sparks a sound of jingling harness in the croak of heavy-laden axles sounded from outside from the distance came a clear call stable book oh stable book and then where the hell is that goddamn george stared at his solitary leg and then he flounced the cards together and turned around to lenny lenny was lying down on the bunk watching him look nanny this here ain't no setup i'm scared you gonna have trouble with that curly guy i've seen that kind before he was kind of feeling you out he figures he's got you scared and he's going to take a sock at you the first chance he gets then his eyes were frightened i don't want no trouble he said plaintively don't let him sock me george george got up and went over to lenny's bunk and sat down on it i hate that kind of bastard he said i've seen plenty of them like the old guy says curly don't take no chances he always wins he thought for a moment if he tangles with you lenny we're going to get the can don't make no mistake about that he's the boss's son look lenny you try to keep away from him will you don't never speak to him if he comes in here you move clear to the other side of the room will you do that lenny i don't want no trouble with any mourned i never done nothing to him well that won't do you no good if curly wants to plug himself up for a fighter just don't have nothing to do with him will you remember sure george i ain't gonna say a word the sound of the approaching grain teams was louder thud of big hooves on hard ground drag of brakes and the jingle of trace chains men were calling back and forth from the teams george sitting on the bunk beside lenny frowned as he thought lenny asked timidly you ain't mad george i ain't mad at you i'm mad at this here curly bastard i hopefully was gonna get a little steak together maybe a hundred dollars his tone grew decisive you keep away from curly money sure i will george i won't say a word don't let him pull you in but if the son of a sucks you let him have it let him have what george never mind never mind i'll tell you when i hate that kind of guy look lenny if you get in any kind of trouble you remember what i told you to do then he raised up on his elbow his face contorted with thought then his eyes moved sadly to george's face if i get in any trouble you ain't gonna let me tend to rabbits that's not what i meant you remember where we slept last night down by the river yeah i remember oh sure i remember i go there and hide in the brush hide till i come for you don't let nobody see you hide in the brush by the river say that over hide in the brush by the river down in the brush by the river if you get in trouble if i get in trouble a break screeched outside a call came stable book oh stable book george said say it over to yourself lenny so you won't forget it both men glanced up for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off a girl was standing there looking in she had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes heavily made up her fingernails were red her hair hung in little rolled clusters like sausages she wore a cotton house dress and red mules on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers i'm looking for carly she said her voice had a nasal brittle quality george looked away from her and then back he was in here a minute ago but he went oh she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward here the new fellas had just come ain't you yeah lenny's eyes moved down over her body and though she didn't seem to be looking at lenny she bridled a little she looked at her fingernails sometimes curly's in here she explained george said bruskly well he ain't now if he ain't i guess i better look someplace else she said playfully lenny watched her fascinated george said if i see him i'll pass the word she was looking for him she smiled archly and twitched her body nobody can't blame a person for looking she said there were footsteps behind her going by she turned her head hi slam she said slim's voice came through the door hi good looking i'm trying to find curlies liam well you ain't trying very hard i seen him going in your house she was suddenly apprehensive bye boys she called into the bunk house and she hurried away george looked around at lenny jesus what a triumph he said so that's what curly picks for a wife she's purdy said lenny defensively yeah and she sure hiding it curly got his work ahead of him she'd clear out for 20 bucks lenny still stared at the doorway where she'd been gosh she was purty he smiled admiringly george looked quickly down at him and then he took him by an ear and shook him listen to me you crazy bastard he said fiercely don't you even take a look at that i don't care what she says and what she does i seen him poisoned before but i never see no piece of jailbait worse than her you leave her be lenny tried to disengage his ear oh never done nothing george no you never but when she was standing in the doorway showing her legs he wasn't looking the other way neither well i never meant no harm george honestly never well you keep away from her cause she's a rat trap if i ever seen one you let curly take the wrap he let himself in for it glove full of vaseline george said disgustedly and i bet he's eating raw eggs and writing to the patton medicine houses lenny cried out suddenly i don't like this place george this ain't no good place i want to get out of here we gotta keep it till we get a steak we can't help it lenny we'll get out just as soon as we can i don't like it no better than you do he went back to the table and set out a new solitaire hand no i don't like it he said for two bits i'd shove out of here if we can get just a few dollars in the poke we'll shove off go up the american river and pan gold we can make maybe a couple of dollars a day there and we might hit a pocket and then he leaned eagerly toward him let's go george let's get out of here it's mean here we gotta stay george said shortly shut up now the guys will be coming in from the washroom nearby came the sound of running water and rattling basins george studied the cards maybe we ought to wash up he said but we ain't done nothing to get dirty a tall man stood in the doorway he held a crushed stetson hat under his arm while he combed his long black damp hair straight back like the others he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket when he'd finished combing his hair he moved into the room and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsman he was a jerk line skinner the prince of the ranch capable of driving 10 16 even 20 mules with a single line to the leaders he was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler's butt with a bull whip without touching the mule there was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talks stopped when he spoke his authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject be it politics or love this was slim the jerk line skinner his hatchet face was ageless he might have been 35 or 50. his ear heard more than was said to him and his slow speech had overtones not of thought but of understanding beyond thought his hands large and lean were as delicate in their actions as those of a temple dancer he smoothed out his crushed hat creased it in the middle and put it on he looked kindly at the two in the bunk house it's brighter than a outside he said gently can't hardly see nothing in here you the new guy just come said george gonna buck barley that's what the boss says slim sat down on a box across the table from george he studied the solitaire hand it was upside down to him hope you get on my team he said his voice was very gentle i got a pair of punks on my team that don't know a barley bag from a blue ball you guys ever bucked any barley hell yes said george i ain't nothing to scream about but that big bastard there can put up more grain alone than most pairs can lenny who had been following the conversation back and forth with his eyes smiled complacently at the compliment slim looked approvingly george for having given the compliment he leaned over the table and snapped the corner of a loose card you guys traveled around together his tone was friendly it invited confidence without demanding it sure said george we kind of look after each other he indicated lenny with his thumb he ain't bright hell of a good worker though hell of a nice fella but he ain't bright i've knew him for a long time slim looked through george and beyond him ain't many guys traveling around together he mused i don't know why maybe everybody in the whole damn world is scared of each other it's a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know said george a powerful big stomach man came into the bunk house his head still dripped water from the scrubbing and dousing i slim he said then stopped and stared at george and lenny these guys just come said slim by way of introduction glad to meet you the big man said my name is carlson i'm george milton this here's lenny small glad to meet you carlson said again he ain't very small he chuckled softly at his joke ain't smaller tall he repeated i meant to ask you slim how's your i seen she wasn't under your wagon this morning she slang her pups last night said slim nine of them i drowned four of them right off just couldn't feed that many got five left huh yeah five i kept the biggest what kind of dogs do you think they're gonna be i don't know said slim some kind of shepherds i guess that's the most kind i've seen around here when she was in heat carlson went on got five pups huh gonna keep all of them i don't know i have to keep them a while so they can drink lulu's milk carlson said thoughtfully well look here slim i've been thinking that dog of candies is the goddamn old he can't hardly walk stinks like hell too every time he comes into the bunk house i can smell him for two three days why don't you get candy to shoot his old dog and give him one of the pups to raise up i can smell that dog a mile away got no teeth damn near blind can't eat candy feeds milk you can't chew nothing else george had been staring intently at slim suddenly a triangle began to ring outside slowly at first and then faster and faster until the beat of it disappeared into one ringing sound it stopped as suddenly as it had started there she goes said carlson outside there was a burst of voices as a group of men went by slim stood up slowly and with dignity now you guys better come on while there's still something to eat won't be nothing left in a couple of minutes carlson stepped back to let slim precede him and then the two of them went out the door lenny was watching george excitedly george rumpled his cards into a messy pile yeah george said i heard him lenny i'll ask him a brown and white one then he cried excitedly come on let's get dinner i don't know whether he got a brown and white one lenny didn't move from his bunk you ask him right away george so he won't kill no more of them sure come on now get up on your feet lenny rolled off his bunk and stood up and two of them started for the door just as they reached it curly bounced in you seen a girl around here he demanded angrily george said coldly about half an hour ago maybe well what the hell is she doing george stood still watching the angry little man he said insultingly she said she was looking for you curly seemed really to see george for the first time his eyes flashed over george took in his height measured his reach looked at his trim middle well which way did she go he demanded at last i don't know said george i didn't watch her go curly scowled at him and turning hurried out the door george said you know lenny i'm scared i'm gonna tangle with that bastard myself i hate his guts jesus christ come on there won't be a damn thing left to eat they went out the door the sunshine lay in a thin line under the window from a distance there could be heard a rattle of dishes after a moment the ancient dog walked lamely in through the open door he gazed about with mild half-blind eyes he sniffed and then lay down and put his head between his paws curly popped into the doorway again and stood looking into the room the dog raised his head but when curly jerked out the grizzled head sank to the floor again although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunkhouse inside it was dusk through the open door came the thuds and occasional clangs of a horseshoe game and now and then the sound of voices raised in approval or derision slim and george came into the darkening bunk house together slim reached up over the card table and turned on the tin shaded electric light instantly the table was brilliant with light and the cone of the shade through its brightness straight downward leaving the corners of the bunk house still in dusk slim sat down on a box and george took his place opposite it wasn't nothing said slim i would have had to drown most of them anyways no need to thank me about that george said it wasn't much to you maybe but it was a hell of a lot to him jesus christ i don't know how we're going to get him to sleep in here he'll want to sleep right out in the barn with him we'll have trouble keeping him from getting right in the box with him pups it wasn't nothing slim repeated say you sure was right about him maybe he ain't bright but i never seen such a worker he damn near killed his partner bucking barley i mean nobody can keep up with him god almighty i never seen such a strong guy george spoke proudly just tell lenny what to do and he'll do it if it don't take no figuring he can't think of nothing to do himself but he sure can take orders there was a clang of horseshoe on iron stake outside and a little cheer of voices slim moved back slightly so the light wasn't on his face funny