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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Texas Week by Albert Hamiter. One of the chief purposes
of psychiatry is to separate fantasy from reality. It is
reasonable to expect that future psychiatrists will know more about
this borderline than the most learned doctors of today. Yet
now and again, even the best of them may encounter
(00:21):
situations that defy all logic. Meeting the little man who
is there is rated an horrendous experience, but discovery that
the man is there may be even worse. The slick
black car sped along the wide and straight street. It
(00:44):
came to a smooth stop in front of a clean
white house. A man got out of the car and
walked briskly to the door. Reaching out with a pink hand,
he pressed the doorbell with one well manicured finger. The
door was answered by a housewife. She was wearing a
white blouse, a green skirt, and a green apron trimmed
(01:05):
with white. Her feet were tucked into orange slippers. Her
blonde hair was done up in a neat bun. She
was dressed as the government had ordered for that week.
The man said, you are missus Christopher Nest. There was
a trace of anxiety in her voice as she answered yes.
(01:29):
And you are. My name is Maxwell Handstark. As you
may already know, I am the official psychiatrist for this district.
My appointment will last until the end of this year.
Missus Nest invited him in. They stepped into a clean
(01:50):
living room. At one end was the television set. At
the other end where several chairs. There was nothing between
the set and the chairs except large gray rug which
stretched from wall to wall. They walked to the chairs
and sat down. Now, just what is the matter with
(02:11):
your husband, missus Nest. Missus Nest reached into a large
bowl and absently picked up a piece of stale popcorn.
She daintily placed it in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully
before she answered, I wish I knew. All he does
all day long is sit in the backyard and stare
(02:32):
at the grass. He insists that he's standing on top
of a cliff. Hand Stark took out a small pad
and a short ballpoint pen. He wrote something down before
he spoke again. Is he violent? Did he get angry
when you told him there was no cliff? Missus Nest
(02:52):
was silent for a moment. A second piece of popcorn
joined the first. Hand Stark's pen was poised above the pad. No,
he didn't get violent, Hands Stark wrote, as he asked
the next question, just what was his reaction? He said,
(03:15):
I must be crazy. Were those his exact words, No,
he said that I was. She thought for a moment. Logo, Yes,
that was the word logo. Yes, he said it just
like those cowboys on the television. Hands Stark looked puzzled.
(03:39):
Perhaps you had better tell me more about this. When
did you first start acting this way? Missus Nest glanced
up at the television set, then back at hand Stark.
It was right after Texas Week. You remember they showed
all of those old cowboy pictures. Hands Stark nodded, well,
(04:01):
he stayed up every night watching them. Some nights he
didn't even go to sleep, even after the set was off.
He sat in one of the chairs, just staring at
the screen. This morning, when I got up, he wasn't
in the house. I looked all over, but I couldn't
find him. I was just about ready to found the
police when I glanced out the window into the back
(04:21):
yard and I saw him. What was he doing? He
was just sitting there in the middle of the yard staring.
I went out and tried to bring him into the house.
He told me he had to watch for some one.
When I asked him what he was talking about, he
told me that I was crazy. That was when I
(04:44):
phoned you, mister Hanstark. A very wise move, Missus Nest,
and would you show me where your husband is right now?
She nodded her head and they both got up from
the chairs. They walked through the dining room and kitchen.
On the back porch, Handstark came to a halt. You'd
better stay here, Missus Nest. He walked to the door
(05:08):
and opened it, mister Hanstark, Missus Nest, called, Handstark turned
and saw her standing next to the automatic washing machine. Yes,
please be careful, hand Stark smiled, I shall be, Missus Nest.
He walked out the door and down three concrete steps.
(05:31):
Looking a little to his right, he saw a man
squatted on his heels. He walked up to the man.
You are, mister Christopher Nest. The man looked up and
stared for a moment at Hanstark. Yep, he answered, Then
he turned and stared at the grass again. And may
(05:53):
I ask what you are doing? Nest answered, without looking up.
Garden the pack hand Stark scribbled something in his notebook,
and why are you guarding the past? Nest rose to
his feet and stared down at Handstark. Just what are
(06:14):
you asking all these questions for a stranger? Hand Stark
saw Nest was bigger than he and decided to play
along for a while. After all, strategy, I'm just interested
in your welfare, mister Nest. Nest shrugged his shoulders. He
(06:35):
reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a sack
at tobacco and some paper. Holding a piece of paper
in one hand, he carefully poured a little tobacco onto it.
In one quick movement, he rolled the paper and tobacco
into a perfect cylinder. He put the sack of tobacco
and paper back into his pocket and took out a
(06:57):
wooden kitchen match. He scraped it to life on the
sole of his shoe and applied the flame to the
tip of the cigarette. He puffed it into life and
threw the match away. It burned for a few moments
in the moist grass, and then went out. A thin
trail of smoke rose from it, and then it was gone.
