"Now, when we get there, I don't want you busting in like some bucking bronco, young man." "I want you to be real nice to these ladies and get to know them." "Buck, how many times do I gotta tell you, I already know what to do." "I'm just trying to help, it being your first time and all." "You must have wax in your ears." "This ain't my first." "I've had a whole gaggle of women." "Well, sure you have, J.D." "Just trying to make sure that little gaggle of yours didn't miss a spot." "Hold on, boy." "Well, there it is." "Wickes Town." "Wickes Town." "Come on, let's go." "Who is this guy Wickes?" "Friend of the local ranchers." "He brought in some sporting women and built this paradise." "Hey, darling." "What do you say we sample a little Wickes whiskey and get you in the mood, J.D.?" "Come on, boy." "Hey." "How you doing?" "Come on!" "Isn't that Chris?" "Yep." "Let's go say hi." "No." "Over here." "What will it be, gents?" "Two whiskeys." "On the house!" "Welcome, gentlemen." "The first drink is always free to new customers." "You must be Wickes." "Guilty as charged, my friend." "If you want a special brand of whiskey a card game or a girl, just say the word. lt's yours." "Thank you." "Excuse me, gentlemen." "To Wickes Town." "Wickes Town." "Wickes Town." "Clovis!" "You want the usual?" "Nora, get over here." "Nora." "Not him again." "I'm not feeling too good." "Hey, why don't you spend the afternoon with me." "Let go." "Lydia." "You talk to Wickes some more." "Don't worry." "You're coming with me, Nora." "You miss me, sugar?" "You all right?" "l'm fine, she's not." "Which one do you fancy, J.D.?" "That one." "Good choice." "You want me to arrange it?" "No. I can do it." "Damn." "You can do it." "Pardon me." "Hi." "Hi." "Hi, I'm J.D." "Hi." "Come with me." "A man's first time brings back fond memories." "You know, come to think of it, the first time was not good." "Usually ain't." "I better follow him, make sure he doesn't trip over it on the way to her tent." "See you." "So you been here long?" "Not too long." "Where you from?" "Arkansas." "Really?" "Don't be shy, honey." "Oh, my." "Come on, you." "Don't you tell me my business, woman!" "If you ever question my authority again I'll kill you." "Do you understand me?" "I'll kill you." "Do you hear?" "I'd advise you to mind your own business, friend." "I'd advise you to let the lady go, friend." "Nora!" "Nora, honey." "She needs a doctor." "You're gonna need one worse, mister." "Come here!" "Hold him for me!" "Get off!" "Don't ever tell a man what to do with his own property." "Buck, we're leaving." "We're taking her with us." "Let go!" "Buck, let's go." "J.D., get the guns, the horses." "This ain't over." "She's in bad shape." "Got some broken ribs, some nasty cuts." "Some old bruises too." "Someone's been treating her pretty rough." "I gotta get back." "He'll be mad." "lt's okay, honey." "You're safe here." "I'll just owe more." "Owe who?" "Wickes?" "He paid my way out here." "I have to pay him back." "With interest." "I came because he promised me so much." "But the more I work, the more I owe." "Sounds like a good deal." "For him." "Mr. Larabee." "May I have a word with you?" "So then Buck starts swinging at this bull of a man like there's no tomorrow." "More like a pig of a man, if you ask me." "Sounds like a righteous fight." "Righteous fight?" "You almost got us killed." "What the hell got into you, Buck?" "Nothing." "You just don't treat women like that." "I agree, you don't treat women like that but now we can't go back to Wickes Town." "I really think that Emily and I could have had something." "She said that she might not even charge me." "What?" "It's true." "Well, that's too bad, J.D., because from where l sit, that'd be right charitable of her." "What do you know, preacher?" "Women never meant nothing to you." "What I don't know about women ain't worth knowing." "Anyway, the important thing to remember is the act of love should be a truly spiritual experience." "Spiritual." "See, Adam and Eve they got thrown out of paradise for doing it." "So when we do it, it better be right so their loss was not in vain." "Amen to that, brother." "is there anyone alive who doesn't feel obliged to give me advice?" "I'm not telling you what to do." "You're suggesting awful strong." "Look, she's your responsibility." "She's here because she needs looking after." "And when she gets better, hopefully you'll take her elsewhere." "Well, that's mighty Christian of