"Mister?" "Sorry." "You're next." "Pardon me, miss." "My mind was somewhere else." "No problem." "It happens to me too." "I'd like to wire this to St. Joseph's Boarding School in Boston." "It's urgent." "Someone's put an "E"" "on every one of these bills." " I didn't notice." " People try to put fake money by me on account of these cheaters," " but I've got instinct." " That money is good." "Yes, it is." "Been waiting long, Destinado?" "How are you this morning?" "As you can see, his hoof isn't 100% yet." "But if you don't gallop him for a few days, he'll take you to the end of the world." "Thanks." "Not too often you get to work on a horse like this." "If you want to sell, I'd be interested in buying." "Next time he gives me lip about getting up in the morning," "I'll think about it." "Got that, pal?" "Yah!" "Stop them!" "Stop them!" "Stop them!" "We're robbed!" "They took everything." " Where's the sheriff?" " He's in the saloon." "Where do you think he is?" "My money..." "where's my money?" "Gone." "Hey, no galloping." "Hey, remember, no galloping." "No!" "Bad!" "Where are you going?" "!" "No." " Are you all right, kid?" " I've been better, that's for sure." "Dang snake." "You should've got him in the head." "Then how could he tell his friends to leave kids like you alone?" "Are you saying you didn't kill him on purpose?" "Better to change the mind of many than getting rid of just one." " Ow, my shoulder!" " Hold on." "It hurts here?" "Can you move that arm like this?" "Oh, it hurts!" "It's broken." "We'll see." "Now tell me what food do you like best?" " My what?" " What is your favorite?" " Mrs. Melody's apple pie." " Oh!" "I like apple pie too." "Mrs. Melody's are the best, but what does that have to do with my shoulder?" "Now I want you to close your eyes" " and picture that pie." " Why?" "Trust me." "Close your eyes." "Tell me why is that pie so special?" "It smells of hot butter." "When you take a bite, it'll just melt in your mouth." "Oh, what, are you crazy?" "!" "Your shoulder was out, kid." "Now it's not." "Try to move your arm." "Heh, it doesn't hurt too much." "Are you a doctor?" "No, I'm not." "Come on, kid." "I'm gonna get beat if I show up at the ranch without my horse." "Your Pa will let it go once he finds out what happened." "I don't have a dad or a mom." "They were killed by outlaws when I was a month old." " Sorry, kid." " What brings you here?" "Bandits..." "I've been tracking them." "I saw two men this morning galloping like the devil was chasing 'em." "Which way did they go?" "Toward Holysand, I think." "I'm not sure... they were far off." "There it is..." "Holysand." "I wonder what that fire's about." "Nothing good, I'm sure." "God will punish you for this, Mitchell!" "Leave God out of this, Victor, and get it into your thick head:" "That land will belong to me and my cattle." "That's Nathan Mitchell, the man I work for." "What's going on here?" "Sheriff, the seed salesman sold Nathan the seeds at three times the market cost!" " Business is business." " Free country." "Man can buy whatever he wants." "And he can burn whatever he buys!" "Not if it's just to burn it under our noses, keep us from getting what we need." "Gentlemen, is this really the example we want to set for our children?" "Move this out of the road right now." "Do it now." "Garvey, do as the sheriff says." "See you at the ranch." "Consider it done." "Silver, did you hear that?" "Douse the fire and clear the street..." " on the double!" " Don't say anything, you'll make it worse." "I fell from my horse, Garvey." "My shoulder hurts so bad." "Unless you want your face to hurt too, do as I say." "Hello, handsome man, what can I get you?" " Iced tea, miss." " Say that again." "You heard right, Gloria." "Your handsome man wants tea." "You find that funny?" "Out here, mister, tea's not a real man's drink." "Know what I mean?" "Yeah, I know what you mean." "But I can't help it." " I like tea." " He likes tea." "Is it true that a man who drinks tea can't hold a deck of cards?" "Probably." "But if you want," "I can play a couple of hands while I sip my tea." "Let's give this man a seat." "Thanks." "Gloria!" "Pitcher of tea for the table." "I really thought I won that one." "Doesn't two aces beat three jacks?" "Sure you didn't have whiskey in that glass, friend?" " Sure you want to keep playing?" " Yeah, but I lost a lot." "How can I make it up?" " You have to raise the stakes." " Are you in?" "Fine by me." "Gotta be able to pay though." "Even someone who drinks tea knows that in poker you always... you always pay your debts." "Always." "Sorry." "We have to feed our family!" "All right." "Tough break, friend." "Hold on, friend." "Isn't this what you call a royal flush?" "Isn't this a winning hand?" "You dirty snake." "How come you're so lucky?" "Luck has nothing to do with it." "Then how is it you just started winning every hand like that?" "I wasn't the one who thought he had a sucker on his hands." "One last hand... all or nothing." "But if I win, you're gonna walk outside, apologize to the kid and finish sweeping the street yourself." "What are you talking about?" " Are you out of your mind?" " No, not at all." "Think you can put one over on me, huh?" "You good-for-nothing cheater." "I didn't have to cheat." "You're so damn bad." "There's only one way to settle this now." "Show me that your shooting is as good as your cheating." " You're tempting me." " So what are you waiting for?" "Now hold it right there." "You've had your fun." "You had your fun." "He cheated, Sheriff." "Everyone