how you and him string along together it was slim's calm invitation to confidence what's funny about it george demanded defensively well i don't know hardly none of the guys ever travel together i hardly never seen two guys travel together you know how the hands are they just come in get their bunk and work a month and then they quit and go out alone never seem to give a damn about nobody it just kind of seems funny a cuckoo like him and a smart little guy like you traveling together he ain't no cuckoo said george he's dumb as hell but he ain't crazy and i ain't so bright neither or i wouldn't be bucking barley for my 50 and found if i was bright if i was even a little bit smart i'd have my own little place and i'd be bringing in my own crops instead of doing all the work and not getting what comes up out of the ground george fell silent he wanted to talk slim neither encouraged or discouraged him he just sat back quiet and receptive it ain't so funny him and me going around together george said it last him and me was both born in auburn i knowed his aunt clara she took him when he was a baby and raised him up when his aunt clara died then he'd just come along with me out working got kind of used to each other after a little while hmm said slim george looked over at slim and saw the calm god-like eyes fastened on him funny said george i used to have a hell of a lot of fun with him he used to play jokes on him because he was too dumb to take care of himself but he was too dumb even to know he had a joke played on him i had fun made me seem goddamn smart alongside him well he'd do any damn thing i told him if i told him to walk over a cliff over he'd go that wasn't so damn much fun after a while he never got mad about it neither i've beat the hell out of him and he could have bust every bone in my body just with his hands but he never lifted a finger against me george's voice was taking on the tone of confession tell you what made me stop that one day a bunch of guys was standing around up on the sacramento river i was feeling pretty smart i turned to lenny and says jump in and he jumps couldn't swim a stroke he damn near drowned before we could get him and he was so damn nice to me for pulling him out clean forgot i told him to jump in well i ain't done nothing like that no more he's a nice fella said slim guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella seems to me sometimes it just works the other way around take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella george stacked the scattered cards and began to lay out his solitaire hand the shoes thudded on the ground outside at the windows the light of the evening still made the window squares bright i ain't got no people george said i've seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone that ain't no good they don't have no fun after a long time they get mean they get wanting to fight all the time yeah they get mean slim agreed they get so they don't want to talk to nobody of course lenny's a goddamn nuisance most of the time said george but you get used to going around with a guy and you can't get rid of me he ain't mean said slim i can see lenny ain't a bit mean of course he ain't mean but he gets in trouble all the time because he's a god damn dumb like what happened in weed he stopped stopped in the middle of turning over a card he looked alarmed and peered over at slim you wouldn't tell anybody what'd he do in weed you wouldn't tell no of course you wouldn't what do you do in weed slim asked again well he's seen this girl in a red dress dumb bastard like he is he wants to touch everything he likes just wants to feel it so he reaches out to feel this red dress and the girl lets out a squawk and that gets lenny all mixed up and he holds on because that's the only thing he can think to do well this girl squawks and squawks i was just a little bit off and i heard all the yelling so i comes running and by that time lenny's so scared all he can think to do is just hold on i socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go he was so scared he couldn't let go of that dress and he's a goddamn strong you know slim's eyes were level and unwinking he nodded very slowly so what happens george carefully built his line of solitaire cards well that girl rabbits in tells the law she's been raped the guys in weed start a party out to lynch lenny so we sit in irrigation ditch underwater all the rest that day got only our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch and that night we scrammed out of there slim sat in silence for a moment didn't hurt the girl no no he asked finally hell no he just scared her i'd be scared too if he grabbed me but he never hurt her he just wanted to touch that red dress like he wants to pet them pups all the time he ain't mean said slim i can tell a mean guy a mile off of course he ain't and he'll do any damn thing i lenny came in through the door he wore his blue denim coat over his shoulders like a cape and he walked hunched way over hi lenny said george how do you like the pup now lenny said breathlessly he's brown and quiet just like i wanted he went directly to his bunk and lay down and turned his face to the wall and drew up his knees george put down his cards very deliberately lenny he said sharply then he twisted his neck and looked over his shoulder huh what you want george i told you you couldn't bring that pup in here what pup george i ain't got no pop george went quickly to him grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him over he reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where lenny had been concealing it against his stomach lenny sat up quickly give them to me george george said you get right up and take this pup back to the nest he's got to sleep with his mother you want to kill him just born last night and you take him out of the nest you take him back or i'll tell slim not to let you have him lenny held out his hands pleadingly give him to me george i'll take him back i didn't mean no harm george honest i didn't i just wanted to pet him a little george handed the pup to him all right you get him back there quick and don't you take him out no more you'll kill him the first thing you know lenny fairly scuttled out of the room slim hadn't moved his calm eyes followed lenny out the door jesus he said he's just like a kid ain't he sure he's just like a kid there ain't no more harm in him than a kid neither except he's so strong i bet he won't come in here to sleep tonight he'll sleep right alongside that box in the barn well let him he ain't doing no harm out there it was almost dark outside now old candy the swamper came in and went to his bunk and behind him struggled his old dog hello slim hello george didn't neither of you play horseshoes i don't like to play every night said slim candy went on either you guys got a slug of whiskey i got a gut ache i said slim i drank it myself if i had and i ain't got a gut ache neither got a bad gut ache said candy them goddamn turnips give it to me i know they was going to before i ever eat them the thick-bodied carlson came in out of the darkening yard he walked to the other end of the bunk house and turned on the second shaded light darkened hell in here he said jesus how that can put shoes he's plenty good said slam damn right he is said carlson he don't give nobody else a chance to win stopped and sniffed the air and still sniffing looked down at the old dog god almighty that dog stinks get him out of here candy i don't know nothing that stinks as bad as an old dog you got to get him out candy rolled to the edge of his bunk he reached over and patted the ancient dog and he apologized now i've been around him so much i never noticed how he stinks well i can't stand him in here said carlson that stink hangs around even after he's gone he walked over with his heavy-legged stride and looked down at the dog got no teeth he said he's all stiff with rheumatism he ain't no good to you candy and he ain't no good to himself why don't you shoot him candy the old man squirmed uncomfortably well hell i had him so long had him since he's a pup i heard it sheep with him he said proudly he wasn't thinking to look at him now but he is the best damn sheepdog i ever seen george said i seen a guy in weed that had an airedale could herd sheep learned it from the other dogs carlson wasn't to be put off look candy this old dog just suffers itself all the time if he used to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head he leaned over and pointed right there while he'd never even know what hit him candy looked about unhappily no he said softly no i couldn't do that i had him too long he don't have no fun carlson insisted and he stinks to beat hell tell you what i'll shoot him for you then it won't be you that doesn't candy threw his legs off his bunk he scratched the white stubble whiskers on his cheek nervously i'm so used to him he said softly i had him from a pulp well you ain't being kind to him keeping him alive said carlson look slim's got a litter right now i bet slim would give you one of them pups to raise up wouldn't you slam the skinner had been studying the old dog with his calm eyes yeah he said you can have a pup if you want to he seemed to shake himself free for speech carl's right candy that dog ain't no good to himself i wish somebody shoot me if i got old and a candy looked helplessly at him for slim's opinions with law maybe it had hurt him he suggested i don't mind taking care of him carlson said the way i'd shoot him he wouldn't feel nothing i'd put the gun right there he pointed with his toe right back of the head it wouldn't even clever candy looked for help from face to face it was quite dark outside by now a young laboring man came in his sloping shoulders were bent forward and he walked heavily on his heels as though he carried the invisible grain bag he went to his bunk and put his hat on his shelf then he picked a pup magazine from his shelf and brought it to the light over the table did i show you this slim he asked show me what the young man turned to the back of the magazine put it down on the table and point it with his finger right there read that slim bent over it come on said the young man read it out loud gear editor slim red slowly i read your mag for six years and i think it is the best on the market i like stories by peter rand i think he is wingding give us more like the dark writer i don't write many letters just thought i would tell you i think your mag is the best dimes worth i ever spent slim looked up questioning me what you want me to read that for quit said go on read the name at the bottom slim read yours for success william tenor he glanced up and went again what do you want me to read that for whit closed the magazine impressively don't you remember bill tenor worked here about three months ago slim thought little guy he asked drove a cultivator that's him which cried that's the guy you think he's the guy wrote this letter i know it bill and me was in here one day bill had one of them books it just come he was looking in it and he says i wrote a letter i wonder if they put it in the book but it wasn't there bill says maybe they're saving it for later and that's just what they've done there it is i guess you're right said slim got it right in the book george held out his hand for the magazine let's look at it whit found the place again but he didn't surrender his hole on it he pointed out the letter with his forefinger and then he went to his box shelf and laid the magazine carefully in i wonder if bill seen it he said bill and me worked in that patch of field piece run cultivated both of us bill was a hell of a nice fella during the conversation carlson had refused to be drawn in he continued to look down at the old dog candy watched him uneasily at last carlson said if you want me to i'll put the old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with ain't nothing left for him can't eat can't see can't even walk without hurting candy said hopefully you ain't got no gun hell i ain't got a luger won't hurt him none at all candy said maybe tomorrow let's wait till tomorrow i don't see no reason for it said carlson he went to his bunk pulled his bag from underneath it and took out a luger pistol let's get it over with he said we can't sleep with him stinking around in here he put the pistol in his hip pocket candy looked a long time and slim to try to find some reversal and slim gave him none at last candy said softly and hopelessly all right take him he didn't look down at the dog at all he laid back on his bunk and crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling from his pocket carlson took a little leather thong he stooped over and tied it around the old dog's neck all the men except candy watched him come on boy come on boy he said gently and he said apologetically to candy he won't even feel it candy didn't move nor answer him he twitched the thong come on boy the old dog got slowly and stiffly to his feet and followed the gently pulling leash slim said carlson yeah you know what to do what you mean slim take a shovel said slim shortly oh sure i get you he led the dog out into the darkness george followed to the door and shut the door and set the latch gently in its place candy lay rigidly on his bed staring at the ceiling slim said loudly one of my lead meals got a bad hoof got to get some tar on it his voice trailed off it was silent outside carlson's footsteps died away the silence came into the room and the silence lasted george chuckled i bet lenny's right out there in the barn with his pup he won't want to come in here no more now he's got a pup slim said candy you can have any one of them