Original subtitles

Mr. Gorman?

I'm Jess Harper.

Believe you got some horses for me.

Been a change of plans, Harper.

You'll have to get your horses somewhere else.

Now wait a minute.

I've been riding for a long time.

I'm in no mood to play games.

Neither am I.

The army offered me a better price, they get the horses.

This letter agreeing to sell, it's as good as a contract.

Rink, throw him off the ranch.

All right, cowboy, on your horse.

All right, hold it.

Now turn around.

Don't you turn back unless I say so.

I'm not through with you, Gorman.

I'll be back.

You can't do anything right, can you, Rink?

[ horse neighing ]

[ horses approaching ]

Is this the one?

Hello, Sheriff.

Looks like your mount picked

the wrong time to go lame, Harper.

Anytime is a wrong time as far as I can see, Sheriff.

You better come along with us.

I was coming to see you anyway when my horse went lame.

Why the escort?

We're no escort, Harper.

You're under arrest.

For what?

For killing Frank Gorman.

He was found shot to death last night back at his ranch.

We figured you were the man behind the gun.

Look, I know I had a run-in with Gorman,

but I didn't kill him.

You think I'd still be hanging around here if I did?

I just told you I was coming to see you

when my horse went lame.

You can tell it all to a jury.

I'm telling it to you.

I was tending my horse all night last night,

and I can prove it, somebody was with me.

Wrangler, he was heading north.

He lent me some sav and helped me dress it.

He's lying.

Mount up.

Look, his name was Dirksen.

You move out now you can catch up with him.

Harper, you threatened Gorman and now he's dead.

I'm not going chasing any ghost cowboy

so you can stall around and slip out of this.

This man can clear me, Sheriff.

That's part of your job, too, ain't it?

If you don't mount up, so help me,

I'll drop you where you stand.

My uncle was a tall man in these parts, Harper.

We're gonna hang you from a high tree.

All right, move out.

[ groans ]

[ gunshots ]

Ha! Ha!

[ clicks tongue ]

[ groans ]

Looks like he's been through here.

I like the fall weather.

The pine needles have a special kind of smell

this time of year.

Not too much longer.

We're gonna have an early snow again this winter.

Oh, I hope so.

Oh, you didn't bring your knitting, Ginny.

Oh, no, I forgot it.

I'll go back and get it for you.

It'll give you something to do while I'm picking berries.

Oh, never mind, Mother.

I don't mind just sitting here.

It's such a lovely day.

All right, dear.

I won't be far.

Call if you need me.

[ squirrel chittereing ]

[ Jess moaning ]

[ moans ]

Oh, are you hurt?

Some.

Mostly worn out.

Oh.

Well, I heard you sort of moaning.

Dreaming I guess.

Maybe I still am.

You were asleep out here?

Yeah.

Anybody else with you, miss?

Well, my mother is picking berries

and I was just waiting for her.

Oh, you are hurt.

Remind me never to lie to you.

Mm.

[ grunts ]

Tastes good, doesn't it?

Sure does.

Thank you.

What about your father?

Does he live with you?

Yes, and three others.

That's a pretty good size family.

Oh, well, we're not all related.

You are the first stranger that's ever come out here.

You--You couldn't have come in on a horse.

No.

I sort of climbed in.

Oh, I see.

[ footsteps approaching ]

Where did you come from?

Somewhere near the town of Gunsight.

How?

Climbed up the cliff and over.

You're lying.

That's next to impossible.

Well, I'd hate to do it again,

I'll tell you that.

Mother, he's hurt.

Keep away from him, Marian.

He doesn't look that dangerous, Walt.

It's not too bad.

No, ma'am.

I'll bandage it for you.

Much obliged.

All right, come on.

Sit down.

Stopped a slug, huh?

Slug went down somewhere I reckon.

Whose?

Sheriff's posse.

Here.

Thanks.Why?

A rancher named Gorman was killed.

Sheriff figured I did it.

Did you?

No, I didn't.

But I didn't have any luck convincing the law.

If I hadn't run, I'd be hanging

from a cottonwood right now.

Could still happen.

How'd you make it in here?

Over the mountain. Lariat.

For your sake I hope he finds it.

Well, that won't prove anything one way or the other.

He could still be a badge.

I've seen you someplace, boy.

Yeah, that's right.

Five or six years ago in Ellsworth.

Is that right?

I'd just come off a cattle drive,

red-eyed and wild.