saw." "It's true, Sheriff." " Right, Sam?" " Yeah." "Don't listen to 'em, Sheriff." "I didn't pick up on any card sharpin' and you know I know the difference." "Whatcha got to say for yourself?" " I played clean." " These three here says you didn't." " He cheated." " That's four." "Give me your gun, I'm gonna lock you up." "Whoa!" " My hat." " Slow." "Good." "And this belongs to me." "For now, till I get things cleared up." " How much in there, Garvey?" " I don't know, Sheriff." "$77 and 5¢." "Substantial." " What's going on?" " It's all right, kid." "Hey hey, slow down." "Slow down." "You ain't finished yet, kid." "Hey, Sheriff, I told you I didn't cheat." "I don't know how long you were in the saloon, but..." "You want some tea?" "I like tea myself." "Only I don't ever drink it in public." "I brew it from a secret recipe." "Make it with peppermint leaves." "I was learned it by an old mountain man." "Since we both like tea, what am I doing here?" "For starters, I only got but three cells." "I don't have enough room for Garvey and his men." "Besides, I know all there is to know about them." "You, on the other hand, are kind of interesting." "Looked to me like you're hunting trouble, like you're trying to get yourself killed." " What do you want to know?" " Let's start with your name." " They call me West." " What're you doing in Holysand, Mr. West?" "Two gunslingers... they robbed a post office in Santa Fe." "Some of that money was mine." "I've been tracking them." "So you caught their sign and that brought you here." " I'm sure they're long gone, Sheriff." " That makes sense, seeing as you're the only stranger here." "What line of work are you in, Mr. West?" "I am a professional card player." "If you check my saddlebag," " you'll see that..." " I'm gonna find a couple decks of cards" " and a book." " You read my book?" "Not particularly." "I'm gonna leave this with you." "You're gonna have a lot of time to kill." " Thank you, darling." " You sure you weren't dreaming?" "I'm telling the truth!" "He hit the snake's tail from... at least 300 feet." "And then he fixed my shoulder with one snap, like a doctor." "You sure you're not exaggerating?" "That seems like a lot for one man." "I think you hit your head when you fell off the horse." "No damn cheater hits a snake's tail from 300 feet." "One thing's for sure... whoever this Mr. West is, he's definitely out of order." "You know, everybody's talkin' about the way you fixed that little Silver's shoulder." "Matter fact there's a rumor going around that you are really a doctor." "They all say I'm a gunslinger just because I shot the tail off a rattlesnake." "You know, it's a damn shame that you're not a doctor." "My back is killing me." "The pain is so bad" " I can't sleep at night." " Isn't there a doctor in Holysand?" "Well, the onliest one knows anything about medicine is Mrs. Stark." "She's the teacher." "But I can't let a woman lay hands on me for something like... you know, not..." "not for that reason anyway." "Well, you know what I mean." "I gotta make my last round." "Why don't you get yourself some sleep?" "Yeah." "Yep yep." " Sheriff?" " Yeah?" " The pain in the back." " Yeah?" " It's the boots." " My boots?" "What are you telling me, boy?" "These boots cost me a ton of money." "Special dee-livery Kansas City." "They ruined my wallet, but not my back." "The heels are all worn on the outside." "Get yourself a new pair." "A fella I knew" " fixed his back that way." " A fella you knew?" " It's a long story." " Oh." "You ain't got time for long stories." "I'm throwing you out tomorrow morning." "You get some sleep." " Good night." " Night, Sheriff." "Am I dreaming?" "Or am I seeing what I'm seeing?" "Whoa!" "Hold up there." "Only one way to find out." "Hold on a second, Burt." "I've only got two for you." "Morning, ma'am." "Don't mean to intrude," " but anything we can..." " Need a hand?" "We're at your complete disposal." "That's very kind of you, but I..." "Jack!" "Burt?" "You don't remember me?" "It's me, Millie." " Millie Mitchell." " Here you go." "You two have changed quite a bit too." "But then again not." "M-M-Millie?" " Is that really you?" " Uh-huh." "Shucks, Millie, last time we saw you, you was just a little girl." "I got it." "There you go." "And now you're... like a woman." "Hold it there, Jack." "Hyah!" "Hyah hyah!" "Hyah hyah!" " Notice anything?" " What?" "Watch this." " Did you swallow a broom?" " No, I didn't swallow no broom." "I got me some new boots!" "No more backache." "I feel like a new sheriff." "Looky here." "Denise." " Good morning." " Good morning your own self." "I'd like to talk to the doctor who fixed your back." "Well, he... he never said he was no doctor." "Well, a doctor is a doctor even if he doesn't say it." "If he cured even one of God's creatures, then he can help me." "Mister, I don't know if you're a lowlife poker player or a real doctor, but I have a problem." "There's a woman in town, she's been vomiting for three days." "She doesn't have a fever, but her heartbeat is low and she can't move." "What should I do?" "Don't look at him, look at me." "Can you or can you not help me?" "Did you try some agave juice?" "One spoonful every two hours." "One spoonful is not enough." "Get half a gallon and mix it with half a gallon of boiled water and honey." "Give her a glass every hour, and every three hours give her a cup of tea made with wild nettle leaves." "That should stabilize her heartbeat." "Some hombre he knew got better thattaway." " It's a long story." " Well, I'll do as you