{"id":7844,"date":"2025-02-23T17:43:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T21:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lecturia.org\/?p=7844"},"modified":"2025-02-23T17:43:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T21:43:48","slug":"ernest-hemingway-the-killers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/short-stories\/ernest-hemingway-the-killers\/7844\/","title":{"rendered":"Ernest Hemingway: The Killers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Synopsis:<\/strong> The Killers<\/em> is a short story by Ernest Hemingway published in 1927 in Scribner’s Magazine. The story takes place in a small caf\u00e9 in a village called Summit, where two mysterious men enter and begin to act threateningly. George, the caf\u00e9 owner, and Nick Adams, a young customer, soon discover that the strangers have arrived to meet Ole Andreson, a former boxer who arrives every day at six o’clock for dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Ernest<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Killers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ernest Hemingway
(Full story)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE DOOR OF HENRY\u2019S LUNCH-ROOM opened and two men came in. They sat down at the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s yours?\u201d George asked them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d one of the men said. \u201cWhat do you want to eat, Al?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d said Al. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I want to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside it was getting dark. The street-light came on outside the window. The two men at the counter read the menu. From the other end of the counter Nick Adams watched them. He had been talking to George when they came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have a roast pork tenderloin with apple sauce and mashed potatoes,\u201d the first man said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t ready yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat the hell do you put it on the card for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the dinner,\u201d George explained. \u201cYou can get that at six o\u2019clock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George looked at the clock on the wall behind the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s five o\u2019clock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe clock says twenty minutes past five,\u201d the second man said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s twenty minutes fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, to hell with the clock,\u201d the first man said. \u201cWhat have you got to eat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can give you any kind of sandwiches,\u201d George said. \u201cYou can have ham and eggs, bacon and eggs, liver and bacon, or a steak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive me chicken croquettes with green peas and cream sauce and mashed potatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything we want\u2019s the dinner, eh? That\u2019s the way you work it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can give you ham and eggs, bacon and eggs, liver \u2014 \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take ham and eggs,\u201d the man called Al said. He wore a derby hat and a black overcoat buttoned across the chest. His face was small and white and he had tight lips. He wore a silk muffler and gloves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive me bacon and eggs,\u201d said the other man. He was about the same size as Al. Their faces were different, but they were dressed like twins. Both wore overcoats too tight for them. They sat leaning forward, their elbows on the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGot anything to drink?\u201d Al asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSilver beer, bevo, ginger-ale,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI mean you got anything to drink?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust those I said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a hot town,\u201d said the other. \u201cWhat do they call it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSummit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEver hear of it?\u201d Al asked his friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said the friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you do here nights?\u201d Al asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey eat the dinner,\u201d his friend said. \u201cThey all come here and eat the big dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you think that\u2019s right?\u201d Al asked George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a pretty bright boy, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure,\u201d said George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re not,\u201d said the other little man. \u201cIs he, Al?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s dumb,\u201d said Al. He turned to Nick. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnother bright boy,\u201d Al said. \u201cAin\u2019t he a bright boy, Max?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe town\u2019s full of bright boys,\u201d Max said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George put the two platters, one of ham and eggs, the other of bacon and eggs, on the counter. He set down two side-dishes of fried potatoes and closed the wicket into the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich is yours?\u201d he asked Al.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHam and eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust a bright boy,\u201d Max said. He leaned forward and took the ham and eggs. Both men ate with their gloves on. George watched them eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you<\/em> looking it?\u201d Max looked at George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hell you were. You were looking at me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe the boy meant it for a joke, Max,\u201d Al said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou<\/em> don\u2019t have to laugh,\u201d Max said to him. \u201cYou<\/em> don\u2019t have to laugh at all, see?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d said George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo he thinks it\u2019s all right.\u201d Max turned to Al. \u201cHe thinks it\u2019s all right. That\u2019s a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, he\u2019s a thinker,\u201d Al said. They went on eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the bright boy\u2019s name down the counter?\u201d Al asked Max.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, bright boy,\u201d Max said to Nick. \u201cYou go around on the other side of the counter with your boy friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the idea?\u201d Nick asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t any idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou better go around, bright boy,\u201d Al said. Nick went around behind the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the idea?