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Yeah, how much this time, Bill?

Just a half a dollar this time.

Are you sure you don't want to go for a dollar?

Oh, come on, Bill, don't be a piker.

It's for a good cause.

Dolly, you stay out of this.

All right, you're on. Here we go.

You ready? Come on, come on. Ready.

Okay.

Three beers, Cosmo.

Yes, Little Joe...

You got him, Bill.

What's going on down there, Joe?

Eh, it's just a little fund-raising campaign

for the church.

That preacher's the best there is.

Come on, let him have it.

I think I will make myself a little drinking money.

Now, come on, Cliff, it's your first payday.

Why don't you save your money?

Well, you've never seen me arm-wrestle.

Oh, you're good, huh?

The best!

All right, how'd you like to make a little bet on it?

Well, make it easy on yourself.

I'll take five. I'll take five of 'em.

You're on!

Looks like our hired man's gonna lose his money, Joe.

Well, thanks for the contribution, Bill.

Well, I'll try again later.

Come on, Dolly, I'll buy you a beer.

Who's next, men?

Takes a lot of money to build a church. I am!

There's ten dollars, preacher.

Take any part of it you want.

I never bet more than a dollar.

All righty!

Let's have a little...

Hey, you've got a pretty strong grip there, Reverend.

Well, since you fellers are already involved

here in a wrestling match, you might as well get acquainted.

Paul, this is Cliff Rexford.

Cliff, this is Reverend Paul Watson.

Paul Watson?

There's a gunfighter by that name.

I'm the same Paul Watson.

Well, then you know who I am, don't you?

Yes.

I've waited a long while to find you, Watson.

The next time you see me,

you have that collar off

and a gun on.

♪♪

Paul?

Paul, didn't Joe and Hess find you?

They came by the house.

Is there something wrong, Paul?

No, uh, nothing.

Hi, Sue.

What was that all about in there?

What?

0h, I just picked up $50 for the new church.

You didn't tell him, did you, Joe?

No, of course not.

Tell me what?

It's a surprise for our anniversary dinner.

You know we've been married one month today.

Hey, uh,

look, Paul, if Joe and I can be of any help,

anything we can do...

Well, as a matter of fact, there is, Hoss.

You can have that lumber out at the church

bright and early tomorrow morning.

All right, listen, we better get on home.

Pa's leaving for Sacramento tomorrow.

Congratulations on your month of marriage.

Thank you, Joe. I'll see you, Sue.

Congratulations. Bye. Bye. So long.

Now, what's this surprise you got?

You just wait.

Afternoon, ma'am.

You mind moving your horse?

Why don't you go around, Mr. Watson?

Paul, who is that man?

His name's Cliff Rexford.

He, uh, works for the Cartwrights.

Well, somebody ought to teach him some manners.

That Cliff sure better watch his step.

Everything's been going so good for Paul.

I'd sure hate to see anything spoil it now.

Yeah, well, whether he knows it or not,

he don't want no part of Paul Watson.

Reverend Watson, if you had been late for dinner

on our first month's wedding anniversary, I...

You're a temptress, Sue.

I should be out tending my flock.

You should be right here with me.

Hmm, another one?

You know, for an old married couple,

when you do that, I-I can feel it tingle

right down to my toes.

I've noticed something of the same feeling myself.

Will it always be this way, Paul?

I hope so.

Now, what's for dinner?

First course-- chicken.

Second course-- chicken.

Third course-- chicken.

Well, let me see now, chicken.

That would be Mrs. Spalding.

You are so right, Reverend.

Well, God's been good to us, Sue.

Perhaps even better than you think.

Look.

Our wedding present from Adam Cartwright.

The final plans for the church.

Well, do you realize what this means?

Our own church. And that's not all.

Ben sent word that the organ arrived in Sacramento.

He'll arrange to have it shipped to us.

Well, I wish I could think of a way to repay them.

Oh, Paul.

The Cartwrights are our best friends.

Why, Ben Cartwright practically raised me,

and Adam and-and Hoss are like brothers.

