'The Bride Comes To Yellow Sky' by Stephen Crane, Part Two

01From VOA Learning English, this is American Stories.

02Our story is called The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.

03It was written by Stephen Crane.

04Today, we will hear the second and final part of the story.

05Don't know whether there will be a fight or not, answered one man firmly.

06But there will be some shooting, some good shooting.

07The young man who had warned them waved his hand.

08Oh, there will be a fight fast enough if anyone wants it.

09Anybody can get in a fight out there in the street.

10There's a fight just waiting.

11The salesman seemed to be realizing the possibility of personal danger.

12And what did you say his name was?

13He asked.

14Scratchy Wilson, voices answered together.

15And will he kill anybody?

16What are you going to do?

17Does this happen often?

18Can he break in that door?

19No, he can't break in that door, replied the saloon keeper.

20He's tried it three times.

21But when he comes, you better lie down on the floor, stranger.

22He's sure to shoot at the door and a bullet may come through.

23After that, the salesman watched the door steadily.

24The time had not yet come for him to drop to the floor.

25But he carefully moved near the wall.

26Will he kill anybody?

27He asked again.

28The men laughed without humor at the question.

29He's here to shoot.

30And he's here for trouble.

31I don't see any good in experimenting with him.

32But what do you do in a situation like this?

33What can you do?

34A man answered.

35Well, he and Jack Potter.

36But the other men interrupted together.

37Jack Potter's in San Antonio.

38Well, who is he?

39What's he got to do with this?

40Oh, he's the town policeman.

41He goes out and fights Scratchy when he starts acting this way.

42A nervous, waiting silence was upon him.

43The salesman saw that the saloon keeper, without a sound, had taken a gun from a hiding place.

44Then he saw the man signal to him, so he moved across the room.

45You better come with me behind this table.

46No thanks, said the salesman.

47I'd rather be where I can get out the back door.

48At that, the saloon keeper made a kindly but forceful motion.

49The salesman obeyed and found himself seated on a box with his head below the level of the table.

50The saloon keeper sat comfortably upon a box nearby.

51You see, he whispered, Scratchy Wilson is a wonder with a gun.

52A perfect wonder.

53And when he gets excited, everyone gets out of his path.

54He's a terror when he's drunk.

55When he's not drinking, he's all right.

56Wouldn't hurt anything.

57Nice as fella in town.

58But when he's drunk, be careful.

59There were periods of stillness.

60I wish Jack Potter were back from San Antonio, said the saloon keeper.

61He shot Wilson once, in the leg.

62He'd come in and take care of this thing.

63Soon, they heard from a distance the sound of a shot, followed by three wild screams.

64The men looked at each other.

65Here he comes, they said.

66A man in a red shirt turned a corner and walked into the middle of the main street of yellow sky.

67In each hand, the man held a long, heavy, blue-black gun.

68Often he screamed, and these cries rang through the seemingly deserted village.

69The scream sounded sharply over the roofs with a power that seemed to have no relation to the ordinary strength of a man's voice.

70These fierce cries rang against walls of silence.

71The man's face flamed in a hot anger born of whiskey.

72His eyes, rolling but watchful, hunted the still doorways and windows.

73He walked with the movement of a midnight cat.

74As the thoughts came to him, he roared threatening information.

75The long guns hung from his hands like feathers.

76They were moved with electric speed.

77The muscles of his neck straightened and sank, straightened and sank as passion moved him.

78The only sounds were his terrible invitations to battle.

79The calm houses preserved their dignity.

80At the passing of this small thing in the middle of the street.

81There was no offer of fight.

82No offer of fight.

83The man called to the sky.

84There were no answers.

85He screamed and shouted and waved his guns here and everywhere.

86Finally, the man was at the closed door of the saloon.

87He went to it and, beating upon it with his gun, demanded drink.

88The door remained closed.

89He picked up a bit of paper from the street and nailed it to the frame of the door with a knife.

90Then he turned his back upon the place and walked to the opposite side of the street.

91Turning quickly and easily, he fired the guns at the bit of paper.

92He missed it by half an inch.

93He cursed at himself and went away.

94Later, he comfortably shot out all the windows of the house of his best friend.

95Scratchy was playing with this town.

96It was a toy for him.

97But still, there was no offer of fight.

98The name of Jack Potter, his ancient enemy, ended his mind.

99He decided that it would be a good thing if he went to Potter's house and, by shooting at it, make him come out and fight.

100He moved in the direction of his desire, singing some sort of war song.

101When he arrived at it, Potter's house presented the same steel front as had the other homes.

102Taking a good position, the man screamed an invitation to battle.

103But this house regarded him as a great stone god might have done.

