"You boys, go around that way." "Get to the back." "You two, come with me." "Don't worry, son." "You just be real quiet for me." "What's happening?" "Don't make a sound." "Get out of my house!" "Keep your nose out of our business." "How dare you?" "What do you think you're doing?" "l'm warning you." "Stop!" "Stay out of this." "Go back to sleep, child." "Your dreams are obviously more entertaining than this coach ride." "Just a little exercise for my rheumatism, darling." "Unless, of course, you indulge in games of chance." "I didn't think so." "Lordy, Lord." "Stage is in town!" "Stage is here!" "Billy!" "Sweetheart!" "Oh, I missed you so much." "Let me look at you." "You're getting so big." "Good boy you got there, ma'am." "Didn't give me an ounce of trouble." "Yeah, well, of course." "He's my son." "Thank you for watching over him." "I couldn't wait for your school holiday to begin. I missed you so much." "I know, I already said that." "We are gonna have so much fun together." "Baby, you must be tired." "I'm okay." "Let's go." "Well, come on." "Give me a hand." "Here, take it." "There it goes." "Well?" "Be careful with my luggage." "It's genuine French leather." "Let me give you a hand there, ma'am." "Thank you, sir." "Who the hell needs that much stuff?" "Now that, my friends, is proof there is a God." "Amen, brother." "Mother?" "Mother?" "I always thought Ezra was raised by wolves." "And your grandfather said you've been such a good boy." "I am so proud of you." "is that little Billy Travis?" "No, it can't be." "He couldn't have gotten so big in just one year." "You remember Mr. Wheeler, don't you?" "He owns the hotel." "He's a little tired from the ride." "Well, probably hungry too." "Well, what say we get my cook to hustle up some sandwiches for you?" "Yes." "That sounds like a fine idea." "Well, come along." "You can tell him what you want." "Hey." "You wanna wait inside while I get the sandwiches?" "I'll be right back, then." "But I'm gonna miss you." "What do you think?" "Think that looks like a horse?" "It's yours." "Too bad you had to come back to town!" "You say one word, and I'll kill your mother!" "I'm the devil." "She can't hide from the devil!" "Billy!" "Get out of the way!" "Billy!" "You all right?" "Oh, my baby." "Yeah, it looks all right, ma'am." "I think his nerves are just a little razzled up." "Long ride and a near miss with a wagon will do that to a boy." "What were you thinking, Billy?" "Running into the street like that." "I wanna go back to Grandpa's." "What's the matter, honey?" "He" " He's gonna get you." "Well, who's gonna get me?" "The devil." "Honey, have those nightmares been coming back?" "Your grandma said they went away." "Maybe coming back home stirred them up again." "But I saw him." "Where did you see him, sweetheart?" "I know you miss your father as much as I do." "But sometimes forgetting everything just makes it worse." "Maybe we need to just talk a little bit." "Billy." "Go away." "Mrs. Travis?" "I think the boy can use a little rest." "I'll be out here." "Well, this is a sweet little town, Ezra." "Wonderful." "Just what I wanna hear." "What on earth are you talking about?" "Mother, what are you doing here?" "Did something happen in St. Louis?" "Well, things got a bit complicated there." "Oh, really?" "I thought it prudent to disappear for a while." "Your letters spoke highly of this towns potential." "I knew I should've left off my return address." "Oh, madam." "Might this belong to you?" "Thank you, kind sir." "l hadn't realized I had dropped it." "Not at all." "A handkerchief?" "Thats the oldest ruse in the book." "One can always rely on the classics." "Appearances are everything, darling." "Rare masonry from ancient Rome." "Very valuable." "Mr. Larabee?" "I'm in your debt for saving my son." "I know this may be a bit presumptuous of me to ask." "Well, I was hoping that you might be willing to have a little talk with Billy." "A talk?" "You see, he's never spoken about the night his father was killed." "Well, I can understand that." "But I think he needs to or it'll keep haunting him." "You think he saw what happened that night?" "I hope not." "But