pups you want candy didn't answer the silence fell on the room again it came out of the night and invaded the room george said anybody like to play little euchre i'll play out a few with you said whit they took places opposite each other at the table under the light but george didn't shuffle the cards he rippled the edge of the deck nervously and the little snapping noise drew the eyes of all the men in the room so that he stopped doing it the silence fell on the room again a minute passed and another minute candy lay still staring at the ceiling slim gazed at him for a moment then looked down at his hands he subdued one hand with the other and held it down there came a little gnawing sound from under the floor and all the men looked down toward it gratefully only candy continued to stare at the ceiling sounds like there was a rat under there said george we ought to get a trap down there quit broke out what the hell's taking him so long lay out some cards why don't you we ain't going to get no euchre played this way george brought the cards together tightly and studied the backs of them the silence was in the room again a shot sounded in the distance the men looked quickly at the old man every head turned toward him for a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent george shuffled the cards noisily and dealt them whit drew a scoring board to him and set the pegs to start which said i guess you guys really come here to work how do you mean george asked what left well you come on a friday you got two days to work till sunday i don't see how you figure said george quit left again you do if you've been around these big ranches much a guy that wants to look over a ranch comes in saturday afternoon he gets saturday night supper and three meals on sunday and he can quit monday morning after breakfast without turning his hand but you come to work friday noon he got to put in a day and a half no matter how you figure george looked at him levelly we're going to stick around a while he said me and lenny's gonna roll up a stake the door opened quietly and the stable buck put it in his head a lean negro head lined with pain the eyes patient mrs liam slim took his eyes from old candy huh oh hello crooks what's the matter you told me to warm up tar for that mule's foot i got it warm oh sure crooks now i'll come right out and put it on i can do it if you want mr slim no i'll come do it myself he stood up crook said missed slim yeah that big new guy's messing around your pups out in the barn well he ain't doing no harm i give him one of them pups just thought i'd tell you said crooks he's taking him out in the nest and handling them they won't doing them no good he won't hurt him said slim y'all come along with you now george looked up if that crazy bastard's fooling around too much just kick him out slam slim followed the stable buck out of the room george dealt and whit picked up his cards and examined them seen the new kid yet he asked what kid george asked why curly's new wife yeah i've seen her well ain't she a lulu well i ain't seen that much of her said george quit laid down his cards impressively well stick around and keep your eyes open you'll see plenty she ain't concealing nothing i never seen nobody like her she got the eye going all the time on everybody i bet she even gives a stable buck guy i don't know what the hell she wants george asked casually been any trouble since she got here it was obvious that whit wasn't interested in his cards he laid his hand down and george scooped it in george laid out his deliberate solitaire hand seven cards and six on top and five on top of those quit said i see what you mean no they ain't been nothing yet girly's got yellow jackets in his drawers but that's all so far every time the guys is around she shows up she's looking for curly or she thought she left something laying around and she's looking for it seems like she can't keep away from guys and curly's pants just crawling with ants but ain't nothing come of it yet george said she gonna make a mess there's gonna be a bad mess about her she's a jailbait all set on the trigger that curly got his work cut out for him ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain't no place for a girl especially like her whit said if you got ideas you ought to come in town with us guys tomorrow night why what's doing just the usual thing we go into old susie's place he held a nice place old susie's a laugh all this cracking jokes like she says when we come up on the front porch last saturday night susie opens the door and then she yells over her shoulder get your coats on girls here comes the sheriff and she never talks dirty neither got five girls there what's it set you back george asked two and a half you can get a shot for two bits suzy got nice chairs to sit in too if a guy don't want to flop well he can just sit in the chairs and have a couple of three shots and pass the time of day and susie don't give a damn she ain't rushing guys through and kicking them out if they don't want to flop might go in and look the joint over said george sure come along it's a hell a lot of fun her cracking jokes all the time like she says one time she says i've knew people that if they got a rag rug on the floor and a cupid doll lamp on the photograph they think they're running a parlor house that's clara's house she's talking about and susie says i know what you always want she says my girls is clean she says and there ain't no water in my whiskey she says if any of you guys want to look at a cupid doll lamp and take your own chance getting burned well you know where to go and she says there's guys around here walking bowley because they like to look at a cupidol lamp george asked clara runs the other house huh yeah said whit well we don't never go there clara gets three bucks a crack and 35 cents a shot and she don't crack no jokes but susie's place is clean and she got nice chairs and don't let no goo goose in neither me and lenny's rolling up a stake said george i might go in and sit and have a shot but i ain't putting out no two and a half well guy gotta have some fun sometime said whit the door opened and lenny and carlson came in together lenny crept to his bunk and sat down trying not to attract attention carlson reached under his bunk and brought out his bag he didn't look at old candy who still faced the wall carlson found a little cleaning rod in the bag in a can of oil he laid them on his bed and then brought out the pistol took out the magazine and snapped the loaded shell from the chamber then he fell to cleaning the barrel with a little rod when the ejector snapped candy turned over and looked for a moment at the gun before he turned back to the wall again carlson said casually curly been in yet no said whit what's eating on curly carlson squinted down the barrel of his gun looking for his old lady i seen him going round and round outside whit said sarcastically he spends half his time looking for her and the rest of the time she's looking for him curly burst into the room excitedly any you guys seen my wife carlson finished the cleaning of the gun and put it in the bag and pushed the bag under his bunk i guess i'll go out and look her over he said old candy lay still and lenny from his bunk watched george cautiously when whit and carlson were gone and the door closed after them george turned to lenny what you got on your mind well i ain't done nothing george slim says i better not pet them pups so much for a while slim says it ain't good for him so i come right in i've been good george well i could have told you that said george well i wasn't hurting them none i just had mine in my lap petting it george asked did you see slim out in the barn sure i did he told me i better not pet that pup no more did you see that girl you mean curly's girl yeah did she come in the barn no anyways i've never seen her you never seen slim talking to her she ain't been in the barn okay said george i guess some guys ain't gonna see no fight if there is any fighting lenny you keep out of it well i don't want no fights said lenny he got up from his bunk and sat down at the table across from doors you sure that girl didn't come in like you come in here today no she never called george sighed he gave me a good whorehouse every time he said you got to go in and get drunk and get everything out of his system all at once and no messes and he knows how much it's going to set him back he's here jail baits just set on the trigger of the who scout lenny followed his words admiringly and moved his lips a little to keep up george continued you remember andy cushman lenny went to grammar school the one that is old lady used to make hot cakes for the kids then he asked yeah that's the one you can remember anything if there's anything to eat in it george looked carefully at the solitaire hand he put an ace up on his scoring rack and piled a two three and four of diamonds on it and he's in san quentin right now on account of a tort said george then he drummed on the table with his fingers george huh george how long is it going to be till we get that little place and live on the fat of the land and rabbits i don't know said george we got to get a big steak together i know a little place we can get cheap but they ain't giving it away old candy turned slowly over his eyes were wide open he watched george carefully and then he said tell about that place george i just told you just last night go on till again george well it's 10 acres said george got a little windmill got a little shack on it and chicken run got a kitchen orchard cherries apples peaches cots nuts got a few berries and there's a place for alfalfa and plenty of water to flood it and there's a pig pen and rabbits george no place for rabbits now but i could easily build a few hutches and you could feed alfalfa to the rabbits damn right i could said lenny you i could of mice and men disc two of mice and men disc three george's hands stopped working with the cards his voice was growing warmer and we could have a few pigs i could build a smokehouse like the one grandpa had and when we kill a pig we can smoke the bacon and the hams and make sausage and all like that and when the salmon run up the river we could catch a hundred of them and salt them down or smoke them we could have them for breakfast ain't nothing so nice is smoked salmon when the fruit come in we could can it and tomatoes they're easy to can every sunday we'd kill a chicken or a rabbit maybe we'd have a cow or a goat and the cream it's a goddamn thick you gotta cut it with a knife and take it out with a spoon then he watched him with wide eyes and old candy watched him too lenny said softly we could live off the fat of the land sure said george all kinds of vegetables in the garden and if we want a little whiskey we can sell a few eggs or something or some milk we just lived there we'd belong there there wouldn't be no more running around the country and getting fed by a cook no sir we'd have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunk house tell about the house george then he begged sure we'd have a little house and a room to ourself a little fat iron stove and in the winter we'd keep a fire going in it ain't enough land so we'd have to work too hard maybe six seven hours a day we wouldn't have to buck no barley 11 hours a day and when we put in a crop we'd be there to take the crop up we'd know what come of our planting and rabbits then he said eagerly and i'd take care of them tell how i do that george sure you'd go out in the alfalfa patch and you'd have a sack you'd fill up the sack and bring it in and put it in the rabbit cages they'd nibble and they'd nibble said lenny the way they do i seen them every six weeks or so george continued them does would throw a litter so we'd have plenty of rabbits to eat and to sell and would keep a few pigeons to go flying around the windmill like they'd done when i was a kid he looked raptly at the wall over lenny's head and it'd be our own and nobody could can us if we don't like a guy we can say get the hell out and by god he's got to do it and if a friend come along well we'd have an extra bunk and we'd say why don't you spend the night in bygotty wood we'd have a setter dog and a couple striped cats but you got to watch out them cats don't get the little rabbits then he breathed hard you just let them try to get the rabbits i'll break their goddamn necks all i'll smash them with a stick he subsided grumbling to himself threatening the future cats which might dare to disturb the future rabbits george sat entranced with his own picture when candy spoke they both jumped as though they'd been caught doing something reprehensible candy said you know where's a place like that george was on guard immediately suppose i do he said what's that to you well you don't need to tell me where it's at might be any place sure said george that's right you couldn't find it in 100 years candy went on excitedly how much they want for a place like that george watched him suspiciously well i could get it for 600 bucks the old people that owns it is flat bust and the old lady needs an operation say what's it to you you got nothing to do with us candy said well i ain't much good with only one hand i lost my hand right here on this ranch that's why they give me a job swamping and they give me 250 dollars because i lost my hand and i got 50 more saved up right in the bank right now it's 300 and i got 50 more coming into the month tell you what he leaned forward eagerly suppose i went in with you guys that's 350 bucks i'd put in i ain't much good but i could cook and tend the chickens and hold the garden some how'd that be george half closed his