"You ain't gonna let 'em talk to your pa like that now," "Are you, boy?" "Them ornery polecats!" "If I was feelin' up to it, I'd do it myself!" "You show 'em, boy." "Go on." "All right, pa." "Think they can come in town, an' run me down!" "Boy, we got no fight with you." "Now, don't let 'em talk you down, si." "They're crawlin', they're crawlin'." "Shut up!" "You ol' drunk!" "I wouldn't go callin' my pa no names." "He started this." "If you don't aim to let 'im finish it, boy," "Then make your play." "Don't you do it, si!" "Don't you draw first!" "Now, they're" "Tryin' to kill yah!" "Now, you make 'em try!" "You yappin' old polecat!" "Simon?" "I'm all right, ma." "It was self-defense." "All these folks seen it, they- they drew first." "I didn't figure it was anything' else." "You ready to go, ma?" "Yes." "Pa?" "Don't call him pa." "You ready to go, pa?" "No, boy, you, er, go on back" "To the spread with your ma, I got a mite more shopping' to do." "Hiya!" "I'm yet to see a man who could outdraw him." "No, mr." "Clay, but you're sure trying'." "What, huh?" "I wonder why?" "Eh, you wonder, huh?" "You're gonna find out." "Well, come on," "Bartender, let's have a little" "Drink here." "Come on, little boy, let's have a little drink!" "Mark, you go ahead, I wanna talk to micah a minute." "All right." "Buckboard driver:" "Giddy up!" "Howdy, lucas?" "Micah." "Quite a spell since you've been in town." "Had a lot of work to do at that ranch, micah." "What's the matter?" "Trouble?" "No law broken." "Self-defense." "Who were they?" "Bradshaw an' holmes." "Self-defense?" "He must have been pretty fast to outdraw those two." "I've never seen anybody faster." "I'd just like to know- -there he is." "Calling me some kind of a deadbeat!" "Him?" "Oh no, I..." "I wouldn't call you nothin' like that, mr." "Clay." "He starts the trouble, the boy finishes it." "I just thought, you..." "You forgot to pay." "Well, I didn't!" "Well, I'm sorry, sorry, mr." "Clay." "I'll tell you what, just so I" "Know my credit's good, I'll buy a round of drinks for the house," "You put it on my bill, all right?" "Yeah." "All right, mr." "Clay." "He doesn't just start it, he looks for it." "You saw right." "Who is he?" "Hank clay, took over the bartlett spread a couple" "Of weeks ago." "Got a wife an' a boy." "He hasn't done much with the" "Place, been in town most of the time since then." "How old is his son?" "Stepson." "Oh, 17, 18 maybe." "Startin' him young, isn't he?" "Yeah, you stay away from 'im, lucas." "Me?" "The old man, I mean." "Don't tangle with him." "Tangle with- micah, I don' even know 'im." "Well, he knows you, at least your reputation with that rifle." "What about it?" "I'm not sure." "Sometimes it seems like he doesn't care what" "Happens to the boy." "There was another one a week ago," "Before bradshaw, and holmes, jim harvey." "And he outdrew him, too?" "I told you he was fast." "The ol' man started prodding' harvey." "Harvey got mad, roughed 'im up a bit and the boy called 'im on it" "Same thing happened to those two." "And both times, the old man" "Stood by watchin', warning' the boy not to draw first, just like" "He had some reason to wanna see him killed." "Don't you oblige 'im, lucas." "Don't worry, micah, I'll stay out of his way." "See you later." "Will there be anythin' else, lucas?" "Well, let's see now, work shirt, work pants, er, you better let" "Me have a package of needles," "An' a couple o' spools, number 30 white thread." "Work." "Don't you ever buy anythin' for play?" "Such as?" "I just got some fancy shirts in from santa fe." "Now, milly, what would I do with a fancy shirt?" "Well, there's a covered-dish supper at the church" "Next Saturday." "I just might be persuaded to go," "If you were dressed properly." "And if I wasn't?" "Lucas mccain, you know darn well I could still be persuaded." "Now do you wanna see that shirt, or don't you?" "I guess I do, huh?" "well, lemme have a couple of them cheroots there." "I'll be with you in a minute." "No, I'm in a hurry." "Well, this man" "I think he can wait." "Fine, milly." "You're lucas mccain, ain't you?" "That's my name." "When I talk to somebody, I don't like talkin' to their" "Back, why don't you just turn around?" "Hey, what is it you have to say, mister?" "Call you the rifleman, don't they?" "Don't look like a