"Morning, micah." "Mornin', milly." "Coffee?" "No, thanks." "Have you seen mark?" "Not since yesterday." "He's probably gone off to the ranch again." "You heard from lucas?" "No, I haven't." "If he doesn't come back soon" "I'm afraid that boy will turn sick he's so lonesome." "I feel for him the same as you do, milly." "He just seems convinced that" "That his father will never come back." "I know, he told me the same thing." "Micah, you know where lucas is, don't you?" "Yes, milly, I know where he is." "Well, then, in the name of heaven, why don't you tell us?" "I mean, at least tell mark." "Last month when lucas was wiped out along with everybody" "Else, he got himself a job." "A job that will earn 'im enough to start all over again." "But what kind of a job?" "Where?" "That information could cost lucas his life, milly." "Now, er, forget what I told you, hmm?" "Give me a drink, a double." "Finny, are you startin' all" "Over again?" "Or are you just chasin' away last night?" "New one!" "Aggie, I got me my ticket out of here." "Yes, I do." "That's it, right there, that little ol' piece o' paper." "Where's mckee?" "In the office, but not for you." "Oh, he'll wanna see me." "Finny, what'd you want?" "Can't you see I'm busy?" "Oh, I need to see you, mr." "Mckee, it's important." "Well, take it up with ross." "No, you're makin' a mistake, let me go!" "You'll be sorry, mckee." "Said it was important." "With him it's always important." "It's always the same idea about gettin' into my whiskey barrels." "Well, mccain, you didn't waste any time comin' to see me." "A man tells me there's fast money to be made, I don't waste" "Time." "Wanna tell me about it?" "The cheyenne pay in gold." "Gold in return for guns an' ammunition." "Guns an' ammunition which I supply." "Where do I fit in?" "There is a supply train comin' in tonight." "You mean, you rob your own supply train?" "Collect the insurance." "Oh." "Then you sell the guns an' ammunition to the indians" "An' they in turn, use 'em on the cattlemen, huh?" "It's about the size of it." "An' in the end you wind up with the cattle." "Cattle, too." "You know, I once robbed" "The bank in salina, killed the cashier, gunned my way through" "The whole town, made off with over four thousand dollars" "In cash." "Thought I was pretty smart." "But you, mr." "Mckee, take the cake." "Well, it's really quite simple." "It took me some time" "To figure it out, it's payin' off now." "Tell me about tonight." "About six miles out, the supply train comes to a place" "Called cheyenne trail." "There'll be two drivers," "Six armed guards." "I don't want any of 'em to come out" "Of that dry wash alive." "You have to kill 'em all?" "Well, let's put it this way, the cheyenne wouldn't let them" "Live, that's who's goin' to get blamed for it." "You know you're pretty good with that rifle." "Pretty good." "Think you could take, say, three of the armed guards?" "What do you think, mckee?" "Be at the saloon at 8:00 tonight." "Ross will pick you up." "I'll be there." "What makes you think you can trust 'im?" "Who said I trust him?" "Oh, finny, you know somethin'?" "Someday you gonna keel over from that stuff." "And you know what?" "Nobody will even have to bury you." "They'll just pour you into a hole." "Mm, I wasn't always like this, aggie, I wasn't always." "Sure, I know, finny, I know." "Finny, what about that ticket out of here this mornin'?" "That it?" "If it is, finny, you know your train's goin' round" "In a great big circle?" "Well, I know somethin'..." "An' it'd be worth plenty to the" "Right people, but they don't care." "Nobody cares about finny," "But I still know!" "Know, an' what do you know?" "Aye, how about buyin' finny something more?" "Sure, tell me what you know." "Hmm." "No." "Don't need it that bad." "Bottle maybe?" "This full?" "Uh-huh." "I'll get it." "No, wait." "Now, finny, a bottle is gonna last you all night." "All night, finny." "Well, it