eyes i got to think about that we was always going to do it by ourselves candy interrupted him i'd make a will and leave my share to you guys in case i kick off because they ain't got no relatives no nothing you guys got any money maybe we could do it right now george spat on the floor disgustedly we got 10 bucks between us then he said thoughtfully look if me and lenny work a month and don't spend nothing we'll have a hundred bucks that'd be 450. i bet we could swing her for that then you and lenny could go get her started and i'd get a job and make up the rest and you could sell eggs and stuff like that they fell into a silence they looked at one another amazed this thing they'd never really believed in was coming true george said reverently jesus christ i bet we could swing her his eyes were full of wonder i bet we could swing her he repeated softly candy sat on the edge of his bunk he scratched the stump of his wrist nervously i got hurt four years ago he said he'll can me pretty soon just as soon as i can't swamp out no bunk houses they'll put me on the county maybe if i give you guys my money you let me hoe in the garden even after i ain't no good at it and i'll wash dishes and little chicken stuff like that but i'll be on our own place and i'll be let to work on our own place he said miserably you've seen what they've done to my dog tonight he says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else when they can me here i wish somebody shoot me but they won't do nothing like that i won't have no place to go and i can't get no more jobs i'll have 30 dollars more coming time you guys is ready to quit george stood up we'll do her he said we'll fix up that little old place and we'll go live there he sat down again they all sat still all bemused by the beauty of the thing each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about george said wonderingly i suppose there was a carnival or a circus come to town or a ball game or any damn thing old candy nodded in appreciation of the idea we just go to her george said we wouldn't ask nobody if we could just say we'll go to her and we would just milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens and go to her and put some grass to the rabbits then he broke in i wouldn't never forget to feed them when we gonna do it george in one month right squat in one month you know what i'm gonna do i'm gonna write to them old people that owns a place that will take it and candy will send a hundred dollars to binder sure will said candy they got a good stove there sure got a nice stove burns coal or wood i'm gonna take my pup said lenny i bet by christ he likes it there by jesus voices were approaching from outside george said quickly don't tell nobody about it just the three of us and nobody else they liable to can us so we can't make no steak just go on like we was gonna buck barley the rest of our lives then all of a sudden someday we'll go get our pay and scram out of here lenny and candy nodded and they were grinning with delight don't tell nobody then he said to himself candy said george huh i ought to have shot that dog myself george i shouldn't ought to let no stranger shoot my dog the door opened slim came in followed by curly and carlson and whit slim's hands were black with tar and he was scowling curly hung close to his elbow curly said well i didn't mean nothing slim i just asked you slim said well you've been asking me too often i'm getting goddamn sick of it if you can't look after your own goddamn wife what do you expect me to do about it you lay off of me i'm just trying to tell you i didn't mean nothing said curly i just thought you might have saw her why don't you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs said carlson you let her hang around bunk houses and pretty soon you're gonna have something on your hands you won't be able to do nothing about it curly whirled on carlson you keep out of this unless you want to step outside carlson laughed you goddamn punk he said you tried to throw a scare into slim and you couldn't make it stick slim throw the scare into you your yellow is a frog belly i don't care if you're the best welter in the country you come for me and i'll kick your goddamn head off candy joined the attack with joy glove full of vaseline he said disgustedly curly glared at him his eyes slipped on past and lighted on lenny and lenny was still smiling with the delight at the memory of the ranch curly stepped over to lenny like a terrier what the hell you laughing at lenny looked blankly at him huh then curly's rage exploded come on you big bastard get up on your feet no big son or a gonna laugh at me i'll show you it was yellow lenny looked helplessly george and then he got up and tried to retreat curly was balanced and poised he slashed at lenny with his left then smashed down his nose with a right lenny gave a cry of terror blood welled from his nose george he cried make him let me alone george he backed until he was against the wall and curly followed slugging him in the face lenny's hands remained at his sides he was too frightened to defend himself george was on his feet yelling get him lenny don't let him do it then he covered his face with his huge paws and bleeded with terror he cried make him stop george then curly attacked his stomach and cut off his wind slim jumped up that dirty little rat he cried i'll get him myself george put out his hand and grab slam wait a minute he shouted he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled get on lenny then he took his hands away from his face and looked about for george and curly slashed at his eyes the big face was covered with blood george yelled again i said get him curly's fist was swinging when lenny reached for it the next minute curly was flopping like a fish on a line and his closed fist was lost in lenny's big hand george ran down the room let go of him lenny let go but lenny watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held blood ran down lenny's face one of his eyes was cut and closed george slapped him in the face again and again and still lenny held on to the closed fist curly was white and shrunken by now and his struggling had become weak he stood crying his fist lost in lenny's paw george shouted over and over let go his hand lenny let go slam come help me while the guy got any hand left suddenly lenny let go his hold he crouched cowering against the wall you told me to george he said miserably curly sat down on the floor looking in wonder at his crushed hand slim and carlson bent over him then slim straightened up and regarded lenny with harder we got to get him to a doctor he said look to me like every bone in his hand is bust i didn't want huh then he cried i didn't want to hurt him slimmer said carlson you get the candy wagon hitched up we'll take him into soledad and get him fixed up carlson hurried out slim turned to the whimpering lenny it ain't your fault he said this puncture had it coming to him but jesus he ain't hardly got no hand left slim hurried out and in a moment returned with a tin cup of water he held it to curly's lips george said slim will we get canned now we need the steak will curly's old man canis now slim smiled riley he knelt down beside curly you got your senses in hand enough to listen he asked curly nodded well then listen slim went on i think you got your hand caught in a machine if you don't tell nobody what happened we ain't gonna but you just tell and try to get this guy canned and we'll tell everybody and then will you get the laugh i won't tell said curly he avoided looking at lenny buggy wheels sounded outside slim helped curly up come on now dude i told you nobody ought never to fight him no i guess it was candy i told candy nodded solemnly that's just what you've done he said right this morning when curly first lit until your friend you says he better not fool any he knows what's good for him that's just what she says to me george turned to lenny it ain't your fault he said you don't need to be scared no more you've done just what i told you to do maybe you better go in the washroom and clean up your face you look like hell lenny smiled with his bruised mouth i didn't want no trouble he said he walked toward the door but just before he came to it he turned back george what you want i can still tend the rabbits george sure you ain't done nothing wrong i didn't mean no harm george well get the hell out and wash your face crooks the negro stable buck had his bunk in the harness room a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn on one side of the little room there was a square four-paned window and on the other a narrow plank door leading into the barn crook's bunk was a long box filled with straw on which his blankets were flung on the wall by the window there were pegs on which hung broken harness in process of being mended strips of new leather and under the window itself a little bench for leatherworking tools curved knives and needles and balls of linen thread and a small hand riveter on pegs were also pieces of harness a split collar with the horsehair stuffing sticking out a broken ham and a trace chain with its leather covering split crooks had his apple box over his bunk and in it a range of medicine bottles both for himself and for the horses there were cans of saddle soap and a drippy can of tar with its paintbrush sticking over the edge and scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions for being alone crooks could leave his things about and being a stable buck and a he was more permanent than the other men and he'd accumulated more possessions than he could carry on his back crooks possessed several pairs of shoes a pair of rubber boots a big alarm clock and a single-barreled shotgun and he had books too a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the california civil code for 1905. there were battered magazines and a few dirty books on a special shelf over his bunk a pair of large gold-rimmed spectacles hung from a nail on the wall above his bed this room was swept and fairly neat for crooks was a proud aloof man he kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs his body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine and his eyes lay deep in his head and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity his lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles and he had thin pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face it was saturday night through the open door that led into the barn came the sound of moving horses of feet stirring of teeth champing on hay of the rattle of halter chains in the stable bucks room a small electric globe through a meager yellow light crook sat on his bunk his shirt was out of his jeans in back in one hand he held a bottle of liniment and with the other he rubbed his spine now and then he poured a few drops of the liniment into his pink palmed hand and reached up under his shirt to rub again he flexed his muscles against his back and shivered noiselessly lenny appeared in the open doorway and stood there looking in his big shoulders nearly filling the opening for a moment crooks didn't see him but on raising his eyes he stiffened and a scowl came on his face his hand came out from under his shirt lenny smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends crook said sharply you got no right to come in my room this is my room nobody got any right in here but me lenny gulped and his smile grew more fawning why are you doing nothing he said just come to look at my puppy and i seen your light he explained well i got a right to have a light you going get out of my room i ain't wanted in the bunk house and you ain't wanted in my room why ain't you wanted lenny asked cause i'm black they play cards in there but i can't play cause i'm black they say i stink well i tell you you all of you stank to me lenny flapped his big hands helplessly everybody went into town he said slim and george and everybody george says i got to stay here and not get in no trouble not seeing your light will what do you want nothing i seen your light i thought i could just come in and sit crook stared at lenny and he reached behind him and took down the spectacles and adjusted them over his pink ears and stared again i don't know what you're doing in the barn anyway he complained you ain't no skinner there's no call for a bucker to come into the barn at all you ain't no skinner you ain't got nothing to do with the horses the pup lenny repeated i'll come to see my pup we'll go see your pup then don't come in a place where you're not wanted lenny lost his smile he advanced to step into the room then remembered and back to the door again i looked at him a little slim says i ain't to pet him very much cook said well you've been taking them out of the nest all the time i wonder the old lady don't move him someplace else oh she don't care she lets me lenny had moved into the room again crooks scowled but lenny's disarming smile defeated him come on in and set a wall cook said as long as you won't get out and leave me alone you might as well sit down his tone was a little more friendly all the boys going into town huh oh but old candy he just sits in the bunk house sharpening his pencil and sharpening and figuring crooks adjusted his glasses figurine what's candy figuring about lenny almost shouted about the rabbits you're nuts said crooks you're crazy as a wedge what rabbits you talking about the rabbits we're gonna get and i get to tend them cut grass and give them water and like that just nuts sid crooks i don't blame the guy you travel with for keeping you out of sight then he said quietly it ain't no lie we're going to do it going to get a little