You locked me up in your jail, Marshal,

before I could get into any real trouble.

What's your name?

Jess Harper.

Ride into Gunsight and check his story out, Calvin.

That's half a day's ride.

Why waste the time?

You got another suggestion, Walt?

Yeah.

Put a bullet in him and have done with it.

You got something against me personal, mister,

or you just plain trigger-happy?

You've got a big mouth.

All right, Walt, that's enough of that.

Your story is confirmed, there'll be a vote taken.

On whether to turn me loose or not?

Not exactly.

Whether to keep you or kill you.

Can't beat ponderosa pine for whittlin'.

Calvin, you're getting good.

Hmm. Be a long time before I'm as good as you are.

Still ain't quite got the knack

of holding your blade, though.

Here.

That's a fact, Sam.

Must have been quite a climb

that Harper had to make.

Mm-hmm.

Possible though, tough one.

You take him for a lawman?

Bounty hunter maybe?

He ain't no bounty hunter.

Maybe a lawman, hard to tell.

He'd--

He'd make a good one.

You figuring on him riding with us?

Well, I've been turning that over in my mind.

Four men aren't enough.

No argument there.

Ever since we lost Calico, ain't nothing been

going exactly the way I'd like to.

But this Harper...

I don't know, Calvin, he--

he just might not take that long.

Don't look to me like he's got much choice.

All right, Walt.

Walt seems to have a slight edge.

Could be.

Unless you were dogging it.

I don't figure he was.

Well, I never was much for shooting at rocks.

Never saw one yet that could shoot back.

You've got a big mouth, Harper.

Always open.

You want to try and shut it?

Now wait a minute, you two.

[ horse approaching ]

Kind of hot day for riding around.

Can't seem to shoot any holes in Harper's story, though.

A few people'd like to ventilate him, though.

Well, looks as if you tell the truth.

How does it feel being on this side of the law?

I've been on it before.

Might as well get this over with.

Sam, how do you vote?

He's got vinegar, Calvin.

I ain't sure it's sour enough.

We need another gun, not his.

Nothing personal, Harper.

Eliot?

I've been thinking on it

and I'm gonna have to say no.

I get the feeling deep down inside of him

he's got a real nasty honest streak.

Sorry.

I control two votes, mine and my wife's.

I vote them both yes.

We're deadlocked.

That leaves it up to you, Walt.

I reckon it does.

You just don't measure up, Harper.

One thing...

you sure I wasn't dogging it just now?

Dead sure.

Then how about facing me instead of a handful of rocks?

Seems the fairest way to vote me out,

cleanest, too.

Somebody lend him a gun.

Never mind, Walt.

You both might get lucky.

I guess I shouldn't have interfered in the first place.

The only right way for us to settle this

is for the two of you to have at it,

maybe afterwards you'll find some way

to get along.

[ grunting ]

Like a man who can hold up his end

when trouble comes.

I guess we found one that can.

Well, it don't look like

Walt's in any shape to vote right now.

Anyone care to change his vote?

Break the deadlock?

I might just do that.

You've just been voted in, Jess.

Come on, Walt,

get cleaned up and come inside.

We've got plans to make.

The stage will be about here,

on the old Medicine Bow road,

about an hour or so before dark.

Well, we won't find a better spot than that to hit it.

By the time they get to Medicine Bow,

round up a posse, it'll be nightfall.

How much are they gonna be carrying?

No strongbox,

but there'll be a couple of cattle buyers aboard.

From what I was able to pick up,

they'll be carrying about $4,000 in cash between them.

I don't think that's worth bothering with.

That's what everyone will say.

There'll be no guard, it'll be a piece of cake.

All right.

What about him?

He goes with us.

We better be turning in,

long ride in the morning.

Night.Night, Calvin.

Harper, top bunk.

Who is it?

It's me, Ginny.

Ain't it kind of dangerous for you

to be out here this late?

It doesn't make much difference to me

whether it's day or night.

Yeah, I guess that's right.

I'm sorry.

You know, you don't really belong here, Jess.

Neither do you.

Oh, I'm all right.

I'm as happy here as I would be in a city.

And certainly that last city that I was in.

You mean Ellsworth?

No, after that.

I wasn't always blind, you know?

I was wondering about that.

If you'd like to talk about it, I'd like to listen.

Well...

some men that my father had put into jail escaped,

and they came to Ellsworth to try and kill him.

And they almost did, too, along with my mother and me.

One of the bullets hit me

and injured an optic nerve they said.