say, but I warn you... if you're not telling me the truth, you'll be sorry." "She's got some character." " That's not all she's got, boy." " Oh." "It's incredible..." "nothing's changed." "Still so peaceful, so quiet." "Well, actually things could be a lot better here in Holysand." " What do you mean?" " Millie!" "Father!" "Ohhh." "Grandma Melody!" "I missed you so much." "We missed you too, my dear." "Silver, you grew into a fine young man." "Thank you, Miss Millie." " What are you two doing here?" " Just trying to help." "Get your filthy hands off my daughter's luggage." "Get the hell out of here." "Take your fat brother with you." "Easy, Jack, easy." "No point in arguing." "Go!" "Let's go back to work." " Why did you treat them like that?" " We'll talk later." "Right now I've got some business to take care of." "Get in the buggy." "Sheriff!" "What about this West fellow?" "Far as I can gather he's a cardsharp, but he's not a cheater." " That ain't what my men say." " Ha ha." "Your men'd say that my horse drinks out of his behind." "You need to show my men a little more respect." "You know, Garvey is like my son." "He's loyal." "He's trustworthy." "And that's all that counts to me." "All that counts to me is keeping the peace in this town." "Even at the cost of siding' up with some damn cardsharp?" "Yeah, till he gets his money back he won honest on the table every day and twice on Sunday." "West will get his money back." "He'll get every dime of it." "But if I have any more trouble out of him," "I'm holding you responsible." "I'm holding you accountable." "Here, Sheriff Basehart." " Yeah yeah, Silver." " Can you give this to Mr. West?" "Just tell him Mrs. Melody made it." "He'll understand." " Is it really that good?" " Mm-hmm." "Yeah." "It was still hot when he give it to me." "It's still warm." "It's still delicious." "What's in that... apples?" "I love apple pie!" "I purely do!" "I like apple pie too." "Why do you keep staring at me?" " Do you want some?" " Me?" "No, not me." "No, not me." "What, are you kidding?" " You ate it all." " You said you didn't want any." "Well, I know what I said, but that doesn't..." "That's... that's right neighborly of you." " What's the stakes?" " Stakes is the truth." "If I win, you got to tell me who you really are." "If you win, you leave town with all my secrets." "You see, I have to know what kind of a desperado" "I'm pushing out on an unsuspecting public." "All right, it's a deal." "And I'd like to know what kind of man put me in here in the first place." "Two cards." "We both know how it is... you travel 100 miles and everything changes:" "Gunslingers become mayors;" "saloon dancers become respected ladies;" "and sheriffs... one jack, two jacks, three jacks, four jacks." "Who were you 100 miles from here?" "Well, I was a cardsharp." "And I was a cheat." "And then somehow or t'other" "I became sheriff of Holysand." "Whoa." "I'll get the luggage." "Millie dear!" "It's a pleasure to see you." "Dana, what are you doing here?" "Uh, Millie, there's something I want to tell you." "Dana is my wife now." "We got married a month ago." "Uh, that's not possible." "Why didn't you say anything?" "Everything happened so quickly." "We barely even realized it ourselves." "You were taking your finals in school and I didn't want to bother you." "I thought it'd be better to tell you in person." "You thought wrong, Dad." "I have the right to know when you bring another woman into Mom's house." "Three 10s, and two queens." "Nice!" " Too bad four aces beats 'em." " It sure does." "If you are as good at your job as you are at poker, you're gonna need a bigger jail." "All right, quit stalling', West." "Tell me something I want to know." "I have to give you an IOU on that." "Hold on now, pardner." "A deal's a deal." "Now!" "All right." "I was born overseas, became a doctor, then came to this country to practice in Boston." "I was a good doctor... but one day" "I killed a woman." "I mean," "I could have saved her, but I didn't." "I just had to extract a bullet." "Easy enough for a doctor like me but..." "But you had drunk that day." "Yeah." "She was a widow..." "Mexican." "A beautiful woman." "She had a daughter... three years old." "I've been taking care of her for nine years now." "She's in one of the best boarding schools in Boston." "Her name... is Estrella." "And you play cards to take care of this young'un?" "Uh-huh." "I'm pretty good with my hands, but I never had the guts to pick up a scalpel again." "Cards is the only thing I know now." " And guns." " It goes with the territory." "I gotta watch my back." "What the hell is going on?" "Woo-woo-woo-woo!" "All right, boys, what's going on here?" "Um, Sheriff, it looks like someone took the seed man's clothes and set them on fire." "Now he's running around naked as a jaybird... that's a public obscenity." "I reckon that neither one of you clowns knows anything about this." "Sheriff, arrest these two." "They did this to me." "All right, you two, my office now." "But wait a minute, Sheriff." "It's his word against ours." "I was trying to put the fire out, Sheriff." "You're trying my patience but mightily." "Haul your freight." "Watch your back." "What are you doing?" "You..." "Where are you going?" "Can I get some water out here maybe?" "Can I get a little help here?" "!" "Damn." "It's a $300 suit." "Oh man." "Come on, come on, come on." "Hurry hurry, get it, get it, get it." "Come on!" "Why, you son of a bitch!" "Sure is nice to meet you, Mr. West." "I hope next time you can teach Garvey the lesson