"Monte." "How nice." " Another five dollars." " Yeah." "Did you ever know Big Joe Abernathy?" "No." "Well, he used to wrestle with wolves." "Well, I never seen him do it, but I heard tell, and I knew Joe." "What are you waiting for?" "I wonder how you would wrestle a wolf." "Jesus." "Hey, hey!" "BRENNAN:" "Monte, Chet." " Howdy, Mr. Brennan." " Howdy, boy." "Hey, what's going on?" "BRENNAN:" "Winter's wiped out all the ranches." "MONTE:" "It was a rotten winter, I'll grant you that." " Including the Cross Bar?" " Yep." "Oh, uh, Old Man Hendricks did leave you boys some pay though." "That's good news." "There you are." "This is one month's pay?" "We were up there all winter." "Plus $10 for the two wolves." "Well, he could have left us nothing." "Come on, Chet." " Can I buy you a drink, Mr. Brennan?" " Not now." "I'll buy you boys a drink later." " I'd like to talk to you." " We're just gonna..." "What are all these boys doing in town?" "They're looking for work." "Uh..." "Let's talk on the way to the stables, huh?" "Something happened to the Slash Y?" "It's gone." "A big company called Consolidated Cattle bought me and all the others out." "Hey, who are they?" "Oh, mostly accountants, as far as I can make out." "Accountants?" "Yeah, with big eastern money." "They asked me to stay on and run it for them." "Range manager, they call it." "They wanna keep one spread running while they decide what to do with the rest of their holdings." " Are you gonna do it?" " Yeah, I reckon so." "They..." "They're putting up all the capital, that's what they call it." "You know, they never mentioned money once." "Why should they?" " Cowhands are a dime a dozen." " A nickel." "Yeah, I know that, but I'm trying to build up something." "Something kind of special like." "And I guess I'll be in the position to offer you what you might call a regular job." "How that sound to you?" " Great." " Awful." "If you've been doing any traveling, you know work's kind of hard to come by, Monte." "That's the way it should be." "You ought to think real hard about taking my offer." "Ain't much work anywhere." "Well, it don't take any real hard thinking on my part, Mr. Brennan." "You can count me in." "How about you, Monte?" "Well, I ain't doing nothing I can't do from a horse." "Mr. Brennan." "See you boys at Slash Y." "What the hell are you being so damn choosy about?" "You wanna ride your tail off up in Wyoming or the Dakotas scrounging for work?" "Come on." "MARTINE:" "Mm." "You had your hair cut." "It's been a long winter." "I didn't wanna waste my time with any extras." "Let's slow it up a little bit." "Wouldn't do for Mr. Brennan to think we was too anxious." "Howdy, boys." "Howdy, Mr. Brennan." "Howdy, Chet, Monte." "How's the grub, Sunfish?" "Grub's fine, Monte." "The cook's Skimpy Eagans." "Wait till they get a whiff of old Skimp." "Hi." "Hey." "My name's Sugar, Sugar Wyman." "Monte Walsh." "This here is Chet Rollins." " Hi." " Yeah, I heard of you." "Hey, Chet." "Lookie what Mr. Brennan found." "You a good cook, Skimp." "Thank you, Sunfish." "Ha, ha." "There you are." "Boy, get a whiff of that smell." "Good, huh?" "Hey, Monte." "Ha-ha-ha." " Howdy." " Howdy." "Howdy." "Hi." "Hi, Sug, how's the leg?" "Sunfish." "All right." "Along, I've been getting along." "Say, uh, Mr. Walsh," "Mr. Brennan figures he's got his self the best bronc buster in the territory." "What do you got to say about that?" "Well, he better take good care of him." "Who is it?" "Why, Mr. Shorty Austin, of course." "That's all according to what you mean by bronc busting." "Well, I'll allow, as I seen Shorty kill a few." "But then again I always figured it was kinder to shoot a horse than it was to ride him to death." " Ain't you hungry?" " No, I think I'm too tired to eat." "Oh, well, now, not eating is what makes you tired, you know?" "I know, but he sure can cook." "Smart dog." "Now then, Mr. Walsh, where was you before you was here?" "Oh, we was up at the Cross Bar." "How was the cook?" " Nothing like you." " Amen." "Heh." "Ha, you see?" "Ha-ha-ha." "CHET:" "I