"Trouble down at the saloon, marshal." "What kind of trouble?" "Couple of trail hands bent on swallow an' bloodshed." "Oh, is that all?" "All right, I'll be right over." "Howdy, micah?" "Pa an' I just stopped in town." "Said for me to say" "Don't you ever knock?" "Oh, not on your door, micah." "An' for your age, you're a little free with first names," "Ain't yah?" "It's your own fault, for tellin' me not to mister ya." "Drawin' pictures?" "No, no, been makin' out a report." "Oh, come on, micah, let's" "Always sure of yourself, ain't you?" "Well, like father like son." "Well, micah, I didn't mean anythin'." "I got trouble over in the saloon, boy," "So just stay out of my hair." "Hello, micah?" "I'm busy right now, mccain." "Mcc- what was that about?" "What?" "Did..." "Didn't you notice, son?" "He..." "Just said that he..." "He had some trouble at the saloon." "Oh, well that's it." "Look," "Look, you better meet me in the wagon." "I'll give micah a hand." "Eye glasses?" "Plain old pair o' specs." "Why don't you step in there, marshal?" "I want you boys out of town in fifteen minutes." "Who says?" "Yeah!" "The law says!" "Ooooh." "Well, it seems like this is one law who ain't heard" "About the texas boy an' the three trash loose spiders." "It seems like one mornin', this dallas boy wake up, an' he's got" "Three of 'em perched on his leg." "that's right, brother!" "Well, sir, he sneaked out his" "Equalizer ninety, fired a single shot to the whole lot of 'em." "But, try as he would, he just couldn't seem to line up but two" "Of 'em at any one an' the same time." "Ain't that right, boys?" "yeah, that's right, brother!" "You know, it seems the poor cursing' eye scratched hisself" "Bald trying' to figure it out 'afore he starved to death." "Come on, give me" "You're wrong, flat mouth." "Dallas man always carries back to back sixes." "My name is arthur m." "Truelove," "An' a long living first spider knows when he's surrounded." "Marshal?" "It's sure been nice meetin' you, folks." "Well, a privilege to have met you all." "Stop them bandits!" "They gotta make good on this breakage." "Auction off their guns an' belts, an' don't crowd your" "Luck, sweeney." "Well, micah, I guess that's taken care of, huh?" "Yup." "An' now nobody will ever know if I could have done it alone." "Hey?" "!" "What is this?" "What is this?" "!" "I'll tell you what is this." "I'm finally gonna" "Name you to really be the marshal in north fork." "Yes, sir," "That's my last official act." "Right here, where I was startin' all over again, remember?" "He's a first class man, gents," "An' you couldn't do better than vote 'im in permanent!" "You were sore at me back there, about what?" "I shouldn't be sore at you, mr." "Mccain, I owe you too much." "When I first hit this town, I was nothin' but a broken down" "Gutter drunk with a crippled draw." "Micah." "Then you came along." "You..." "Picked me up, an' dusted me off," "An' even put this in my hand, an' arranged a job for me." "But right now, I've had my fill of it, all the way up to here," "Where I swallow!" "An' anyway," "It's been too long between drinks." "Micah, we've been friends a long time, at least I thought so." "That gives me the right to know exactly what's eatin' on you!" "You wanna know?" "I wanna know." "All the way down the line?" "All the way down the line." "All right, I'll tell you." "I could have made good in this" "Town, earned everybody's respect, maybe even my own." "But the big man here never let me get rollin'." "No, every last" "Time I'm faced with a shoot out," "Along comes the great rifleman here to take over." "Right or wrong, micah, it was meant friendly." "Sure, sure, mccain, an' taking' the bows afterwards," "That was meant to be friendly" "Too, huh?" "You can chalk these up, sweeney." "You've even got enough credit with me, for that, mccain." "Just remember the next time, even a trick rifle won't shout" "Down a scatter gun at close range!" "What did you say?" "Here." "You'll need that, it's the key to the jail." "You can't shoot a man, not with that on your chest." "You have to" "Wait 'til I hold myself open to make an arrest." "Well, I seen this a-comin', any of you boys notice?" "Well he has been kind of pullin' back like, from all his friends." "Ah, once a booze fighter, always a booze fighter, I say." "You talk to much, coleman." "Micah?" "Be outta you're way in a few minutes, marshal." "I wanna talk to you." "There's nothin' more to be said." "Well, I'm not gonna let it go at that, not between you an' me." "You've got no choice." "Look, micah, I've taken a man by their hand, more than just" "To say howdy to 