he deserves." "Ain't gonna be a next time." "Mr. West is leaving us forthwith." "Right, as soon as I get my money back," "I gonna put many miles between me and this place." "It's always the best who are first to go." "Yeah, that's why you're going to be not leaving here for a long time, boy!" "How long are we staying here?" "Watch out for the bedbugs." "But the beans are great." " What time do we eat?" " Tomorrow." " Tomorrow?" " Sheriff!" " I'm hungry now!" " Sheriff!" "Sheriff!" "I'm hungry too!" "So where are you headed, Doc?" "First I'm gonna get my money back from Garvey." "Then Santa Fe to wire the money to Estrella." "And after that, any town with a poker table." "Well, good luck to you, pard." "Thanks, Sheriff." " Sheriff?" " Yeah?" "You cheated..." "I caught that." "I expected you would." "It's a wonder, isn't it?" "I'm sorry you took it so badly." "What did you expect?" "That I'd hug her and tell her I'm happy she's my new mom?" "No one can replace your mother." "Dana's my wife and you must respect her." "You still haven't told me what happened with the Bakers." "They want to farm that land east of the Colin River." "I need that land to enlarge my herd." " But that land has always been free." " It can't keep being that way." "Anyway, it's nothing for you to be concerned about." "Dana is behind this." "Isn't she?" "You leave her out of it, Millie." "The Bakers are our enemies." "You remember that." "Try to save as much as we can!" "Hurry hurry!" " Try to push it back!" " Come on now." " Victor, what happened?" " It just went up in flames." " Get back!" " We're doing everything we can." "If only my good-for-nothing boys had been here." "They're in jail." "I came to tell you." " What?" " They stripped Sam the salesman's clothing and burnt it." "The whole town's laughing." " So that's why this happened?" " Don't jump to conclusions." " This might have been an accident." " Nathan will pay for this!" "Let's just get the money together to bail Burt and Jack out." "I knew your horse would come back on his own." "Saved me a chewing out for sure." " You can always count on a horse." " Yep." "More than you can count on us humans." "Out of jail already, West?" "Guess Basehart doesn't like cheaters either." "Quit it, Garvey!" "Come inside, we're gonna put an end to this problem once and for all!" "You too, West!" "Come on, Garvey." "Give it to him." "You're making a mistake, Nathan." "We've already discussed this." "Give him his money." "It's all there." "Count it if you like." "Mr. Mitchell's word is good enough for me." "Millie, are you going to town?" "Yes, I have some shopping to do." "My daughter Millie." " Nice to meet you." " We already met." " We did?" " You were in front of me at the post office in Santa Fe right before it was robbed." "But maybe you don't remember because your mind was somewhere else." "Miss Millie." "You're spoiling him, Silver." "Soon he'll like you more than me." "I can't help it." "I grew up around horses." "I've never seen one like this before." "How'd it go with Mr. Mitchell and Garvey?" "I got my money." " You'll go then?" " Yes." "It was nice to know you, Mr. West." "I'm sure we'll meet again soon." "Sooner or later we will." "In the meantime, don't change." "When we do," "I want to make sure that I run into a great man." "Everything all right, Miss Millie?" "I was waiting for you." "It doesn't seem proper for a girl like me to ride out here all alone." "Would you be so kind as to keep me company until Holysand?" "Actually I was going that way, and town is thattaway." "Oh, please, Mr. West?" "I've always thought of Holysand as some sort of paradise, but it's changed so much." "Yeah, you could cut the tension with a knife." "I want to stop this madness." "I'm going to speak with Mrs. Stark." "She's the person I respect most... my teacher." "Did you meet her?" "Once, briefly." "Oh, she's a great woman, but once she gets something in her head, it's impossible to change her mind." "I noticed." "She can be tough at times, but I assure you, she is sensible and sweet." "One thing I know for sure, only women can right the wrongs of men." "You have no proof at all that it was Nathan." "I don't need any proof." "It was him." "Get this in your head, Sheriff:" "This town is a powder keg." "And all of us, including you, are gonna have to choose what side we're on." "I'm on the side of the law." "And it is best that you and everybody else in this town understood that!" "Good day, gentlemen." "Thank you, Sheriff." "Sorry, Pa." "I guess if we hadn't been teaching the seed salesman a lesson none of this would've happened." "Maybe Nathan might not have burned down..." "You don't respond to a prank by burning down someone's barn!" "What Nathan did is an act of war" " and he'll pay for that." " You stooping to his level, Pa?" "This is war, Burt." "And anything goes in war." "From now on we're gonna go around packing guns too." "You think that's a good idea, Pa?" "Thanks for your company, Mr. West." " Good luck with your peace venture." " I'll need it." "I'm sorry to see you go, Mr. West!" "Only women can right the wrongs of men." "Good one." "George Washington?" "Mr. West." "We met at the ranch and he rode back to town with me." "Be careful around him, Millie." "He's a poker player." "Though... quite intriguing, it seems." "But a fine woman like you should stay away." "From your tone of voice, maybe you're the one who needs to be careful." "Millie, is that what they taught you in St. Louis?" " Impertinence?" " I'm sorry." " I didn't mean to offend." " I'm