I was 14 years old then.

Well, couldn't the doctors do anything about it?

The ones in Denver couldn't, that's where I was sent.

So my mother and father were sent to a hospital

for a long time,

and I went to a home for the blind until they recovered.

How come you didn't go back to Ellsworth?

When my father got on his feet again,

they had a new marshal.

After 15 years?

Yes.

They wanted a younger, stronger man.

So my father waited until mother was well enough

to travel and then we came here

along with Sam-- Sam Purdy.

He was fired, too.

I see.

I'm beginning to understand a lot of things

I didn't before.

One more thing you'd better understand.

We don't want you running around here

during the night,

not until we get used to you.

I wasn't figure on going anyplace, Sam.

Good.

It's about sleeping time.

Ginny, it gets cold out here in the nights.

Well, I'll be going in pretty soon, Sam.

Goodnight.

Goodnight, Jess.

Goodnight, Ginny.

And I tell you, Ginny simply can't stay here any longer,

I have to take her out.

Marian, we've been over this too often.

When the time comes, we go together.

The time was going to come in a year,

it's been 5 years.

How many more?

One.Oh.

Two at the most.

Calvin, she'll be 19 years old next week.

I know.Do you?

Do you really?

When I was 19 we'd been married a year,

Ginny was a month old already--

You were a lot different.

Not only were you different from Ginny,

but you were a lot different from what you are now.

Of course, you haven't changed.

You're still the same young dedicated deputy marshal

who believed that without good law enforcement

no society could survive.

Are you gonna tell me you weren't as mad as I was

about what happened to us and Ginny?

You wanted me to turn outlaw just as much as I wanted it.

You couldn't wait for me to turn

on that nest full of snakes called society.

And I was wrong.Ah.

I knew I was wrong in less than a month and I admitted it.

I'm still admitting it, but not you.

You've been a criminal for 5 years

and enjoying every minute of it.

No, that's not true.

Fun is gone, has been for a long time.

All there's left is...

revenge.

You enjoy that?

I need it.

You might think of your daughter's needs

once in a while instead of your own.

She's a woman now and a decent woman.

I intend to see that she stays that way.

Just what are you talking about?

I think you know.

You've seen the way Walt looks at her

and that other young man, that Jess Harper.

All right, now she's grown into a woman.

She could do a lot worse than to marry Walt or Jess...

whichever one is the strongest.

She is not going to marry an outlaw.

She's not going to have the kind of life I have,

waiting for her man to come home

and knowing he might not.

It's bad enough for me, Calvin, and I can see.

I think you've said enough.

Yes, I think so, too.

But just one more thing.

Ginny is not going to spend another winter here,

that gives you less than a month to see

that she gets out of here to a town,

someplace where she can live like a decent human being.

If you don't I'll...

If I don't?

I'll take her out myself.

I'll take her out if we have to walk every step of the way.

[ door closes ]

Well, it gives a fella a nice warm feeling

to know he's trusted.

Around here that's something you earn, boy.

Well, that's funny.

Folks on the right side of the law

are always saying things like that.

You must have been one of them once.

That's right.

Long time ago...

I was Calvin's deputy, for 10 years.

Just think of it, Jess,

by this time tomorrow you'll be wanted in two places.

Colorado for murder and Wyoming for robbery.

Now that's what I call progress.

Here she comes.

If you expect me to be any help,

you better give me an iron.

Wouldn't want you to go shooting your toe off.

Jess has a point.

Won't look very professional if he's unarmed.

Kind of light, ain't it?

About six shells too light.

Nothing wrong with the way you add.

Cover up.

You got another one of those?

You just hold the horses, we'll do the rest.

With my bare face hanging out?

All right, let's go.

Ha!

Ho!

Ha!Ha!

Oh, drop it, son!

We ain't packing any strongbox.

Next time I tell you something, move.

Jess, grab the horses. Come on, everybody, out!

Hurry it up!

Hey, hold them horses, Harper!

You did fine, Jess. I won't forget that.

Neither will anybody aboard that coach.

You made sure of that, didn't you?

Well, before a man can be famous

people got to know who he is, don't they?

Let's go. Come on!

How do you figure a six-way split?

Harper's only been on the job a day.

I figure Calico's share gets divided up among us.

Jess starts his sixth day.

Now look, the last time we talked about this,

we decided to wait until we had $10,000 or $12,000 apiece

before we split.

That'll take us 3-4 years at the rate we're going, Calvin.