ain't used to going to sleep hungry." "SHORTY:" "When you're starving, you'll eat." "Can't somebody tell him?" "SHORTY:" "Tell a cook?" "You know better than that." "Well, there's only one thing we can do." "Mr. Brennan!" "Come on, Skimpy." "Come on." "Come on." "Playful, ain't he?" "So you're the bronc buster, huh?" "You must really be living out here." "I've busted everything so far except this here gray, and you can have him for a pet when I get finished." "You think I'll live that long?" " Hey, you want me to take him now?" " Not likely." "Well, if you change your mind." "He don't even want the saddle." " He's something, huh?" " Yeah." "Think he's too much horse for you, Shorty?" "Well, I'm the only one who's gonna find that out." "Hey, if that wagon's too much for you," "I can get you Brennan's rocking chair to ride, huh?" "CHET:" "Hyah!" "Hey." "Whoa." "Whoa!" " Howdy." " Howdy." " Where do you want it?" " Drop one roll here." "Take the rest up the line." "The boys say you rode with, uh, General Hooker during the war." "That's right." "Took his name too." "Fightin' Joe Hooker." "That's me." "I had me a good life." "You know, I was charging with the general in '63." "When he led the Army of the Cumberland." "At the Missionary Ridge." "I had a good life." "Anything more we can do for you?" "Nope." " So long." " So long." "Ah." "Aha." "Looks like his life is over with." "Might as well be, riding fence." "What's the matter, Monte?" "SHORTY:" "Brennan's mustangs." "They ain't Brennan's." "They belong to them accountants." ""Shipped and sold," Consolidated says." "Brennan's got no choice." "There's a job to be done." "ALL:" "Hyah, hyah!" "Crazy animals, they don't wanna be herded." "Sonny, Shorty, get around in front of them." "Hyah!" "MONTE:" "Shorty's in trouble." "You ain't going nowhere!" "You either!" "Hoo!" "Ha!" "You're gonna break a leg someday doing that." " I got two." " Hyah!" "Oh, hey." "We did it." "You goddamn accountants, we did it." " Hey, Monte, can you do that?" " Why, sure." "Well, then let's see you do it." "Well, I just did." "What are you talking about?" "L..." "You got off your horse, I got off my horse." "You're standing on the ground, I'm standing on the ground." "Ain't that right, Chet?" "I guess we all did it, Shorty." "Take the horses in, Shorty." "Ha, ha." "Come on." "Let's go." "Good afternoon, Mrs. Eagle." "Good afternoon, Mr. Rollins." "Who's behind?" "The hardware widow." "Sure wouldn't mind hammering a nail into that." "You mind your tongue." "What'd I say?" "Ain't you ever read the Bible?" "Well, I don't remember reading nothing about hardware widows in it." "I'm going to the music hall and have a drink." "Chet, what does it say in the Bible about hardware widows?" "To treat them kindly." "Well, maybe hammering a nail into the hardware widow would be the kindest thing in world for her, huh?" "Howdy." "Excuse me." "Sit in for me, Chet, huh?" "Hi, countess." "I can't believe it." "Where have you been?" "Now, Martine, don't tell me you've missed me." "Ah." "You need a haircut." "Yeah." "Well, what are we waiting for?" "You know, let's go." "You haven't changed much, have you?" " "What are we waiting for?" "Let's go."" " Yeah." "What exactly did you have in mind?" "I don't know, um..." "I mean, you gotta eat, you know, like, dinner." "Well, countess, I was broke that time." "I told you that." "Yes, you told me." "And stop calling me countess." "I thought all you foreign girls was countesses." "Just because a woman is a foreigner doesn't make her a countess." "Hmm?" "Anyway, I have an appointment for now." "I have to leave." "Mm, uh..." "That's okay, I'm kind of busy myself." "Maybe I'll, you know, stop around your place about midnight." " For dinner?" " Hmm?" "For dinner?" "I ain't hungry." "Unfortunately, I have an engagement at that time." "But perhaps I will cancel this appointment." " I'll walk you home." " Just to the door will do." "CHET:" "How you doing, Monte?" "Hey, not bad, I'm about," " uh, $43 ahead." " Yeah." "Let's get out of here." "Come on." " Uh, fold