the loss of his father alone is enough to...." "Well, he...." "He hasn't been the same since." "That's partly why I sent him to live with his grandparents." "There's too many ghosts here." "Maybe he just needs a little more time." "Best to just leave him be." "No." "We've done that, and he hasn't gotten any better." "But when I saw him with you earlier the way he looked at you, he even smiled." "I don't know, Mary." "I'm just not sure I'd be much help." "All right." "You know, I can do rope tricks too." "You wanna see some?" "Maybe later, J.D." "Are you sure?" "I got it right here." "Hey, kids." "Hey, Buck." "How are you?" "I'm fine, Miss Virginia." "Thank you kindly." "Me and Sugar Plum were hoping that we'd see you on our ride today." "Well, you know" "Virginia I need your help inside." "Yes, Papa." "Ma'am." "What are you trying to do to me?" "Hey, can I help it if I've got animal magnetism?" "Animal what?" "Animal magnetism." "I read about it in a magazine." "It's a power I've got no control over once women get a whiff of it." "What can I do?" "Take a bath!" "Mr. Wilmington." "I know my daughter may seem very mature but perhaps you should keep company with people your own age." "Sir." "Keep an eye on him." "Sometimes this animal magnetism, it's a curse." "He takes this little skirt, and he puts in on the poor dog and makes her dance the cancan!" "Full house." "And I said, "Ezra, honey, you better be careful." "Elsie's gonna bite you."" "But he keeps dancing her round and round until she goes:" "And she nips him on the kisser." "So he pulls off her skirt and he says:" ""Well, fine, then." "You'll just have to dance naked!"" "Ezra." "We're just hearing about you and your dog." "The naked dancer." "If you'll excuse us, gentlemen, my mother needs her rest." "My, my." "Looks just fine to me." "You done cleaned us out." "Well, how about that." "Well, I thank you, gentlemen, for the libations." "Do you need some help carrying my money?" "Think I can handle it." "Good night, Maude." "Good night." "I never had a dog named Elsie, and I certainly never dressed her up." "Well, it's still an adorable story." "All right, this game is called Read 'Em and Weep." "l'm out." "l'm already weeping." "This game is called solitaire." "You boys, go around that way." "You two, come with me." "Don't worry, son." "You just be real quiet for me." "What's happening?" "Don't make a sound." "You're making a mistake!" "Keep your nose out of our business." "Don't mess with us." "Don't do this, Frank." "I'm warning you." "Stop!" "Stay out of this." "Let's get out of here." "Billy?" "Billy?" "Billy, where are you?" "Billy!" "Mrs." "Travis?" "Billy!" "Mrs." "Travis, what's wrong?" "He's gone. I woke up, and he was gone." "Mrs. Travis, he's probably just wandering around the town." "You better stay." "But I want to help." "What if he comes back?" "l don't know." "Maybe you're right." "Yeah. I am." "We looked all over." "He ain't here." "He's probably just hiding." "Pretty good at that myself..." "...when I was a boy." "Keep looking." "Let's give it a second try, you being the expert and all." "Since when do you go riding after little runaway boys?" "Well, the kid's mother wields considerable influence around here." "It'll be good to have her owing me a favor." "That's my boy." "Always working an angle." "Where do we start looking?" "Start at Baker Pass, then head south from there." "All right." "Ma'am." "Mary." "We'll find him." "Kids." "You just never know what kind of crazy thing is gonna get into their heads." "Why, when Ezra was a little boy, he got his hands on a tomahawk." "Playing lnjun or some such thing." "Next thing I know, his little cousin's fingers are all" "Well, honey, it all worked out in the end." "He ain't up here, Buck." "I don't know where he is." "I don't know." "He ain't here either." "Nathan, you're a doctor-type fella, aren't you?" "Yeah, I suppose." "You've heard about this animal-magnetism thing, haven't you?" "Women, they can smell it on you." "Now, medically speaking if a man's got it, it's not his fault, right?" "I mean, it's more like a condition." "It's like a rash or an ailment." "It won't