(07:20):
Why are you guarding the pass? Hans Stark asked again,
Nest resumed his crouch on the grass. News is around
that dirty Dan the cattle wrestler, is going to try
to steal some of mock cattle. He patted an imaginary
holster at his side, and I aim to stop him.
(07:42):
Hands Stark thought, for a moment, strategy, he must use strategy,
mister Nest. He waited until Nest had turned to him.
Mister Nest, what would you say if I told you
that there was no pass down there? Shuck's partner, I'd
say you'd been chewing some local weed. And if I
(08:05):
could prove it, Nest answered, after a moment's pause, why then,
I guess I'd be loco. Hands Stark thought it was
going to be easy, mister Nest. It is a well
known fact that no one can walk in mid air.
Is that not true? Nest took a deep drag on
(08:28):
his cigarette and blew the smoke out of his nostrils. Sure, then,
if I were to walk out above your pass, you'd
have to admit there is no pass, Rick, And so
hands Stark began to walk in the direction of Nest's cliff.
(08:49):
Nest jumped to his feet and grabbed the official psychiatrist
by the arm. What are you trying to do, Nests said, angrily,
kill yourself. Hands Stark shook free of his grasp. Mister Nest,
I am not going to kill myself. I am merely
going to walk in that direction. He pointed to where
(09:11):
the cliff was supposed to be. To you, it will
look as if I were walking in mid air. Nest
dropped his hands to his sides. Shucks, I don't care
if you kill yourself. It's just that he's liable to
make the cattle nervous hand Stark gave him a cold
(09:33):
glare and began to walk. He took three paces and stopped.
You see, mister Nest, there is no cliff. Nest looked
at him and laughed. You just take one more step
and you'll find out there is a cliff. Hand Stark
(09:53):
took another step, a long one. His face bore a
surprised look as he disappeared beneath the grass. His screams
could be heard for a moment before he landed on
the rocks below. Nest walked to the edge of the
cliff and looked down at the mangled body. He took
(10:15):
off his hat in respect. Little Feller had a lot
of guts. Then he added, poor little Feller. He put
his hat back on and looked down at the entrance
to the valley. A horse and rider appeared from behind
several rocks. Dirty dan Nest exclaimed he reached down and
(10:38):
picked up his rifle. End of Texas Week by albert
Hemhutter
Texas Week by Albert Hamiter. One of the chief purposes
of psychiatry is to separate fantasy from reality. It is
reasonable to expect that future psychiatrists will know more about
this borderline than the most learned doctors of today. Yet
now and again, even the best of them may encounter
(00:21):
situations that defy all logic. Meeting the little man who
is there is rated an horrendous experience, but discovery that
the man is there may be even worse. The slick
black car sped along the wide and straight street. It
(00:44):
came to a smooth stop in front of a clean
white house. A man got out of the car and
walked briskly to the door. Reaching out with a pink hand,
he pressed the doorbell with one well manicured finger. The
door was answered by a housewife. She was wearing a
white blouse, a green skirt, and a green apron trimmed
(01:05):
with white. Her feet were tucked into orange slippers. Her
blonde hair was done up in a neat bun. She
was dressed as the government had ordered for that week.
The man said, you are missus Christopher Nest. There was
a trace of anxiety in her voice as she answered yes.
(01:29):
And you are. My name is Maxwell Handstark. As you
may already know, I am the official psychiatrist for this district.
My appointment will last until the end of this year.
Missus Nest invited him in. They stepped into a clean
(01:50):
living room. At one end was the television set. At
the other end where several chairs. There was nothing between
the set and the chairs except large gray rug which
stretched from wall to wall. They walked to the chairs
and sat down. Now, just what is the matter with
(02:11):
your husband, missus Nest. Missus Nest reached into a large
bowl and absently picked up a piece of stale popcorn.
She daintily placed it in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully
before she answered, I wish I knew. All he does
all day long is sit in the backyard and stare
(02:32):
at the grass. He insists that he's standing on top
of a cliff. Hand Stark took out a small pad
and a short ballpoint pen. He wrote something down before
he spoke again. Is he violent? Did he get angry
when you told him there was no cliff? Missus Nest
(02:52):
was silent for a moment. A second piece of popcorn
joined the first. Hand Stark's pen was poised above the pad. No,
he didn't get violent, Hands Stark wrote, as he asked
the next question, just what was his reaction? He said,
(03:15):
I must be crazy. Were those his exact words, No,
he said that I was. She thought for a moment. Logo, Yes,
that was the word logo. Yes, he said it just
like those cowboys on the television. Hands Stark looked puzzled.
(03:39):
Perhaps you had better tell me more about this. When
did you first start acting this way? Missus Nest glanced
up at the television set, then back at hand Stark.
