The Expendable Man Quotes

“He'd always had a quickening of the heart when he crossed into Arizona and beheld the cactus country. This was as the desert should be, this was the desert of the picture books, with the land unrolled to the farthest distant horizon hills, with saguaro standing sentinel in their strange chessboard pattern, towering supinely above the fans of ocotillo and brushy mesquite.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“There were no passing cars to call out to. You couldn’t call for help from a police car, anyway; he didn’t think you could.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“People were nice if you found the right ones. The trouble was there were so many of the wrong ones.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“It was factual and he accepted it.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“For a moment they stood there looking at each other, then as if she sensed he held private plans, she lifted herself taller and touched his cheek with her lips. “Don’t be brave,” she said. “You’re in enough trouble.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“It hurt to think that the poison of uncontrolled development, the money greed, if unchecked, would soon reduce not only this oasis but the whole of the beautiful desert valley to the sterility of the tract.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“His smile at Ellen was a welcome untouched by the rigidity of the noon meeting. He was in a terry robe and zoris; he carried a high-ball glass.

“You’ll excuse me for not waiting for you.” He divided the smile with Hugh.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“There was an indefinable something which matched them as if they were meant to be a pair. Both were slim, long-limbed, sleek, expensive. Both were tanned, he darkly, she golden.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“An Ellen couldn’t be kept waiting that long. He laughed silently at himself. By the time he had the house, she’d be marrying off her granddaughters.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“This time Skye’s smile for her was as if they’d known each other for years.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“The absurdity of the idea curled Hugh’s lips.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“They know that once that accusation is made, the man will never be quite free of suspicion of guilt”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“Skye smiled, it was meant to be comfort.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“She reached the living room as he entered. She was buttoning a beach coat over her swim suit. As always she gave him the quick searching glance, to read in his face if things were good or ill.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“Emerging at seven-thirty, the warmth of the day past was pleasant on his face. He was inordinately hungry.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“The chief delayed response. He photographed Hugh from crown to toe, he probed Houston’s features, he rubbed a thoughtful finger on his cheekbone. Hugh changed his first opinion. The chief might be a political appointee but he came from legal background. He had enough years and experience on Houston to force the younger man to attack.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“From the intonation of Hugh’s voice, Edward was already wary of what was to come. The fear of trouble was so close to the surface in even the most secure of them.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“Again she broke into galloping words, punctuated with Mahm Gittys, ending by raising her voice, “Pepita! Pepita!” with an epilogue which seemed to wash her hands of the whole subject.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“The cold of the cafeteria enveloped them like a snowfall. They loaded their trays and managed to find a separate table. Without apology, each took up a newspaper, reading as they ate, occasionally reciting a sentence or two aloud. They exchanged papers as they finished the only story.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“He was surprised at her enthusiasm, he’d never seen her excited before. He was ashamed of his fleeting thought that it was because there had been chemistry between her and Houston; it had been there, he’d sensed it.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“I intend to be governor of this state. My target is four years from now.” He spoke coolly, agreeably, but there was an underlying hint of power in him that hadn’t surfaced before.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“Houston was a lean, broad-shouldered man, topping Hugh by inches. He wore a dark summer suit, cut like a flannel, a white shirt, and a neat dark tie. His close-cropped hair was sunbleached to pale lemon; he was tanned far darker than Ellen, almost as dark as Hugh. Against this brown skin his eyes were a startling bright blue. He wore heavy horn-rimmed glasses; when he removed them to gesture, a deliberately induced habit, he looked
older. He was probably in his late thirties. There was no indication of what the inner man was like, if indeed there was an inner man. He was as dispassionate as a photograph of himself.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“Houston was a lean, broad-shouldered man, topping Hugh by inches. He wore a dark summer suit, cut like a flannel, a white shirt, and a neat dark tie. His close-cropped hair was sunbleached to pale lemon; he was tanned far darker than Ellen, almost as dark as Hugh. Against this brown skin his eyes were a startling bright blue.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“Come in.” He’d known what they were, there’d been no flicker in his eyes. His face was without expression as he stood aside for them to pass through the doorway into his private office.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“He wondered if the Judge had mentioned that Hugh was a N*****, or if when you reached Judge Hamilton’s position such subtleties wouldn’t occur to you. And he wondered if Ellen had this latent fear when meeting someone new. With her background, it wouldn’t seem to be something she had to face, yet how could she escape it entirely? The quickening in the eyes, the certain intonation of the voice, the unspoken awareness: you are black. Even if you were brown or beige or lightly sun-tanned.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“It was a lie and they all knew it was a lie, but there was no rancor among them. This clerk couldn’t cancel the system; her genuine friendliness was her contribution toward eroding it. Five years ago she wouldn’t have had a vacant unit; ten years ago she would have said, “We don’t take N******,” if any had had the courage or spunk to inquire.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“He managed a smile. “You’re an army with banners flying.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“Ellen’s voice on the telephone was as bright as the slant of the sun dividing the drapes on the lanai windows. “I let you sleep as long as I could.” His watch hands read quarter to ten. She was speaking with an eager carelessness, girl to boy, in case anyone was listening. “Do you want to come out and get me? I’m moving to The Palms.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“No further messages had been insinuated under his door. He was asleep when his head touched the pillow.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man

“For an instant, he took his eyes off the road. She was smiling. Not at him, but at the certainty of the coming-true of the plans they both were making.”
― Dorothy B. Hughes, The Expendable Man