ever go away, will it?" "It won't, will it?" "I should've seen this coming." "I should've done something." "By the time you're my age, you realize there's a million things you should've done." "Each one will stick you in the heart like a knife." "You're saying it never gets easier?" "Never." "But once in a while, you see something you did right." "And it helps. lt does, it helps a lot." "Any luck, Mrs. Travis?" "Why, didn't I see you at the hotel?" "Well, very likely, since I own it." "Well, I was just on my way over there now." "Perhaps you could escort me." "I just love to hear the finer points of hoteling." "Well, there's not much to tell." "lt must be a very lucrative business." "We're getting closer." "He managed to cover a lot of ground for a little kid." "Well, he must be scared." "What do you think made him up and run off like that?" "I don't know." "He's running from something." "Ain't we all?" "Billy!" "I hope we find the boy all right." "Mrs. Travis looked ready to lose her mind over him." "My mother lost her mind long before I was born." "It's a mother's curse to worry over her kids." "What about Ezra's ma, Josiah?" "Charming woman." "She sure is." "You know, she told me my fortune the other day." "Didn't even charge me." "And what did she see from the great beyond?" "To tell you the truth, it wasn't that good." "She told me I was gonna be meeting my first and last bullet within six months." "Well, except she did this ancient ritual, and it lifted the curse and now I'm gonna be fine." "And the cost of said ritual?" "Usually it's $ 1 0." "But for you?" "Five." "Billy!" "Vin." "Vin, here." "He's around here somewhere." "Hey, Billy!" "Billy, don't run!" "l gotcha!" "It's okay." "We won't hurt you." "Let go!" "Let go!" "Let go!" "Hey, hey, hey." "We're gonna take you back to your ma." "No, no!" "He's gonna kill her!" "Who?" "Hey!" "Move!" "Stay down!" "You see him?" "Yeah, he's up there on that ridge." "Let go!" "He's gone." "No, he's not." "He's gonna kill her!" "Who?" "The devil. lt's him. lt's the devil." "He's gonna kill us too." "He's coming." "All right, all right." "All right." "Evening, ma'am." "My name's J.D. Dunne." "What's your name?" "Evening, Buck." "I was off visiting neighbors that night." "And Billy was supposed to go with me but he wanted to stay home with his father." "When I got back, I saw men riding away." "How many?" "Two." "But it was dark, I...." "l couldn't really see their faces." "But they must have heard me coming." "And that's probably what stopped them from finding Billy." "Anyone you can think of that would've wanted your husband dead?" "Well, Stephen upset a lot of people with his newspaper." "He fought for the truth." "Published it." "I remember afterwards, there was an investigation." "Yes, and they decided that it was a robbery." "That the guilty men were long gone." "I guess they've come back." "Or never left." "Son." "Now I know this is hard for you, but I have to ask." "Did you see anything that night?" "Billy, please." "We can't hide from this anymore." "The devil's gonna get us." "No. I won't let him, honey." "Just talk to me." "I understand they found the boy." "Yeah, scared out of his wits, but we found him." "Poor boy." "You've ingratiated yourself quite well with this town." "I've made a few acquaintances." "Nothing more." "A position rife with opportunity, wouldn't you say?" "I've found the perfect mark." "A Mr. Wheeler." "Owns the hotel." "In fact, he and I are spending this very evening together." "Really?" "We'll use the same con we pulled in Chicago." "You know, the cotton-gin investment." "No." "Excuse me?" "I said, no. ls that clear?" "The answer is no." "Now, now." "Listen, Mother, I've got this town believing that they can trust me to protect it from people like you." "Hell, from people like me." "I thought that protection job was just a front." "Well, of course it is." "Now, you haven't gone and joined the ranks of the employed, have you?" "Now, that would be undignified." "Ezra." "Ezra." "What a waste of your God-given gifts." "I raised you better than that." "Raised me?" "Did you say raised me?" "Come on, now, Mother." "You