You better read this letter.

It says the cattlemen's association

is meeting in Laramie starting tomorrow.

I don't see anything so interesting about that.

I think you do, Calvin.

Forget it.

Can't do that.

There's a town called Cheyenne

surrounded by cattle ranches.

That town will be practically empty

with the cattlemen in Laramie.

Now there's a bank in that town and it's full of dollars.

We can make ourselves more money tomorrow

than we've managed to scrape up

in the past 5 years, playing it safe.

We don't take risks like that.

Maybe it's time we tried.

Now look, as long as I'm running this outfit,

we'll work my way.

I thought a vote was usually taken on important matters.

Eliot,

you trying to cook something up, huh?

Trying to?

Trying to cook up a bank hold-up so I can take my share

and with enough I could go sit in the shade a while.

I'm getting a mite old for this kind of life,

and so are you two.

Let's vote.

I say we do it.

Make it two.

Sam?

No.

Jess?

No.

All right, that settles it.

Both my votes are no.

Maybe Mrs. Hawks ought to do her own vote.

I hear tell women are voting in the Wyoming territory.

I don't see nothing special against it.

If I voted in favor,

it wouldn't make any difference anyway.

You'd still be deadlocked, three for and three against.

Seems to me you're right back where you started from.

Except we'd be split right down the middle.

Ma'am, just out of curiosity, I...

I'm not in favor of sending anyone here

into something that could put him behind bars or worse.

But if a lot of money is the thing

that'll get my daughter out of here, I--

I don't know.

It'll be a hard decision to make.

Night.

Eliot, you get us all killed

and what's gonna happen to Marian, huh, or Ginny?

That's not my problem, Sam.

Besides, Ginny is old enough now,

sold at some prospect--

I might have to kill you.

Sam, he's got a friend.

I thought Ginny meant something to you, too.

Well, sure, she does, and to Harper, too.

What you getting at?

Well, I'll tell you.

You change your vote,

and we take the Cheyenne bank,

then we can both help Ginny get out of here.

Well, that's all I need.

Walt trying to make friends with me.

With friends like him, a man don't need no enemies.

GINNY: Jess.

Jess?

Ginny, what are you doing out here this late?

Just sitting, I couldn't sleep.

I would rather that

you didn't tell Mother about it, though.

I won't.

Couldn't you sleep either?

No.

You're going away, aren't you?

Thinking about it.

Well, goodbye, Jess, and good luck.

No, let me touch your face.

Besides needing a shave,

what else can you tell about me?

[ chuckles ]

You have a good face.

It's strong and yet it's gentle, too.

I bet you're good-looking.

You have long eyelashes.

What color are your eyes, Jess?

Blue, more or less.

Ginny, do you think you could ride good enough?

No.

I'll be all right. Thank you anyway.

If I ever get out from under what they got on me,

I'm gonna come back for you.

No.

Pa and the others, they'd never let you do it,

you know that.

You'd better be going now before somebody wakes up.

I'm finding it awful tough to say goodbye.

Please go, Jess, I don't want to cry.

I reckon you've had more than your share of tears.

Oh, you're nice to be with.

Ginny, you know,

plenty of things have happened in the past 5 years.

Doctors have learned lots of things

they didn't know before.

Please, don't give up hope.

No, no, I'll try not to.

I'll figure something out.

I don't know what right now, but something,

if you'll trust me.

Oh, I do.

Then you better go on in the house,

it's getting cold.

No, I want to stay here until you go.

I think I'm gonna stay a while.

I got a feeling I can do you more good right here.

At least, the way it is for the time being.

Oh, Jess.

Jess.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Cleaned up pretty nice, didn't it?

It's a fine gun.

It might work better

if I had some shells to go with it

Thanks.

I'm gonna trust you, Jess.

I've been wrong, I hope not.

If I am you'll wind up dead.

Mount up.

Where are we going?

To pay our respects to the bank.

I got to thinking about our talk last night

and decided to change my vote.

Sam went along with me.

Come on, it's time we were riding.

Good morning, sir.

Morning.

You the manager?That's right.

Something I can do for you?

Yes, I would like to make a deposit.

We'll make a withdraw instead.

Open your vault please.

Holt it.

Come on, move it.Back against the wall.

All right, come on, boys, that's it.

Let's go.

Come on, come on, hurry up.

Oh!

Walt, come on.

[ groans ]

You are finished, too, mister.

Jess.