place and live on the fat of the land crook settled himself more comfortably on his bunk sit down he invited sit down on the nail keg then he hunched down on the little barrel you think it's a lie and then he said buddy it ain't no lie every word's the truth and you just ask george cooks put his dark chin into his pink palm you travel around with george don't you sure me and him goes every place together crooks continued sometimes he talks and you don't know what the hell he's talking about he does so he's leaning forward boring lenny with his deep eyes ain't that so yeah sometimes just talks on and on and you don't know what the hell it's all about yeah sometimes but not always crooks lean forward over the edge of the bunk i ain't a southern negra he said i was born right here in california my old man had a chicken ranch about 10 acres the white kids come to play at all places and sometimes i went to play with them and some of them was pretty nice my old man didn't like that i never knew till long later why he didn't like that but i know now he hesitated and when he spoke again his voice was softer there wasn't another colored family for miles around now they ain't a colored man on this ranch and there's just one family in solar dead he laughed if i say something well it's just a saying it then he asked how long you think it'll be before them pups i'll be old enough to pit crooks laughed again a guy can talk to you and be sure you won't go blabbing a couple weeks and then pups will be all right george knows what he's about just talks and you don't understand nothing he leaned forward excitedly this is just a talking and a busted back so it don't mean nothing see you couldn't remember it anyways i've seen it over and over a guy talking to another guy and it don't make no difference if he don't hear or understand the thing is they're talking oh they're sitting still not talking it don't make no difference no difference his excitement had increased until he pounded his knee with his hand george can tell you screwy things and it don't matter it's just talking it's just being with another guy that's all he paused his voice grew soft and persuasive suppose george don't come back no more suppose he took a powder and just ain't coming back will you do then then his attention came gradually to what had been said what he demanded i said suppose george went into town tonight and you never heard of him no more crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory just suppose that he repeated he won't do it then he cried george wouldn't do nothing like that i've been with george a long time he'll come back tonight but the doubt was too much for him don't you think he will crook's face lighted with pleasure in his torture nobody can't tell what a guy i'll do he observed calmly let's say he wants to come back and can't suppose he gets killed or hurt so he can't come back lenny struggled to understand george won't do nothing like that he repeated george is careful he won't get hurt he ain't never been hurt cause he's careful well suppose jess suppose he don't come back well you do then lenny's face wrinkled with apprehension i don't know say what are you doing anyways he cried this ain't true george ain't got hurt crooks bored in on him want me to tell you what'll happen they'll take you to the booby hatch to tie you up with a collar like a dog suddenly lenny's eyes centered and grew quiet and mad he stood up and walked dangerously toward crooks who hurt george he demanded crook saw the danger as it approached him he edged back on his bunk to get out of the way i was just supposing he said george ain't hurt he's all right he'll be back all right then he stood over him what you supposing for ain't nobody gonna suppose no hurt to george crooks removed his glasses and wiped his eyes with his fingers just sat down he said george ain't or eat lenny growled back to his seat on the nail keg ain't nobody gonna talk no hurt to george he grumbled crook said gently maybe you can see now you got george you know he's gonna come back suppose you didn't have nobody suppose you couldn't go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you was black how'd you like that suppose you had to sit out here and read books sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark but then you gotta read books books ain't no good a guy needs somebody to be near him he find a guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody don't make no difference who the guy he is as long as he's with you i tell you he cried i tell you a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick george gonna come back then he reassured himself in a frightened voice maybe george come back already maybe i better go see crook said i didn't mean to scare you he'll come back i was talking about myself god sits alone out here at night maybe reading books or thinking or stuff like that sometimes he gets thinking and he got nothing to tell him what's so and what ain't so maybe if he sees something he don't know whether it's right or not he can't turn to some other guy and ask him if he sees it too he can't tell you got nothing to measure by i seen things out here i wasn't drunk i don't know if i was asleep if some guy was with me he could tell me i was asleep and then it would be all right but i just don't know crooks was looking across the room now looking toward the window lenny said miserably george wouldn't go away and leave me i know george wouldn't do that the stable buck went on dreamily i remember when i was a little kid on my old man's chicken ranch had two brothers they was always near me always there used to sleep right in the same room right in the same bed old tree had a strawberry patch had an alfalfa patch used to turn the chickens out in the alfalfa on a sunny morning my brothers would sit on a fence rail and watch them white chickens do was gradually lenny's interest came around to what was being said george says we're going to have alfalfa for the rabbits what rabbits we're going to have rabbits and a berry patch you're nuts we are too you asked george you're nuts crooks with scornful i've seen hundreds of men come by on the road and on the ranches with their bindles on their back and that same damn thing in their heads hundreds of them they come and they quit and go on and every damn one of them's got a little piece of land in his head and never a goddamn one of them ever gets it just like heaven everybody wants a little piece of land i read plenty of books out here nobody never gets to heaven and nobody gets no land it's just in their head and the only time talking about it but it's just in their head he paused and looked toward the open door for the horses were moving restlessly and the halter chains clinked a horse winnied i guess somebody's out there crook said maybe slim slim comes in sometimes two three times a night slim's a real skinner he looks out for his team he pulled himself painfully upright and moved toward the door that you slim he called candy's voice answered slim went in town say you seen lenny you mean the big guy yeah seeing him around any place he's in here crook said shortly he went back to his bunk and lay down candy stood in the doorway scratching his bald wrist and looking blindly into the lighted room he made no attempt to enter tell you what lenny i've been figuring out about them rabbits crooks said irritably you can come in if you want candy seemed embarrassed i don't know of course if you want me to come on in if everybody's coming in you might just as well it was difficult for crooks to conceal this pleasure with anger candy came in but he was still embarrassed he got a nice cozy little place in here he said to crooks it must be nice to have a room all day yourself this week sure said crooks and the manure pile under the window sure it's well lenny broke in you said about them rabbits candy leaned against the wall beside the broken collar while he scratched the wrist stump i've been here a long time he said and crook's been here a long time this is the first time i ever been in his room crook said darkly guys don't come into a colored man's room very much nobody been here but slim slamming the boas candy quickly changed the subject slim's as good as skinner as i ever seen lenny leaned toward the old swamper about them rabbits he insisted candy smiled i got it figured out we can make some money on them rabbits if we go about it right but i get to tend them then he broke in george says i get to tend him he promised crooks interrupted brutally you guys just kidding yourself you'll talk about it a hell of a lot but you won't get no land you'll be a swamper here till they take you out in a box hell i've seen too many guys lenny here will quit and be on the road in two three weeks seems like every guy got land in his head candy rubbed his cheek angrily you goddamn right we're gonna do it george says we are we got the money right now you said crooks and where's george now in town in a whorehouse that's where your money's going jesus i've seen it happen too many times i've seen too many guys would land in their head they never get none under their hand candy cried sure they all wanted everybody wants a little bit of land not much something he could live on and there couldn't nobody throw him off of it i never had none i planted crops for damn near everybody in this state but there wasn't my crops and when i harvested them it wasn't none of my harvest but we're gonna do it now and don't make no mistake about that george ain't got the money in town that money's in the bank me and lenny and george we're gonna have a room to ourself we're gonna have a dog and rabbits and chickens we're gonna have green corn and maybe a cow or a goat he stopped overwhelmed with his picture crooks asked you say you got the money damn right we got most of it just a little bit more to get have it all in one month george got the land all picked out too crooks reached around and explored his spine with his hand i never seen a guy really do it he said i seen guys nearly crazy with loneliness for land but every time a whorehouse or a blackjack game took what it takes he hesitated if you guys would want a hand to work for nothing just his keep well i'd come and lend a hand it's a that can't work like a sumbitch if i want to any you boys seen curly they swung their heads toward the door looking in was curly's wife her face was heavily made up her lips were slightly parted she breathed strongly as though she'd been running curly ain't been here candy said sourly she stood still in the doorway smiling a little at them rubbing the nails of one hand with the thumb and forefinger of the other and her eyes traveled from one face to another they left all the weak ones here she said finally think i don't know where they all went even curly i know where they all went lenny watched her fascinated but candy and crooks were scowling down away from her eyes candy said then if you know why you won't ask to us where curly's at she regarded them amusedly funny thing she said if i catch any one man and he's alone i get along fine with him but just let two of the guys get together and you won't talk just nothing but mad she dropped her fingers and put her hands on her hips you're all scared of each other that's what every one of you scared the rest is gonna get something on you after a pause crook said maybe you better go along to your own house now we don't want no trouble well i ain't giving you no trouble think i don't like to talk to somebody once in a while think i like to stick in that house all the time candy laid the stump of his wrist on his knee and rubbed it gently with his hand he said accusingly you got a husband he got no call fooling around with other guys causing trouble the girl flared up sure i got a husband y'all seen him swell guy ain't he spends all his time saying what he's gonna do to guys he don't like and he don't like nobody think i'm gonna stay in that two by four house and listen how curly's gonna lead with his left twice and then bring in the old right cross one two he says just the old one two and he'll go down she paused and her face lost its soleness and grew interested say what happened to curly's hand there was an embarrassed silence candy stole a look at lenny then he coughed why curly he got his hand caught in a machine man bust his hand she watched for a moment then she laughed baloney what you think you're selling me currently started something he didn't finish caught in the machine baloney well he ain't give nobody to good old one two since he got his hand bust oh busty candy repeated solemnly got it caught in a machine all right she said contemptuously all right cover them up if you wanna what do i care you bindle bums think you're so damn good what do you think i am kid i tell you i could have went with shows not just one neither and the guy told me he could put me in pictures she was breathless with indignation saturday night everybody out doing something everybody and what am i doing standing here talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs a and a dumb dumb and a lousy old sheep and liking it because ain't nobody else then he watched her his mouth half open crooks had retired into the terrible protective dignity of the negro but a change came over old candy he stood up suddenly and knocked his nail keg over backward i had enough he said angrily you ain't wanted to hear we told you he ain't and i tell you you got floozy ideas about what us guys amounts to you ain't got sense enough in that chicken head to even see that we ain't stiffs suppose you get us canned suppose you do you think we'll hit the highway and look for another lousy two-bit job