didn't raise me as well as a...." "As a stray cat raises a litter." "You dumped me, remember?" "At every aunt and uncle's house you could find." "Unless, of course, you needed me." "I taught you a trade." "I did the best I could." "I'm sorry if it wasn't good enough." "Satan's up to his old tricks again, eh?" "Yep." "And apparently he's using a .44 these days." "Except this time, Satan ain't no all-powerful demon." "If he was, he'd know Billy couldn't finger him." "Yet." "So how we gonna flush this guy out?" "We could put an advert in Mary's newspaper." "You know advertising might not be a bad idea." "Hey, Buck, Josiah." "Did you hear that Mrs. Travis and the boy are leaving?" "Already?" "Yep." "I thought he was planning on staying for a month." "Hey, Nathan." "Did you hear?" "The Travis boy's leaving." "Really?" "Leaving already?" "Yep." "Know what made him change his mind, J.D.?" "I'm not real sure, but I imagine the scare he got in this town helped." "Tough world." "You have a nice trip, pard." "Mrs. Travis." "Billy, don't forget to write me a letter." "Look here." "Tell me how many rabbits you saw." "Thank you." "Thanks to all of you." "Bye, now." "Bye, Billy." "Have a safe trip." "Say hi to the judge for me, will you?" "Bye, Mrs. Travis." "Bye-bye." "Hey, they're gone." "Let's go." "Get!" "Go on!" "Hold it!" "l'm slowing down." "Don't shoot." "Hold that coach!" "Hold it right there!" "Hold up!" "Hold it up!" "Pull up that coach." "Hold it!" "You boys looking to rob me?" "Shut up, old man." "Hey." "A child!" "A little boy!" "What kind of animals are you?" "God!" "God!" "Ma'am." "Get her off of me!" "We don't have time for this." "Let's go." "No!" "That was for Billy." "Get up." "We're gonna stay here in your old house until your ma gets back." "It's safe there." "You're making a mistake!" "Keep your nose out of our business!" "Don't do this, Frank!" "You know, you don't have to do this." "Listen, Billy." "I've met the devil." "More than once." "And he ain't beat me yet." "All right." "All right, string him up!" "Back up, boy." "Back up." "Come on, bring him up, boy." "Back up." "Hey." "Hey." "We're not gonna leave her alone with him, are we?" "I ain't gonna argue with her." "Now, you look like a smart feller." "How many times we gonna have to drop you on your head before your neck breaks?" "Now, mister, I know you're not from around here." "But only a fool takes money from a stranger to do a killing." "Now, I know you're not a fool, are you?" "Maybe we should ask his friend." "Yeah." "Let's ask his friend." "Well, too late for that." "Now, we don't need a name, son." "But we do need a description." "Just a little description." "I can't hear a word this boy's saying, can you?" "No." "Try your animal maggotism on him." "That's animal "magnetism," boy." "And you can plainly see, it only works on the ladies." "Gentlemen, if I may." "This sack of manure is getting heavy." "That was lucky." "You ready to start talking now?" "Whatever you wanna know." "What he looked like what he wore, what he drank." "I swear." "Just let me down." "Please let me down." "You're pretty good at that." "Your pa teach you?" "Bet you miss him a lot, huh?" "Billy it wasn't your fault." "I was scared." "Bet you've never been scared." "You'd lose that bet." "It was after I lost someone real special." "Someone a lot like you." "Most scared I've ever been was having to go on without him." "Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to keep on living." "I know." "Sorry I'm late, Papa." "You sell Mrs. Travis' house?" "Not yet." "I'm afraid she's got some squatters." "Squatters?" "I passed it on my way out here." "I think I saw someone go inside." "Well, I'll send somebody" "Let's go." "Come on." "Lock them up, boys." "Go on home without me." "Where you going?" "Just go on." "Mama said" "Go!" "ls the boy with them?" "Don't look like it." "Get Jack and Willie." "Meet me out at the old Travis place about 1 0:00." "You raise them, you shower them with love, and what happens?" "They grow up to despise you." "What's the point in having them in the first place?" "Well, I wouldn't know, ma'am." "I never had any." "Smart