Summary

"Hills Like White Elephants" begins with a vivid description of the Spanish hills in the distance. They are long and white, with no trees for shade. A train station provides the only shadow on the horizon, and inside the station, there is a small bar, with a curtain made of bamboo beads to keep the flies out.

A couple is sitting at a table in the shade. They are waiting for the train that will come from Barcelona and take them to Madrid. It is hot, and the girl suggests a drink. They decide on beer, and the American man orders dos cervezas, two beers, through the beaded curtain.

The woman brings the beers out, and looks closely at them before going back into the bar. She sees the girl staring at the line of white hills, and the brown, dry...