like this you don't know that we got our own ranch to go to and our own house we ain't got to stay here we got a house and chickens and fruit trees and a place a hundred times prettier than this and we got friends that's what we got maybe there was a time when we was scared of getting canned but we ain't no more we got our own land and it's ours and we can go to it curly's wife laughed at him baloney she said i seen too many you guys if you had two bits in the world while you'd be in getting two shots of corn with it and sucking the bottom of the glass i know you guys candy's face had grown redder and redder but before she was done speaking he had control of himself he was the master of the situation i might have knew he said gently maybe you just better go long and roll your hoop we got nothing to say to you at all we know what we got and we don't care whether you know it or not so maybe you better just scatter along now because curly maybe ain't gonna like his wife out in a barn with us bindle stiffs she looked from one face to another and they were all closed against her and she looked longest at lenny until he dropped his eyes in embarrassment suddenly she said where'd you get them bruises on your face lenny looked up guiltily who me yeah you lenny looked the candy for help and then he looked at his lap again he got his hand caught in a machine he said curly's wife laughed okay machine i'll talk to you later i like machines candy broke in you let this guy alone don't you do no messing around with him i don't tell george what she says george won't have you messing with lenny who's george she asked the little guy you come with and then he smiled happily that's him he said that's the guy and he's gonna let me tend to rabbits well if that's all you want i might get a couple rabbits myself crook stood up from his bunk and faced her i had enough he said coley you got no rights coming in the colored man's room you got no riots messing around in here tall now you just get out and get out quick if you don't i'm gonna ask the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more she turned on him and scorned listen she said you know what i can do you if you open your trap crooks stared hopelessly at her and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself she closed on him you know what i could do crook seemed to grow smaller and he pressed himself against the wall yes ma'am will you keep your place in i could get you strung up in a tree so easy it ain't even funny crooks had reduced himself to nothing there was no personality no ego nothing to arouse either like or dislike he said yes ma'am and his voice was toneless for a moment she stood over him as though waiting for him to move so that she could whip at him again but crook sat perfectly still his eyes averted everything that might be hurt drawn in she turned at last to the other two old candy was watching her fascinated if he was to do that we'd tell he said quietly we'd tell about you framing crooks tell and be damned she cried nobody listened to you you know it nobody listened to you candy subsided no he agreed nobody listened to us lenny whined and wished george was here i wish george was here candy stepped over to him don't you worry none he said i just heard the guys coming in george will be in the bunk house right now a bit he turned to curley's wife you better go home now he said carly if you go right now we won't tell curly was here she appraised him coolly i ain't sure you heard nothing better not take no chances he said if you ain't sure you better take the safe way she turned to lenny i'm glad you bust up curly a little bit he got it coming to him sometimes i'd like to bust him myself she slipped out the door and disappeared into the dark barn and while she went through the barn the halter chains rattled and some horses snorted and some stamped their feet crooks seemed to come slowly out of the layers of protection he had put on was that the truth what you said about the guys come back he asked sure i heard him well i didn't hear nothing the gate banged candy said and he went on jesus christ curly's wife can move quiet i guess she's had a lot of practice though crooks avoided the whole subject now maybe you guys better go he said i ain't sure i want you in here no more a colored man gotta have some rights even if he don't like him candy said that did not have said that to you well nothing crook said dully you guys coming in and sitting made me forget what she says is true the horses snorted out in the barn and the chains rang and the voice called lenny oh lenny you in the barn it's george then he cried and he answered here george i'm right in here in a second george stood framed in the door and he looked disapprovingly about what you doing in crook's room you had not to be in here crooks nodded i told them but they come in anyways well why don't you kick them out i didn't care much said crooks lenny's a nice fella now candy aroused himself oh george i've been figuring and figuring i got it doped out how we can even make some money on them rabbits george scowled i thought i told you not to tell nobody about that candy was crestfallen didn't tell nobody but crooks george said well you guys get out of here jesus seems like i can't go away for a minute candy and lenny stood up and went toward the door crooks called candy huh remember what i said about hoeing and doing our jobs yeah said candy i remember well just forget it said crooks i didn't mean it just fooling i wouldn't want to go no place like that well okay if you feel like that good night the three men went out of the door as they went through the barn the horses snorted and the halter chains rattled crooks sat on his bunk and looked at the door for a moment and then he reached for the liniment bottle he pulled out his shirt and back poured a little liniment in his pink palm and reaching around he fell slowly to rubbing his back this ends disc three of mice and men disc four one end of the great barn was piled high with new hay and over the pile hung the four talon jackson fork suspended from its pulley the hay came down like a mountain slope to the other end of the barn and there was a level place as yet unfilled with the new crop at the sides the feeding racks were visible and between the slats the heads of horses could be seen it was sunday afternoon the resting horses nibbled the remaining wisps of hay and they stamped their feet and they bit the wood of the mangers and rattled the halter chains the afternoon sun sliced in through the cracks of the barn walls and lay in bright lines on the hay there was the buzz of flies in the air the lazy afternoon humming from outside came the clang of horseshoes on the playing peg and the shouts of men playing encouraging jeering but in the barn it was quiet and humming and lazy and warm only lenny was in the barn and lenny sat in the hay beside a packing case under a manger in the end of the barn that hadn't been filled with hay lenny sat in the hay and looked at a little dead puppy that lay in front of him then he looked at it for a long time and then he put out his huge hand and stroked it stroked it clear from one end to the other and lenny said softly to the puppy what do you got to get killed you ain't so little as mice i didn't bounce you hard he bent the pup's head up and looked in its face and he said to it now maybe george ain't gonna let me ten no rabbits if he finds out you got killed he scooped a little hollow and laid the puppy in it and covered it over with hay out of sight but he continued to stare at the mound he'd made he said this ain't no bad thing like i gotta go hide in the brush oh no this ain't no i'll tell george i found it dead he unburied the puppy and inspected it and he stroked it from ears to tail he went on sorrowfully but he'll know george always knows he'll say you done it don't try to put nothing over on me and he'll say now just for that you don't get to tend no rabbits suddenly his anger arose god damn you he cried why do you gotta get killed you ain't so little as mice he picked up the pup and hurled it from him he turned his back on it he sat bent over his knees and he whispered now i won't get to tend the rabbits now he won't let me he rocked himself back and forth in his sorrow from outside came the clang of horseshoes on the iron stake and then a little chorus of cries lenny got up and brought the puppy back and laid it on the hay and sat down he stroked the pup again he wasn't big enough he said they told me and told me it wasn't i didn't know you'd get killed so easy worked his fingers on the pup's limp ear maybe george won't care he said this here goddamn little son of a wasn't nothing to george curly's wife came around the end of the last stall she came very quietly so that lenny didn't see her she wore her bright cotton dress and the mules with the red ostrich feathers her face was made up and little sausage curls were all in place she was quite near to him before lenny looked up and saw her in a panic he shoveled hay over the puppy with his fingers he looked suddenly up at her she said what you got there sonny boy lenny glared at her says i need to have nothing to do with you talk to you or nothing she laughed george given you orders about everything then he looked down at the hay says i can't tend no rabbits if i talk to you or anything she said quietly he's scared curly will get mad well curly got his arm in this thing and if curly gets tough you can break his other hand you didn't put nothing over on me about getting it caught and no machine but lenny wasn't to be drawn no sir i ain't gonna talk to you or nothing she knelt in the hay beside him listen she said all the guys got a horseshoe tenement going on it's only about four o'clock none of them guys is gonna leave that tenement why can't i talk to you i never get to talk to nobody i get awful lonely then he said whoa i ain't supposed to talk to you or nothing i get lonely she said you can talk to people but i can't talk to nobody but curly else he gets mad how'd you like not to talk to anybody then he said whoa ain't supposed to george is scared i'll get in trouble she changed the subject what you got covered up there then all of lenny's woe came back on him just my pup he said sadly just my little pup and he swept the hay from on top of it why he's dead she cried he was so little said lenny i was just playing with him and he made like he's gonna bite me and i made like i was gonna smack him and and i'd done it and then he was dead she consoled him don't you worry none he's just a mud you can get another one easy the whole country is full of nuts it ain't that so much then he explained miserably george ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits now why don't he he said if i'd done any more bad things he ain't gonna let me tend the rabbits she moved closer to him and she spoke soothingly don't you worry about talking to me listen to the guys yell out there they got four dollars betting that tenement none of them ain't gonna leave till it's over if george sees me talking to you he'll give me hell then he said cautiously he told me so her face grew angry what's the matter with me she cried ain't i got a right to talk to nobody what do they think i am anyways you're a nice guy i don't know why i can't talk to you i ain't doing no harm to you well george says you'll get us in a mess oh nuts she said what kind of harm am i doing to you seems like they ain't none of them cares how i gotta live tell you i ain't used to living like this i could have made something of myself she said darkly maybe i will yeah and then her words tumbled out in a passion of communication as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away i lived right in salinas she said come there when i was a kid well a show come through and i met one of the actors and he said i could go with that show but my old lady wouldn't let me she says because i was only 15 but the guy says i coulda if i'd went i wouldn't be living like this you bet lenny stroked the pup back and forth we're gonna have a little place and rabbits he explained she went on with her story quickly before she should be interrupted another time i met a guy and he was in pictures went out to the riverside dance palace with him he says he was going to put me in the movies he says it was a natural as soon as he got back to hollywood he was going to write to me about it she looked closely at lenny to see whether she was impressing him i never got that letter she said i always thought my old lady stole it well i wasn't gonna stay no place where i couldn't get nowhere or make something of myself and where they stole your letters i asked her if she stole it too and she says no so i married curly met him out to the riverside dance palace that same night she demanded you listening me sure well i ain't told this to nobody before maybe i ought to i don't like curly he ain't a nice fella and because she'd confided him she moved closer to lenny and sat beside him could have been in the movies and had nice clothes all them nice clothes like they were and i could have sat in them big hotels and had pictures took of me when they had them previews i could have went to them and spoke on the radio and it wouldn't have cost me a cent because i was in the picture and all them nice clothes like they were because this guy says i was a natural she looked up at lenny and she made a small grand gesture with her arm and hand to show that she could act the fingers trailed after her leading wrist and her little finger stuck out grandly from the rest lenny sighed deeply from outside came the clang of a horseshoe on metal and then a chorus of cheers somebody made a ringer