not offended." "I know how to protect myself from the likes of him." "Doesn't matter anymore." "He left town." "Anyway, Mr. West was right about one thing:" "That we women need to do all we can to talk some sense back to the men in this town." "Hello again, pardner." "This time we have insurance." "Even in cases of robbery your money is guaranteed." "This is marked with "E" just like last time." "But it's good money." "I know." "I think Victor's easier to get to than your father, even though Victor's barn burned down." "I do too." "My father isn't himself anymore since he married Dana." "Actually, I always thought your father was the gruffest man in town." "Downright pigheaded." "Okay, so since Victor is our target, how are we going to get him to make an agreement with your father?" "Maybe I should ask his sons to help." "Burt, Jack and I were friends when we were kids." " That was a long time ago." " I think I still have a card to play." "Oh, who's that?" "Big, my husband's dog." "Ever since Eugene died, he likes to go and sit on that old blanket of his." "Oh, he's a sweetie." "Can I pet him?" "He doesn't let anyone touch him, not even me sometimes." "It's okay." "Dogs absolutely love me." "I never met one who didn't." "I hope you have better luck with the Bakers." "West!" "What are you doing here?" "I thought you left." "I left, but now I'm back." "What?" "This is the money that Garvey gave me." "Have a look at one." "See anything?" "Yeah, girl on a bird." "Look closer." "On the righthand side." "Yeah, there's an "E" here." "So what?" "After every poker game," "I separate the good bills from the phony ones so I don't make mistakes when I send the money to the boarding school in Boston, as I did that day in Santa Fe." "So this here "E" is for Estrella?" " Right." " Uh-huh." "What you're telling me is the money that Garvey gave you... was stole from the Santa Fe post office with some of your money along with it." " Right." " Uh-huh." "And what you're asking me to believe is that Garvey was one of the men who stole that money in the post office?" "Right." "I want you to arrest Garvey." "Well, I will grant you that these bills is marked but you can't rule out coincidence." "And you also can't rule out that there ain't a judge in anywhere in holy hell, or Holysand, who would ever convict a man on such flimsy evidence." "Right." "So are you still leaving?" "I'm not gonna leave until we put Garvey in jail." "I mean until you put Garvey in jail." "Why, mighty kind of you, Sheriff." " Thank you." " No, thank you." " West." " Gloria." "Oh my God, I thought you left." "I left, but now I'm back." " Got a room for me?" " For you, always." "Come, follow me." "Come out of there right now, Jack Baker!" " Howdy, Miss Millie." " You too, Burt." "I know you're there." "Hey, my beans!" "Come back here!" "Gee, Millie, we didn't come riding down here to spy on you or nothing." "We always come for a swim at sunset." "I mean, you did too, don't you remember?" "No, absolutely not." "I remember that I could never bathe here without you two spying on me!" "Come on, Millie." "We come down here to pick the wild berries and such." "I'm kidding, Jack." "Actually, I came here hoping to find you." "Why?" "To talk to you about what's going on between our families." "I'm sorry, Millie, but there's nothing we can do about that now." " Not after the barn burned down." " I know." "And if your suspicions are right, well, my father made a very stupid mistake." "That's exactly why we have to talk... to avoid making more." "You know, Millie, that's going to have to be Nathan Mitchell's job, not ours." "Come on, Burt, let's go." "Burt!" "Jack!" "I just want peace again." "If you do too and still trust me, meet me tomorrow at the Heart's Creek." "Come on, Burt." "All right, you scoundrel." "What are we gonna do about this?" "You're not trying to butter me up, are you?" "All right, you can have it all." " Mrs. Stark." " Mr. West!" " What are you doing here?" " I live here." " Oh." " What are you doing here?" "I was following my pan of beans." "What are you talking about?" "Here." "Big!" "Are you stealing food again?" " As if I don't feed you enough." " You can't blame him." "Those were real good beans." "You like them spicy, huh?" "I don't know what to say." "I'm completely mortified." "Mrs. Stark?" "You look like you've seen a ghost." "That's the first time since Eugene passed that" "Big's shown any affection for anybody." "Maybe it's because we share a passion for beans." "I don't think it's just that." "I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Stark." "Thank you." "It's been 10 years this December." "Some things take a long time to heal." " Big!" " It's okay." "He doesn't bother me." "Maybe, unlike his mistress," " he likes poker players." " Poker players or doctors?" "Big, get down!" "Your agave remedy worked, by the way." " She's doing much better." " Really?" " I thought you'd left town." " I did." "But now I'm back." "It'll be a long time until I see a stew like that, Mrs. Stark." " Better than the beans Big stole?" " Sure was." "Thank you." "I have to go now." "It's getting late." "He's angry with me." "He thinks I'm sending you away." "He says maybe you're not as bad as you seem." "I heard that too." "But he didn't say maybe." "Good night, Mrs. Stark." "Good morning, Millie." "Did you sleep well, dear?" "Didn't you hear us?" "Is there something wrong?" "Is it true you burned down one of the Baker's barns?" "I don't think certain subjects should be of interest to a girl your age, dear." " Did