and, uh, deal me out." " Where are you going?" "I said a couple of hours." "It's been a couple of hours, huh?" "You can't quit this early." "Oh." "Twenty-five, 30." "Ouch!" "Thirty-five, 40." "Forty-one, 42, 43." "My, oh, my." "What do you say we go get Shorty?" "CHET:" "Monte?" "Hey, Monte." "MARTINE:" "I ought to charge you for a haircut." "I ought to charge you for something." "You know how much you've cost me all these years?" "If you don't quit complaining," "I'm gonna start charging you." "Don't you think I'm worth it?" " Yes, you're worth it." " Okay." "Are all you foreign ladies so interested in a man's hair?" "I don't know." "It's finished." "Well, how does it look?" "The light is better from here." "How's your herd?" "Quiet." "You gonna serve us up some of your revenge for breakfast tomorrow?" "Don't necessarily have to be for breakfast." "You know, it could be any time." "Ha-ha-ha." "Howdy, Shorty." "Hey, Rufus, Powder." "Can you feed another couple mouths?" "You darn betcha I can." " Hat." " Hi, Rufus." "I don't suppose there's any work." "Didn't think so." "Howdy, Chet." "Rufus." "How'd it go in Charleyville, Ruf?" "Tried working for the railroad for a while." "Ain't for me." "I like horses." "Ain't that Fightin' Joe?" " That damn fool's gonna..." " Fightin' Joe?" "He ain't gonna be worth a nickel if he don't slow down." "What the hell is he doing?" "Coming down Missionary Ridge." "He'll never make it." "He don't want to." "He must have gone clean out of his mind." "I wonder if he felt anything." "Sure." "Surprise." " Morning, boys." "MEN:" "Morning, Mr. Brennan." "I figured on a small herd, but not as small as we got." "Now, Consolidated won't spend any money getting cows." "So I've got to lay off four men." "Joe Hooker's gone." "That leaves three." "I've decided on Sugar," "Shorty," "Joe Joslin." "The three youngest." "That's as fair as I know how to make it." "Now, one of you can stay on if you wanna ride fence." "Sorry, boys." " Monte and me got a couple of extra..." " Better keep it." "Way things are going." "Take it, Shorty." "We won't be needing it." "We're getting our three squares." "Thanks." "I wish I knew something besides cowboying." "Well, I ain't gonna ride you down." "He's all yours, Monte." "See you around." "Why did Brennan have to let them go?" "Hmm?" "Why did Brennan have to let them go?" "Brennan's got no choice." "Consolidated sends the word." "That's the way it's gotta be." "Well, I hadn't thought of it like that." "Hmm?" "He said he hadn't thought of it like that." "That's the trouble with Dally." "He thinks wrong too damn much." "Yes, by God, maybe I do..." " Cut that out." " Shut up." "Oh, my..." "Here, Chet, hold this so I can see who I'm hitting." "It does make sense." "Hey, Monte." "Maybe you ought to hold the lamp." "Now, now, now." "What's been going on around here?" "Well, nothing much." "We was just having a..." "A little argument." "About what?" "Damned if I know." "What was it, Dally?" "What was it?" "I plumb forgot." "Hey, what do you know?" "I ain't felt this good in months." "Maybe I was wrong." "Oh, no, Dally, you weren't wrong." "It's just that nothing's been right these days." "MARTINE:" "This is our last night." "I'm moving to Charleyville." "MONTE:" "That dump." "MARTINE:" "Hmm." "Yes." "You're right." "It's a dump." "But then, I work in a profession of diminishing returns." "I mean, as time goes by, we all have to take the best we can get." "Perhaps one day you will find the same applies to you." "MONTE:" "You can do a lot better than that." "There's nothing else I can do." "There's no one left here, except town people and few farmers." "Well, didn't the winter wipe out the ranches in Charleyville too?" "Yes." "They're building a spur on the railroad." "Charleyville's 40 miles away." "Damn winter." "Well, you need something to help you settle in." "I have never taken any money from you." "Well, this ain't money." "It's, uh, capital." " Capital?" " Yeah." "That's what they call it these days." "Go on." "Take it." "It ain't like I don't have a