"Micah!" "Micah, you seen doc todd?" "I've been up with him half the night." "He's out at joe rodney's place." "Oh, I have to get him, pa needs him." "What's he need him for, mark?" "It's our cattle." "Pa thinks they've got hoof an' mouth." "Half o' them are dead already!" "Lucas, too." "What do you mean "too"?" "Every herd in the range has been hit, mark." "At this time" "Of the year, it'll spread all over the place." "Nobody noticed until a day or so ago." "You tell lucas" "I'll have the doc out soon as I can get him away." "But pa needs him now!" "Mark, joe rodney's got a hundred head the doc's treatin'." "An' pete merritt's got nearly as many, an' then there's the rest." "Tell your father, he'll just have to wait his turn." "Mark!" "If lucas needs anything', lard or grease buckets," "I got plenty in the store." "Thank you, milly." "Is there anythin' I can do to help?" "No." "No, I..." "Guess there's nothin' anybody can do." "Pa!" "Pa!" "What is it, son?" "Well, it's the calves." "What about them?" "They're dead, both of them." "Had to expect that, son, newborn calves." "There must have been somethin' we could've done," "At least stayed with them." "That wouldn't have helped, mark." "The rest of the cattle needed us more." "What's the use, they're all dead now anyhow." "At least pretty soon they will be." "Mark." "Mark!" "You didn't eat much breakfast, mark." "I..." "I wasn't very hungry." "Tell you what, son, I've got to go into town this afternoon," "What say, I pick you up after school," "And we stay there an' have supper?" "You always said, pa, that when we didn't have anythin'" "Comin' in, we had to conserve." "We have enough food here." "Well, I just thought you were" "Gettin' tired of flapjacks, an' corn meal." "Oh, no, I like flapjacks." "Uh, pa?" "I was just thinkin', maybe I could quit school," "Get some sort of a job." "I mean like helping' milly, or workin'" "In the livery stable." "That'd sort o' help start us off again." "Son, I don't think anybody needs any extra help right now," "Besides your schooling's more important." "I don't see why." "Half the kids are gone already." "What with families movin' out," "Pretty soon there won't be any school." "There'll always be books, mark, and you learn from books." "Learn enough, so maybe someday, you or somebody can find a way" "To prevent what's happened out here." "No, you need your learnin', mark." "What're we gonna do now, pa?" "I mean, are we gonna be- be dirt farmers?" "Just sodbusters?" "We're ranchers, son." "This is cattle country, good cattle" "Country." "We'll try again." "You're gonna be late, mark." "Afternoon, milly." "Hello, lucas." "How are you?" "Fine, thanks." "Just stopped by for a few things." "More corn meal?" "Yeah, I guess so." "Not a very pretty sight, is it?" "No, but you can't blame them." "With all their cattle gone," "There's..." "Very little money left, lucas." "How're you doin'?" "Oh, I think I'll be able to hang on until things get better." "That could be a long time, milly." "An' talk like that isn't goin' help any." "I..." "Guess not." "I'll get these for you." "Oh, lucas?" "Can I see you a minute?" "North fork's your home, micah, you can't just up an' go!" "What good's a lawman in an empty town?" "Well, not everybody's leavin'." "Things will get better," "There'll be new people an'..." "I'm sure others will be back." "Pays good money, lucas," "And that's a mighty scarce item in north fork right now." "Look, micah, you've been a" "Lawman all your life, somebody's bound to recognize you up there." "It's a job, lucas." ""it's a job, lucas", but what" "Oh, I know, I know I got a job, an' to tell you the truth," "I don't think much of the idea o' movin on." "I'm too settled" "Here." "Course it wouldn't be permanent, but it's good money," "An' good money's good money right now." "Yeah, I know, but wyoming's a long way, micah." "Yeah, all the way up to the wind river mountains." "Cheyenne have broken out of the reservation," "They've been stealin' cattle," "An' foraging an' generally terrorizing the settlers" "Up there." "An' they've been doin' it with guns, an' supplies," "Consigned to the indian agents in the area." "Well, the government wants" "Somebody to go up there, an' find out how it's being done." "Well, that's a problem, all right." "Yeah." "The money's good, enough to start up a new herd," "A small one." "Could set a man up in business." "Why, you old reprobate, you never figured to go up there" "Yourself at all, did you?" "Well, I uh, didn't loose any sleep over it." "Just like you" "Said, ah, I'd no doubt be recognized, but, uh, a man" "Who's never been up there, who wasn't a known lawman..." "Now, I couldn't take mark on a thing like that, micah." "Oh, certainly not." "You couldn't even tell him you were goin'" "There, you couldn't tell anybody." "Now, then, it's out o' the question." "Thanks, anyway." "Lucas, you never liked being called a "sodbuster", did you?" "I still don't!" "Well, you better get used to it, cuz that's what you're gonna be." "What do you mean, micah?" "A cattleman without cattle, is just a plain sodbuster." "Now, if I was you, I'd give this job a little thought." "If you change your mind let me know, I'll set it up." "Are you still thinkin' on leavin'?" "Yeah, mark, I'm thinkin' of it." "Won't you tell me about it?" "Well, son, there's nothin' to tell." "I just thought I'd..." "Look somewhere else." "Why can't I come with you, pa?" "Mark, I don't know what I'd be gettin' into, son, I" "Besides who's gonna look after the ranch?" "That'll be your job." "How can I look after the ranch if I'm stayin' in town" "With miss milly?" "You know what I mean, son." "No, pa, I don't know what you mean!" "You sure you've got everything you'll need, lucas?" "Yes, thanks, milly." "You'll probably latch onto somethin' real quick," "Make a stake an' be back in no time at all." "I hope