I O tAKE   a lot else you could do. I never sao tell  t in t rig   girl. It turned out seen years old. I dont believe t o do e it t s t. imes but s blame old me w  .

    It didnt make no sense. I drove up t t noto be done.  died too. I tried to see if I could get s off tabase but t dreed to kno  there.

    You  t o just come and go tain to  . Or maybe not. Its easy to fool yourself. tell  yourself  to  and you t t sure anymore  is I do  to ell yourself t maybe t you kno aint. You can wis.

    My daddy alold me to just do t you kneruto set a mans mind at ease like  o decide and up and say you  done it and say youre sorry and get on . Dont uff around  sounds pretty simple today. Even to me. All to t it.

    say a lot so I tend to remember   of patience o say to listen t time. I  migrayed from all of t some as a younger man but   road I pretty muc to quit it again and I didnt. I trut ty muc to be. It needs to be simple enougo  understand. Otd be too late. By time you figured it out it oo late.

    COOD At tionists desk dressed in suit and tie.  t  and looked around the office.

    ? she said.

    old her.

    Is ing you?

    No. . But o be glad to see me.

    Just a minute.

    S  in, she said.

    tood up and looked at   name, he said.

    t on a sofa in t table  and nodded at it. ts yours, he said.

    is it?

    Its some money t belongs to you.

    t looking at t up and  over to tton. hold my calls, he said.

    urned and put udied Chigurh. how did you find me? he said.

    difference does it make?

    It makes a difference to me.

    You dont o worry. Nobody else is coming.

    how do you know?

    Because Im in c. I to address t  to spend a lot of time trying to put your mind at ease. I t  s talk about money.

    All right.

    Some of it is missing. About a  of t olen and part  of it  to cover my expenses. Ive been at some pains to recover your property so Id  prefer not to be addressed as some sort of bearer of bad ne  t case. Im sorry I couldnt recover it all, but there you are.

    t moved. After a whe hell are you?

    My name is Anton Chigurh.

    I kno.

    then why did you ask?

    do you . I guess ts my question.

    ell. Id say t t is simply to establis in a difficult field. As someone ely . Somet.

    Someone I migh.

    Yes.

    Youre serious.

    Completely.

    Cccion in ery of  e of  put  relaxed. ill standing in tical attitude but  look t way anymore.

    t a bomb in t damn bag is there?

    No. No bombs.

    Craps and unlatcipped the case forward.

    Yes, t t away.

    Cood up from  th his foreknuckle.

    I t you need to consider, C t  place. ened to and w happened when you did.

    Yes. e cant talk here.

    I understand. In any case I dont expect you to absorb all of t one sitting. Ill call  you in time.

    All right.

    Co of  business on your o, he said.

    C to talk about,  be any more problems.

    o the old people?

    to ot everyone is suited to t of outsized profits leads people to exaggerate ties. In tend to t trol of events  is alance upon uncertain ground t invites ttentions of  ones enemies. Or discourages it.

    And you?  about your enemies?

    I  permit suching.

    o a painting on  t original?

    t ting. No, s not. But I o in  a vault.

    Excellent, said Chigurh.

    tood beside er. ters  in front of ing in   and patted it. S maybe  talked s someone cwice she even looked around.

    It o tc ttle on and sat  at tcable. S felt like crying. Now so  her folded arms. Oh Mama, she said.

    upstairs and turned on t in ting at  ttle desk ing for her.

    Sood in tc at all. Sood t. Finally s done  h.

    Smart girl.

    I aint got it.

    Got w?

    I need to set down.

    Co and put  on t up again and  to her.

    too late, Chigurh said.

    I know.

    is it t you  got?

    I t Im talkin about.

    how much do you have.

    I dont . I  seven told and I can tell you its  been long gone and ty left to pay yet. I buried my motoday. I aint  paid for t neither.

    I   it.

    S table.

    Its not there, he said.

    S slumped foro  me,  she said.

    I kno I gave my word.

    Your word?

    Yes. ere at this case your husband.

    t dont make no sense.

    Im afraid it does.

    I dont  got it.

    I know.

    You give your o my o kill me?

    Yes.

    hes dead. My husband is dead.

    Yes. But Im not.

    You dont oo dead people.

    Cly. No? he said.

    how can you?

    ?

    theyre dead.

    Yes. But my  dead. Not.

    You can c.

    I dont t find it useful to model er God.

    Very useful, in fact.

    Youre just a blasphemer.

    be undone. I tand t. Your  ressed to learn, unity to remove you from  to do so.  option and his answer was no.

    Ot be here now.

    You aim to kill me.

    Im sorry.

    S t dourned and looked out trees in t of ting again in t kno.

    Ching.

    Simes Ive said t again.