horse." "Oh, Martine." "Hey." "Hey, hey." "This is how we started a couple of days ago." "Shh, shh, shh." "Turn around slow, Rufus." "He's got a gun on you." "MARSHAL:" "You stay out of it, sonny." "Get them up here!" "Come on, let's get out of here!" "Turns out Rufus and Powder's wanted for robbing a bank in Miles City." "I don't know what I'm gonna do." "MONTE:" "Rufus robbing a bank?" " Well, he couldn't get work, I guess." "There's a $500 reward for him." "Oh, he sure must be getting mean." " I ain't never even been in a bank." " Yes." "As soon as they get the word out, they'll be sending for help from down the line." "You'd better get going." "Hey, when things settle down, you'll be able to tell it your way, huh?" "If you'd only told me." "Look, if I was you, I'd head South." "If you find work down there and make a fortune, you can send us some, huh?" "Yeah." "A fella was telling me that things are looking good around San Antone." "Well, if you don't find work there, try the banks." "I never killed a man before." "Hyah." "Hyah!" "I'm gonna miss that short fuse." "Monte." "What do you want?" "Mary and I are going to get married." "How's that gonna work out?" "What do you mean?" "You being a cowboy." "Well, I ain't gonna be much longer." "What you gonna be?" "A hardware man." "Oh, you mean you're gonna live in town?" "Look, Monte, you have any idea how many cowhands there were in this country ten, 15 years ago?" "Well, there's a hell of a lot fewer now." "Pretty soon there won't be hardly any, the way things are going." "It's gonna get tougher." "Now, come on, Chet, things ain't that bad." "Yeah, they are, Monte." "You ain't suggesting that I become a hardware man too, are you?" "Hell, no." "But nobody gets to be a cowboy forever." "Is there any sign of them black cows up to the north end?" "Maybe they moved back inside the herd." "We didn't see them." "No sign of them down at the south end." "Peculiar." "Let's give them a couple of days." "Maybe they'll wander back into the herd." "I won't be going right back to the Slash Y." "I think I'm gonna go into Harmony." "I got a fitting on my wedding suit." "DALLY:" "When's it set for?" "Next week." "Hey, Chet." "Is she a good?" "Uh..." "If she ever needs a bath, I'll be happy to oblige." "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, we really had some good times together." "We sure did." "CHET:" "Monte?" "Come here." "You're missing something." "The grub's real good." "Well, I feel like a smoke first." "Howdy, Mr. Brennan." " Congratulations." " Thank you." "BRENNAN:" "Sorry I'm late, but I had to collect for a couple horses I sold to a wild west show that's holding up over in Charleyville." "I hear you sold the gray." "Uh-huh." "We've been selling things from the Slash Y like it was a regular hardware store." "Mary." "Mr. Brennan's here." "You sure look mighty pretty, Ms. Rollins." "Thank you." "How about a drink?" "Well, now, seeing it's a wedding, don't mind if I do." "You sure look nice, Monte." "Thank you, ma'am." "I hope you're getting used to Chet and me." "I ain't had so much to get used to in my life as lately." "Things ain't going so good, huh?" "No." "This ain't no place." "No place at all." "Since when?" "Since I got here." "You all right?" "Sure." "Martine." "Was your mother and daddy married?" "Probably." "I really don't know." "How come we never got married?" "You never asked me." "I never thought of it." "Cowboys don't get married." "Unless they stop being cowboys." "Chet got married." "Did you ride 40 miles to tell me that?" "No, I..." "I was thinking I should get a job and we could get married." "How does that sound to you?" "I like it." "Marriage is a common ambition in my profession." "Didn't you know that?" "Well, don't you wanna think about it?" "No." "The idea has always appealed to me." "I thought it might at that." "You'd better stay away from cowboys though." "The way things are, a cowboy doesn't make enough money to live right, let alone get married." "I don't know what else I could do." "Monte." "I'll be waiting." "So