Hugh Pendexter

Name: Old Misery — Chapter 5
Author: Hugh Pendexter

Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

Summary

“Old Misery — Chapter 5”, published in 1924, is a work by Hugh Pendexter. It explores elements such as Stacy, bartender and drink.

Quotes from Old Misery — Chapter 5 (Hugh Pendexter)

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ The houses scattered along the foot of the mountain were neat and painted and suggested homes of an agricultural community; for it was an old town with five years of history behind it.
Old Misery went to a hotel and while eating breakfast heard much loud laughing from the adjoining barroom. Finishing his meal he stepped into the bar to learn the cause of the merriment. Half a dozen men appeared to be making sport of a tall, thin man whose long face was both melancholy and wistful. His garments looked as if he had picked them up from mining-camp dumps. He carried no weapons. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ Soft-footed as a mountain lion he would glide through a stretch of timber within sound of men's voices without revealing his presence. At Iowa Hill he halted and bought a meal and a drink at a tent. Without Bill Williams for a companion he was not conspicuous, for other men in buckskin were frequently wandering down the west side of the Sierra to watch the moles at work. He decided to call it a day's work when near Kelly's Bar on the North Fork of the American. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ The mob erupted through the congested door and into the street, yelling and whooping like mad men. And the mountain man fired once and slowly got to his feet and slowly proceeded to arrange the stolen bags on the bar alongside the blood-stained bottle and the spotless glass. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ The doctor had now returned and was working his way to the bar.
“There's no doubt about his doing it, old man,” he sternly replied. “He had the chance and the motive. He hasn't sand enough to face a man and rob him. But he was crazy to go home. Ordinarily as harmless as a child, he was seized with a homicidal mania when he beheld Stacy kneeling, back to him, and in the act of locking up six bags of gold. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ To the bartender he directed: “All he wants to eat but no more liquor till afternoon. I'm paying.”
Pretty Soon smiled amiably and made for the dining-room.
“Yes, sir.”
“He can come over to the store and eat dinner with me,” eagerly offered the storekeeper. “I'll sort of keep an eye on him so's he won't get blind drunk. Any friend of yours, Mr. Misery—”
“He ain't got guts 'nough to be a friend even to hisself,” broke in the mountain man, scowling at the complacent, weak face of the smiling Pipps. “But he's a harmless critter. Robbing him is as bad as robbing a baby. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ He's rubbed 'em on a towel, but he couldn't git it off.”
“We all know that, old man. Release him,” warned the doctor.
“I'm used to reading signs,” continued the mountain man. “He ain't washed his hands. He ain't emptied or washed the glass. But why did he bother to fetch the drink back to the bar when a man's dying, and how could he do it without color showing on the glass? It's clean as any glass in the bar. This feller lies when he says he tried to give Stacy a drink. Why did he lie? If he didn't use up any time trying to give the man a drink why wasn't he out on the street yelling for help? ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ Stacy crossed the street without being seen. I don't say it's so, but my idee is to look behind that bar and search this lodge from top to bottom afore we go gunning for Pretty Soon Jim Pipps.
“We can always find Pretty Soon; he's simple's a child. Now if this feller knifed Stacy and took the gold he left Stacy for dead. He got back here and poured himself a stiff snort of whisky without touching the glass, and just then Stacy staggers in. The storekeeper comes to git his gold back, perhaps thinking he'd find men here to who he could name his murderer. But he 'n' the murderer are alone. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ I'm homesick for the Rockies. No Injuns worth fighting out here. They eat cat'pillars. Snare rabbits. Make good ranch men if the whites don't kill 'em all off. I've wintered half a dozen lodges, or they'd 'a' starved. Some miners don't think nothing of shooting the poor devils. You've give me an itch to cross over the ridge.”
One of the mill-men spoke up, saying:
“Saw a feller over to Coloma week ago who's crazy to go back East. Seems homesick for it like you be, mister. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ Who took that bottle?”
The Pike County man ran for the mill with the speed of a deer. Old Misery dropped his revolver and knife on the ground and stole to the doorway. He could hear the man moving about as he gave voice to bloodcurdling threats.
Then he came to the door, and instantly the mountain man leaped upon him, yelling:
“Damn you! You'll eat stewed squirrels, will you?” ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ We have no institutions here for caring for the criminally insane. But let's be orderly, even in arranging a hanging. The man is too well-known to escape. He's too drunk to get very far. Stacy's dead there in the corner. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ I can pay for it. You'll want some one to manage it, dividing the profits equal. I'm a business man. I can satisfy you I'm honest.”
“I'll think it over,” Old Misery gravely told him. “While I'm doing that you just remember Pretty Soon Jim here is a friend of mine. If I take any one with me I probably will ask Jim to name the man, me not being so well acquainted round these parts as he is.”
“I am his friend and proud to be,” warmly cried the storekeeper. “This is no place for him to pass the day in.”
“What's the matter with this place?” fiercely demanded the bartender.
“He'd drink too much rum ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ And his gaze was warm and beaming as he made the offer.
Heads were shaken, and the half-circle grew wider. The storekeeper declared that Coloma prized his infrequent visits too highly to indulge in rough sport that might cause an injury.
“But I'd be gentle,” pleaded Misery, reaching for the bottle, then pushing it away.
The men retreated one by one through the doorway, not necessarily in fear but to make preparations for a hurried journey once the mountain man left the town. Each man planned to trail Old Misery, and each distrusted the others.
Stacy was the last to go ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ It's doing the things you'd never ordinarily dream of doing, and couldn't be hired to do, that marks the crazy man. If no man ever did the undreamed of thing there would be no one mentally unbalanced. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ Then he announced:
“Same finger prints on the bags and the bottle. Towel's blurred. They'll hang him even if his running away doesn't.”
“They'll never hang him, poor feller!” muttered Old Misery. “If it wa'n't for some nuggets I paid in here Stacy would 'a' never told 'bout his dust, and the drink-slinger never'd heard him and then give away to a sudden notion to steal and kill.”
“But they will hang him!” cried the doctor. “Hark! There! they've caught him now! They'll have him back here and strung up inside of ten minutes!”
The mountain man shook his head.
“No. They'll never hang him. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ Then coaxingly, “Let Senor Comandante say Maria is comandante until he comes back.”
“Not for a jug of the best Sonora brandy, you young streak of scarlet. And remember; no tricks on the Americano. He is in trouble along of your deviltry. See that the pups and kittens don't git loose. Feed Bill well and take him for a walk each day in the pines. Remember, don't go to giving any orders to the younker. He's in 'nough trouble without having a woman to boss him. Good-by. Be a good girl. I'm coming back in a few days.”
She ran back to her cabin and he resumed his journey. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ And none of you, who see him often, ever see him have any war-dreams while drunk. Liquor only made him feel grand and noble and richer'n all git-out. But if he done this thing he ain't no fit man to go back home. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ His eyes were bright and lively.
“One more of them medicine rubs, younker, and I'll be fit to sing a Kiowy travel-song and be hoofing it.”
“We're going away?” eagerly asked Gilbert. “And I can begin to earn my keep?”
“You've earned it with them rubs, and by making friends with my friends. I'm carrying the pipe alone. Sorry, younker, but bimeby the trail will be wide 'nough for both to hoof it together. You have a medicine way with them cats. One of 'em tried to claw hell out of my hand. Let's see your paws.” ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ Only a few minor scratches showed.
“You have a wakan way with 'em for sartain,” admiringly declared the mountain man. “Them's only love digs. I'm for my blankets. Must start early. If I was back in Vermont I'd be three hours on my way afore waking up. Be back in a few days. Stick close to camp.”
Gilbert was asleep while the mountain man prepared for his journey. The girl Maria appeared, however, and cooked his breakfast in the open. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Hugh Pendexter, Old Misery — Chapter 5 (1924)

“ Too bad Stacy didn't talk any to you when you took him the drink.” This to the bartender. “Still, Pretty Soon won't lie. He'll tell us he did it if he did do it. It's mighty tough to have to help hang a man you started out to help.”
He reached out to take up a glass of liquor on the bar.
“Don't,” hurriedly restrained the man at his elbow. “That's the drink Jack tried to give poor Stacy.”
The mountain man snatched his hand back as if escaping a poisonous serpent ”

Hugh Pendexter

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Quotes from Old Misery — Chapter 5 (Hugh Pendexter)

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