don't mean nothin' to me." "What do I care?" "The man." "Rifleman." "I didn't hear anybody knock." "My room is down the hall." "One key is the same as the next." "They all fit." "Why don't you go back to your room?" "Mr. Mccain, is that the way you talk to the ladies in, uh," "North fork?" "Oh, I didn't tell mckee," "If, uh, that's what you wanna know." "Tell 'im what?" "Who you are really workin' for." "Oh?" "Who am I really workin' for?" "The government." "You were hired by that marshal." "Back in new mexico." "Oh, you know, he's got a real nice name." "Micah." "Micah torrance?" "All right, aggie, it's your move, what do you want?" "Easy, tall man." "When you leave, I wanna go with you." "Oh, I'll be good to you, lucas, honest I will." "Oh." "You an' me, huh?" "You an' me." "That's how it'll be." "You'll take me?" "All right, aggie," "I'm sorry I'm gonna have to play this game my way." "How long are you gonna keep that up?" "I don't like it." "She knows about it, somebody else knows about it." "That's a chance we're gonna have to take." "No." "We'll have to find some other way to get mckee." "Can't have you riskin' your neck." "That's my decision, marshal." "Now, look, he's already told me" "Enough to hang him." "All we have to do is catch 'im in the act." "Just make sure there's no slip ups on your end." "I don't wanna" "Wind up in that wash with a bullet in my back." "All right, all right." "Well, 7:30." "You got half an hour." "Well, I'm gonna get me somethin' to eat." "Oh, excuse me." "Aggie, aggie, you in there, aggie?" "Aggie?" "Oh, aggie." "Well just a minute, hold on." "I'll get you out of here." "Oh, cut me loose." "Aggie, sure." "Oh, that no good..." "Who?" "Aggie, who done it?" "Who do you think?" "Mr. Lucas mccain, that's who." "Now, aggie, you shouldn't have done what you've done." "An' gettin' me drunk like that I shouldn't have told you." "Oh, save it, finny, save it." "All I want right now is to get back at that mealy mouth." "Oh, you just wait 'til mckee hears about this." "Just wait." "No, now, aggie, you can't tell mckee." "Why not?" "Now, aggie, you listen to me." "Mckee ain't no good, you know that." "Look at the way he treated" "You all this time an' look what he done to me." "Now that mccain fellow, he's here to get mckee." "Let 'im." "Now, I thought about it, it's the best thing." "Maybe for you." "Oh, don't tell mckee." "Well, now, ain't this nice." "I come to see mccain, an' look what I find." "What don't you want her to tell mckee?" "Nothin', I say..." "Now, how about you?" "You gonna tell me, aren't you, aggie?" "Come on, aggie." "Haa, no." "Aggie, no." "Come on, aggie." "Come on, aggie!" "Finny?" "Good lord." "Hello, mckee." "Mccain, I'm glad you didn't change your mind." "Is there any reason to think I would?" "No, but some men do strange things for the money they earn." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Well, mccain, I've been thinkin'." "You know, you don't strike me as a professional killer." "Well, I'd say that was in my favor." "For some men, it would be." "But for you, no." "You know, you strike me more as a man who..." "Plays both sides against the middle." "What is this, mckee?" "It should be obvious." "You're sure there isn't somethin' you wanna tell me?" "Such as?" "Aggie never was very good at keepin' secrets." "You're through," "Mccain." "Nobody knows anything'." "Nobody, huh?" "Nobody but the marshal, mckee." "The marshal?" "He needs proof, he's never gotten it 'til now." "You're his proof, but you're gonna be dead." "The supply train's comin' through unharmed," "But you're goin' to disappear." "That will give the marshal somethin' to think about!" "Lucas!" "Are you all right, marshal?" "Yeah, I..." "I think so." "aggie!" "Aggie." "Lucas..." "He" "He made me tell." "Mckee, I wasn't gonna... it's all right, aggie." "It's all right." "Lucas, I wish..." "I was goin' away, with you..." "Would you like a little