good." "Well, lookie who's here." "So you're gonna be ornery for the crowds now, huh?" "Ha-ha-ha." "All right, yeah." "That's more I like it." "Come on, get him." "Go on, beautiful." "Do you know what I'm gonna do?" "I'm gonna teach you some manners before you leave." "Easy now, huh?" "Steady." "Steady." "Easy." "Easy, easy." "Easy." "Easy." "Ah ta-ta-ta, easy." "None of that." "No, no, no." "Easy." "Real easy now." "Darling, just listen to me." "Now, stand back." "Steady now." "Easy." "Easy." "Easy." "Shit." "No, you don't." "Son of a bitch." "Let's go." "Come on, come on, come on." "Yeah, well..." "Thanks." "I've seen riding in my day, young fella, and I take my hat off to you." "Ha-ha-ha." "I hope you don't mind my talking to you, young fella, but you were riding my horse." "That's a fact." "Ha, ha." "Colonel Wilson's my name." "Monte Walsh." "I'm, uh, looking for someone to take over for my bronco rider." "He's getting a little moss-grown." "I pay him 30 a week and all expenses." "You'll have enough put by to get a place of your own in a couple of years." " Thirty a week?" " And all expenses." "Yes, sir, Mr. Walsh." "As a matter of fact, I've heard a lot about you, not all of it bad either." "How would you like to be Texas Jack Butler, star cowboy, bronco buster and all-around wild man of the West?" "Monte Walsh will do." "But it won't do, Mr. Walsh." "It won't do at all." "Texas Jack Butler's a long-established name." "It's got history, pedigree." "When folks come to Colonel Wilson's Wild West Round-Up, they expect to see a name they recognize, something with class." "Oh, not that you ain't got class, son." "Sure you have." "But who knows you, son?" "Maybe here in Charleyville, or this here territory." "But we're just passing through here." "Back East is where the people see us." "And back East, the people want Texas Jack Butler." " Well, who is this, uh?" " Savvy?" "Who is Texas Jack Butler?" "Oh, he was a nice fella." "He come from Joplin, Missouri." "Got run down by a street car in Chicago about six months ago." "He couldn't ride a horse worth a damn, but he put on a hell of a good show." "What do you say, son?" " Thirty a week and..." " And all expenses." "So I'm Texas Jack Butler." "Fine, son, fine." "That's a deal." "Come on in, son, let's drink to your joining us." "Boy, I sure could use a drink." "WILSON:" "Traveling, son." "You're gonna like it." "Wichita, Kansas City, St. Louis, streets are all paved." "You won't see mud for a year." "It's gonna change your whole life, son." "What do you think, son?" "Not bad, is it, fella?" "Hey, what's the matter, son?" "I ain't spitting on my whole life." "Yeah, but all them places, uh, hotels and city streets." "Maybe they're okay." "I don't know." "The fact is, I just don't know what I'd do making my living that way." "You mean you're not going to take the job?" "I thought we ought to wait for a while anyway." "Well, hell, countess, ain't but one way I know how to make a living." "So I was thinking if I headed back to the Slash Y and started saving my money, maybe even get a raise, you know, then maybe in a couple of years we could" " work this out." " Sure." "Don't worry about it." "Maybe you could work something out." "Yeah, maybe I could." "I wasn't expecting anything immediate, you know." "Maybe I'll join you later, Monte." "Yeah, all right." "HAT:" "Them's ours." "Afternoon." " Where'd you get them black cows?" " I bought them." "HAT:" "When?" " A week ago." " Who from?" "FARMER:" "Three cowboys." "Said their ranch over in West Texas was finished." " One of them riding a spotted horse?" " That's right." "I got a bill of sale." "It ain't worth nothing." "Them cows is rustled." "MONTE:" "I couldn't sleep if I was rustling cows." "Where's Powder?" "Out rustling or selling?" "We need the money." "I thought robbing banks was your style, Brady." "We couldn't get work." "A lot of good boys can't get work." "If I was starving, I couldn't rustle." "You ain't." "You get your three squares every day." "Ain't like we was rustling from anybody we know." " Cal