'im, maybe four or five times in my life," "An' out of all of them, you're the last, an' the most..." "Well, with, eh, with me you stand right behind mark." "You know that, don't you?" "Anyway, micah, I'm..." "I'm here to ask you, pardon an' forgiveness" "For whatever it is I did," "To offend you." "I mean that right from the heart." "Now, it didn't come easy to say that." "What do you want from a man?" "To ride around the territory carving' your name on trees?" "!" "Mr. Mccain, sir?" "Yeah?" "I've just come from across" "The street." "Mr. Sweeney, the bar keeper, suggest I talk to you." "Oh?" "What about?" "Well, sir, I couldn't help overhearing' the folks talkin'" "About how mr." "Micah pin that badge on you." "Also, how they" "Felt that was a problem that both of you would handle" "In elegant style." "I still don't see what you're drivin' at, mr...?" "Thaddeus, mr." "Mccain." "You can just call me thad, for short." "Well, sir, I have always found that if you want somethin'," "Go straight to the person that could give you a direct answer," "Yes or no." "Now that could mean for a spiritual thought" "Or for business." "Mr. Mccain, you're goin' to need" "Someone to take care of your ranch, while you're marshalin'." "Well, if I'm marshalin', as you say, I guess I will." "What experience have you had?" "Well, mr." "Mccain, I'm qualified to do 'most anything'." "I know cattle, just about as well as most folks do," "An' I can take care of a house, an' I can keep it clean," "Like I expect a marshal would want a house kept." "Well then, thad, is it?" "Yes, sir." "Looks like we each got us a new job." "Thank you, marshal." "Whoa!" "Marshal, we found mr." "Thad an' me finally located micah for you, pa." "Where?" "He's taken an attic room out at mrs." "Ringthorne's." "Now, you stay here, an' watch this office for me." "I won't be long." "Oh, can't we just come along with you?" "Stay here with thad, son." "Micah:" "There was a little girl, an' she had a little curl," "Right down the middle of 'er forehead, an' when she was good," "She was very, very good, an' when she was bad," "She was horrid." "Oh, there was a little girl," "An' she had a little curl, right down the middle of 'er" "Forehead, an' when she was good," "She was very, very good, an' when she was bad, she was horrid" "You're real musical tonight." "Well, some fellows sing when" "They're havin' a bath, an' others, when they are drunk!" "Now, you quit pestering'." "Can I come in, micah?" "No, you can stay out, micah." "Now, I thought I was bein' your friend by backing' you up." "I see I made a mistake." "I still wanna be your friend, all right?" "Friend." "Who wants friends?" "I don't need any friends." "Here this..." "This is the best" "Friend I got." "Runs the nightmares right off the range." "You have nightmares?" "Don't everybody?" "Now an' then, not to matter." "Not to matter, not to matter." "Five, six, seven nights a week matter?" "Oh, there was a little girl, she had a little curl..." "Oh, what would you know about it?" "You've never been afraid of anybody in your whole life." "A few." "I'd tangle with them, win or lose." "Tangle?" "Tell me somethin'," "Did you ever run into someone who..." "Who some way or other," "The minute you met them, they had your number?" "I mean, no matter what they said to you, or did to you," "From there on in, you..." "You didn't even have the nerve to look them in the face," "You..." "You ever have that little thing?" "You speaking' of a nightmare, or a flesh an' blood man?" "Oh, he's flesh an' blood, all right, don't worry about that." "I know 'im?" "No, just a cheap gun slinger." "Ansel bain, that's his name." "Ansel bain!" "Ansel bain!" "Ansel bain!" "Easy, micah, easy." "Easy." "Yeah." "Like, he ain't even a fast draw." "Just one of 'em, sure" "Aim death shots, at long range where nobody can wing 'im." "It's his eyes, that's what." "His eyes, they got somethin' all" "Wrong about 'em." "They are way," "Way, far-sighted." "Like a..." "Like a turkey buzzard's." "Like so?" "Yeah, yeah, that's him." "Old habit o' mine, drawing' specs," "Come back at me." "Know where he is?" "Yeah, I know where he is, in dillsville. 