Paul Brinegar: Wishbone

Quotes 

• Wishbone : The way I heard it, it some French fella named Napoleon said an army marches on its belly. Well, I don't know much about armies, but I mighty well know that's true about trail drives. The beeves eat what they can, but the drovers are a little more particular. So one day I'll cook 'em pig vests with buttons - that's salt pork and beans. Next day they'll get Kansas City fish - that's salt pork with brown berries, and that's beans. The day after they're liable to get sow belly. That's salt beans. This time with prairie strawberries. And that's beans. So the fourth day I stay out of sight. My name's Wishbone, feeder of the Gil Favor outfit.

• Wishbone : That's just a little light soup with thimble-sized cornmeal dumplings. You didn't have any clams 'cos I could've made you a chowder. There, I got drop biscuits frying. Might have been better if I'd had a sour dough cake. But, oh well. That's the goulash.

  Mrs. Spencer : What?

  Wishbone : Goulash. Ah, beef, salt pork cracklings, ah, onions, carrots, peas, peppercorns, parsnip. No, I couldn't find any parsnip.

  Mrs. Spencer : Oh, I'm sorry.

• Mushy : You hurt real bad?

  Wishbone : I ain't been this bad since that time I fell off the roof in Fort Worth. Well, are you JUST GONNA LET ME SIT HERE? I need a doctor. What are you looking for?

  Mushy : A doctor.

  Wishbone : Well, they ain't growing 'em on trees yet.

• Noel Detrick : Ore ain't fetching as much as it used to. I've been hurt as much as anybody.

  Wishbone : You don't look like you're suffering much.

  Noel Detrick : YOU! What do you know about ore?

  Wishbone : Nothing. Except if you're saying the price is going down, I say it's going up.

  Noel Detrick : That's about the same as calling me a liar, ain't it.

  Wishbone : You're brighter than I thought you was.

• Wishbone : That's the best breakfast I ever had.

  Mrs. Spencer : It's none of my business, Mr Wishbone, but don't tell me that out on that trail of yours driving all that cattle, they don't give you a good breakfast?

  Wishbone : Not exactly.

  Mrs. Spencer : Well, I don't know how you stand it.

  Wishbone : I been kinda wondering that myself.

• Wishbone : Detrick's bluffing. If he closes that emporium, he ain't gonna make any money on them supplies. And if he don't haul ore, what's he gonna do with all them freight wagons of his? Don't forget, he's got all those men of his to pay. He's got good money invested in them supplies. He holds onto them too long, they'll spoil off. No, sir, what you gotta do is stand firm, Detrick will come 'round begging you to do business with him.

• Mushy : Everybody likes my cooking.

  Wishbone : That must be the first joke you ever made, Mushy.

  Mushy : I ain't joking, Mr Wishbone.

  Wishbone : You mean everybody likes your cooking?

  Mushy : Sure. It just seems they don't have big appetites any more.

• Wishbone : Must be a mining town. Most likely seven shacks and a hole in the ground.

  Mushy : You ever bin there?

  Wishbone : Oh, shuddup.