said curly's wife now the light was lifting as the sun went down and the sun's streaks climbed up the wall and fell over the feeding racks and over the heads of the horses then he said maybe if i took this pup out and throwed him away george wouldn't never know and then i could tend the rabbits without no trouble curly's wife said angrily don't you think of nothing but rabbits we're gonna have a little place lenny explained patiently we're gonna have a house and a garden and a place for alfalfa and that alfalfa is for the rabbits and i take a sack and get it all full of alfalfa and then i take it to the rabbits she asked what makes you so nuts about rabbits lenny had to think carefully before he could come to a conclusion he moved cautiously close to her until he was right against her i like to pet nice things once at a fair i seen some of them long-haired rabbits and they was nice you bet sometimes i've even pet mice but not when i could get nothing better curly's wife moved away from him a little i think you're nuts she said no i ain't then he explained earnestly george says i ain't i like to pet nice things with my fingers soft things she was a little bit reassured well who don't she said everybody likes that i like to feel silk and velvet do you like to feel velvet then he chuckled with pleasure you bet my god he cried happily and i had some too a lady give me some and that lady was my own aunt clara she give it right to me about this big piece i wish i had that velvet right now a frown came over his face i lost it he said i ain't seen it for a long time curly's wife laughed at him you're nuts she said but you're a kind of nice fella just like a big baby but a person can see kind of what you mean when i'm doing my hair sometimes i just set and stroke it because it's a soft to show how she did it she ran her fingers over the top of her head some people got kind of coarse hair she said complacently take curly his hair is just like wire but mine is soft and fine of course i brush it a lot that makes it fine here feel right here she took lenny's hand and put it on her head feel right around there and see how soft it is lenny's big fingers fell to striking her hair don't you mess it up she said then he said oh that's nice and he strokes harder oh that's nice look out now you must hit and then she cried angrily you stuff it now you mess it all up she jerked her head sideways and lenny's fingers closed on her hair and hung on let go she cried you let go lenny was in a panic his face was contorted she screamed then and lenny's other hand closed over her mouth and nose please don't he begged oh please don't do that george will be mad she struggled violently under his hands her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to be free and from under lenny's hand came a muffled screaming lenny began to cry with fright oh please don't do none of that he begged george gonna say i've done a bad thing he ain't gonna let me tin no rabbits he moved his hand a little and her horse cry came out then lenny grew angry no don't he said i don't want you to yell you're gonna get me in trouble just like george says you will now don't you do that and she continued to struggle and her eyes were wild with terror he shook her then and he was angry with her don't you go yelling he said and he shook her and her body flopped like a fish and then she was still but lenny had broken her neck he looked down at her and carefully he removed his hand from over her mouth and she lay still i don't want to hurt you he said but george will be mad if you yell when she didn't answer nor move he bent closely over her he lifted her arm and let it drop for a moment he seemed bewildered and then he whispered in fright i done a bad thing i done another bad thing he poured up the hay until it partly covered her from outside the barn came a cry of men and the double clang of horseshoes on metal for the first time lenny became conscious of the outside he crouched down in the hay and listened i done a real bad thing he said i shouldn't have did that george would be mad and he said and hide in the brush till he come he's gonna be mad in the brush till he come that's what he said then he went back and looked at the dead girl the puppy laid close to her then he picked it up i'll throw him away he said it's bad enough like it is he put the pup under his coach and he crept to the barn wall and peered out between the cracks toward the horseshoe game and then he crept around the end of the last manger and disappeared the sun streaks were high on the wall by now and the light was growing soft in the barn curly's wife lay on her back and she was half covered with hay it was very quiet in the barn and the quiet of the afternoon was on the ranch even the clang of the pitch shoes even the voices of the men in the game seemed to grow more quiet the air in the barn was dusky in advance of the outside day a pigeon flew in through the open hay door and circled and flew out again around the last stall came a shepherd lean and long with heavy hanging dugs halfway to the packing box where the puppies were she caught the dead scent of curly's wife and the hair rose along her spine she whimpered and cringed to the packing box and jumped in among the puppies curly's wife lay with a half covering of yellow hay and the meanness and the plantings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face she was very pretty and simple and her face was sweet and young now her rouge cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly the curls tiny little sausages were spread on the hay behind her head and her lips were parted as happens sometimes a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment and sound stopped and movement stopped for much much more than a moment then gradually time awakened again and moved sluggishly on the horses stamped on the other side of the feeding racks and the halter chains clinked outside the men's voices became louder and clearer from around the end of the last stall old candy's voice came lenny he called oh lenny you in here i've been figuring some more tell you what we can do lenny old candy appeared around the end of the last stall oh lenny he called again and then he stopped and his body stiffened he rubbed his smooth wrist on his white stubble whiskers well i didn't know he was here he said to curly's wife when she didn't answer he stepped near her yachting to sleep out here he said disapprovingly and then he was beside her and oh jesus christ he looked about helplessly and he rubbed his beard then he jumped up and went quickly out of the barn but the barn was alive now the horses stamped and snorted and they chewed the straw of their bedding and they clashed the chains of their halters in a moment candy came back and george was with him george said what was it you wanted to see me about candy pointed at curly's wife stared what's the matter with he asked he stepped closer and then he echoed candy's words oh jesus christ he was down on his knees beside her he put his hand over her heart and finally when he stood up slowly and stiffly his face was as hard and tight as wood and his eyes were hard candy said what doesn't it george looked coldly at him ain't you got any idea he asked and candy was silent i should have knew george said hopelessly i guess maybe way back in my head i did candy asked what we're gonna do now george what we're gonna do now george was a long time in answering guess we gotta tell the guys i guess we gotta get him and lock him up we can't let him get away while the poor bastard did starve and he tried to reassure himself maybe they'll lock him up and be nice to him but candy said excitedly we ought to let him get away you don't know that curly curly's gonna want to get him lynched currently he'll get him keeled george watched candy's lips yeah he said it last that's right curly will and the other guys will and he looked back at curly's wife now candy spoke his greatest fear you and me can get that little place can't be george you and me can go there and live nice can't we george can't we before george answered candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay he knew jordan said softly i think i know from the very first i think i know we'd never do her i used to like to hear about it so much i got to thinking maybe we would then it's all off candy asked socially george didn't answer his question george said i'll work my month and i'll take my 50 bucks and i'll stay all night in some lousy cat house or i'll sit in some pool room till everybody goes home and then i'll come back and work another month then i'll have 50 bucks more candy said he's such a nice fella i didn't think he'd do nothing like this george still stared at curly's wife and then he'd never done it in venus he said all the time he done bad things but he never done one of them mean he straightened up and looked back at candy now listen we going to tell the guys they got to bring him in i guess there ain't no way out maybe they won't hurt him he said sharply i ain't gonna let him hurt lenny now you listen the guys might think i was in on it i'm gonna go into the bunk house then in a minute you come out and tell the guys about her and i'll come along and make like i never seen her will you do that so the guys won't think i was in on candy said sure george sure i'll do that okay give me a couple minutes then and you come running out and tell like you just found her i'm going now george turned and went quickly out of the barn old candy watched him go he looked helplessly back at curley's wife and gradually his sorrow and his anger grew into words you god damn he said viciously he had done it didn't you i suppose you're glad everybody knowed you'd mess things up he wasn't no good you ain't no good now you lousy tart he sniveled and his voice shook i could have hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys he paused and then went on in a sing song and he repeated the old words if there was a circus or a baseball game we would have went to her and just said the hell with work and went to her never asked nobody say so and they'd have been a pig and chickens the winter the little fat stove and the rain coming and us just sitting there his eyes blinded with tears and he turned and went weakly out of the barn and he rubbed his bristly whiskers with his wrist stump outside the noise of the game stopped there was a rise of voices in question a drum of running feet and the men burst into the barn slim and carlson and young whit and curly and crooks keeping back out of attention range candy came after them and last of all came george george had put on his blue denim coat and buttoned it and his black hat was pulled down low over his eyes the men raced around the last stall their eyes found curly's wife in the gloom they stopped and stood still and looked then slim went quietly over to her and he felt her wrist one lean finger touched her cheek and then his hand went under her slightly twisted neck and his fingers explored her neck when he stood up the men crowded near and the spell was broken curly came suddenly to life i know who done it he cried that big son of a done it i know he done it why everybody else was out there playing horseshoes he worked himself into a fury i'm gonna get him i'm going for my shotgun i'll kill a big son of a myself i'll shoot him in the guts come on you guys he ran furiously out of the barn carlson said i'll get my luger and he ran out too slim turned quietly to george i guess lenny done it all right he said her next bust then he could have did that george didn't answer but he nodded slowly his hat was so far down on his forehead that his eyes were covered slim went on maybe like that time and weed you was telling about again george nodded slim side well i guess we got to get him where you think he might have went it seemed to take george some time to free his words he would have went south he said we come from north so he would have went south i guess we got to get him slim repeated george stepped close couldn't we maybe bring him in and lock him up he's not slim he'd never done this to be mean slim knotted we might he said if we could keep curly in we might but curly's going to want to shoot him curly's still mad about his hand i suppose they lock him up and strap him down and put him in a cage that ain't no good george i know said george i know carlson came running in the bastard stole my luger he shouted and ain't in my bag curly followed him and curly carried a shotgun in his good hand curly was cold now all right you guys he said the nigger's got a shotgun you take it carlson when you see him don't give him no chance shoot for his guts that'll double him over whit said excitedly why ain't got a gun curly said you go in soledad and get a cop get al wilts he's deputy sheriff let's go now he turned suspiciously on george you're coming with us fella yeah i said george i'll come but listen curly the poor bastard's nuts don't shoot him he didn't know what he was doing don't shoot him curly cried he got carlson's luger of course we'll shoot him george said weekly maybe carlson lost his gun i seen it this morning said carlson no it's been took slim stood looking down at curly's wife he said curly maybe you better stay here with your wife curly's face reddened i'm going he said i'm gonna shoot the guts out of that big bastard myself even if i only got one hand i'm gonna get him slim turn the candy you stay here with then candy the rest of us better get going they moved away george stop a moment beside candy and they both looked down at the dead girl until curly called you george you stick with us so we don't think you had nothing to do with this george