And Little Joe?

My very first beau.

So watch your step, Reverend!

Sue, being a preacher's wife isn't easy.

There'll be times you won't understand

the things I feel I must do.

Anything you do I'll understand.

You're my husband, Paul.

Any regrets?

Hmm.

Not so far.

Yeah, that just about covers everything.

Hoss, you'll be in charge when I'm gone.

Fine. I hope the ranch is still here when you get back.

You just make sure that everything

you have to do is done right.

Oh, one more thing.

Uh, those plans that Adam drew up for the church,

I think you should take them up to the sawmill

so they can see exactly what's called for.

Yeah, well, whatever's called for,

it'll be heavy, I can promise you that.

That old church'll be around after we've been long gone,

I'll guarantee you.

Well, you're not only building a church,

you're helping a man realize a dream.

Morning, Mr. Cartwright.

Morning, Cliff.

Boys tell me you're doing a good job

with those new horses.

Well, I like working here, Mr. Cartwright.

Well, good.

Hoss'll be in charge while I'm away.

Yes, sir.

Well, boys,

take care of things while I'm gone.

All right, Pa. Joe.

Good luck on the trip.

Bye. So long, Pa.

Well, I guess I'd better get back to work.

Hey, uh,

do you need that gun for breaking horses?

As a matter of fact, yeah, I do.

Well, you never can tell when you might run

into a snake.

Sure would like to know what's eating him.

Yeah.

Well, we got to get those plans to the sawmill.

Yeah, Sue said she'd have Paul there by 9:00.

All right.

Aah, dah!

Dad-burn.

Come on, Paul.

Don't you ever get tired?

Not when I'm doing the Lord's work.

You know, you almost got me converted.

Well, it's said "Pride goeth before the fall,"

but I guess I'll have to risk it, Hoss.

I got an awful lot to be proud of.

Hey, Hoss, give me a hand over here, will you?

Yeah.

He mention anything about Cliff?

Not a doggone word.

He goes right on like nothing ever happened.

Anyone ever tell you two

that idle hands are the devil's tools?

All righty.

Bless those who toil in thy name

to erect this humble place of worship.

Amen.

How about some fried chicken?

Help yourself, Hoss.

Chicken, my favorite meal.

Hey, would you do me a favor and tell me

what isn't your favorite meal?

Yeah, raw fish and maple syrup.

Well, I'm not ungrateful

for the gifts from my parishioners,

but there are times I wish Mrs. Spalding would switch

to raising something other than chickens.

Hey, we're gonna butcher beef next week.

I'll send you some.

Ah, you Cartwrights have done

more than your share already.

Oh, I didn't tell you, I, uh,

raised another $50

at the Sazerac Saloon last night.

Paul, you spend more time in that saloon

than you do in church.

Well, I hope the Lord will forgive me for being practical,

but I learned a long time ago, that men are a lot more liberal

in a saloon than they are in a church.

You know, Paul, you got a real persuasive way

about you sometimes.

Well, that's the one part about preaching I don't like, Hoss.

I've never quite gotten used to holding my hand out.

What would you rather do-- knock them down, sit on them?

I've considered it.

Now, this church means a lot to me.

To both of us. It's our whole life.

Yeah. I've heard you talk about your pa.

Used to be a circuit rider.

How bad he wanted the church.

Yeah, my father was a good man.

But come on, let's eat.

We've got work to do.

Doggone it, Paul.

That's downright sacrilege.

Talking about food and work all in the same breath.

This a private party, preacher?

Stay out of it, Joe.

You, too, Hoss.

Sit down.

You ain't got a gun on, preacher.

I told you.

I gave up the gun, Cliff.

I prayed that you had.

You "prayed"?

You cheap,

two-bit hypocrite.

Joe, stay out of it!

Are you just gonna stand there and take it?

Are you gonna put on that gun?

No, Cliff.

It's not the Lord's way.

Well, you can't hide behind the Lord forever.

Sooner or later,

I'm gonna make you put on that gun.

Cliff?

Pick up your pay at the house.