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNone of your damn business,\u201d Al said. \u201cWho\u2019s out in the kitchen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe nigger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean the nigger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe nigger that cooks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell him to come in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the idea?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell him to come in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere do you think you are?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know damn well where we are,\u201d the man called Max said. \u201cDo we look silly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou talk silly,\u201d Al said to him. \u201cWhat the hell do you argue with this kid for? Listen,\u201d he said to George, \u201ctell the nigger to come out here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do to him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing. Use your head, bright boy. What would we do to a nigger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George opened the slit that opened back into the kitchen. \u201cSam,\u201d he called. \u201cCome in here a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The door to the kitchen opened and the nigger came in. \u201cWhat was it?\u201d he asked. The two men at the counter took a look at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right, nigger. You stand right there,\u201d Al said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sam, the nigger, standing in his apron, looked at the two men sitting at the counter. \u201cYes, sir,\u201d he said. Al got down from his stool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m going back to the kitchen with the nigger and bright boy,\u201d he said. \u201cGo on back to the kitchen, nigger. You go with him, bright boy.\u201d The little man walked after Nick and Sam, the cook, back into the kitchen. The door shut after them. The man called Max sat at the counter opposite George. He didn\u2019t look at George but looked in the mirror that ran along back of the counter. Henry\u2019s had been made over from a saloon into a lunch-counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, bright boy,\u201d Max said, looking into the mirror, \u201cwhy don\u2019t you say something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it all about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, Al,\u201d Max called, \u201cbright boy wants to know what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell him?\u201d Al\u2019s voice came from the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you think it\u2019s all about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max looked into the mirror all the time he was talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, Al, bright boy says he wouldn\u2019t say what he thinks it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can hear you, all right,\u201d Al said from the kitchen. He had propped open the slit that dishes passed through into the kitchen with a catsup bottle. \u201cListen, bright boy,\u201d he said from the kitchen to George. \u201cStand a little further along the bar. You move a little to the left, Max.\u201d He was like a photographer arranging for a group picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTalk to me, bright boy,\u201d Max said. \u201cWhat do you think\u2019s going to happen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George did not say anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you,\u201d Max said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to kill a Swede. Do you know a big Swede named Ole Andreson?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe comes here to eat every night, don\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes he comes here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe comes here at six o\u2019clock, don\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf he comes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know all that, bright boy,\u201d Max said. \u201cTalk about something else. Ever go to the movies?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou ought to go to the movies more. The movies are fine for a bright boy like you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you going to kill Ole Andreson for? What did he ever do to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe never had a chance to do anything to us. He never even seen us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019s only going to see us once,\u201d Al said from the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you going to kill him for, then?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re killing him for a friend. Just to oblige a friend, bright boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShut up,\u201d said Al from the kitchen. \u201cYou talk too goddam much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I got to keep bright boy amused. Don\u2019t I, bright boy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou talk too damn much,\u201d Al said. \u201cThe nigger and my bright boy are amused by themselves. I got them tied up like a couple of girl friends in the convent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI suppose you were in a convent?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou never know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were in a kosher convent. That\u2019s where you were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George looked up at the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf anybody comes in you tell them the cook is off, and if they keep after it, you tell them you\u2019ll go back and cook yourself. Do you get that, bright boy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d George said. \u201cWhat you going to do with us afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019ll depend,\u201d Max said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of those things you never know at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George looked up at the clock. It was a quarter past six. The door from the street opened. A street-car motorman came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHello, George,\u201d he said. \u201cCan I get supper?