It was right after Texas Week. You remember they showed
all of those old cowboy pictures. Hands Stark nodded, well,
(04:01):
he stayed up every night watching them. Some nights he
didn't even go to sleep, even after the set was off.
He sat in one of the chairs, just staring at
the screen. This morning, when I got up, he wasn't
in the house. I looked all over, but I couldn't
find him. I was just about ready to found the
police when I glanced out the window into the back
(04:21):
yard and I saw him. What was he doing? He
was just sitting there in the middle of the yard staring.
I went out and tried to bring him into the house.
He told me he had to watch for some one.
When I asked him what he was talking about, he
told me that I was crazy. That was when I
(04:44):
phoned you, mister Hanstark. A very wise move, Missus Nest,
and would you show me where your husband is right now?
She nodded her head and they both got up from
the chairs. They walked through the dining room and kitchen.
On the back porch, Handstark came to a halt. You'd
better stay here, Missus Nest. He walked to the door
(05:08):
and opened it, mister Hanstark, Missus Nest, called, Handstark turned
and saw her standing next to the automatic washing machine. Yes,
please be careful, hand Stark smiled, I shall be, Missus Nest.
He walked out the door and down three concrete steps.
(05:31):
Looking a little to his right, he saw a man
squatted on his heels. He walked up to the man.
You are, mister Christopher Nest. The man looked up and
stared for a moment at Hanstark. Yep, he answered, Then
he turned and stared at the grass again. And may
(05:53):
I ask what you are doing? Nest answered, without looking up.
Garden the pack hand Stark scribbled something in his notebook,
and why are you guarding the past? Nest rose to
his feet and stared down at Handstark. Just what are
(06:14):
you asking all these questions for a stranger? Hand Stark
saw Nest was bigger than he and decided to play
along for a while. After all, strategy, I'm just interested
in your welfare, mister Nest. Nest shrugged his shoulders. He
(06:35):
reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a sack
at tobacco and some paper. Holding a piece of paper
in one hand, he carefully poured a little tobacco onto it.
In one quick movement, he rolled the paper and tobacco
into a perfect cylinder. He put the sack of tobacco
and paper back into his pocket and took out a
(06:57):
wooden kitchen match. He scraped it to life on the
sole of his shoe and applied the flame to the
tip of the cigarette. He puffed it into life and
threw the match away. It burned for a few moments
in the moist grass, and then went out. A thin
trail of smoke rose from it, and then it was gone.
(07:20):
Why are you guarding the pass? Hans Stark asked again,
Nest resumed his crouch on the grass. News is around
that dirty Dan the cattle wrestler, is going to try
to steal some of mock cattle. He patted an imaginary
holster at his side, and I aim to stop him.
(07:42):
Hands Stark thought, for a moment, strategy, he must use strategy,
mister Nest. He waited until Nest had turned to him.
Mister Nest, what would you say if I told you
that there was no pass down there? Shuck's partner, I'd
say you'd been chewing some local weed. And if I
(08:05):
could prove it, Nest answered, after a moment's pause, why then,
I guess I'd be loco. Hands Stark thought it was
going to be easy, mister Nest. It is a well
known fact that no one can walk in mid air.
Is that not true? Nest took a deep drag on
(08:28):
his cigarette and blew the smoke out of his nostrils. Sure, then,
if I were to walk out above your pass, you'd
have to admit there is no pass, Rick, And so
hands Stark began to walk in the direction of Nest's cliff.
(08:49):
Nest jumped to his feet and grabbed the official psychiatrist
by the arm. What are you trying to do, Nests said, angrily,
kill yourself. Hands Stark shook free of his grasp. Mister Nest,
I am not going to kill myself. I am merely
going to walk in that direction. He pointed to where
(09:11):
the cliff was supposed to be. To you, it will
look as if I were walking in mid air. Nest
dropped his hands to his sides. Shucks, I don't care
if you kill yourself. It's just that he's liable to
make the cattle nervous hand Stark gave him a cold
(09:33):
glare and began to walk. He took three paces and stopped.
You see, mister Nest, there is no cliff. Nest looked
at him and laughed. You just take one more step
and you'll find out there is a cliff. Hand Stark
(09:53):
took another step, a long one. His face bore a
surprised look as he disappeared beneath the grass. His screams
could be heard for a moment before he landed on
the rocks below. Nest walked to the edge of the
cliff and looked down at the mangled body. He took
(10:15):
off his hat in respect. Little Feller had a lot
of guts. Then he added, poor little Feller. He put
his hat back on and looked down at the entrance
to the valley. A horse and rider appeared from behind
several rocks. Dirty dan Nest exclaimed he reached down and
(10:38):
picked up his rifle. End of Texas Week by albert
Hemhutter
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