July 15, 2025 • 8 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 nineteen of Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson. The
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Ben Tucker,
chapter nineteen. The green shaded lamp in the kitchen, a
welcome man was burning, their signal that there had been
no rumbles while he was gone. And now he closed
the car door quietly, and the leaves on the walk
(00:22):
crackled under his moving shoes. He lifted on the knobs
so the door would not scrape, and went in. Pale
coal studded the mound to dark ashes in the fireplace.
And then he saw kie che sitting on the end
of the cot by the shadowy radio. I'm back, he said,
and he had the feelin that no sound had left
his mouth, and the words were melting in his hollow stomach.
(00:43):
He strained. I saw the light burning, ye remembered, all right.
I did not know whether you were comin back or not,
kit Chee said. He went over and stood on the hearth,
clasping his hands behind him. Water dripped in the kitchen sink.
How has everything been all right? The motor of a
(01:05):
speeding car way over on the highway beat like a
tom tom. You want me to turn that light off
in the kitchen, Bowie said, if you want to, it
doesn't matter. It really doesn't make any difference to me.
I don't see that it makes any difference whether you
came back here or not. The heat at the base
(01:26):
of his skull ignited, and a film like smoke burned
his eyes. Oh you mean about me, I guess. Yes,
everything has just happened pretty fast, he said, before you
could say, Jack Robinson, everything happened. You know about it? Yes?
About you? Yes? He moved toward her. All gone, a kichi.
(01:52):
I didn't mean for you to get mixed up in
a business like this. Don't you worry about me? He stopped.
I will have to learn to take care of myself.
All that old money is yours, kee chee. It will
take care of you. Just don't go back around that
that old man of yours. I'm not going back there.
(02:12):
Don't worry about that. You will have to go back there,
I guess. But don't you worry about that business? Then?
Goddamn dingbats can't put nothing on you, nothing in this
God's world. When did you start thinking about me? Thinking
about you? You surely didn't think about me when you
were gone, didn't think about you while I was gone,
(02:33):
kieche stood up. You lied to me? Lied? Why kiechee?
He moved toward her. Why you don't understand, keechee. Don't
you touch me? Her fists were clenched. You took them.
It was me or them, and you knew it, and
you took them. He lowered his hands. I don't like
(02:54):
to talk about them boys. They don't mean anything to me.
They never did. You knew that, all right? You an
me and through. She was going toward the door now,
and he saw that she had on the cravinet coat
and there were her two bags on the floor. Where
are you going? He said? What does it matter to you?
(03:15):
He reached her, bent and grasped the wrist of the
hand reaching for the bag. She wrenched from him. I
told you not to touch me. You wait a minute,
he said. She stood there, making breathing sounds like her
nostrils were stopped. You want to leave this way, he said, absolutely,
sore like this, whatever you want to call it. His
(03:37):
groan felt like it was emptying. Is that all? Kittchy said?
You wait a minute. You won't stop me, No, I
won't stop you, but you just wait a minute. She
stood there and now he turned and went over to
the fireplace and looked at the smothering coals. He went
into the kitchen and came back with crumpled papers and kindling,
(04:00):
and he scattered the ashes and placed them on the coals.
The paper's blazed, and then he arranged sticks of wood
on the flames. You don't have any business leaving this
time of night, he said. If anybody's goin to leave
this house, it's me. I'm not stayin here all right now,
I'm gonna get it straight after a while. If you
(04:20):
just have to go, all right now, I'm goin out
this door here, an I'm goin to be gone on
a long walk. An if nothing will do you, but
you have to go. There's a car out there, and
the keys are in it. An you know where the
money is. I don't want anything of yours. Don't be
a damned fool. Then upgraded with his wrench, and he
went out the door. A bulbous crescent hung heavily in
(04:42):
the bottom of the moon's slate colored disc. Wind gushed
in the trees with the sound of a distant river,
and the tops of the cedars silhouetted against the cobalt
and starlit heavens whipped and threshed like tiny Christmas trees
in a storm. He walked now on the gray woodcutter's
road that twisted and slashed deep into the woods. Is this
(05:05):
what you wanted, isn't it? Big boy? It had to
stop sometime, And what's the difference how it happened? You
just keep going down this road and walk by God
until these damn legs of ears come off. Kechi in
front of the oil heater in the bunk floored us,
tatting the hem of her skirt. All right, now, don't
start that stuff. The wind's chill crawled under his trouser
(05:29):
cuffs and down the neck of his collar, and he
turned up his lapels. I have plenty of things to do.