That suits me fine.

I don't want you to fire him, Hoss.

He had a right to do what he did.

I killed his twin brother.

Cliff, I want to talk to you.

I'm not gonna hang around.

You can send my pay to the hotel in town.

I'm not in the habit of nosing

in other people's personal affairs,

but Paul Watson is a particular friend of mine.

You sure it ain't his wife who's a particular friend of yours?

Sue and I grew up together.

Her father was the foreman of this ranch before he died.

Yeah, I guess you could say she is a particular friend.

Or do you have something else in mind?

Nothing.

Just bunkhouse talk I heard.

Look, I just came to ask if you wanted your job back.

I don't want it.

That's fine. That's what I thought you'd say.

But I did promise Paul I'd ask you to stay on.

Well, he's a real Christian, ain't he?

Well, sometime you ask him about the time

he gunned my brother down in Coopersville.

Ask your Christian friend about that.

He told me about that. Did he?

Did he tell you how he used a trick holster

with a spring on it?

Oh, it made him a real fast draw.

Dirty little trick gadget.

I've heard a lot of stories about Paul,

but never anything like that.

Well, I've talked to men who were there.

They saw it happen.

It's the only way he could've beaten my brother.

The only way!

Look, Joe.

I got no quarrel with you

or with your brothers or anyone else.

Just Paul Watson.

Now, I've been waiting five years to find him.

And I'm gonna get him.

You know, if you spend all your time looking at it,

we're never gonna get it done.

I can't keep my eyes off it.

Ah, when I preach from here, it's gonna be like preaching

from a mountaintop.

Ah, we're gonna have the place

in pretty good shape in another week.

Won't be exactly a mountaintop,

but it's gonna be a darn good church.

Well, it's not large,

but to me it's a cathedral.

What, you mean it isn't?

What do you suppose he's up to?

Doesn't matter.

Just keep working.

What's that you're building over there?

You know what it is.

Who do you figure's gonna preach in that church

once you get it built?

Reverend Paul Watson.

That's too bad.

You're going to a lot of work for nothing.

You're pretty good with that gun, Joe.

Yeah, I am.

Don't make me find out how good.

What did that prove?

You got to admit it's not as noisy around here.

Well, let me handle it in my own way.

Now, let's go back to work.

♪♪

Now, what are you doing up so late?

Well, I was

sort of worried about you.

Yeah?

I was a little worried about myself for a while.

Went in town looking for Cliff,

but I couldn't find him.

Want to tell him if he wants a fight so bad,

I'll be glad to give it to him.

You do like Paul says and stay out of this.

He's got to handle this his own way.

Yeah, well, how much more is he gonna take?

Don't underestimate Paul.

He can break Cliff in two...

with one hand and you know it.

Yeah.

Hoss, I just hate to see him humiliated like that.

Yeah.

You know how much being a preacher means to Paul.

If he puts a gun on his hip,

the whole town'd be against him.

That'd be a fate worse than death to Paul Watson.

Paul?

Yes?

Do you want to tell me about it?

What?

Cliff Rexford's brother?

Sue, before I came here,

and before I met you,

I was nothing.

I was less than nothing as a man.

I guess I was about as lonely as a man can get in life.

Well, now I have something.

Something I love very dearly.

So have I, Paul.

I have to find a way to defend it.

Do you understand?

I want to.

The trouble is there's still too much

of the old Paul Watson left.

When Cliff hit me,

I-I still wanted to fight back.

Why shouldn't you?

Because that's the wrong way.

It's my duty to lead him

out of that dark valley

of hatred and bitterness, and into the light of life.

But I don't know if I'm worthy or...

capable or...

man enough to do it.

♪♪

♪♪

Paul, we really should take the day off.

We have too much to do here in town.

Now, it's the first chance we've had to see our church alone.

Now, what's wrong with that?

You're right.

We should take the day off.

Morning, Reverend.

Whoa.

May God forgive him.

"God forgive him"?

Paul, he's destroyed our whole life!

Everything that we've worked and saved for!