you, Mrs. Travis." "Mr. Larabee, things are hard enough for this town without her kind here." "The hurt kind?" "The working kind." "It's one girl, Mrs. Travis." "Just one, Mr. Larabee?" "Thank you very much." "You have Nora?" "She's all right." "ls she okay?" "Yeah." "She can't be moved just yet, ma'am, but she's gonna be all right." "l'm grateful for your help." "You ladies out for a morning ride?" "We snuck out at dawn." "We looked over our shoulders the whole way." "Look around." "We're happy to point you..." "...in the direction you're going." "Came looking for you." "When I saw men stand up to Wickes I knew we could get out of that place." "I'm asking you for a safe place to stay here." "To protect us." "We can pay you." "I'm sorry, but it's best if you just move on." "Maybe it's best if you let these men answer for themselves." "These men don't run this town." "And you do?" "l have a say." "l'll bet you do." "If you'll excuse me, ma'am." "So, what do you think, Chris?" "About what?" "About the ladies." "lt's a problem." "Yeah." "But you can handle it." "Me?" "You picked the fight." "You carried the girl away." "You started it." "You finish it." "Fine." "Then the ladies stay." "Need more women around here, anyway." "I disagree." "All right, please." "Please, folks." "Let's give these ladies some room." "Now, if you'll allow me to escort you to the hotel or the bathhouse." "Bet a nice, warm tub of water sounds appealing." "Sure does." "Listen, perhaps after you're more rested we could discuss a solution to your predicament." "I have a few ideas." "Easy." "Come on." "This girl's beating is typical of the kind of behavior prostitution incites." "It's not exactly polite behavior to throw them back to the wolves, now, is it?" "l'm just saying-- -lf they wanna stay, it's a free country." "lt's their right." "And we have the right to a safe and decent community in which to raise our children." "We got company." "Tear this place apart." "Find them girls." "We're looking for some girls." "Ain't we all." "You're gonna want to stay out of the way while we look around." "Suit yourself." "But I'll tell you right now, the pickings are mighty slim." "Let's go." "It's nasty. I think it's catching." "Oh, no." "Consumption." "Call the priest." "They're gone." "We're looking for" "God, I hope." "Join me in prayer, my brothers." "Lord, forgive these sinners who enter your house with instruments of death." "Please do not send them to a fiery, agonizing grave where a thousand flames eat away at their flesh for all of eternity!" "Though thou art mighty and these men are lowly do not smite them, Lord!" "How was that?" "No luck?" "Well, if you find one wandering around out there tell her she's welcome here." "Let's go." "Giddap!" "They're gone." "You can come out now." "I'll be out in a while." "Well, we need to have a little talk." "Come on in." "Come find me in the saloon when you're decent." "You know I ain't shy." "I think it's best that you ladies went on your way." "So little Miss Muffet does have a say over you then." "It's got nothing to do with her." "Next time, it'll be Wickes who shows up and I don't wanna see anyone get hurt." "Especially you." "He won't rest till we're back with him." "Or dead." "We'll take you to Ridge City." "Y'all can catch a train from there." "What if he follows us?" "We'll protect you." "From what I've seen, a man like you could protect me just about anywhere." "Lydia, you're leaving." "I think we'll stay." "Make a stand right here." "If you stay, you're on your own." "Always have been, always will be." "We need a new plan." "You want us to do what?" "To become mail-order brides." "Ladies, getting married is the only permanent solution to your predicament and I am just the man to arrange it for you." "Getting married is like what we've been doing." "Only for no money." "Yes." "But not if you marry well." "And let me explain to you ladies exactly what I mean by "well."" "Only the most well-bred well-mannered and well-financed gentlemen need apply." "And for a small finder's fee, I will personally screen all applicants." "Ladies, I am talking about placement in some of the finest homes in the territory." "And what would men like that want with girls like us?" "What they don't know won't hurt them." "And, if you'll consent to a little tutoring call it charm school those gentlemen will be convinced that they are marrying the queen of England herself." "Hey!" "Why don't you go on over to her?" "You know, Buck if you are so