The Virginian, the Eating-house

Then I heard a fellow greet my Virginian. He came happily out of a door, and made a pass with his hand at the Virginian's hat. The Southerner avoided it, and I saw once more the tiger undulation of body, and knew my escort was he of the rope and the corral.

"How are yu' Steve?" he said to the man. And in his tone I heard instantly old friendship speaking. With Steve he would take and give familiarity.

Steve looked at me, and looked away—and that was all. But it was enough. In no company had I ever felt so much an outsider. Yet I liked the company, and wished that it would like me.

"Just come to town?" inquired Steve of the Virginian.

"Been here since noon. Been waiting for the train."

"Going out to-night?"

"I reckon I'll pull out to-morro'."

"Beds are all took," said Steve. This was for my benefit.

Gary Cooper, The Virginian

"Dear me," said I.

"But I guess one of them will let yu' double up with him." Steve was enjoying himself, I think. He had his saddle and blankets, and beds were nothing to him.

"Salesmen, are they?" asked the Virginian.

"Two Jews handling cigars, one American with consumption killer, and a Dutchman with jew'lry."

The Virginian set down my bag, and seemed to meditate. "I did want a bed to-night," he murmured gently.

"Well," Steve suggested, "the American looks like he washed the oftenest."

"That's of no consequence to me," observed the Southerner.

"Guess it'll be when yu' see 'em."

"Oh, I'm meaning something different. I wanted a bed to myself."

"Then you'll have to build one."

"Bet yu' I have the Dutchman's."

"Take a man that won't scare. Bet yu' drinks yu' can't have the American's."

"Go yu'" said the Virginian. "I'll have his bed without any fuss. Drinks for the crowd."

"I suppose you have me beat," said Steve, grinning at him affectionately. "You're such a son-of-a—— when you get down to work. Well, so long! I got to fix my horse's hoofs."

I had expected that the man would be struck down. He had used to the Virginian a term of heaviest insult, I thought. I had marvelled to hear it come so unheralded from Steve's friendly lips. And now I marvelled still more. Evidently he had meant no harm by it, and evidently no offence had been taken. Used thus, this language was plainly complimentary. I had stepped into a world new to me indeed, and novelties were occurring with scarce any time to get breath between them. As to where I should sleep, I had forgotten that problem altogether in my curiosity. What was the Virginian going to do now? I began to know that the quiet of this man was volcanic.

"Will you wash first, sir?"

We were at the door of the eating-house, and he set my bag inside. In my innocence I was looking indoors for the washing arrangements.

"It's out hyeh, seh," he informed me gravely, but with strong Southern accent. Internal fun seemed often to heighten the local flavor of his speech. There were other times when it had scarce any special accent or fault in grammar. (Adapted to easier English)

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Recursos en internet

El film incluía la canción "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie", se la puede escuchar en Youtube.

"Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" es una canción folklórica del oeste. También conocida como "The Cowboy's Lament", "The Dying Cowboy" y "Bury Me Out on the Lone Prairie", la canción es considerada como la más famosa balada de vaqueros. Basada en una canción de marineros, ha sido grabada por muchos artistas incluyendo a Moe Bandy, Johnny Cash, Burl Ives, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers y William Elliott Whitmore. Una versión de la canción fue usada en el video juego Red Dead Redemption, cantada por William Elliott Whitmore. La letra de esta canción se remonta a principios del siglo 19.