He didn't know what he was doing, Sue.

He was trying to get at me.

Don't you see that?

Yes, I see that clearly.

Now, you must find him, take him to Sheriff Coffee

and have him put in jail!

I can't do that.

Why?

Sue, we both know what he did was wrong.

It was terribly wrong.

But we both have to understand why he did it.

Well, why can't he understand that what happened

to his brother was not your fault?

Because he's filled with hate.

Paul, nothing is ever going to change that.

Sue, if that's true,

then everything I've worked for and lived for

these past five years means nothing.

♪♪

♪♪

What happened?

Cliff Rexford, huh?

Where's Paul?

He went for a walk.

Oh, Joe, I---...

I find it so hard to try to understand him.

He just stood there and asked God to forgive Cliff.

And then I got angry, and...

Oh, I don't know, Joe, I,

I guess I just don't have the strength he has.

I don't think any of us do.

You love him very much, don't you?

Very much.

But I can't stand to see him hurt like this.

Yeah, I know.

Paul's a friend of mine.

I'd do anything in the world for him.

But he feels that this is his fight.

And he wants to handle it in his own way.

All we can do is stick by him.

I guess that's what a wife and a friend are for, isn't it?

Thank you, Joe.

I needed a friend to talk to.

Now, why don't you go on home, and I'll wait here for Paul.

Thank you.

Don't worry.

Giddyup.

I'm gonna rebuild it, Joe.

How long you been over there?

I heard.

She had a right to be angry.

I've been out walking,

trying to fight my own anger.

Joe, our Lord suffered

all the indignities on the Earth.

And he conquered them.

If I'm to be his minister,

I can't turn from the path he made for us.

Those are pretty tough footsteps to follow.

But it's our duty to try, isn't it?

Well, let's not just stand here.

If we're gonna rebuild this place,

let's get started.

♪♪

My name's Dolly.

What's yours?

Why?

No reason.

I was lonesome.

You look lonely.

I think being alone is the worst thing in the world.

Don't you?

Nope.

I like it.

Do you?

What do you drink?

Whiskey.

Cosmo, let us have whiskey,

huh, please?

And put it on my tab, Cosmo.

Why should we put it on your tab?

We both might make a new friend.

You look like you might need one.

Do you dance?

Where did you learn to dance?

My brother and I learned together from a girl.

Oh.

We-we were just kids,

but we could really dance up a storm.

Does your brother look like you?

We were twins.

Like a right arm and a left arm.

More than brothers really, more like friends, you know?

Where is he?

He's dead.

Paul Watson killed him five years ago.

Oh, but he's a preacher.

Not to me he ain't.

Putting a collar on a gunfighter doesn't make him a preacher.

He's the same Paul Watson.

And I'm gonna make him put on a gun.

And I'm gonna kill him.

Thanks for the dance.

What'd you say your name was?

Dolly.

Mine's Cliff.

Hello, Cliff.

We're looking forward to the reverend's first service

in the new church.

Well, there's been a slight delay.

We should be ready to have services

in about two weeks.

Please stop by for tea when you're not busy.

Thank you for everything you've done for us.

My pleasure.

Bye. Good-bye.

Afternoon, Mrs. Watson.

I haven't seen your husband around lately.

I figured after the improvements I made on the church,

he'd pay me a visit.

Wait a minute, Mrs. Watson.

Too bad your husband doesn't have that kind of gumption.

♪♪

♪♪

I'll be right there.

May I help you?

Yeah.

You sell dresses in here?

Yes.

I want a dress for my girl here.

A real expensive one.

It's all right if I buy a dress, isn't it?

I got the money right here, see?

Well, why don't you just look around,

and maybe you'll find something.

All right.

Here's a real pretty one.

Let's try this on.

Ooh, it's not my size.

No?

That's too bad.

Uh, Cliff?

Uh, why don't we forget it?

I want to buy you a dress.

What's wrong with that?

Here, this your size?

I don't know.

Come on, let's try it on.

See how it looks on you.

It's in there, isn't it?

