Pale Morning Dun Pale Morning Dun Stories by Richard Dokey University of Missouri Press Columbia and London Copyright © 2004 by Richard Dokey University ofMissouri Press,Columbia,Missouri 65201 Printed and bound in the United States ofAmerica All rights reserved 5 4 3 2 1 08 07 06 05 04 Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dokey,Richard. Pale morning dun :stories / by Richard Dokey. p.cm. ISBN 0-8262-1511-4 (alk.paper) I.Title. PS3554.O42P35 2004 813’.54—dc22 2003022909 This paper meets the requirements ofthe American National Standard for Permanence ofPaper for Printed Library Materials,Z39.48,1984. Designer:Jennifer Cropp Typesetter:Crane Composition,Inc. Printer and binder:The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group Typefaces:Aquinas and Minion The following stories, often in somewhat different form, originally appeared in these periodicals: “Hampstead’s Folly,” Clockwatch Review; “The Beggar of Union Square,” Literary Review; “The Monster” and “Never Trust the Weatherman,” Chariton Review; “Pale Morning Dun” and “The Shopper,” Missouri Review; “A House in Order,” Writers’ Forum; “The Suicide,” Interim; “Monkey,” Confrontation; “Vital Statistics,” TriQuarterly; “The Electric Dog,”Washington Review;“Ace,”Laurel Review;“The Mouse,”Flyway. PUBLICATIONOFTHISBOOKHASBEENASSISTED BYTHEWILLIAMPEDENMEMORIALFUND In Memory Of JOHN R. MILTON Editor and Friend Contents Hampstead’s Folly 1 Ace 16 The Monster 27 The Mouse 37 Never Trust the Weatherman 51 A House in Order 67 Vital Statistics 81 Monkey 96 The Beggar of Union Square 104 The Electric Dog 115 The Suicide 127 The Shopper 138 Pale Morning Dun 150 This page intentionally left blank Pale Morning Dun