Nothing in this old world will do you any more,
good tee dub, But check them all. You got a friend,
don't you think different for a minute. Boy, you're just
as liable as not to be running these roads again
with me pretty soon, And it's not going to be
any year from now. His shadow glided on the road
(05:51):
beside him, stubby and slender. Keeche picking the cigarette butts
off the floor to make him a smoke with a
cigarette paper she had found. Now lay that stuff off.
God damn it. What difference doesn't make How it happened,
just so it happened. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Broken tree
stumped Yonder with its two short, outflung limbs. Looked like
(06:12):
a man. But we pressed his hand against the gun's button,
the holster under his arm. Hell, I don't need a
gun with one law. Brave men, heroes, fifty of them
to get one thief, one hundred, two hundred, three hundred
big shots heroes. A plummeting meteor fragment streaked the heavens
like the spark of a shaken log vanished. That means
(06:36):
you're gone, little soldier. That means you have left. He
left the woods. Now moved across the clearing toward welcome in,
and a dawning mist that blew like sifted ashes. The
car stood where he had left it. Christ girl, you
didn't leave this place walking. Now you didn't do that.
(06:56):
Why girl, you're liable to get in trouble. Smoke was
and from the chimney. She sat in front of the
burning log, smoking a cigarette, her coat off. I couldn't
leave she said. His neck was rigid fixed, he could
not move it. I couldn't leave, she repeated. I noticed
(07:18):
the car out there, he said. There wasn't anything for
me out there. She said, nothing nothing. Bowie placed his
hand on her shoulder, patted. You ought to turn in.
I guess so that is what I would do. After
a little while, kitche got up and moved toward the
(07:41):
sleeping room, and he followed. Stood in the doorway and
watched her lie down on the bed. Then he went
over and sat on the edge. I didn't want to
leave you, Kitchy said, his head went up and down.
You wouldn't let me go, would you, Bowie? No, even
if I had wanted to, No, you would have made
(08:05):
me stay. Yes, I help you, don't I Bowie? Yes,
A whole whole lot. Yes. Kitcha closed her eyes, and
presently she sucked in a deep breath through her mouth,
and nose jerked convulsively, and he placed his hands on her.
(08:25):
She jerked again, easier, though, and now her mouth was close,
and she slept. Bowie took the gun out of his
holster and placed it just under the edge of the bed,
loosened his tie, unbuttoned his collar. Then he lay down
beside her end of Chapter nineteen.
Chapter nineteen of Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson. The
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Ben Tucker,
chapter nineteen. The green shaded lamp in the kitchen, a
welcome man was burning, their signal that there had been
no rumbles while he was gone. And now he closed
the car door quietly, and the leaves on the walk
(00:22):
crackled under his moving shoes. He lifted on the knobs
so the door would not scrape, and went in. Pale
coal studded the mound to dark ashes in the fireplace.
And then he saw kie che sitting on the end
of the cot by the shadowy radio. I'm back, he said,
and he had the feelin that no sound had left
his mouth, and the words were melting in his hollow stomach.
(00:43):
He strained. I saw the light burning, ye remembered, all right.
I did not know whether you were comin back or not,
kit Chee said. He went over and stood on the hearth,
clasping his hands behind him. Water dripped in the kitchen sink.
How has everything been all right? The motor of a
(01:05):
speeding car way over on the highway beat like a
tom tom. You want me to turn that light off
in the kitchen, Bowie said, if you want to, it
doesn't matter. It really doesn't make any difference to me.
I don't see that it makes any difference whether you
came back here or not. The heat at the base
(01:26):
of his skull ignited, and a film like smoke burned
his eyes. Oh you mean about me, I guess. Yes,
everything has just happened pretty fast, he said, before you
could say, Jack Robinson, everything happened. You know about it? Yes?
About you? Yes? He moved toward her. All gone, a kichi.
(01:52):
I didn't mean for you to get mixed up in
a business like this. Don't you worry about me? He stopped.
I will have to learn to take care of myself.
All that old money is yours, kee chee. It will
take care of you. Just don't go back around that
that old man of yours. I'm not going back there.
(02:12):
Don't worry about that. You will have to go back there,
I guess. But don't you worry about that business? Then?
Goddamn dingbats can't put nothing on you, nothing in this
God's world. When did you start thinking about me? Thinking
about you? You surely didn't think about me when you
were gone, didn't think about you while I was gone,
(02:33):
kieche stood up. You lied to me? Lied? Why kiechee?
He moved toward her. Why you don't understand, keechee. Don't
you touch me? Her fists were clenched. You took them.
It was me or them, and you knew it, and
you took them. He lowered his hands. I don't like
(02:54):
to talk about them boys. They don't mean anything to me.