man." "And good-looking." "That's a deadly combination." "Bartender." "A whiskey, if you please." "Well, we saved him." "He's safe and sound." "Saved who?" "The Travis boy." "Well, bully for you, Ezra." "Now you can return him to the mother who cares." "Oh, hell." "Well." "My, my." "How foolish of me." "I actually thought you might take some maternal pride in all this." "But I forgot, you are bereft of such instincts." "Perhaps I should be going." "No, no." "Don't bother." "l'm the one who's going." "Where?" "To protect some little lost kitten?" "Well, touché." "As a matter of fact, I'm going back to the jail to find out who hired those men." "Then I'm going to hunt the bastard down and rip his throat out." "How pleasant." "Well, then." "I won't invite you to watch." "Shouldn't be doing that." "That's right, that boy'll" "Why don't we see if we can find him." "Vultures." "Please, don't feel obliged to stay." "I just don't fancy watching a man being dismembered." "Dismembered?" "That's what a mob does to people who prey on little children." "Oh, I've seen it before." "Eyes gouged, limbs torn clean off innards yanked out." "Excuse me, ma'am, but I really do have to go." "Why, certainly, Mr. Wheeler." "Call of nature." "Going somewhere?" "It was all an act in there, wasn't it?" "This is a mistake." "You got it all wrong." "Why you running?" "Mary it wasn't my idea." "I had to go along with it." "I had no choice." "Always got a choice." "You don't understand." "You see, Stephen was digging into the land deeds." "And he would've found out that they were fake." "So you killed him." "Oh, God, no." "No. lt wasn't me." "No, I just wanted to talk to him." "I wanted to get him to back off." "He was gonna cost me everything, Mary." "Well, I swear I tried to stop it." "I protected Billy as long as I could." "And it wasn't my idea to hire those men. I wanted to let Billy go." "Mary, please, you gotta believe me." "I'm about to land you in a shallow grave." "Now, you best tell me who your partner is and where we can find him." "Go around the side!" "They'll have to come out of there now." "lt's gonna burn down." "Come on, Billy." "Come on." "We're gonna have to make a run for the barn, all right?" "You ready?" "Go, Billy, go!" "Go!" "Stay down!" "Don't stop, Billy." "Run, Billy!" "The barn, Billy!" "They're in the barn." "Get them, damn you!" "I wanna stay with you." "You'll be all right." "Keep your head down." "Ride as fast as you can, Billy." "Go!" "Hold it. I got him." "You should have stayed out of this." "No!" "Come on, get down." "Get down!" "Drop it." "Hey." "That's enough." "Billy!" "Mommy." "It's all right, sweetheart." "You're safe now." "It's all right, Billy." "Let me see that arm, Chris." "He killed my father." "It's over, Billy." "He'll pay for what he did." "Listen, Mother about some of the things that were said the other night, l" "Goodbye, Buck." "Why, ma'am, you have yourself a good trip." "Thank you." "What's that smell?" "Smell?" "Like an animal or something." "Well, it was nice meeting you." "What on earth was all that about?" "Nothing." "Now, what were you saying?" "Well, I just wanted to say, with all that's going on I just didn't want you to feel as though I feel" "Thank you, ma'am." "Don't mention it." "Yes?" "Well, although harsh words were spoken I want you to know that in my heart" "Ma'am?" "I do believe I'll die if you leave." "Penniless." "So nice to meet you." "I'm sorry, darling." "Well, I...." "l just want you to...." "Take care of yourself." "I always do, son." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "Extraordinary woman." "Oh, yes, indeed." "Now, you be careful with that luggage." "That's genuine French leather." "Come on, Mom." "Chris said we should start an early start." "I'm coming. I'm coming." "But the fish aren't going anywhere." "You know what else Chris said?" "He said he'd take me hunting too." "Just remember, Mr. Larabee has an injured arm." "Chris don't care." "He says it's just a scratch." "Billy, you ready?" "On three, now." "One, two, three." "Leg over." "Thattaboy." "And just be careful, honey." "I know, Ma. I'm not a baby." "Come on, boy."