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSam\u2019s gone out,\u201d George said. \u201cHe\u2019ll be back in about half an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d better go up the street,\u201d the motorman said. George looked at the clock. It was twenty minutes past six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was nice, bright boy,\u201d Max said. \u201cYou\u2019re a regular little gentleman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe knew I\u2019d blow his head off,\u201d Al said from the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said Max. \u201cIt ain\u2019t that. Bright boy is nice. He\u2019s a nice boy. I like him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At six-fifty-five George said: \u201cHe\u2019s not coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two other people had been in the lunch-room. Once George had gone out to the kitchen and made a ham-and-egg sandwich \u201cto go\u201d that a man wanted to take with him. Inside the kitchen he saw Al, his derby hat tipped back, sitting on a stool beside the wicket with the muzzle of a sawed-off shotgun resting on the ledge. Nick and the cook were back to back in the corner, a towel tied in each of their mouths. George had cooked the sandwich, wrapped it up in oiled paper, put it in a bag, brought it in, and the man had paid for it and gone out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBright boy can do everything,\u201d Max said. \u201cHe can cook and everything. You\u2019d make some girl a nice wife, bright boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes?\u201d George said. \u201cYour friend, Ole Andreson, isn\u2019t going to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll give him ten minutes,\u201d Max said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Max watched the mirror and the clock. The hands of the clock marked seven o\u2019clock, and then five minutes past seven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on, Al,\u201d said Max. \u201cWe better go. He\u2019s not coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBetter give him five minutes,\u201d Al said from the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the five minutes a man came in, and George explained that the cook was sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy the hell don\u2019t you get another cook?\u201d the man asked. \u201cAren\u2019t you running a lunch-counter?\u201d He went out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on, Al,\u201d Max said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat about the two bright boys and the nigger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou think so?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure. We\u2019re through with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like it,\u201d said Al. \u201cIt\u2019s sloppy. You talk too much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, what the hell,\u201d said Max. \u201cWe got to keep amused, haven\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou talk too much, all the same,\u201d Al said. He came out from the kitchen. The cutoff barrels of the shotgun made a slight bulge under the waist of his too tight-fitting overcoat. He straightened his coat with his gloved hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo long, bright boy,\u201d he said to George. \u201cYou got a lot of luck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the truth,\u201d Max said. \u201cYou ought to play the races, bright boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two of them went out the door. George watched them, through the window, pass under the arc-light and cross the street. In their tight overcoats and derby hats they looked like a vaudeville team. George went back through the swinging-door into the kitchen and untied Nick and the cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want any more of that,\u201d said Sam, the cook. \u201cI don\u2019t want any more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick stood up. He had never had a towel in his mouth before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSay,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat the hell?\u201d He was trying to swagger it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey were going to kill Ole Andreson,\u201d George said. \u201cThey were going to shoot him when he came in to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOle Andreson?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cook felt the corners of his mouth with his thumbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey all gone?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d said George. \u201cThey\u2019re gone now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like it,\u201d said the cook. \u201cI don\u2019t like any of it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen,\u201d George said to Nick. \u201cYou better go see Ole Andreson.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou better not have anything to do with it at all,\u201d Sam, the cook, said. \u201cYou better stay way out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t go if you don\u2019t want to,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMixing up in this ain\u2019t going to get you anywhere,\u201d the cook said. \u201cYou stay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go see him,\u201d Nick said to George. \u201cWhere does he live?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cook turned away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLittle boys always know what they want to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe lives up at Hirsch\u2019s rooming-house,\u201d George said to Nick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go up there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside the arc-light shone through the bare branches of a tree. Nick walked up the street beside the car-tracks and turned at the next arc-light down a side-street. Three houses up the street was Hirsch\u2019s rooming-house. Nick walked up the two steps and pushed the bell. A woman came to the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs Ole Andreson here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you want to see him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, if he\u2019s in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick followed the woman up a flight of stairs and back to the end of a corridor. She knocked on the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s somebody to see you, Mr. Andreson,\u201d the woman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Nick Adams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick opened the door and went into the room. Ole Andreson was lying on the bed with all his clothes on. He had been a heavyweight prizefighter and he was too long for the bed. He lay with his head on two pillows. He did not look at Nick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat was it?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was up at Henry\u2019s,\u201d Nick said, \u201cand two fellows came in and tied up me and the cook, and they said they were going to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounded silly when he said it. Ole Andreson said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey put us out in the kitchen,\u201d Nick went on. \u201cThey were going to shoot you when you came in to supper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ole Andreson looked at the wall and did not say anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGeorge thought I better come and tell you about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere isn\u2019t anything I can do about it,\u201d Ole Andreson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what they were like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to know what they were like,\u201d Ole Andreson said. He looked at the wall. \u201cThanks for coming to tell me about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick looked at the big man lying on the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you want me to go and see the police?