souvenir, lucas?" "No, thanks, marshal." "The only place" "I've ever been wanted is in new mexico territory." "North fork, an' that's where I'm headed right now." "Well, good luck to you." "Thank you." "An' say hello to micah for me." "I'll do that." "Good luck to all o' you." "Milly?" "What is it, micah?" "Tell her what you told me, rafe." "All right, marshal, only you understand, miss milly," "I thought you knowed, or I wouldn't have done it." "Done what?" "I'm afraid I don't understand." "It's about mark, go on, tell her, rafe." "Well, he came to the livery stable a while ago," "Brought his saddle horse." "He traded with me, he did." "Oh, what for?" "A plough mule." "Of course, I gave the difference in cash," "About $15." "But what would mark wanna do with a plough mule?" "Well, he said somethin' to rafe about tryin' a little farming'." "Yeah, out to his pa's place." "Thanks for tellin' me." "Oh, milly...?" "Mark, what on earth are you doing?" "I'm cleanin' the place up." "Wouldn't it be a lot easier" "To wait?" "I mean, 'til your father comes back?" "He's not comin' back." "Oh, mark." "Well, it's been most of two months." "He hasn't written," "No word." "He didn't wanna be a dirt farmer," "There are no cattle around here." "Lucas will be back." "You've gotta believe that." "You've gotta have faith." "I tried." "Well, you must believe in your father." "After all, look at what you're doin'." "I figured on..." "Maybe movin' back in." "By yourself?" "You can't do that, mark, you're stayin'" "With milly." "That's the way lucas wanted it!" "Pa is not here anymore." ""this house rebuilt by lucas "mccain, and his son, mark."" "Guess that makes it half mine." "An'..." "Since pa doesn't see it fit to live in anymore, why..." "Why..." "I guess that makes it all mine now." "Course I" " I'd rather be a cattle rancher," "But you can't do that without any cattle." "And besides, I don't see" "Anythin'..." "Wrong with being a dirt farmer." "You eat good an'..." "An' beans are always good for the market." "I like beans, an' I" "I was figurin' on maybe some corn, too." "An' who knows..." "I heard that people are startin' wheat around here." "Mark, please." "When are you gonna do all this, boy, after school?" "You can't do it alone, somebody will have to help you." "Of course, there's another thing, dirt farmin'" "Is a lot like cattle raising'." "A man's gotta have faith like miss milly said." "I don't think you've got enough, mark," "Not if you've lost faith in your own father." "Micah!" "Keep quiet, milly." "Mark, you're just a boy an' I've seen grown" "Men buckle up doin' what you're trying to do." "Men like lucas," "Who've lost everything' they have, except their house an'" "This piece o' land." "Goin' off an' doin' whatever they can to" "Save it, an' then comin' back," "An' tryin' again." "Now, mark, uh, that's faith." "I tried to think he'd come back, but how much faith" "Is a person supposed to have?" "I lost everything when he did, didn't I?" "I even lost him." "What am I supposed to" "Supposed to- sup" "Pa?" "Mark, what is it?" "Pa?" "What's the matter, boy?" "Pa." "Pa!" "Pa!" "Pa!" "Pa!" "Eleven, twelve, thirteen," "Fourteen, fifteen, an' a dollar for feed." "Well, you can forget the feed, lucas." "No, I can afford it, rafe." "That new heifer I brought back's" "Gonna increase our herd right quick." "Well, is that so?" "Before you know it, there'll be cattle all" "Over the range again, just like before." "I hope so." "Son, tell me somethin', do you, uh," "Think you'd have liked being a dirt farmer?" "Well, no more than you liked goin' to wyoming." "You know somethin', mark," "Your horse is gonna look a lot better under you than that mule." "Yup." "An' you know somethin'," "Micah, you were right about what you said." "What was that?" "Oh, just a little somethin' between mark an' me." "Lucas?" "Supper is on the table." "You boys comin'?" "Yes, ma'am!" "Last one's a rotten egg."