104It gave no sign.

105After a little wait, the man screamed more invitations, mixing them with wonderful curses.

106After a while came the sight of a man working himself into deepest anger over the stillness of a house.

107He screamed at it.

108He shot again and again.

109He paused only for breath or to reload his guns.

110Potter and his bride walked rapidly.

111Sometimes they laughed together, quietly and a little foolishly.

112Next corner, dear, he said finally.

113They put forth the efforts of a pair walking against a strong wind.

114Potter was ready to point the first appearance of the new home.

115Then, as they turned the corner, they came face to face with the man in the red shirt, who was feverishly loading a large gun.

116Immediately, the man dropped his empty gun to the ground and, like lightning, pulled out another.

117The second gun was aimed at Potter's chest.

118It was a silence.

119Potter couldn't open his mouth.

120Quickly, he loosened his arm from the woman's grasp and dropped the bag to the sand.

121As for the bride, her face had become the color of an old cloth.

122She was motionless.

123The two men faced each other at a distance of nine feet.

124Behind the gun, Wilson smiled with a new and quiet cruelty.

125Tried to surprise me, he said.

126Tried to surprise me.

127His eyes grew more evil.

128As Potter made a slight movement, the man pushed his gun sharply forward.

129No, don't you do it, Jack Potter.

130Don't you move a finger toward a gun yet.

131Don't you move a muscle.

132The time has come for me to settle with you.

133And I'm going to do it my own way.

134Slowly.

135With no interruption.

136So just listen to what I tell you.

137Potter looked at his enemy.

138I haven't got a gun with me, Scratchy, he said.

139Honest, I haven't.

140He was stiffening and steadying.

141But at the back of his mind floated a picture of the beautiful car on the train.

142He thought of the glory of the wedding.

143The spirit of his new life.

144You know I fight when I have to fight, Scratchy Wilson.

145But I haven't got a gun with me.

146You have to do all the shooting yourself.

147His enemy's face turned pale with anger.

148He stepped forward and whipped his gun back and forth before Potter's chest.

149Don't you tell me you haven't got a gun with you, you dog.

150Don't you tell me you lie like that.

151There isn't a man in Texas who ever saw you without a gun.

152Don't think I'm a kid.

153His eyes burned with anger and his breath came heavily.

154I don't think you're a kid, answered Potter.

155His feet had not moved an inch backward.

156I think you're a complete fool.

157I tell you I haven't got a gun and I haven't.

158If you're going to shoot me, you better begin now.

159You'll never get a chance like this again.

160So much enforced reasoning had weakened Wilson's anger.

161He was calmer.

162If you haven't got a gun, why haven't you got a gun?

163He asked.

164Been to church?

165I haven't got a gun because I've just come from San Antonio with my wife.

166I'm married, said Potter.

167And if I had thought there'd be a fool like you here when I brought my wife home, I would have had a gun and don't you forget it.

168Married, said Scratchy, not at all understanding.

169Yes, married.

170I'm married, said Potter clearly.

171Married, said Scratchy.

172Seemingly for the first time he saw the pale, frightened woman at the other side.

173No!

174He said.

175He was like a creature allowed a glance at another world.

176He moved a pace backward and his arm with the gun dropped to his side.

177Is this the lady?

178He asked.

179Yes, this is the lady, answered Potter.

180There was another period of silence.

181Well, said Wilson at last, slowly.

182I suppose we won't fight now.

183We won't if you say so, Scratchy.

184You know, I didn't make the trouble.

185Potter lifted the bag.

186Well, I guess we won't fight, Jack, said Wilson.

187He was looking at the ground.

188Married.

189He was not a student of good manners.

190It was merely that in the presence of this foreign condition, he was a simple child of the wild lands.

191He picked up his fallen gun and he went away.

192His feet made deep tracks in the heavy sand.

193He was looking at the ground.

194He was looking at the ground.

195He was looking at the ground.

196He was looking at the ground.

197He was looking at the ground.

198He was looking at the ground.

199He was looking at the ground.

200He was looking at the ground.

201He was looking at the ground.

202He was looking at the ground.

203He was looking at the ground.

204He was looking at the ground.

205He was looking at the ground.

206He was looking at the ground.

207He was looking at the ground.

208He was looking at the ground.

209He was looking at the ground.

210He was looking at the ground.

211He was looking at the ground.

212He was looking at the ground.

213He was looking at the ground.

214He was looking at the ground.

215He was looking at the ground.

216He was looking at the ground.

217He was looking at the ground.

218He was looking at the ground.

219He was looking at the ground.

220He was looking at the ground.

221He was looking at the ground.

222He was looking at the ground.