Come on. Cliff, please, I...

That's quite a man you're married to.

Yes, sirree, quite a man.

What do you figure a fella would have to do

to provoke a man like Paul Watson, huh?

Why won't you just go away and leave us alone?

IWIII.

Just as soon as that husband of yours puts on a gun.

Cliff, look, I'm sorry about what happened to your brother.

And I'm sure Paul's sorry, too.

He-He's never really told me what happened,

but-but ever since your brother died,

Paul has been a different man.

"Different"?

How can a killer like that be different?

Because he put down his gun, and he turned to God.

Well, he needed a place to hide, a wall to protect him!

That's why he turned preacher!

A collar turned backwards doesn't change a man inside.

He could kill a man without batting an eye,

with-without mercy like that-- quick.

Just instincts and reflexes.

He's still like that inside.

He knows it and I know it.

All I got to do

is strip away that wall,

and he'll come out and fight.

And he'd kill me just

as quick as I'd kill him.

All I got to do...

Is strip away that wall. What are you doing?!

What do you think...? Stop it!

Cliff, stop it!

Oh, Dolly, let me see you.

No, I don't like that...

0h!

Why can't you...?

What is the mat...?

Stop it!

Well, I hope you feel like a big man.

Tell your husband I'll be over at the saloon.

He'll find me there.

Do you think this is gonna bring your brother back to life?

Hey, let me help you.

I'm all right. Honey...

I'm-I'm sorry.

I didn't know what was gonna happen.

It's not your fault.

You...

you can't fight hatred with words.

Hey, come on, let me help you.

Hi, Mrs. Spalding, how are you? Hello.

Reverend, may I see you a moment?

Certainly.

Sue, what happened?

It was nothing, Joe.

Why don't you ask Cliff Rexford?

He's in the saloon.

Joe, please.

I just came from Sue.

I want you to get out of town.

I've got no quarrel with you, Joe.

Now, you're not gonna provoke me, Joe.

It's that preacher I want.

Cosmo, give me a bottle.

I told you I wanted you out of town.

All right.

Joe?

This is my fight.

I've waited a long time for you, preacher.

Anytime you're ready.

I'm ready.

I'm gonna tell you a little bit about your brother.

Because you remind me of him standing there with that gun.

Afraid.

My brother wasn't afraid of anything.

Yes, he was, Cliff.

He was afraid every waking moment of his life.

He died in my arms, crying like a baby.

Are you gonna draw or are you gonna preach me a sermon?

Your brother had a moment just like this.

He made the wrong decision.

He died a frightened lonely man.

And you killed him.

Yes.

And I've paid for it every moment since.

But not enough.

You got one more

payment.

Why don't you finish it?

Go ahead.

Kill me!

I guess no man's perfect, Joe.

We all have our breaking point.

But somewhere, somehow,

man has to conquer himself.

I guess I just did that.

Cosmo, get him a doctor.

Why didn't he kill me?

'Cause he's too much of a man for that.

Need nails?

No, I got plenty.

I can use a few.

What are you doing-- eating them things?

I'm going to in a minute if I don't get some lunch.

It's all ready.

I just have to get it out of the wagon.

Well, you better not wait much longer.

My brother's liable to wither up and blow away.

Well, what do you think of it?

It looks lovely, Paul.

Thank you, Sue.

Now, how about some lunch?

♪♪

Reverend.

Cliff.

I hear you're gonna hold services here tomorrow.

Is that right?

That's right, I am.

I, uh,

I just came from the doctor

He said...

my ribs are in pretty good shape.

He said I could go back to work if I wanted to.

Glad to hear it.

What I'm trying to say is...

...I'm a pretty good carpenter

if I put my mind to it.

And I figure since I did all this damage,

it's only right if I help rebuild it.

And I'd like to attend services if you'd let me.

Of course.

I'll put you in the front row if you want.

Hoss.

Cliff.

Hey, Cliff?

You think you're pretty good with a hammer, huh?

The best.

Like to make a little bet on it, would you?

Anything you say up to one dollar.

You're on.

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