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ole Andreson said. \u201cThat wouldn\u2019t do any good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t there something I could do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. There ain\u2019t anything to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe it was just a bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. It ain\u2019t just a bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ole Andreson rolled over toward the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only thing is,\u201d he said, talking toward the wall, \u201cI just can\u2019t make up my mind to go out. I been in here all day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t you get out of town?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ole Andreson said. \u201cI\u2019m through with all that running around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere ain\u2019t anything to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t you fix it up some way?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. I got in wrong.\u201d He talked in the same flat voice. \u201cThere ain\u2019t anything to do. After a while I\u2019ll make up my mind to go out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI better go back and see George,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo long,\u201d said Ole Andreson. He did not look toward Nick. \u201cThanks for coming around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick went out. As he shut the door he saw Ole Andreson with all his clothes on, lying on the bed looking at the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been in his room all day,\u201d the landlady said down-stairs. \u201cI guess he don\u2019t feel well. I said to him: \u2018Mr. Andreson, you ought to go out and take a walk on a nice fall day like this,\u2019 but he didn\u2019t feel like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t want to go out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry he don\u2019t feel well,\u201d the woman said. \u201cHe\u2019s an awfully nice man. He was in the ring, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019d never know it except from the way his face is,\u201d the woman said. They stood talking just inside the street door. \u201cHe\u2019s just as gentle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, good-night, Mrs. Hirsch,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not Mrs. Hirsch,\u201d the woman said. \u201cShe owns the place. I just look after it for her. I\u2019m Mrs. Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, good-night, Mrs. Bell,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood-night,\u201d the woman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick walked up the dark street to the corner under the arc-light, and then along the car-tracks to Henry\u2019s eating-house. George was inside, back of the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you see Ole?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d said Nick. \u201cHe\u2019s in his room and he won\u2019t go out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cook opened the door from the kitchen when he heard Nick\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even listen to it,\u201d he said and shut the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you tell him about it?\u201d George asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure. I told him but he knows what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess they will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe must have got mixed up in something in Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess so,\u201d said Nick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hell of a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an awful thing,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They did not say anything. George reached down for a towel and wiped the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wonder what he did?\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDouble-crossed somebody. That\u2019s what they kill them for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to get out of this town,\u201d Nick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d said George. \u201cThat\u2019s a good thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t stand to think about him waiting in the room and knowing he\u2019s going to get it. It\u2019s too damned awful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\u201d said George, \u201cyou better not think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE END<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Killers is a short story by Ernest Hemingway published in 1927 in Scribner’s Magazine. The story takes place in a small caf\u00e9 in a village called Summit, where two mysterious men enter and begin to act threateningly. George, the caf\u00e9 owner, and Nick Adams, a young customer, soon discover that the strangers have arrived to meet Ole Andreson, a former boxer who arrives every day at six o’clock for dinner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20102,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[591,590,570],"class_list":["post-7844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-stories","tag-crime","tag-ernest-hemingway-en","tag-united-states","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":559,"label":"Short stories"}],"post_tag":[{"value":591,"label":"Crime"},{"value":590,"label":"Ernest Hemingway"},{"value":570,"label":"United States"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/lecturia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Ernest-Hemingway-Los-asesinos2.webp",1024,1024,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Juan Pablo Guevara","author_link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/author\/spartakku\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":559,"name":"Short stories","slug":"short-stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":559,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":424,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":559,"category_count":424,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Short stories","category_nicename":"short-stories","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":591,"name":"Crime","slug":"crime","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":591,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":590,"name":"Ernest Hemingway","slug":"ernest-hemingway-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":590,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":570,"name":"United States","slug":"united-states","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":570,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":296,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}