fella" "Will there be anythin' else?" "What?" "Will there be anythin' else?" "Now, lemme see, ah..." "Oh." "Oh." "Why don't you watch where you're goin'?" "Let the boy go!" "I'll teach you how to step" "All right, mister, you're lookin' for trouble," "You want trouble?" "You got trouble." "Don't you hit me!" "I'll do a lot to keep the peace, mister, I'll eat crow" "Raw if I have to, but I'll do it," "Me, not my boy." "I don't let anybody hit him, not even me." "Now you hurt me, my boy is" "You know, when I was young, I used to hate kids who kept" "Sayin', "my pa can beat your pa", but I never thought I'd" "Run into a man who'd say that about his boy." "Oh, I've heard" "About him, all right." "He's a quick draw, he's a killer!" "An' you're trading' on his reputation, to be the cock" "Of the walk!" "Well your tradin' days are over, at least with me." "Now get out of here!" "You ain't heard the last o' this yet!" "Look, micah, I said I'd try an' stay away from 'im," "But he wouldn't have it that way." "When he put his hands on" "Mark, that was it, as far as I was concerned." "I don't let any man do that, not even for you!" "I said a word, lucas?" "No." "He was lookin' for trouble," "There wasn't anythin' anybody could do." "Well, I'm glad you understand anyway." "How long are you stayin' in town?" "For as long as I've got things to do!" "Mark's gotta go" "To school, I've gotta go to the barber, after that I've gotta" "See the harness maker, the blacksmith, an' after that we're" "Havin' dinner at the hotel." "He's getting' kinda tired of my cookin' anyway." "No, I'm not, pa." "Well, I am!" "We're eatin' at the hotel." "Milly, you wrap up" "The things I bought, I'll pick 'em back later." "Come on, son." "An', milly, throw in that fancy shirt," "I'm takin' you to that supper on Saturday." "Lucas...?" "Thanks, milly, I'm gonna walk" "Down to the school, an' wait for mark." "An' don't you forget." "I won't." "I'll be expectin' you Saturday" "Mr. Mccain?" "I understand you kinda roughed up my pa." "He sure did, boy, he sure did!" "See, he don't stand up so good for himself, so I kinda" "Stand up for him." "I'd like for you to tell him you're sorry." "Say you'll leave him be." "But if that ain't to your likin', get" "That rifle of yours, an' we'll have it out, now." "You make your move, mr." "Mccain, I never draw first." "Well?" "You backed him down, boy!" "Shut up, pa." "You made him eat dust." "He's sure scared." "Shut up, pa!" "Lucas?" "I already killed him once." "That's enough." "Lucas?" "Lucas boy." "This the boy's father?" "What?" "That's mrs." "Clay." "Younger an' prettier, but it's her all right." "Why it must be the boy's father, looks just like him." "I didn't know him, I didn't hate him, I just killed him." "When?" "Where?" "where." "Where?" "Gettysburg." "Yes, gettysburg." "In the war." "Lucas, lots of men have died in the war." "He was the first man I ever killed." "Just a boy." "First human being I ever saw with..." "Death on his face." "I was scared, sick with fear." "We were marchin' across the field in file." "I could hear the cannonade bursts all around us." "But we just kept..." "Marchin'." "Bayonets at the ready, just March." "Suddenly there was cavalry racing', screamin'," "Swinging cold steel." "We broke, ran, crawled for our lives." "I found myself in a ravine," "Gaspin' like..." "Every breath was gonna be my last." "Like there" "Wasn't enough air in the world" "To keep me alive." "Oh, I wanted to stay alive." "Every man does, lucas." "Now don't torture yourself like this." "That's when he died, in the ravine." "I don't know who was the more scared," "We were both frozen, paralyzed with fear." "He looked at me, and I lunged." "I could feel the bayonet tearin'" "An'..." "Hear his screams, an' I lunged, an' I lunged, an' I" "Sshh, lucas boy, come now." "Come now." "An' then..." "An' then there was no more sound." "He wasn't lookin' at me anymore." "He was lookin' into me." "Wide, staring'..." "Lookin' right into me." "Just wide, glassy silence of his eyes." "I kept seeing' them for years." "His eyes, his face." "It was his life or yours," "Lucas." "Lucas boy, it was his life or yours." "Was it?" "'course, it was war." "Yes, war." "His life or mine." "But if I hadn't lunged, would he have?" "Can you tell me he would, micah?" "Can anyone?" "He