you burn it down?" " Millie!" "He knows what he's doing." "Not always." "Otherwise you wouldn't be here." "Millie, how dare you!" "You apologize to Dana immediately!" "I wouldn't think of it." "Millie, you come back here!" "I order you come back here!" " Nathan." " What the devil you want, Garvey?" " Something happened last night." " What?" "Someone sabotaged the water pump for the cattle." "Do you really think this is such a good idea, Burt?" "What are you afraid of, Jack?" " Pa won't like it?" " I ain't afraid of nothing." "But she is Nathan Mitchell's daughter after all." "Yeah, but she's sincere when she wanted peace between our families." "You know she's educated, trustworthy and she doesn't choose sides." "And she's the most beautiful girl these parts have ever seen." "Hold on, Burt." "I am the older brother." "Oh yeah?" "Well, it means that I get first crack at it." "No no no no way." "What does that have to do with anything?" " Well, it's a law of nature!" " Jack." " What..." "Pa?" " Where do you think you're going?" "You have to help me deliver potatoes to Mrs. Kroger." " Pa!" " You heard me." "That's the law of nature, big brother." "We'll see you later." " Pa!" " Come on." "All right!" " Good morning, Silver." " Mr. West." " You didn't leave." " I left." " But now I'm back." " That's fantastic." "So we can go for a ride today." "I have to run some errands for Mrs. Melody," " but I'll be free later." " That's a good idea." "Silver..." "I have to ask you something." " Something important." " Go ahead, shoot." "Ask me whatever you want." "It's about Garvey." "He wasn't here." "He wasn't in Holysand!" " What are you talking about?" " Garvey." "He wasn't here when the robbery in Santa Fe took place." " Are you sure?" " Silver just told me." "Garvey takes three days off every month." "Well, that don't mean that he used them to rob the post office in Santa Fe." "See, he could have a little lady stashed away someplace." " There's lots of ladies with no taste." " Yeah." "But if we were to find out that there were other robberies that took place during his days off?" " Then?" " If "we" were to find out?" "You're the sheriff." "I am the sheriff." "And you know what I'm going to do?" "As soon as I finish cleaning this weapon" "I'm gonna walk over to the telegraph office and I'm gonna send a telegram to one of my associates in Hudson City and ask him if he knows of any other robberies that has happened anywhere on Garvey's days off." "I'm just waiting for you to finish cleaning your shotgun." "You are something, Doc West." "All right, all right, let's go." "I have to admit, my dad's a little guilty too." "He could've done more to avoid butting heads with Nathan." "Will you help me find a peaceful solution?" "Let me help you across the river first." "I've never heard my dad say the things he said yesterday." "It's kinda like he forgot everything he ever taught us." "Why are you looking at me like that?" "I remember you as being a spiteful boy, so sure of being smarter than everyone else." "I never thought you'd be wise." "I wouldn't have thought that." "Me neither." "Maybe it's the effect you have on me." " Hello, Gloria." " Hi, West." "I have that tea ready for you." "Thanks." "Victor Baker!" "Damn you and that fat kid of yours." "What the hell are you talking about, Nathan?" "You don't know anything?" "You don't know who sabotaged the dam on the pond where I water my herd?" "Maybe it was the same guy that burned down my barn." "You're getting too big for your britches, Victor." "Sooner or later I'm going to have to show you who the boss of this town is." "Oh really?" "Why don't you do it now, if you're able." "Hold it, Garvey." "I'll take care of this myself." "Very good, Nathan." "Let's see what you can do, what you're worth without your henchmen." "You crazy, Pa?" "You want to get yourself killed?" "Shut up, Jack." "There's no turning back now." "Right, Nathan?" "That's right, Victor." "No turning back." "Ow!" "Aw, damn." "What the hell?" "I wouldn't grab iron if I were you." "See, my aim ain't as good as his and I might just shoot you down by accident." "Hyah." "This isn't over with yet." "You're damn right it don't." "I should have took them all in." " It wouldn't have solved anything." " Yeah, maybe." "Well, until that land goes to one or t'other of them there's going to be an awful lot of bloodshed." " Maybe there's a way out." " Well, yeah, you could stand right here and keep shooting the guns out of their hands." "Yeah, I've got a better idea." "Ever heard the story of the Horatii" " and the Curiatii?" " No, I ain't been to Mexico in a dog's age." "Mexico has nothing to do with it." "Now, gentleman, this here picture in this book shows what happened a time ago... um, a long time ago, see?" "It could be even like 100 years ago... um, even 200 years ago." "2... 