hell-bent on a roll in the hay why don't you go buy one for yourself?" "l don't pay for it." "Yeah, right." "Never have, never will." "You trying to tell me that you've never slept with some of the--?" "One of those ladies?" "Oh, I've been with plenty of them." "But I never paid for it." "Mind telling me how that's possible?" "Well when you know them like I have, you come to respect them." "And respect buys an awful lot of kindness." "You're talking like they were your family." "Come to feel like family when you've been raised up together." "Wait a minute." "You grew up in a...?" "Your mother was a...?" "She was a saint." "Don't mean to interrupt." "Not at all. I was just working." "I was wondering if I could talk to you about a job." "Excuse me?" "I used to be pretty good with my letters and such in school." "I thought maybe you could use a hand." "Here?" "Well it might surprise you, but I'm very good at lots of things." "I'm sorry. I don't have any positions available." "Figures." "Seen enough people like you before." "If you're insinuating this is some kind of...." "Of prejudice, you're quite wrong." "It's just that my business is small and...." "Now I understand." "Understand what?" "If he's yours, I'll leave it be." "If who?" "You mean Mr. Larabee?" "I may be a lot of things, but I'm no thief." "Well, I'm afraid you're mistaken." "Our relationship is entirely professional." "You see, my father-in-law is a circuit judge who hired Mr. Larabee and those men to protect this town and" "So he's fair game?" "Of course." "Absolutely." "Good." "Stupid half-wit." "Idiot!" "How hard can it be to find a wagonload of whores?" "Well, we went to three towns." "They weren't there!" "I know Lydia." "That mother cat bitch would never leave Nora behind." "Where's the nearest doctor?" "There weren't none." "Closest thing was some black fella tending to the sick." "But Nora wasn't there." "Hell, there was hardly any women in the whole town." "And that didn't strike you as strange?" "Maybe there was one or two they forgot to tell you about." "Go on, get out of here!" "We'll pay them another visit tomorrow." "You two, get out of here." "I'm not in the mood anymore." "Here we go." "I'll ask you one time:" "Where are my girls?" "Anybody seen any girls?" "Just the ones on them horses." "All I see is a pig on a horse." "That's my wagon!" "He's got my whores!" "He's headed for the mountains!" "Cut him off!" "We got him now." "Let's go, boys!" "They're headed straight for the cliff!" "You son of a bitch, Wickes!" "Don't you try to put this off on me." "It was you bastards that caused my girls to get killed." "After you chased them off the cliff?" "All they had to do was stop!" "Do you have any idea how much this cost me?" "Go to hell." "Mister, you better get before I do something you'll regret." "I'd be glad to put a bullet through you." "But I wouldn't waste decent metal on a bunch of whores." "How'd we do?" "We tricked them." "Boys, this job gets better every day." "Good ride, cowboy." "I picked these just for you." "Why, how lovely." "Thank you, sir." "You're welcome, ma'am." "And may I just say that you are looking lovely today yourself." "Perhaps I could interest you in a hayride later this evening." "A hayride sounds lovely." "Stop." "Stop right there." "Oh, for the love of" "What is it this time?" "Yeah, I said "lovely." Twice." "You said the word but your intention was clearly lascivious." "A lady...." "A lady would have slapped his oafish, drooling face." "I resent that." "Would you please stop that?" "I gotta get down to the grain." "Things are most beautiful in their natural state." "Amen." "But they won't attract a husband in their natural state." "So let's try again." "Buck, if you would, please?" "This time with dignity." "Dignity?" "You know, it take a bold man to talk about dignity when he's trying to sell women off like they're cattle." "l'll ignore that." "Yeah, you better do that." "How else you gonna get some sleep tonight?" "Anything else?" "About making profit off the back of another human being?" "Hell, yeah, I got a lot to say." "But it'd just be wasted on you." "Well, now, where were we?" "Keep, one gut-warmer." "Don't worry. I'm not working." "It don't matter to me." "We really appreciated your help." "We agreed amongst ourselves, we will obey your rules while we're here." "Shouldn't you be laying low?" "Somebody could recognize you, tell Wickes." "Your friend Larabee send you here to say that?" "I look like a messenger