Oren.
You got me.
After a while Oren said: Dont be readin the back of the
paper.
What?
I said dont be readin the back of the paper.
All right.
He folded the paper and slid it across the table and raised his coffee and sipped it.
How did you know I was readin the back of the paper?
I could feel it.
What's wrong with it?
Nothin. It just makes me nervous is all. It's a bad habit people got. If you want to read
a man's paper you ought to ask him.
All right.
The man that owned that filly you wouldnt have on the property called out here tryin to
hire you.
I already got a job.
I think he just wanted you to ride out to Fabens with him to look at a horse.
John Grady nodded. That aint what he wants.
Oren watched him. That's what Mac said.
Or it aint all he wants.
Oren lit a cigarette and laid the pack back on the table. John Grady ate.
What did Mac say?
Said he'd tell you.
Well. I been told.
Hell, call the man. You could do a little horsetradin on the weekend. Make yourself some
money.
I guess I dont know how to work for but one man at a time. Oren smoked. He watched the boy.
I went up to Cedar Springs. Worked them scrubs up there.
I wasnt askin.
I know it. I took that little blue horse of Watson's.
How did he do?
I thought he done awful good. Not braggin or nothin. He was a good horse fore I ever put a
saddle on him.
You could of bought that horse.
I know it.
What didnt you like about him?
There wasnt nothin I didnt like about him.
You wont buy him now.
Nope.
He finished eating and wiped his plate with the last piece of tortilla and ate that and
pushed the plate back and drank his coffee and set the cup down and looked at Oren.
He's just a good all around horse. He aint a finished horse but I think he'll make a cow
horse.
I'm pleased to hear it. Of course your preference is for one that'll bow up like a bandsaw
and run head first into the barn wall.
John Grady smiled. Horse of my dreams, he said. It aint exactly like that.
How is it then?
I dont know. I think it's just somethin you like. Or dont like. You can add up all of a
horse's good points on a sheet of paper and it still wont tell you whether you'll like the
horse or not.
What about if you add up all his bad ones?
I dont know. I'd say you'd probably done made up your mind at that point.
You think there's horses so spoiled you cant do nothin with em?
Yes I do. But probably not as many as you might think.
Maybe not. You think a horse can understand what a man says?
You mean like the words?
I dont know. Like can he understand what he says.
John Grady looked out the window. Water was beaded on the glass. Two bats were hunting in
the barnlight. No, he said. I think he can understand what you mean.
He watched the bats. He looked at Oren.
I guess my feelin about a horse is that he mostly worries about what he dont know. He
likes to be able to see you. Barring that, he likes to be able to hear you. Maybe he
thinks that if you're talkin you wont be doin somethin else he dont know about.
You think horses think?
Sure. Dont you?
Yes I do. Some people claim they dont.
Well. Some people could be wrong.
You think you can tell what a horse is thinkin?
I think I can tell what he's fixin to do.
Generally.
John Grady smiled. Yeah, he said. Generally.
Mac always claimed a horse knows the difference between right and wrong.
Mac's right.
Oren smoked. Well, he said. That's always been a bit much for me to swallow.
I think if they didnt you couldnt even train one.
You dont think it's just gettin em to do what you want?
I think you can train a rooster to do what you want. But you wont have him. There's a way
to train a horse where when you get done you've got the horse. On his own ground. A good
horse will figure things out on his own. You can see what's in his heart. He wont do one
thing while you're watchin him and another when you aint. He's all of a piece. When you've
got a horse to that
You got me.
After a while Oren said: Dont be readin the back of the
paper.
What?
I said dont be readin the back of the paper.
All right.
He folded the paper and slid it across the table and raised his coffee and sipped it.
How did you know I was readin the back of the paper?
I could feel it.
What's wrong with it?
Nothin. It just makes me nervous is all. It's a bad habit people got. If you want to read
a man's paper you ought to ask him.
All right.
The man that owned that filly you wouldnt have on the property called out here tryin to
hire you.
I already got a job.
I think he just wanted you to ride out to Fabens with him to look at a horse.
John Grady nodded. That aint what he wants.
Oren watched him. That's what Mac said.
Or it aint all he wants.
Oren lit a cigarette and laid the pack back on the table. John Grady ate.
What did Mac say?
Said he'd tell you.
Well. I been told.
Hell, call the man. You could do a little horsetradin on the weekend. Make yourself some
money.
I guess I dont know how to work for but one man at a time. Oren smoked. He watched the boy.
I went up to Cedar Springs. Worked them scrubs up there.
I wasnt askin.
I know it. I took that little blue horse of Watson's.
How did he do?
I thought he done awful good. Not braggin or nothin. He was a good horse fore I ever put a
saddle on him.
You could of bought that horse.
I know it.
What didnt you like about him?
There wasnt nothin I didnt like about him.
You wont buy him now.
Nope.
He finished eating and wiped his plate with the last piece of tortilla and ate that and
pushed the plate back and drank his coffee and set the cup down and looked at Oren.
He's just a good all around horse. He aint a finished horse but I think he'll make a cow
horse.
I'm pleased to hear it. Of course your preference is for one that'll bow up like a bandsaw
and run head first into the barn wall.
John Grady smiled. Horse of my dreams, he said. It aint exactly like that.
How is it then?
I dont know. I think it's just somethin you like. Or dont like. You can add up all of a
horse's good points on a sheet of paper and it still wont tell you whether you'll like the
horse or not.
What about if you add up all his bad ones?
I dont know. I'd say you'd probably done made up your mind at that point.
You think there's horses so spoiled you cant do nothin with em?
Yes I do. But probably not as many as you might think.
Maybe not. You think a horse can understand what a man says?
You mean like the words?
I dont know. Like can he understand what he says.
John Grady looked out the window. Water was beaded on the glass. Two bats were hunting in
the barnlight. No, he said. I think he can understand what you mean.
He watched the bats. He looked at Oren.
I guess my feelin about a horse is that he mostly worries about what he dont know. He
likes to be able to see you. Barring that, he likes to be able to hear you. Maybe he
thinks that if you're talkin you wont be doin somethin else he dont know about.
You think horses think?
Sure. Dont you?
Yes I do. Some people claim they dont.
Well. Some people could be wrong.
You think you can tell what a horse is thinkin?
I think I can tell what he's fixin to do.
Generally.
John Grady smiled. Yeah, he said. Generally.
Mac always claimed a horse knows the difference between right and wrong.
Mac's right.
Oren smoked. Well, he said. That's always been a bit much for me to swallow.
I think if they didnt you couldnt even train one.
You dont think it's just gettin em to do what you want?
I think you can train a rooster to do what you want. But you wont have him. There's a way
to train a horse where when you get done you've got the horse. On his own ground. A good
horse will figure things out on his own. You can see what's in his heart. He wont do one
thing while you're watchin him and another when you aint. He's all of a piece. When you've
got a horse to that
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