2,000." "Uh, even might even have been 2,000 years ago." "It was a very old time." "And they had these two cities then and one of them was the name of Rome and the other had the name of "Abalongium."" "Now they come to the understanding that the onliest way they's gonna stop the war betwixt them was is gonna have a duel." "And so they come to get these two sets of brothers, three brothers each... the "Horatiaios" and the "Capritiaios."" "Let me get this straight, Sheriff." "Are you saying there should be a duel?" "No, I'm not a-saying there's gonna be a duel." "I say it is more like a challenge." "What we could have right here in the center of Holysand..." "no guns, no weapons of any kind, no eye gouging." "I'll be the referee..." "Are you crazy?" "!" "Should the fate of my land depend on a stupid brawl?" "!" " That's our land!" " Damn it, Nathan!" "If you say that land belongs to you one more time, I'll shoot you!" " You're a fool!" " Both of you, I'm gonna lock you up." "Sit down now!" "Now looky here, you may not like what I'm proposing but if you don't accept it there's going to be a lot of blood spilt and it's going attached to your kinfolk, the ones you love, like Millie and Dana." "Would you like that?" "Or you two boys..." "your two boys right here." "Cut down in the prime of their lives!" "Is that what you're looking for?" "Over a piece of dirt?" "!" "See you soon, Victor." "Can't wait to see the three lambs you bring to feed my three lions." "I'm afraid he's right." "His men are as used to fighting as my boys are to working the land." "Reckon I can't keep a count of how many fights" "I had to bust up because of them half-baked desperados." "Figure they get that feller Anvil... killed a bull with a head-butt I hear." "We'll fight anyway, Jack, even if it is hopeless." "Maybe not." "I used to do some boxing." "I could train you." "It's a long story." "Trust me, boys." "You're in good hands." "Are those the candidates for your third fighter?" " Yep." " Desmond, Kurt, Sean and Larry." "How are you gonna pick one?" "I'll think of something." "First thing, try to relax." "Yeah." " What's his name again?" " Larry." "Larry," "I'm sorry but I have to be sure." "Sure of what?" " Huh." "How do you feel?" " I've been better." "Larry is our third man." "Now listen, each one of us has a hidden talent." "And once we find out what it is," " we become unbeatable." " How do we do that?" "It ain't easy..." "hard work and intuition." "So wh... where do we start?" "Hard work." "Why are we doing this?" "You have to be fast and lethal like the swing of an axe." "Well, heck, we've been doing this for five hours." "I'm bushed!" " Can we stop?" " Got enough?" "Well, I reckon this'll get me through December." "Come on." "You can do it." "Come on!" "Why can't you understand this?" "My family is depending on me." "I can't just back out." "Why don't you just say what you mean?" "You don't want to." "Fine, I don't!" "And if I did," "I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the face again." "After you fight with them, you won't be able to look at yourself in the mirror for a long time." " We'll see about that." " You don't know what they're like." "They're animals!" "Today they massacred some farm workers just for the fun of it." "Well, they'll have a rougher time with us." "Stop being a hero, Burt." "It doesn't impress me." "Why won't you just tell me the real reason why you don't want me to fight?" "I told you." "Because it's ridiculous." "I want the real reason, Millie." "I don't want you to get hurt." "Mm-hmm." "For your punch to be really powerful, you have to think of going through your opponent like a locomotive through a tunnel." "Okay?" "Watch again." " Through!" " What do you think, Jack?" "What's with you, big brother?" " You haven't said a word to me all day." " Shut up." "So who's first?" " Ahhh!" " Let me see." "Your wrists are too small." "Sorry, but you'll never be able to punch hard." "I'd like to give that a shot, Mr. West." "Mm-hmm." " Good." " Take that." "Why don't you have one of these?" "Easy." "Easy." "Jack, take it easy." "Save it." "Jack!" "Watch it!" "Mr. West?" "!" "Mr. West?" "!" " Get him up, get him up." " Is he all right?" "Mr. West." "Mr. West?" "He's breathing." "He's breathing." "Go get Mrs. Stark!" "Go!" "Go..." "Mrs. Stark!" "Estrella." "Estrella." "Estrella." "Good morning, West." "How are you feeling?" "I have a headache." "Did someone get me drunk?" "No, you took a major hit on the head." "I can't remember a thing." "It gave you nightmares." "You seemed quite agitated." "Did I say anything?" "Estrella." "You said it over and over again." "Is she the woman you love?" "Hey, West, wahoo!" "Lower your shoulder when you go in for the hit." " Lord, it's good to see you, West." " It's good to see you, West." " Sorry about your head." " That's okay." "Let's start where we left off." "Remember what I told you before that beam hit me?" "We need to find our talent." "Yeah, that ain't easy." " We need intuition." " That ain't easy either." "That's right, Jack, but I got lucky." "Intuition struck me when that beam came down on me." "Now I know what your talents are." "I just need to be sure." "Wait." "Kick this as high as you can." "Look out, Larry." "See!" "?" "Your legs and your feet." "This is your talent." "Let's work on it." "Jack?" "Burt and Millie." "See?" "You're fixated." "Fixation is your talent." "Let's use it." "But not now." " All right, let's go to work." " What about me?" "Oh yeah." " Think of yourself as a totem pole." " What am I supposed to do?" "Nothing." "Just stand there." "Sorry." "That was for me..." "I just wanted to make sure that I'm back." "You're back all right." "Well, I was just to Hudson City, and you were right." "Every time Garvey took time off, there was a hold-up." "And the good part of it is now we got some witnesses." "So now you can arrest him." "Well, not so fast." "I asked the federals for the wanteds and they should be here any day." "Well, this day is here..." "I've never seen so many people before." "They're coming!" "They're coming!" "The Mitchells are coming!" "They're coming!" "They're coming!" "They're coming!" "Whoa." "There they are, the Bakers!" "West and the Bakers." "I want to welcome everybody to