    Youve suffered a loss of faith.

    Ive suffered a loss of everted to kill me?

    Yes. Is t youd like to say?

    to who?

    Im the only one here.

    I dont o say to you.

    Youll be all rigry not to  it.

    ?

    I see your look,  doesnt make any difference  of person I am, you  knohink Im a bad person.

    I knoin tly ore for me. Even if I couldnt of said it.

    Cs a o understand, ruggle .

    t. thing.

    do they say.

    t o do this.

    You dont.

    Its not any ?

    No.

    So w?

    I aint never said it before.

    Any of you.

    t me, s nobody else.

    Yes. Of course.

    S turned ah her head down, her shoulders  shaking. Oh Mama, she said.

    None of t.

    She shook her head, sobbing.

    You didnt do anyt was bad luck.

    She nodded.

    c,  I can do.

    raig o  and dre a feook one and  up. urned it. For o see tice of it.  bet spinning in t it and slapped it do, he said.

    S  . ? She said.

    Call it.

    I  do it.

    Yes you .

    God   me to do t.

    Of course ry to save yourself. Call it. t chance.

    heads, she said.

    ed ails.

    Im sorry.

    S answer.

    Maybe its for t.

    S like it  youre the one.

    It could her way.

    t   you.

    Per look at it my  he coin did.

    S sobbing softly. S answer.

    For t a common destination t alo see. But  there.

    Evert urned out different, s t part of  my life I could of guessed. Not t none of it.

    I know.

    You  of let me off noway.

    I ter. Every moment in your life is a turning and every one a  co ting is  scrupulous. ty to  move a coin to your bidding.  cly. And the beginning.

    S sobbing. She shook her head.

    Yet even told you  it not too  muco ask t you o lift your  before  the darkness. Do you see?

    Oh God, she said. Oh God.

    Im sorry.

    S ime. You dont o, s. You dont.

    I make myself vulnerable and t I can never do.

    I o live. It doesnt allooss pero small purpose. Most people dont believe t there can be such a person.

    You can see  must be for to prevail over t ence of. Do you understand? o your life  your life   turned out differently. t t  mean? t some ot I second say the world. Do you see?

    Yes, sruly do.

    Good, s good. t her.

    t  Cersection ten year  old Buick t op-sign. t te and ttempt to brake. Cbelt driving in ty because  of just suco truck t carried to antly  and broke   of taggered to t in t icking up under t good. A  woman in a  screaming.

    Blood kept running into ried to turned it and  tried to see  ery .  yet.

    teenage boys anding t him.

    Are you all riger?

    Yea. Let me just sit e.

    t to call one.

    All right.

    You sure youre all right.

    C t ake for t s? he said.

    t eac s?

    Any damn s. how much?

    raig  and got out o wrap around my his arm.

    One of to unbutton . er.  you say so? Ill  give you my s.

    Cook t and bit into it and ripped it in ted t into a sling and put .

    tie this for me, he said.

    t eacher.

    Just tie it.

    t-s stepped for and knotted t arm dont  look good, he said.

    C of t t and took t to  and  out.

    er. I dont mind . ts a lot of money.

    take it. take it and you dont know w I looked like. You hear?

    took the bill. Yessir, he said.

    tc off up t of t ly. Part of ts mine, ther boy said.

    You still got your damn s.

    t aint  was for.

    t may be, but Im still out a s.

    t into treet eaming. treetlamps ifreeze ing in tter. ruck t-s stopped t I see? he said.

    S, ther one said.

    tol lying in truck. tance. Get it, t one said. Go on.

    hy me?

    I aint got a s to cover it h. Go on. hurry.

    eps to tapped loosely at took off  and pressed sleeve against   back on again.

    Come in, a voice called.

    epped into the cool darkness. Ellis?

    Im back here. Come on back.

    o tcting beside table in his chair.

    tale ove and over it  all lay a faint tang of urine. Like ts but it  just cats. Bell stood in took  off. t om,   know w was.

    ?

    Youre lookin at it. You by yourself?

    Yessir.

    Set do some coffee?

    Bell looked at tter on ttles of medicine. Breadcrumbs.

    Quartere it.

    I ter from your wife.

    You can call ta.

    I know I can. Did you know ses me?

    I guess I kneime or two.

    Its more time or tty regular. tells me the family news.

    I didnt knohere was any.

    You might be surprised.

    So  tter then.

    S told me you tin, ts all. Set down.

    t co see if . o rolling te from a sack of tobacco at ed turned it around and lit it er o t  smoking, te pencilwise in his fingers.

    Are you all right? Bell said.

    Im all right.

    ly sidec to  say you look older, he said.

    I am older.

    t a c and   on table.

    Let me ask you somethin, he said.

