July 13, 2025 • 5 mins
Dive into the gripping narrative of Thieves Like Us, also known as Your Red Wagon. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, it tells the story of Bowie Bowers, a young prison escapee who, along with two accomplices, sets his sights on a daring bank heist. As plans unravel, Bowie finds himself entangled in a passionate love affair with Keechie, a relative of one of his partners in crime. This classic noir tale of doomed lovers on the run has been immortalized in film not once, but twice. Originally by Nicholas Ray in 1940s They Live By Night and later by Robert Altman in 1973s rendition of Thieves Like Us. Join us as we delve into this captivating tale. - Synopsis by Ben Tucker
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter seventeen of Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson. This
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Ben Tucker,
chapter seventeen. The back yard a welcome in, had the
width of an alley, and then a fence of barbed wire,
and beyond that was ranchland, sage grass and broomwed bar
(00:21):
reach in woods of green pollen blowing cedars, and gray
trunked scrub oaks. In it, long horned white faced cattle grazed.
And sometimes one would come to their fence and nose
in the rusty iron drum of burned cans and garbage.
Once Kee Chee had seen a dough, and she called Bowie,
and when he got to the back door, it was
gone away to the south. Beyond the woods, the hills
(00:45):
embossed the sky in a great crawling circle. This evening,
the sinking sun had flushed the horizon to a pretty
pink like Kee Chee's under things. They sat now on
the back steps of the cottage, kee Chee in the
code of Bowie's gray suit. She was funny that way,
always wearing something of his, and even sleepin at nights
in one of his shirts. And he had paid fifteen
(01:06):
dollars for that negligee and boudoir slippers. Kee che pointed,
now and in the woods they saw the Philip hop boy,
Alvin and the dog. I've been kinda want to get
out there with that kid some evenin, Bowie said, I
never have seen him bring him back anything. He's having
a good time, though, kit Chee said, guess I just
got too much else to think about. He tapped the
(01:28):
bowl of his pipe on his palm and then slung
the charred tobacco with a finger spreading movement, and wiped
his hand across his thigh. The lining of his mouth
felt thin, and his tongue needle pointed. I'll tell er
after we go in, he thought, only four days now,
an I got to be in Gusherton. It's all there
is to it. Alvin Yonder made me think of the
little girl used to live down on the corner from
(01:49):
my aunt. She died. Huh, Bowie said, she was awful pretty.
She used to say pieces in the church, and her
mamma fixed her up so pretty. It liked to have
killed her mama. And I guess it was the reason
that her father went crazy. He was crazy before that.
I would say though he was a printer and he
saved gold pieces. Every bit of money he saved, he
(02:11):
would go to the bank and get gold pieces, go
up in the front room at nights and sit at
a table and count it and look at it. His
wife told him that it was going to bring bad luck.
And then the kid died and it took every bit
of the gold he had saved to pay for the funeral.
Bowie started filling his pipe. Jakamaw was telling me about
that lawyer friend his. He knew down at Mexico Hawkins,
(02:34):
that lawyer didn't believe in this heaven or hell stuff,
and so the only way a man lived on was
through his children. That was as far as this afterlife
business went. Is that why you would like to have children?
He looked at her. Why I never said nothing about
having children? I know it. Why would you like to
have a baby some day? Maybe some day? Is right?
(02:58):
She stood up on the step and pulled the coat
about her throat. I'm satisfied now. The match snapped, and
he flipped it and felt in his pocket for another. No,
baby wouldn't have very much business with us. Well, if
it couldn't be with us, I'd rather for it to
be just you and me. It was getting dark. The
(03:18):
storm broken limb yonder on the big oak tree was
twisted about the trunk like a petrified snake. Bowie got up,
knocking the unlighted tobacco out on the heel of his shoe.
I've been thinking about the boys, Kichi. I guess I'll
have to see them in a few days. Why a
little business. I promise them I would meet them on
(03:39):
the fifteenth of this month. Why just business. I'll just
be going a couple of days and be back here
before you know it. What are you planning on I
just promised them, Kiechie, that's all. What are you planning
on doing? Now? I want you to understand, Kichie, that
I'm not looking for trouble anymore. I'm going up there,
(04:00):
but I don't have anything in mind except just not
to let them boys wait and depend on me. We
got a bank picked there, all right, but I'm not
playing it on robin it. Keechi turned and grasped the doorknob.
I'm going with you, she said. Then she went in
the house. He stood there alone. Up at the end
of the row of cottages, there was the sound of
acts splitting wood. After a little while, he went in
(04:22):
the house. She lay on the bed in the darkness
of the sleeping room, and he went over and sat
on its edge. No, you are not kichi, he said.
She did not say anything. She got up and went
to the kitchen, and he listened to the sound of
water running in a glass. Presently she came back. I
said you weren't going, he said, I heard you. Well
(04:45):
quit running around when I'm talking to you. She sat
down on the bed beside him. Men in, my heat's
bad enough, and you're certainly not going to get around
three of us. I made up my mind about that
a long time ago. All right, boie, let's get this straight.
What do you mean? All right? I mean it will
be all right. How are you going to be feeling
(05:06):
when I come back? All right? You are going to
be here, aren't you? Yes? And it is all right.
Keechi got up and took his coat off, folded it
and laid it on the bed rail. You're keeping your promise,
and when you get up there, you're going to let
them know you're through with all that kind of business.