so, micah." "You take care, mark." "Mark will be fine, lucas." "Pa?" "Pa, please take me with you, please." "Son, I" " I can't." "What if he doesn't come back?" "Mark, that's foolish talk." "I don' know, I just..." "Have a feelin'." "Marshal!" "Marshal?" "Marshal?" "How long I been workin' for you?" "The answer is no." "Oh, I don't want a drink, honest I don't, had enough last night." "Now, that's the truth." "Now, marshal, every time I've been drunk since I can remember," "You've been lettin' me sleep it off, and you're keepin' me out" "Of trouble." "Now, I always said" "I'd do somethin' for you in return, didn't I?" "What're you drivin' at, finny?" "Excuse me, these posters, I know 'em as well as you do." "There that one." "Now that got my curiosity after the day it came" "In here." "Do you see what it says?" "He's wanted over at the" "Oklahoma territory." "Now he's a mean one, he is." "I knowed 'im" "The minute I'd seen that trick rifle sticking' outta his saddle." "Where?" " come here." "You gonna get 'im?" "Marshal?" "That's all." "Yes, sir." "Thank you." "Thank you." "That'll cost you a drink." "My pleasure." "Bartender, find a glass for the lady." "Now, uh, where were we?" "Nowhere yet." "I'll drink to that." "Put that drink down, mccain," "Pick up that rifle an' get out o' town." "How come you know me?" "Poster in my office." "Lucas mccain, the rifleman, wanted in oklahoma." "It's a long way from oklahoma, marshal." "You're wastin'" "Your time." "I'm not wanted here." "You just made a mistake." "Turn around!" "Now what were you sayin'?" "Go on, marshal, try." "Go on." "No, huh?" "Well, just in case you're figuring' on changin' your mind," "Toss me that gun." "Now, you got an office, haven't you, marshal?" "Why don't you just" "Go on down there and tear up that poster." "As a matter o' fact, I might stop by a little later" "An'..." "Help you." "You're just full of surprises, aren't ya." "Yeah, I'll be back." "Mr. Mccain, got a minute?" "Like to talk to you." "Sit down." "I'm forbes mckee, I run the indian trading post." "This is my assistant, ross." "I'm not overly fond of government men." "Well, I don't blame you, a man with your reputation." "Of course I'm not a marshal, just an indian agent." "Congratulations." "Mccain, man with your ability might draw to light you may say." "You take ross, he was a lot like you, movin' around, on the go" "All the time, wasted talent, mr." "Mccain, 'til he came to lamesa" "An' settled down." "He's a happy man now, went to work for me," "Makes good money." "Are you tryin' to tell me there's money in runnin'" "A trading' post?" "Who're you tryin' to kid?" "I pay well, an' I don't care about a man's background." "I just thought you might be lookin' for a job." "Might be." "Have a drink?" "Maybe later." "If he comes around, what makes you think you can trust 'im?" "I don't." "Aggie, you know somethin'?" "You keep cowtowin' up to the likes o' mckee, an' any cowboy" "That comes in here, you're gonna end up just like me." "You see," "You're just like me, too far" "Gone to be worth a plugged nickel, nice girl like you." "Oh, finny, let me be." "Finny?" "Yeah, aggie, what?" "You know somethin'?" "He called me a lady." "An' you know somethin' else?" "I like being called a lady." "Well, milly, good to see business picking' up a little." "Good morning, micah." "Yes, now that the worst of the epidemic" "Is over, people are startin' to buy again." "Yeah, three more families moved back this week," "The dekovens, the merars, an' the burketts." "Where's mark?" "He was gone before I got up this mornin'." "You, uh, figure he's gone out to the ranch again?" "Yeah, well," "Lucas oughta be back any day now." "You know where he is, don't you?" "Where, micah?" "If you won't" "Tell me, at least tell mark." "It would mean so much to him." "I can't, milly, lucas will tell you all about it when" "He comes back." "He'll tell the boy, too." "Well, I got to get goin' on my round." "Nobody saw you?" "Let's go up front." "Drink?" "No, thanks." "Yeah, micah torrance gives you quite a high recommendation." "He's a good friend, marshal." "Sure glad you got here, none too soon, either." "What do you mean?" "There are two wagonloads of guns coming in here," "They're consigned to forbes mckee, he's supposed to trade 'em to the cheyenne who are confined to the reservation," "To use for hunting'." "So?" "So it'll be just like all the other times, those guns will" "Never get here." "Somebody will steal 'em, make it look like the" "Indians did it, which they might" "As well do, because they're gonna get the guns anyway." "You think it's mckee?" "Right." "The way I figure it, he collects three times." "First from the government for buyin' those guns," "Which he steals before they get here, secondly," "When he sells the guns to the cheyenne," "An' third, all those cattle." "When is that supply comin'?" "Sometime this week, I don't know the exact date," "But mckee would know." "That, uh, show we put on did what it was supposed to do." "Mckee offered me a job." "Well, keep your eye on 'im, if he suspects anything..." "Well, let's say he's the kind o' man that, uh, don't ask you" "To turn around before he pulls the trigger." "Well, I figured that." "Finny:" "Marshal!" "No, it's all right, it's my steadiest customer, finny." "But you better get outta here." "Finny:" "Marshal?" "Oh, how come you had me locked out?" "I was busy, I didn't wanna be disturbed." "oh, marshal, I'm afraid I'm drunk again." "All right, I'll put you up for the night, but you gotta repay" "Me by cleaning' up the office in the mornin'." "oh, sure." "Can I have one to sleep?" "It makes me sleep better." "No!" "could I have just one?" "Goodnight." "Just this one, that's all I'm gonna have, just one." ""this house rebuilt by lucas mccain an' his son, mark." ""August, 1881." ""god bless our home."" "Oh, pa." "Pa, where are you?"