boy?" "Sorry." "Mr. Larabee ain't as friendly as he usually is." "Maybe he don't wanna get caught between you and the town." "You mean, between me and Mrs. Travis?" "Anyway, I'm tired of making decisions depending on what other people want." "I'm gonna go check in on Nora." "Not too sure how I feel about spying on the boy." "We're not spying on him." "We're just checking up on him making sure he's doing all right." "Well, that's different." "Okay." "Oh, J.D." "Oh, my!" "Oh, yes!" "Was that a howl?" "Oh, yeah." "Oh, J.D.!" "Oh, yes!" "They're gone." "You should have seen their faces." "That was fun." "Nice touch with that howl." "Oh, thanks." "You know, before, when we tried, I...." "Hey." "Don't worry." "No, I just-- l think that I'm ready." "I mean I could do it now." "Well, that's great, J.D." "But your friends are gone..." "...and I gotta go." "No, but I'm" "Emily, I can do it. I'm ready." "Night, J.D." "You'll find living here not too uncomfortable if you do what you're told." "You heard what happened to the last girl who disobeyed, didn't you?" "But first things first." "Let's get better acquainted." "Mr. Wickes." "l'm busy." "Yes, sir, but this is important." "He saw one of the girls, alive." "Nathan." "Nathan." "I brought you some breakfast." "Oh, that's mighty kind of you, ma'am." "But I think she can use it more than me." "Well, sure." "You can give it to her." "Could you do it, Mrs. Travis?" "I gotta get some sleep." "No." "No, I don't mind." "Thank you, ma'am." "Miss?" "Nora." "My, how nice of you." "Thank you." "Here." "Let me help." "Never had breakfast in bed before." "Heck, at my house, I was lucky to have any breakfast at all there being so many of us kids." "I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble." "No, you're no trouble." "This whole thing is all my fault." "Hush, now." "You didn't do anything wrong." "If I had just done what he told me...." "But I couldn't be with that man again." "He always asked for me." "And he hurts me." "It's what he likes to do." "I just couldn't take it one more time." "Whitley Pass is less traveled." "It'll be safer." "We leave in the morning." "Why in the morning?" "Lydia." "He took Mrs. Travis." "Who?" "Wickes." "Says we gotta go back by day's end, or he'll kill her." "l'm coming with you." "No, you're not." "lt was my fault he took her." "lt's too dangerous." "Better if you stay, keep the girls together." "But I can help, I know Wickes Town" "Lydia, you're staying." "We go in there all spit and vinegar, there's a good chance she gets hurt." "Yeah." "Well, what we need is some sort of a distraction." "to be perceived as a lady, one must have the bearing of a lady." "Now, this" "Walks awful graceful, don't he?" "You ain't applying for a job, are you, missy?" "Well, actually, yes, I am." "I'm an entertainer." "Hey, darling." "Not that kind of entertainer." "l'm a singer." "A singer, eh?" "Well, a singer don't gotta be no great beauty." "Why don't you sing for us, honey." "Pretty high and mighty, aren't you?" "Higher than you?" "Yes, I am." "You know there's no difference between you and any of my girls." "The only thing separating you is luck." "The luck of having a decent family maybe a little family money." "What if it all went away?" "What if you had no family?" "No husband?" "Maybe he left you with a few mouths to feed." "Would you...?" "Would you let them starve?" "is your precious pride worth the life of your child?" "Come on, darling." "Have a drink with me." "Oh, my!" "Oh, come on, honey." "Sit on my lap." "There's a fight in the bar!" "Ain't you the...?" "Should've prayed when you had the chance." "You can move, or you can live." "That was gonna be a tough choice." "Come on in, honey." "Sorry." "Did he hurt you?" "I'm all right." "I'm fine." "Welcome back to Wickes Town." "This is almost too easy." "Come on." "Let's go." "Let's mount up." "Let's go!" "Come on, Buck." "Let's ride." "Ladies." "Ladies, I've brought some candidates right here for you." "I'm sorry, Ezra, but we're gonna try our luck in Frisco." "Frisco?" "But what about these fine gentlemen?" "Well, they've got some even finer in Frisco." "And you don't have to marry them." "This is just a temporary setback." "What about our money?" "Well, I'm sure we can find plenty of suitable" "Excuse me, mister." "Do you, by chance, sing?" "Give us a song, Ezra." "Come on." "You know, there's more to those ladies than meets the eye." "But hell if I can figure it out." "Welcome to manhood, kid." "Yeah."