was a man, same as you." "He wanted to live, same as you." "He would have killed, same as you." "Same as me." "I wonder." "This picture, you got it off his- off him?" "Picture?" "Oh, yes." "That an' two letters." "One from him an' one from her." "His was never finished, an' never delivered." "I mailed it to her after the war, but it came back." "She'd gone away, no one knew where." "So I kept 'em." "Kept 'em an' forgot 'em." "Until this afternoon." "Where're you goin'?" "Deliver them." "Lucas, don't" "Micah, this is somethin' I have to do!" "Mind if I come along?" "If you want to." "Yes?" "What is it?" "Mrs. Lee?" "What?" "I mean, mrs." "Clay." "Lee?" "Did you know simon?" "I saw him." "There were letters, a picture, I've carried" "Them with me, a long time." "Oh, come in, please, come in." "You backed mccain down, boy." "The biggest man in this town," "An' you backed him down." "All right, pa, all right." "Ah, you heard 'em in there," "No one ever backed mccain down before, an' he was afraid." "That's what he was, afraid o' you!" "No, he wasn't!" "I don't know what it was, why he didn't call" "Me, but it wasn't fear that stopped him." "Now don't tell me, boy, I know." "All right, pa, why don't you shut up!" "You hadn't ought to talk to me like that," "After what I done for you" "An' you ma." "Picked you up, when you were just no more than a" "Whelp." "An' I fed you, an' I raised you, an' I taught you" "Everythin' I know, how to use a gun." "All right, pa!" "I thought sure he'd kill you, I thought sure he would." "You read it?" "Yes." "He always did write pretty." "Were you with him when..." "I was." "I know it's been long, so long, but..." "Maybe you can remember." "Was there anythin', I mean, did he say anythin'?" "I didn't give 'im a chance to." "I was the..." "Enemy." "I was real pretty in those days." "Mrs. Clay, I'm tryin' to say..." "I heard you, mr." "Mccain." "I heard you." "You want me to say" "The words?" "You killed him." "You killed him!" "Mr. Mccain, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." "It's over, long" "Gone." "No cause for either of us to be givin' the other pain." "Thank you, mrs." "Clay." "I lost him, but I've had him." "All these years, I've had him in his son, my boy." "Yes, I know." "You've met him?" "Image of simon, isn't he?" "The image." "You've had trouble." "Not with your son, he wasn't there." "I know, I know, it was hank." "I didn't want any, mrs." "Clay." "I tried to avoid it." "Everybody does, but hank won't let them." "He'll stir, an' push, an' prod an' then hide behind simon's" "Gun." "He taught him how to use it." "I'm married to him because of my son." "I thought he would be" "A good father." "Somewhere, somethin' changed," "An' I don't know why." "Lucas!" "The boy an' his pa are comin'!" "I'll go out the back way, mrs." "Clay." "There won't be any trouble." "Oh, what's the difference?" "There'll always be someone else, as long as simon can shoot," "As long as hank can..." "Stir up trouble, there'll be someone" "Else." "Until..." "Oh, what's the use?" "As long as simon can shoot." "Lucas!" "Stay out of this, micah." "I told you he wasn't feared, pa." "I don't know what it was, but he wasn't feared." "All right boy, you wanted a showdown, you got it." "Any time you're ready, mr." "Mccain." "You gotta go first." "Go, boy!" "Simon?" "Simon, are you all right?" "I'm all right, ma, I'm all right." "I'm all right." "Why didn't you kill 'im?" "Hank, what are you sayin'?" "He's our boy, my son." "He's your boy, he's your son," "Ain't never mine." "You never let him belong to me, just like you" "Never belonged to me." "You married me, but you were in love with a dead man." "Hank?" "This was to be way of payin' back, didn't work out." "You did this to me!" "You raised me for slaughter?" "You!" "Simon, no!" "May god forgive me, boy, may god forgive me." "How is he, micah?" "Doc says he's gonna be all right, but he'll never make a" "Quick draw with that arm again." "Never?" "I guess you did what you set out to do, lucas." "Come on, son." "Pa?" "What did micah mean?" "Nothin', mark." "Yeah, but he said that" "Now look, mark, let me tell" "You something', when you get a little older, you're gonna find" "Out that there are some things you wanna forget." "This is somethin' I wanna forget, all right?" "All right, pa."