'til he picks up my" "Tracks, an' starts trappin' my heels again." "Dillsville?" "Range hand, rode in about a" "Week ago an' said he saw 'im in a saloon over there." "Listen to me, micah." "Listen to me, micah!" "Micah, are you" "That scared of a man who wears eye glasses?" ""micah, are you that scared of a man that wears eye glasses?"" "Well, I hope to die if I ain't." "Like I died five or six" "Seven times in them nightmares last week." "Ah, but what would" "You know?" "You never had 'im look at you way he does." "What way?" "The vulture way!" "That's what way." "I thought when I'd settled" "Down here, that I'd learn how to handle my fear, an' with the" "Booze all sweated out, I figured I could handle him too, if he" "Ever showed up." "An' when I heard he was only a day's ride away," "I realized I hadn't changed at all." "It's just you all the time," "Just you standin' an' backin' me, holdin' me up." "I was the" "Same as ever, just a drunken no good coward, cheating' them to" "Put their trust in me, an' all the while," "I just wanted to lie in god's green earth unconscious." "Micah, I want you to..." "Put this back on for a while." "Huh?" "Oh, I..." "I can't." "You better learn, what 'have to' means, micah." "Here, here, there you have it." "There, now that oughtta do it!" "There!" "Beware of the law!" "I hope to see you again soon, micah." "There was a little girl, she wore a little curl, right down" "The middle of 'er fore head." "An' when she was..." "Lucas!" "Yeah?" "You..." "You're gonna gun 'im for me?" "Oh, no." "I've done you enough" "Harm an' hurt already, micah." "I wouldn't wanna add to it." "Yeah, yeah." "Yes." "I'm lookin' for a man named ansel bain." "You ansel bain?" "That's my name." "Bartender, another glass." "I've been hearin' quite about you lately, mr." "Bain." "Seems to" "Me you're a..." "Man with a big reputation." "Did you come here to talk about my reputation, mister?" "You got somethin' to say, let's hear it." "Well, if you put that gun back in your holster, I may have" "Some information that might be to your likin', mr." "Bain." "Come in." "Howdy, micah?" "Ansel?" "Haven't changed a bit, have you, rummy?" "I hear" "That you've been upholding' the law in this hogwaller." "Might say." "Things are gonna work out real nice for both of us, micah." "For a good while now, I've been lookin' forward to my..." "Retirement, somewheres like this." "Ansel, I..." "You be that saloon down" "There, tomorrow mornin' at ten o'clock, an' be wearin' that" "Badge." "And, er, micah, this time, don't try running'." "No!" "Goodnight, pa." "Goodnight, son." "Goodnight, thad." "Goodnight, mark." "Ain't you found what you're lookin' for yet, in the book," "Mr. Mccain?" "Solomon, proverbs eighteen, verse twenty four, "there is a" "Friend that sticketh closer than a brother."" "An' later on in the new book," "Saint john says, "a man ain't got no greater love, than to lay" "Down his own life, for his friend."" "What about, when a man lays down his friend's life for his" "Friend?" "What does the book say about that?" "He..." "He's here, lucas, here in north fork." "Ansel, ansel bain." "I'd say that's your problem." "No, no, lucas, I..." "I can't handle him alone, you know that," "You..." "You gotta back me up." "Again?" "!" "After the thanks I got?" "Lucas, please." "You gotta a choice, micah." "Stand up to the man alone or run." "Lucas, please, I..." "I'm asking this one last favor." "The answer is no!" "All right, lucas." "All right, lucas boy." "I couldn't help overhearing, pa." "What's wrong with micah?" "He's sick?" "He needs help, he'll be killed or somethin'!" "Hold on, mark son." "The way" "Poor mr." "Micah is now, he'd be much happier dead an' buried." "That his friend" "Sit down." "Looks like you're learnin'." "You know, if you'd have took off" "This time, I'da run you down," "An' caught up with you." "You wouldn't like that, would you?" "No." "You're on your own now, micah." "Ain't nobody backing' you up, around here." "How'd you find me?" "Matter o' fact, eh, your own mean speaking cuss, with a funny" "Rifle rode the whole way down to dillsville just to tip me off." "Off, where I could find you." "Think of him takin' that trouble for me." "What's that?" "Speak up!" "Nothin'." "All I want from you is this," "I want you to appoint me your permanent chief deputy." "Do it" "Right now, torrance." "Loud out," "An' plain!" "I'll take over from there." "What's the matter, micah?" "Kitty cat got your tongue?" "Here, rummy, whet your whistle." "Think of him takin' that trouble for me." "What?" "What?" "Micah, give me back my glasses!" "Ah, you're nothin'." "You're just nothin' at all!" "My glasses, micah -!" "Why..." "Sixteen years." "For sixteen years I've been livin' in fear" "Of..." "I guess you might say, in fear of my own weakness." "Lock him up, boys." "So you were in back of me as usual?" "I shoulda known." "No, micah, I wasn't." "I was just watchin'." "With that?" "This?" "I figured he was even" "Money to kill you." "I didn't plan for him to walk away from it." "To..." "Think of you, goin' to all that trouble."