After Gusherton, I'm through. You know that. I expect that Bowie,
(05:30):
I sure do all right. Then Keeche went into the kitchen,
and Bowie heard the wick of the oil stove sputter,
and then the rattle of the kettle on the flames.
He lay down on the bed. After a little while,
the water in the kettle began to simmer. It sounded
like a whimpering baby. Into chapter seventeen,
Chapter seventeen of Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson. This
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Ben Tucker,
chapter seventeen. The back yard a welcome in, had the
width of an alley, and then a fence of barbed wire,
and beyond that was ranchland, sage grass and broomwed bar
(00:21):
reach in woods of green pollen blowing cedars, and gray
trunked scrub oaks. In it, long horned white faced cattle grazed.
And sometimes one would come to their fence and nose
in the rusty iron drum of burned cans and garbage.
Once Kee Chee had seen a dough, and she called Bowie,
and when he got to the back door, it was
gone away to the south. Beyond the woods, the hills
(00:45):
embossed the sky in a great crawling circle. This evening,
the sinking sun had flushed the horizon to a pretty
pink like Kee Chee's under things. They sat now on
the back steps of the cottage, kee Chee in the
code of Bowie's gray suit. She was funny that way,
always wearing something of his, and even sleepin at nights
in one of his shirts. And he had paid fifteen
(01:06):
dollars for that negligee and boudoir slippers. Kee che pointed,
now and in the woods they saw the Philip hop boy,
Alvin and the dog. I've been kinda want to get
out there with that kid some evenin, Bowie said, I
never have seen him bring him back anything. He's having
a good time, though, kit Chee said, guess I just
got too much else to think about. He tapped the
(01:28):
bowl of his pipe on his palm and then slung
the charred tobacco with a finger spreading movement, and wiped
his hand across his thigh. The lining of his mouth
felt thin, and his tongue needle pointed. I'll tell er
after we go in, he thought, only four days now,
an I got to be in Gusherton. It's all there
is to it. Alvin Yonder made me think of the
little girl used to live down on the corner from
(01:49):
my aunt. She died. Huh, Bowie said, she was awful pretty.
She used to say pieces in the church, and her
mamma fixed her up so pretty. It liked to have
killed her mama. And I guess it was the reason
that her father went crazy. He was crazy before that.
I would say though he was a printer and he
saved gold pieces. Every bit of money he saved, he
(02:11):
would go to the bank and get gold pieces, go
up in the front room at nights and sit at
a table and count it and look at it. His
wife told him that it was going to bring bad luck.
And then the kid died and it took every bit
of the gold he had saved to pay for the funeral.
Bowie started filling his pipe. Jakamaw was telling me about
that lawyer friend his. He knew down at Mexico Hawkins,
(02:34):
that lawyer didn't believe in this heaven or hell stuff,
and so the only way a man lived on was
through his children. That was as far as this afterlife
business went. Is that why you would like to have children?
He looked at her. Why I never said nothing about
having children? I know it. Why would you like to
have a baby some day? Maybe some day? Is right?
(02:58):
She stood up on the step and pulled the coat
about her throat. I'm satisfied now. The match snapped, and
he flipped it and felt in his pocket for another. No,
baby wouldn't have very much business with us. Well, if
it couldn't be with us, I'd rather for it to
be just you and me. It was getting dark. The
(03:18):
storm broken limb yonder on the big oak tree was
twisted about the trunk like a petrified snake. Bowie got up,
knocking the unlighted tobacco out on the heel of his shoe.
I've been thinking about the boys, Kichi. I guess I'll
have to see them in a few days. Why a
little business. I promise them I would meet them on
(03:39):
the fifteenth of this month. Why just business. I'll just
be going a couple of days and be back here
before you know it. What are you planning on I
just promised them, Kiechie, that's all. What are you planning
on doing? Now? I want you to understand, Kichie, that
I'm not looking for trouble anymore. I'm going up there,
(04:00):
but I don't have anything in mind except just not
to let them boys wait and depend on me. We
got a bank picked there, all right, but I'm not
playing it on robin it. Keechi turned and grasped the doorknob.
I'm going with you, she said. Then she went in
the house. He stood there alone. Up at the end
of the row of cottages, there was the sound of
acts splitting wood. After a little while, he went in
(04:22):
the house. She lay on the bed in the darkness
of the sleeping room, and he went over and sat
on its edge. No, you are not kichi, he said.
She did not say anything. She got up and went
to the kitchen, and he listened to the sound of
water running in a glass. Presently she came back. I
said you weren't going, he said, I heard you. Well
(04:45):
quit running around when I'm talking to you. She sat
down on the bed beside him. Men in, my heat's
bad enough, and you're certainly not going to get around
three of us. I made up my mind about that
a long time ago. All right, boie, let's get this straight.
What do you mean? All right? I mean it will
be all right. How are you going to be feeling
(05:06):
when I come back? All right? You are going to
be here, aren't you? Yes? And it is all right.
Keechi got up and took his coat off, folded it
and laid it on the bed rail. You're keeping your promise,
and when you get up there, you're going to let
them know you're through with all that kind of business.
After Gusherton, I'm through. You know that. I expect that Bowie,
(05:30):
I sure do all right. Then Keeche went into the kitchen,
and Bowie heard the wick of the oil stove sputter,
and then the rattle of the kettle on the flames.
He lay down on the bed. After a little while,
the water in the kettle began to simmer. It sounded
like a whimpering baby. Into chapter seventeen,
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