Brennan's a pretty good man." " They ain't his." "Belong to somebody we don't know." "Makes no difference." "They belong to Slash Y." "Slash Y?" "Stop blathering about something that ain't anymore." "The kind of life you're talking about is dead!" "Snow buried it last winter." "It ain't dead." "As long as there's one cowboy taking care of one cow, it ain't dead!" " You dumb, egg-sucking..." " Don't." "Get out of here, Shorty." "Put that thing away." "Thank you." "Oh, let me help you with the door." "Thank you." "Excuse me." " Goodbye, Mr. Rollins." " Good day." "Shorty." "Howdy, Shorty." "Chet." "What can I do for you?" "Well, I thought you might help us out with a little stake, Chet." "So's you can run?" "You wanna run all your life now?" "A stake will get me where nobody knows." "I can stop running." "Never happens that way." "Give yourself up, Shorty." "That's just like I figured." "You stay out of this." "Sugar will tell the way the marshal drawed without his badge showing." "We ain't getting nothing here." "I told you to stay out of this." "Unless we take it." "Hand over what you got." "Like hell I will." "Do you wanna widow your woman twice?" "Shorty, listen..." "Oh, no." "Oh, God, no!" "No, no, no!" "Monte, ain't you going to the funeral?" "To me, Chet ain't dead yet." " I got word from Consolida..." " I ain't interested." "I'm afraid you'll have to be." "They've given up on the Slash Y." "For the time being, they want to fence in all their land." "That's all." "That's gonna be a lot of fence." "I was gonna tell the rest of the boys after the funeral." "But I tell you now, just in case you didn't wanna ride back this way." "Here's your pay." "Thanks." "Oh, would you tell Dolly to put that Chet was from Illinois on his marker?" "Sure." "Chet was proud of that." "Oh, and tell Mary why I'm not there, huh?" "I will." "Where's the man belongs to that spotted horse?" "Oh, he's been gone quite some time." "Trade his horse for a fresh one, had a drink and left." "How long a while?" "I'd say three hours." " What color he trade for?" " Black." "What you got your hands up for?" " Hey, Monte." " Sugar." "You'd never guess who come by earlier." "Shorty." "Yeah." "I'm after him." "You doing the law's work?" "Shorty blowed Chet's head off with a double-barrel shotgun." "Oh, God, no." "Why?" "Chet couldn't say." "You working here?" "How long?" "You like it?" "Got a good stove." "I figure on staying through the winter." "Last winter Chet and me was in a line camp for the Cross Bar." "I was punching for Double Six." "Did Shorty trade horses?" "No." "Monte." "I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I hear Martine's in a bad way." "Thought you might wanna know." "You're too late, mister." "She didn't wanna hold on any longer." "You must be Walsh." "She said you'd come." "I did all I could." "Believe me, I did." "I'm taking care of the funeral." "I came away kind of fast, but I got some cash, doc." "No, it's all fixed up." "Funny about that." "She was always particular about most things." "Had enough put aside to give her a real nice one." "Foreign girl, wasn't she?" "Yeah." "She was a countess." "Girls like that sure do get some strange notions." "All the time she was here she hung on to that little box." "SHORTY:" "Monte!" "Ain't you ever coming out?" "I knew you'd be coming for me, Monte." "No sense wearing out good horses chasing." "I figured you'd be here after Sugar told you about Martine." "You should have told him about Chet too." "There's no use talking, I suppose." "No use." "Turn around, Shorty." "Come on." "I'm here, Shorty." "I rode down the gray." "You had to sit him high." "Well, lookie here." "Did I ever tell you about Big Joe Abernathy?" "Well, he used to wrestle wolves." "Well, I never seen him do it." "But I heard tell, and I knew Joe." "I always wondered how you would wrestle a wolf." "Yeah." "Well, we got better things to do than shoot wolves." "Now, let me tell you about Big Joe Abernathy." "This boy was big." "Now, he'd come up around Denver way..." "Subripped by:" "Tantico 11.2010."