They never did. You knew that, all right? You an
me and through. She was going toward the door now,
and he saw that she had on the cravinet coat
and there were her two bags on the floor. Where
are you going? He said? What does it matter to you?
(03:15):
He reached her, bent and grasped the wrist of the
hand reaching for the bag. She wrenched from him. I
told you not to touch me. You wait a minute,
he said. She stood there, making breathing sounds like her
nostrils were stopped. You want to leave this way, he said, absolutely,
sore like this, whatever you want to call it. His
(03:37):
groan felt like it was emptying. Is that all? Kittchy said?
You wait a minute. You won't stop me, No, I
won't stop you, but you just wait a minute. She
stood there and now he turned and went over to
the fireplace and looked at the smothering coals. He went
into the kitchen and came back with crumpled papers and kindling,
(04:00):
and he scattered the ashes and placed them on the coals.
The paper's blazed, and then he arranged sticks of wood
on the flames. You don't have any business leaving this
time of night, he said. If anybody's goin to leave
this house, it's me. I'm not stayin here all right now,
I'm gonna get it straight after a while. If you
(04:20):
just have to go, all right now, I'm goin out
this door here, an I'm goin to be gone on
a long walk. An if nothing will do you, but
you have to go. There's a car out there, and
the keys are in it. An you know where the
money is. I don't want anything of yours. Don't be
a damned fool. Then upgraded with his wrench, and he
went out the door. A bulbous crescent hung heavily in
(04:42):
the bottom of the moon's slate colored disc. Wind gushed
in the trees with the sound of a distant river,
and the tops of the cedars silhouetted against the cobalt
and starlit heavens whipped and threshed like tiny Christmas trees
in a storm. He walked now on the gray woodcutter's
road that twisted and slashed deep into the woods. Is this
(05:05):
what you wanted, isn't it? Big boy? It had to
stop sometime, And what's the difference how it happened? You
just keep going down this road and walk by God
until these damn legs of ears come off. Kechi in
front of the oil heater in the bunk floored us,
tatting the hem of her skirt. All right, now, don't
start that stuff. The wind's chill crawled under his trouser
(05:29):
cuffs and down the neck of his collar, and he
turned up his lapels. I have plenty of things to do.
Nothing in this old world will do you any more,
good tee dub, But check them all. You got a friend,
don't you think different for a minute. Boy, you're just
as liable as not to be running these roads again
with me pretty soon, And it's not going to be
any year from now. His shadow glided on the road
(05:51):
beside him, stubby and slender. Keeche picking the cigarette butts
off the floor to make him a smoke with a
cigarette paper she had found. Now lay that stuff off.
God damn it. What difference doesn't make How it happened,
just so it happened. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Broken tree
stumped Yonder with its two short, outflung limbs. Looked like
(06:12):
a man. But we pressed his hand against the gun's button,
the holster under his arm. Hell, I don't need a
gun with one law. Brave men, heroes, fifty of them
to get one thief, one hundred, two hundred, three hundred
big shots heroes. A plummeting meteor fragment streaked the heavens
like the spark of a shaken log vanished. That means
(06:36):
you're gone, little soldier. That means you have left. He
left the woods. Now moved across the clearing toward welcome in,
and a dawning mist that blew like sifted ashes. The
car stood where he had left it. Christ girl, you
didn't leave this place walking. Now you didn't do that.
(06:56):
Why girl, you're liable to get in trouble. Smoke was
and from the chimney. She sat in front of the
burning log, smoking a cigarette, her coat off. I couldn't
leave she said. His neck was rigid fixed, he could
not move it. I couldn't leave, she repeated. I noticed
(07:18):
the car out there, he said. There wasn't anything for
me out there. She said, nothing nothing. Bowie placed his
hand on her shoulder, patted. You ought to turn in.
I guess so that is what I would do. After
a little while, kitche got up and moved toward the
(07:41):
sleeping room, and he followed. Stood in the doorway and
watched her lie down on the bed. Then he went
over and sat on the edge. I didn't want to
leave you, Kitchy said, his head went up and down.
You wouldn't let me go, would you, Bowie? No, even
if I had wanted to, No, you would have made
(08:05):
me stay. Yes, I help you, don't I Bowie? Yes,
A whole whole lot. Yes. Kitcha closed her eyes, and
presently she sucked in a deep breath through her mouth,
and nose jerked convulsively, and he placed his hands on her.
(08:25):
She jerked again, easier, though, and now her mouth was close,
and she slept. Bowie took the gun out of his
holster and placed it just under the edge of the bed,
loosened his tie, unbuttoned his collar. Then he lay down
beside her end of Chapter nineteen.
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