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Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
    No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

No Country For Old Men
    IV
    I was sheriff of
    this county when I was twenty-five. Hard to believe. My father was not a lawman. Jack was
     my grandfather. Me and him was sheriff at the same time, him in Piano and me here. I think
     he was pretty proud of that. I know I was. I was just back from the war. I had some medals
     and stuff and of course people had got wind of that. I campaigned pretty hard. You had to.
     I tried to be fair. Jack used to say that any time you're throwin dirt you're losin ground
     but I think mostly it just wasnt in him. To speak ill of anybody. And I never did mind
     bein like him. Me and my wife has been married thirty-one years. No children. We lost a
     girl but I wont talk about that. I served two terms and then we moved to Denton Texas.
     Jack used to say that bein sheriff was one of the best jobs you could have and bein a
     ex-sheriff one of the worst. Maybe lots of things is like that. We stayed gone and stayed
     gone. I done different things. Was a detective on the railroad for a while. By that time
     my wife wasnt all that sure about us comin back here. About me runnin. But she seen I
     wanted to so that's what we done. She's a better person than me, which I will admit to
     anybody that cares to listen. Not that that's sayin a whole lot. She's a better person
     than anybody I know. Period.
    People think they know what they want but they generally dont. Sometimes if they're lucky
     they'll get it anyways. Me I was always lucky. My whole life. I wouldnt be here otherwise.
     Scrapes I been in. But the day I seen her come out of Kerr's Mercantile and cross the
     street and she passed me and I tipped my hat to her and got just almost a smile back, that
     was the luckiest.
    People complain about the bad things that happen to em that they dont deserve but they
     seldom mention the good. About what they done to deserve them things. I dont recall that I
     ever give the good Lord all that much cause to smile on me. But he did.
     
     
    When Bell walked into
    the cafe on Tuesday morning it was just daylight. He got his paper and went to his table
     in the corner. The men he passed at the big table nodded to him and said Sheriff. The
     waitress brought him his coffee and went back to the kitchen and ordered his eggs. He sat
     stirring the coffee with his spoon although there was nothing to stir since he drank it
     black. The Haskins boy's picture was on the front page of the Austin paper. Bell read,
     shaking his head. His wife was twenty years old. You know what you could do for her? Not a
     damn thing. Lamar had never lost a man in twenty some odd years. This is what he would
     remember. This is what he'd be remembered for.
    She came with his eggs and he folded the paper and laid it by.
    He took Wendell with him and they drove down to the Desert Aire and stood at the door
     while Wendell knocked.
    Look at the lock, Bell said.
    Wendell drew his pistol and opened the door. Sheriff's department, he called.
    There aint nobody here.
    No reason not to be careful.
    That's right. No reason in the world.
    They walked in and stood. Wendell would have holstered his pistol but Bell stopped him.
     Let's just keep to that careful routine, he said.
    Yessir.
    He walked over and picked up a small brass slug off of the carpet and held it up.
    What's that? said Wendell.
    Cylinder out of the lock.
    Bell passed his hand over the plywood of the room-divider. Here's where it hit at, he
     said. He balanced the piece of brass in his palm and looked toward the door. You could
     weigh this thing and measure the distance and the drop and calculate the speed.
    I expect you could.
    Pretty good speed.
    Yessir. Pretty good speed.
    They walked through the rooms. What do you think, Sheriff?
    I believe they've done lit a shuck.
    I do too.
    Kindly in a hurry about it, too.
    Yep.
    He walked into the kitchen and opened the