Holysand." "Now this here fight is gonna decide onced and for all who's going to get that land." " That's right!" " Allow me to remind you there will be no weapons allowed among the combatants and neither among the spectators." "Now if you still got your sidearms with you or you got your Spencer rifles" "I want you to give them to Gloria who'll take them and put them away till after this here contest." "Now the rules is really simple:" "This is a bare-knuckle fight, the bare-knuckle contest." "Onliest thing we will not look kindly on is eye gouging." "Everything else is all right." "So if I got no more questions, remember the last man standin' is the winner." "Any questions?" "Get it on." "Come on!" "Oh!" "Think of Burt and Millie." "And stay down!" "Legs!" "Legs!" "Okay, yeah." "Burt, yes!" "Get up!" "Get up!" "Yeah, that's my boys!" "Well, due to the sudden indisposition of their adversaries, the last men standing are the Baker boys which means that that land goes in perpetuity to the Bakers!" "Whoo!" " Sheriff Basehart?" " That's me." "Sam Winchet..." "Agent Sam Winchet." "I'm supposed to deliver you these." "Thank you kindly." "Hey, Joe." "Come here, come here." "Hey, alhoot, you're under arrest." "You're not arresting anybody, Sheriff." "Not today." "Your gun belt." "West!" "The sheriff's gun!" "I've had enough, West!" "Gloria, give West his gun belt." "Do it!" "Good." "This is between me and you now." "Let's settle this like real men." "You and me." "Like we should've done from the beginning." "Don't move." "No-ooo!" "West!" "Silver!" "Oh God." "Okay." "Stay here, stay here, Silver." "Stay here with us." "In the back." "His breathing is getting worse and his temperature is rising." "I sent one of my men to Hudson City to get Dr. Scottfield." "He'll never get here in time." "We have to remove the bullet now," " otherwise..." " Oh, please, Silver can't die like this!" "Nathan, Nathan, there must be something we can do." "Mother, there's no one in Holysand that can perform this kind of an operation." "Well, yes there is." "Where is Mr. West?" "West, West!" "West!" "Silver has to be operated on." "Can you do it?" "I'm sorry, I can't." "But the bullet has to be removed or he'll die." "You have to do it." "You're a doctor." "I was a doctor." "Remember when you asked me if Estrella is the woman I love?" " Yes." " Estrella is not a woman." "She's a little girl whose mother died because of me." "I don't understand." "I was drunk!" "I was drunk and I operated anyway and I killed her." "I haven't had a drop of whiskey." "It's been 10 years since I've picked up a scalpel." "West, listen to me." "Destiny is giving you a chance to make it right." "You can't back away from that." "Besides, Silver saved your life." "If you don't help him, you'll never forgive yourself." "You can do this." "Mommy?" "Estrella." "Mommy?" "West, everything all right?" "Yes." "You don't have much time." "Right." "Damnation!" "It's been almost two hours." "Mrs. Stark said it wouldn't be easy." "Let's just hope that West knows what he's doing." "I'm sure he does." "If Silver pulls through," "I am going to bake him a pie every day until he can't take it anymore." " He'll be fine!" " Oh, thank heaven!" "Remember, Grandma..." "a pie a day!" "I'm going to get started right away." "I don't know how to thank you, West." "Doc West." "Dr. West." "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself" " if he hadn't pulled through." " Me neither." "Can we see him?" "Of course." "But he'll be sleeping for a long time." "As long as he wakes up." "Denise?" "I couldn't have done this without you." "I just reminded you that things can change..." "Dr. West." "I owe you, Silver." "I owe you my life." "Thanks to you" "I can believe in myself again." "I have hope now." "Melody will fill you with apple pie." "You deserve it." "And she's lucky..." "she knows how to make you happy." "My daddy did the same thing with me." "He'd wait till I was asleep and then he'd tell me he loved me." "He figured it wasn't manly to say it, but he just couldn't resist it." "And you pretended to be asleep?" "Oh, that's right." "Doc, why don't you stay?" "There's so many folks here would just love to have you as their doctor." "You know I can't do that, Sheriff." "As soon as Silver gets better," "I'll leave." "Mrs. Melody's really going to make all that pie for me?" "You can count on it." "Dr. West?" "You're next, Doc!" "Oh right." "To St. Joseph's School in Boston." "Thanks." "Hold it!" "Hands up." "If I do that, we'll drop the mail." "All right, turn around!" "It's only post." " Dusty out there, huh?" " That's why we's wearing these." "Thanks for the tip." "Delivery." "It sure has been good to know you, Doc." "Yep." "See that you don't have to use those fighting lessons I taught you." "We'll try not to, Doc." "Millie, you better keep an eye on them." "You can count on it, Doc West." "Damnation, you're going to be one hard man to forget, Doc." "Yeah, I bet it'll take you at least a week." "That's a bet you're gonna lose." "Goodbye, Doc." "Denise." "Don't say anything." "There's no need to." "You can't come with me." "Okay?" "You be a good boy." "All right?" "Take it easy now." "Take it easy, okay?" "I'll miss you, Doc!" "I tried to get him to stay." "It was no use." "That's not true." "It let him know how much your friendship means to you." "You know, Silver, every man has a destiny and old Doc chose his destiny" " a long time ago." " Sheriff Basehart!" "Por favor." " Un... doctor!" " A doctor?" "Doc!" "Doc West!" "Doc!" "{{{ the end }}}"