    All right.

    s your biggest regret in life.

    t ion. I dont kno all t  many regrets. I could imagine lots of t you migo imes, but in t  as  just never did get  t.

    I know w you mean.

    I know you do.

    t youre askin me is  t.

    Yessir.

    And it aint t aint tton eye.

    Yessir. I kno.

    You sign on for t at least some notion of . But if its just t it turned out to be a little roug  you s somethin else.

    Bell nodded.

    I guess some tter not put to test.

    I guess ts right.

    take to run Loretta off?

    I dont kno ty bad. It damn sure   be just cause t a little rougime or two.

    Ellis nodded. ipped to a jar-lid on table. Ill take your  , he said.

    Bell smiled.  coffee?

    I ts all rig  over.

    Bell smiled again and rose and carried t to ter and plugged it in.

    t at table drinking coffee out of t   tc change, I reckon.

    be? the old man said.

    know.

    I dont either.

    s you got?

    Several. Depends on . Some of em are  are  just outla truck.

    Did you ruck?

    ?

    I said did you… Youre tle fun h me.

    give you t idea?

    Did you?

    No. I seen ts skedaddle.

    You  some more of this?

    Im done.

    t s you died in prison.

    In Angola. Yes.

    would you of done if hed been released?

    I dont kno be no point to it. t no point to it. Not to  any of it.

    Im kindly surprised to .

    You , Ed tom. All time you spend tryin to get back ook from  you t ter a ry and get a tourniquet on it.

    Your grandad never asked me to sign on as deputy  my own self.

    o do. Paid about t oo old for t one. But I seen  of it. You can be patriotic  and still believe t some t more t tar mot t t for it. You aloo much.

    Particularly for promises. t no suching as a bargain promise. Youll see.

    Maybe you done have.

    Bell didnt answer.

    I al  God  of come into my life in some   blame  me t  he does.

    You dont know w hinks.

    Yes I do.

    Bell. I can remember one time you come to see me after you all o Denton. You ended to do.

    All right.

    You  ask me nohough, would you?

    Maybe not.

    You .

    he rank black coffee.

    You ever t harold? Bell said.

    harold?

    Yes.

    Not mucy-nine. Pretty sure ts  rig made you t harold?

    I ters to s all. I just  him.

    as tters from him?

    No.

    You t your family. try to make sense out of all t. I kno did to my  mot over it. I dont kno makes eit gospel song? ell understand it all by and by? t takes a lot of fait ceen year old.

    You tell me. Because I damn sure dont know.

    I  to go somewheres?

    I dont need nobody o just set rigom.

    It aint no trouble.

    I kno.

    All right.

    Bell cubbed out te in tried to t ried not to. You aint turned infidel have you Uncle Ellis?

    No. No. Not.

    Do you ts happenin?

    I expect he does.

    You top it?

    No. I dont.

    t quietly at table. After a  of old pictures and family stuff.  to do about t. ell. t noto do  about it I dont reckon. Is there?

    No. I dont reckon there is.

    I told o send Uncle Macs old cinco peso badge and er to the Rangers.

    I believe t a museum. But I didnt knoo tell  stuff here.

    In t rolltop desk is full of papers. ilted to ttom of it.

    s all bull. I dont knoed  t.  down on y.

    ts w I always heard.

    t of em come to tin tin t.   back in t gun but t  and tried to stop tried to  get  tryin to get gun again. t  set t. I dont know whin scared em, I reckon.

    One of em said someturned and left out. t

    on t noto be done.

    S left  I dont kno

    c t.  t lung. And t . As they say.

    hen did he die?

    Eigy-nine.

    No, I mean  rig or w.

    I believe it  nig   packed tc of  t ime back in ties.   fell doake you to it today. to  be standin and it may be yet. t of land proved up on. Eigen  sections if I remember. S pay taxes on it, little as t sell it.

    Did you remember her?

    No. I seen a pograp four. Stin in a rocker on  tandin alongside of  I dont.

    Ser years seacry  o  to account. In a  seems  peculiar. t t. You t  this one family.

    I dont kno  kno to ask .

    So I go back to t.  feel like try  a lot to ans. You can say t try is just try, it dont actively do  not t dont mean muc ruck gun  one time.  of t it done sometry   and still people love it. You understand w Im sayin?

    I t?

    I guess you could say I do. But Id be t one to tell you Im as ignorant as a box of  rocks so you sure dont  to go by nothin Id say.

    Bell smiled.  up and  to turned tly to  w are you doin? he said.

    I t Id just washese here dishes.

    om. Lupell be he mornin.

    It  take but a minute.

    ter from tap er. her.

    I t you used to elevision set in here.

    I used to  of things.

    you say somet you one.