Hello, Sheriff.

Well, you won't be doing much square dancing for a while.

Otherwise, that leg of yours is pretty nearly mended.

You're lucky, Jess.

Yeah, sure I am.

If I was any luckier I don't think I could stand it.

Well, good morning, Your Honor.

Good morning, Sheriff.

Young man.

Like some coffee?

Yes, yes, I'll take some, thank you.

[ exclaims ]

Well, how are you this morning, young fella?

It all depends on what kind of news you got for me.

Oh, I have some news for you, all right.

I have it right here, yes.

And it's quite good news, I tell you.

They say this is from

the marshal in Gunsight, Colorado,

and it seems that one James Dirksen,

he was a wrangler by profession,

he read about your arrest and then later your escape.

Well, he returned to Gunsight and he corroborated your story,

that he was with you at the time

the murder was committed.

Oh, yes, and it appears that the man's foreman

has been charged with the crime.

Well, my congratulations, Mr. Harper.

You mean I can just walk out of here now?

Well, I wouldn't walk too far if I were you.

After all, there has to be a trial one of these days.

However, I have depositions here

from the banker Mr. Stanley,

also from his tellers as to your actions the other day.

And I'm sure the sheriff is gonna testify on your behalf.

For somebody who has been such a good friend,

you don't seem too happy about this.

I'll tell you the truth, Jess.

I want something from you.

Like what?

Like Calvin Hawks and whatever is left of his gang.

Next time I see an honest face,

I'm gonna shoot a hole right through it.

They tore up my town, Jess, and I want 'em.

Mr. Harper,

I think the sheriff is right to expect this.

In fact I-- I expect it myself.

All right, but I do it alone.

No deal.

We'll go in with a posse, a big one.

There's only one trail in, Fred.

A posse would get cut to pieces before you even got close.

I told you, we found Walt Cade's dead horse.

So he's probably not back there yet.

And I think I'd put a bullet in Calvin Hawks myself.

Like I said, I do it alone or not at all.

Now you listen to me.

Gentlemen, gentlemen, please.

Sheriff, I-- I think Mr. Harper is right.

I think he should do it his way.

After all there is no one else in the position to do

what he can do.

All right.

Go to it then.

Harper, you hurt any of them out there,

Calvin, Marian, Ginny,

someday, somehow I'll kill you.

Ginny, it's me.

Jess. Oh, Jess, I'm so glad you're here.

Ginny, did Walt and your father get back?

Pa is back and he's hurt.

I don't think...

He's inside with Mother.

Let's go in.

Jess.

Hello, Calvin.

Where are the others?

Sam and Eliot got shot up some.

They're gonna make it, though.

They're in jail.

Walt got away.

Guess he ain't back yet.

Oh.

You stopped one, huh?

Yeah.

We better get him to a doctor, Mrs. Hawks.

No, we-- we know better than that,

don't we, Marian?

I didn't mean the things I said, Calvin.

I never stopped loving you.

I know, sweetheart.

What you said about Ginny,

you're right.

Pa, don't talk, please.

Now, Jess, I want to tell you something.

You get out of this, go away someplace,

change your name.

[ chuckles ]

You make a lousy outlaw.

Yeah, I know.

Calvin.

No, I want to finish.

Ginny, you try to forget this life.

Jess, you get my girls out of here,

you help them out.

Promise me.

Pa.

Jess?

I promise, Calvin.

[ horse neighing ]

Don't try it, Walt.

There's only one reason

you could be running around loose.

You guessed it.

Walt, Jess, no more killing, please.

Calvin's gone.

He's dead?

He must have got hit in Cheyenne.

You can thank him for that.

He crossed us.

You were dogging it before.

It's true what he said, Mrs. Hawks, I did cross them.

I couldn't let Walt shoot down the bank clerk.

Maybe it is my fault Calvin got hit.

No more than mine...

or his own.

I still want to help like I said,

if you'll let me.

Ginny.

I don't blame you, Jess, not for any of it.

Isn't that beautiful?

Someone must have written you something awfully nice,

you've been smiling all morning.

Somebody did, Daisy.

Ginny Hawks.

She says, "Dear Jess,

I can see, not very much yet,

but the doctor thinks by the end of the year

my vision may be close to normal

with the help of eye glasses.

Anyway, I can see well enough to write this letter,

and it's the first one I've written to anybody.

Mother sends her love along with mine.

Bless you.

Ginny.

P.S.

I saw a rose today."