moved slowly after them and his feet dragged heavily when they were gone candy squatted down in the hay and watched the face of curly's wife poor bastard he said softly the sound of the man grew fainter the barn was darkening gradually and in their stalls the horses shifted their feet and rattled the halter chains old candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm the deep green pool of the salinas river was still in the late afternoon already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the gabilan mountains and the hilltops were rosy in the sun but by the pool among the mottled sycamores a pleasant shade had fallen a water snake glided smoothly up the pool twisting its periscope head from side to side and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows a silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically a far rush of wind sounded and a gust drove through the tops of the trees like a wave the sycamore leaves turned up their silver sides the brown dry leaves on the ground scudded a few feet and row on row of tiny wind waves flowed up the pool's green surface as quickly as it had come the wind died and the clearing was quiet again the herons stood in the shallows motionless and waiting another little water snake swam up the pool turning its periscope head from side to side suddenly lenny appeared out of the brush and he came as silently as a creeping bear moves the heron pounded the air with its wings jacked itself clear of the water and flew off down river the little snake slid in among the reeds at the pool's side lenny came quietly to the pool's edge he knelt down and drank barely touching his lips to the water when a little bird skittered over the dry leaves behind him his head jerked up and he strained toward the sound with eyes and ears until he saw the bird and then he dropped his head and drank again when he was finished he sat down on the bank with his side to the pool so that he could watch the trail's entrance he embraced his knees and laid his chin down on his knees the light climbed on out of the valley and as it went the tops of the mountains seemed to blaze with increasing brightness lenny said softly i didn't forget you bet god damn hide in the brush and wait for george he pulled his hat down low over his eyes george gonna give me hell he said george gonna wish he was alone and not have me bothering him he turned his head and looked at the brighton mountain tops i can go right off there and find a cave he said and he continued sadly and never have no catch up but i won't care if george don't want me i'll go away oh go away and then from out of lenny's head there came a little fat old woman she wore thick bullseye glasses and she wore a huge gingham apron with pockets and she was starched and clean she stood in front of lenny and put her hands on her hips and she frowned disapprovingly at him and when she spoke it was in lenny's voice i told you and i told you she said i told you mind george cause he's such a nice fella and good to you but you don't never take no care you do bad things and lenny answered her i tried and clara ma'am i tried and tried i couldn't help it you never give a thought to george she went on in lenny's voice he'd been doing nice things for you all the time when he got a piece of pie you always got half or more in half and if there was any ketchup why he'd give it all to you oh no said lenny miserably i tried aunt clara ma'am i tried and tried she interrupted him all the time he could have had such a good time if it wasn't for you he would have took his pay and raised hell in a whorehouse and he could have sat in a pool room and played snooker but he gotta take care of you lenny moaned with grief i know aunt clara ma'am i'll go right off in the hills and i'll find a cave and i'll live there so i won't be no more trouble to george you just say that she said sharply you're always saying that and you know son of a bitching well you ain't never gonna do it you'll just stick around and stew the bejesus out of george all the time then he said i might just as well go away george ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits now and clara was gone and from out of lenny's head there came a gigantic rabbit it sat on its haunches in front of him and it waggled its ears and crinkled his nose at him and it spoke in lenny's voice too tinned rabbits it said scornfully you crazy bastard you ain't fit to lick the boots of no rabbit you'd forget them and let them go hungry that's what you'd do and then what would george think i would not forget then he said loudly the hell you wouldn't said the rabbit you ain't worth a grease jack pin to ram you into hell christ knows george done everything he could to jack you out of the sewer but it don't do no good if you think george gonna let you ten rabbits you're even crazier than usual he ain't he's gonna beat hell out of you with a stick that's what he's gonna do now lenny retorted belligerently he ain't neither george wouldn't do nothing like that i know george since i forget when and he ain't never raised his hand of me with a stick he's nice to me he ain't gonna be mean well he's sick of you said the rabbit he gonna beat the hell out of you and then go away and leave you he won't then he cried frantically he won't do nothing like that i know george me and him travels together but the rabbit repeated softly over and over he gonna leave you you crazy bastard he gonna leave you all alone he gonna leave you crazy bastard lenny put his hands over his ears he ain't to tell you he ain't and he cried oh george george george george came quietly out of the brush and the rabbit scuttled back into lenny's brain george said quietly what the hell you yelling about lenny got up on his knees you ain't gonna leave me are you george i know you ain't george came stiffly near and sat down beside him no i knowed it then he cried you ain't that kind george was silent then he said george yeah i'd done another bad thing it don't make no difference george said and he fell silent again only the topmost ridges were in the sun now the shadow in the valley was blue and soft from the distance came the sound of men shouting to one another george turned his head and listened to the shouts then he said george yeah ain't you gonna give me hell give me hell sure like you always done before like if i didn't have you i'd take my 50 bucks jesus christ lenny you can't remember nothing that happens but you remember every word i say well ain't you gonna say it george shook himself he said woodenly if i was alone i could live so easy his voice was monotonous had no emphasis i could get a job and not have no mess he stopped go on said lenny and when the end of the month come and when the end of the month come i could take my 50 bucks and go to a cat house he stopped again lenny looked eagerly at him go on george ain't you gonna give me no more hell no said george well i can go away said lenny i'll go right off in the hills and find a cave if you don't want me george shook himself again no he said i want you to stay with me here then he said craftily tell me like you've done before tell you what about the other guys and about us george said guys like us got no family they make a little steak and then they blow it in they ain't got nobody in the world that gives a hoot in hell about them but not us then he cried happily tell about us now george was quiet for a moment but not us he said because because i got you and and i got you we got each other that's what that gives a hoot in hell about us lenny cried in triumph the little evening breeze blew over the clearing and the leaves rustled and the wind waves flowed up the green pool and the shouts of men sounded again this time much closer than before george took off his hat he said shakily take off your hat lenny the air feels fine lenny removed his hat dutifully and laid it on the ground in front of him the shadow in the valley was bluer and the evening came fast on the wind the sound of crashing in the brush came to them then he said tell how it's gonna be george had been listening to the distant sounds for a moment he was business-like look across the river lenny and i'll tell you so you can almost see it lenny turned his head and looked off across the pool and up the darkening slopes of the gabalans we gonna get a little place george began he reached in his side pocket and brought out carlson's luger he snapped off the safety and the hand and gun lay on the ground behind lenny's back he looked at the back of lenny's head at the place where the spine and skull were joined a man's voice called from up the river and another man answered go on said lenny george raised the gun and his hand shook and he dropped his hand to the ground again go on said lenny how's it going to be we're going to get a little place we'll have a cow said george and we'll have maybe a pig and chickens and down the flat we'll have a little piece alfalfa for the rabbits then he shouted for the rabbits george repeated and i get to tend the rabbits and you get to tend the rabbits lenny giggled with happiness and live on the fat of the land yes then he turned his head no lenny look down there across the river like you can almost see the place then he obeyed him george looked down at the gun they were crashing footsteps in the brush now george turned and looked toward them go on george when we gonna do it gonna do it soon me and you you and me everybody gonna be nice to you ain't gonna be no more trouble nobody going to hurt nobody nor steal from them lenny said i thought jesus mad at me george no said george no lenny i ain't mad i never been mad tonight now that's the thing i want you to know the voices came close now george raised the gun and listened to the voices lenny big let's do it now let's get that place now sure right now i gotta we gotta and george raised the gun and steadied it and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of lenny's head the hand shook violently but his face set and his hand steadied he pulled the trigger the crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again lenny jarred and then settled slowly forward into the sand and he lay without quivering george shivered and looked at the gun and then he threw it from him back up on the bank near the pile of old ashes the brush seemed filled with cries and with the sound of running feet slim's voice shouted george where are you at george but george sat stiffly on the bank and looked at his right hand that had thrown the gun away the group burst into the clearing and curly was ahead he saw lenny lying on the sand got him by god he went over and looked down at lenny and then he looked back at george right in the back of the head he said softly slim came directly to george and sat down beside him sat very close to him never your mind said slim the guy got to sometimes but carlson was standing over george how'd you do it yes i had just done it george said entirely did he have my gun yeah he had your gun and you got it away from him and you took it and you killed him yeah that's how george's voice was almost a whisper he looked steadily at his right hand that had held the gun slim twitch george's elbow come on george me and you will go in and get a drink george let himself be helped to his feet yeah i drank slim said you had it george i swear you had her come on with me he led george into the entrance of the trail and up toward the highway curly and carlson looked after them and carlson said now what the hell you suppose is eating them too guys the end you've been listening to of mice and men by john steinbeck narrated by mark hammer in of mice and men john steinbeck experimented with a new form of fiction that he called the playable novel he wrote in 1936 the work i am doing now is neither a novel or a play but a kind of playable novel written in novel form but so seemed and set that it can be played as it stands it wouldn't be like other plays since it doesn't follow the formal acts but uses chapters for curtains descriptions can be used for stage directions indeed of mice and men was presented as written the summer after its publication by the theater union of san francisco although for the award-winning broadway production producer playwright george s kaufmann made extensive revisions it won the new york drama critics circle award of 1937 beating out thornton wilder's our town and clifford odette's golden boy and this along with the film version released two years later made john steinbeck a household name if you've enjoyed this book recorded books recommends these other landmark writings of john steinbeck the pearl narrated by frank muller tortilla flat narrated by john mcdonough and the moon is down written by steinbeck as another experiment in the playable novel narrated by george gwiddell you'll find a wide selection of titles in the recorded books catalog including bestsellers mysteries classics histories and more so to order another recorded book or for a copy of our latest listing call us toll free nationwide at 1-800-638-1304 can order by phone with any major credit card or by writing to us or by faxing us at rentals by 410-535-5499 on our website you can browse the catalog hear about the latest releases place orders or tune into narrator profiles and author interviews so visit us there at w 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Channel: David Lovell

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Keywords: of mice and men, of mice and men (book), of mice and men analysis, of mice and men summary, men, and, audiobook, mice, of, john steinbeck

Id: Car_We66TME

Length: 238min 32sec (14312 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 19 2018