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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

As Spuds was on his way out, Willie Thaw slipped through the door, looking like something that had to be scraped out of a barn with a pitchfork. He could recall a vague dream about Juanita coming to the bunkhouse, a dream he’d had many times before—except that, in this dream, she had her clothes on and she wanted him to ride out to look for Eli. When he saw the scene in the kitchen, he came to a halt as though he’d bumped into a wall. He tried a grin, exposing a picket fence of rotting teeth.

“I see you found him.”

“Two Spuds found him, no thanks to you.”

“I didn’t see no sense ridin out in the middle of the night.”

“It’s a good thing Two Spuds has better sense than you do.”

“I was hopin to get a little breakfast anyways.”

“If you want to eat, there’s cold coffee and cold biscuits. You can take some and warm it on the bunkhouse stove.”

Willie rummaged around until he found a Mason jar, filled it with coffee, took a sack of cold biscuits. After he left, it was too quiet in the big house. Outside the wind picked up again, blowing powdery snow against the windows. Juanita put more coffee on to perk. Eli’s children had all gone straight from the Ewing place to the schoolhouse and would not be home until late afternoon.

6.

THE AMBULANCE ARRIVED AT NOON. THE DRIVER and his assistant were big, amiable Slovenians with heavy East European accents. They had come to work in the coal mines and found an easier life hauling banged-up cowboys and roughnecks who got drunk and fell off oil rigs. Juanita went upstairs to fetch Doc Miller. He supervised while the Slovenians maneuvered Eli from the table onto a stretcher. Juanita wanted to ride to Sheridan with the ambulance, but she had already pushed herself beyond exhaustion. Ezra offered to ride along in her place and call as soon as there was any news. Juanita watched the ambulance pull away, then collapsed on her narrow bed, as weary as she had ever been in her life.

Ezra crouched next to Eli in the back of the ambulance on the long, bumpy ride. Up front, the Slovenians conversed in their language, which sounded as though it was about five vowels short of an alphabet. Now and again the wind would catch the broad side of the vehicle and the driver would have to fight to keep it on the highway. Ezra peered out through the narrow windows and saw a stretch of Wyoming that looked barren as the moon.