    I dont need one.

    Keep you company some.

    It didnt quit on me. I t out.

    You dont never che news?

    No. Do you?

    Not much.

    to drain and stood looking out t ttle  wo railer on blocks.

    You used to have chickens, he said.

    Yep, the old man said.

    Bell dried o table and sat.  o t well nobody?

    about t. Id say I  anybody  is  it youve found out about me?

    Im serious.

    All right.

    I mean somethin bad.

    how bad.

    I dont knouck h you.

    Like someto jail for?

    ell, it could be somet I reckon. It  o be.

    Id o t t.

    No you .

    s got into you? I aint goin to invite you out here no more.

    You didnt invite me time.

    ell. ts true.

    Bell sat able and ogetc fixin to make some terrible confession,  not  to  .

    Do you  to ?

    Yeah. Go ahead.

    All right.

    It aint of a sexual nature is it?

    No.

    ts all rigell it anyways.

    Its about bein a war hero.

    All rig be you?

    Yead be me.

    Go ahead.

    Im tryin to. tually  me t commendation.

    Go ahead.

    e ion monitorin radio signals and one  never did quit  rainin. Rained like all get-out. Someor ook  off and en. ell, ened. And   is it? And hin.

    I said  talkin about, not did you  en. And . t a sound nowheres.

    No field-piece or not  t  tside in t kno part of t one end andin was all.

    A mortars blo all to

    inside  my  t  up and o  of it and I seen one of our men buried in  timbers and I tried to move some stuff to see if I couldnt get to  felt numb. And  and   of a patc t knoly ickin out from under some  timbers. t t  fed out of a metal box and I figured if I  let em run up a little more on me I could operate on em out t call in anotoo close. I scratc t t, it and tripod, and I dug around some more and come up  and I got set up beion of y and .

    It ell  of t but I  kneied out about t of belt and I kept c  ter itd been quiet tes one of ts jumped up and  tried to make a run for t I . I kept t of em pinned  do knoo do come dark. And ts ar for. t put me in for it er and old

    it. And  set t me and directly in on  you to tell me your reasons for in to refuse a military commendation. So I told him.

    And  tion. I guess to make it look good. Look like it counted for sometion.  it and if you tell it around old me it  back to me and  o wis clear?

    And I said yessir. Said t  as clear as you could make it. So t .

    So noo tell me w you done.

    Yessir.

    got dark.

    got dark. Yessir.

    did you do?

    I cut and run.

    t about t. After a o assume t it seemed  like a pretty good idea at time.

    Yea did.

    here?

    ther round.

    Yeah.

    Bell sat t  sure  is youre askin me.

    I aint either.

    You left your buddies behind.

    Yeah.

    You didnt have no choice.

    I ayed.

    You couldnt of helped em.

    Probably not. I t about takin t .30 caliber off about a  or so and  in till tever. Lettin em come on up. I could of  killed a fe kno tc come night.

    Pretty sunset. It  rainin. t field s and t talks. Fall of tc get dark and I

    could of all been dead by t I didnt kno. And quick as it got dark I  got up and I left out of t even   .30  caliber  in some and I could even tle. It   rainin but I  to terin. I could  make out t as near as I could make it and I just kept  goin. I passed a  t nobody around. It tle-zone, t  country. People  left out. Come dayligc

    treetrunks   . And sometime t next nigo an American position and t ty muc. I t after so many years it  kno. t t maybe I could make up for it and I reckon ts o do.

    t. After a  see it bein all t  bad. Maybe you ougo ease up on yourself some.

    Maybe. But you go into battle its a blood oato look after t  knoed to.  you o make up  your mind t youll live  you dont kno of t your o you didnt  plan on. If I o die over t Id give my o do ts   any  but ts t is. I s and I didnt. And some part of me   knoeal your o kno it  t anyt steal. I t   I kne still  mine. It never has been.

    t for a long time.  slig ter  a whis is goin, he said.

    Yessir.

    do you think he would of done?

    I know w he would of done.

    Yeaoo.

    till ayed a whe ice.

    Do you t makes ter man than you?

    Yessir. I do.

    I migell you some t  y good.

    ell sir, I doubt t you could. it. Besides  you  would.

    I aint. But t say t  times. y  years later  of  viehings.

    You mig nobody in t.

    Yea ts true.  Bell.  did you tell me for?

    I t needed to unload my wagon.

    You ed long enoug doin it.

    Yessir. Maybe I needed to  myself. Im not time they say I am.

    I wisime.

    Or maybe t a practice run.

    Maybe.

    You aim to tell her?

    Yessir, I guess I do.

    ell.

    do you think shell say?

    ell, I expect you mig of it a little better t you think.

    Yessir, Bell said. I surely hope so.