Original subtitles

75, 100, 40,

60, 35, 50.

There.

That's done.

Their spelling could certainly stand some improvement.

Phew, I'm tired.

You know, I wish the beatle--

I mean, Miss Kingsley would hurry up and come back.

Ever since you've been substituting for her,

we're getting out of this school later every day.

Yes, but somebody had to take her place.

Wonder where Jess is.

Oh, he'll be here by the time

Bill finishes his after school assignment.

I'll take whatever it is you're hiding from me. Eh?

You heard me, Bill. Come on, hand it over.

I ain't got nothing.

Give it to me!

I'll take that right now or I promise you--

Promise me what?

What, ma'am, you--

you're gonna keep me after school another hour?

Let me tell you something, I am fed up with book learning.

Now if you don't mind, teacher,

I got some friends waiting for me.

I'll take that gun.

Uh-uh.

Bill, what's the matter with you?

Your uncle was kind enough to take you in, feed you,

give you a chance to catch up on your education.

And this is the way you act?

Ma'am, I got all the education I needed

coming across this country.

The only thing worth learning's how to handle a gun.

You don't believe that, and neither do I.

No?

[ gunshots ]

[ marshaling horses ]

[ gunshot ]

[ glass shattering ]

[ gunshot ]

You won't be getting that out of no book.

They ain't easy to learn neither.

That's true, you do that very well.

What does it prove?

Well, it beats siphoning

a lot of black print marks off of a page.

At least you can eat with a gun.

Not in here!

Mike!

Billy!

[ grunting ]

I've had just about enough out of you, boy.

[ grunting ]

I'm telling you,

I've had enough of you around here.

Let's go see your uncle.

Daisy, you and Mike take the buckboard on home.

I'll borrow a horse and meet you later.

Hey, Johnny.

Yeah, I see him.

Something wrong, mister?

Nothing I can't handle.

This happens to be a friend of ours.

Is that right?

Trust us.

You got a beef against this boy, you tell us.

We'll handle him.

You ain't gonna handle nothing.

He's his uncle's problem.

Well, maybe Ezra Watkins is too old

to understand a high-spirited boy like this.

Get out of my way.

Now you better be careful.

You're talking to a grown man.

Well, I'd never know it.

Now I won't be telling you again.

[ grunting ]

No, Johnny, now ain't the time.

Is this what you're looking for, Jess?

Thanks, Mort.

He's been acting up again, huh?

Well, I was taking him in to see Ezra,

till these two dudes tried to stop me.

Sheriff.

Now we've taken care of this boy

halfway across the country.

We couldn't stand by and watch him being bullied.

You men working here in Laramie?

Well, we haven't found anything suitable yet.

Then you better start looking a little harder.

And if nothing suitable shows up real soon,

you better think about looking somewhere else.

What did you do this time?

Nothing.

Stand still.

What did you do?

Nothing, I told you.

Is nothing the only word you know?

He was shooting this off in the schoolhouse, Ezra.

Fool, boy!

Seek out night or day to fire this colt of his.

That is, when he ain't hanging around with saddle tramps.

Ezra, I don't think Bill belongs in school.

Not for a while, anyway.

You tell me where he does belong.

Well, it's not for me to say.

All I know is he's making a shambles

out of the school house and a wreck out of Miss Cooper.

Well, I can't keep him around here.

Well, why not? Must be something he can do.

Can't you-- can't you use a stock boy or something?

You don't know half of what's on all these shelves.

Well, how would he help?

Can't even read the printing off of a package.

I can so.

Boy, you making a liar out of me?

Go on.

Read it out.

J--

Jus--

[ men laughing ]

I don't think this is the time or the place.

Why not?

High time somebody rubbed his nose in it.

Ezra, I've got them sacks of green waiting in the wagon.

Well?

You can hear, can't you?

Get a move on.

Well, there's nothing more I can do.

It's between you two now.

Tell you one thing.

If I knew how to get rid of that boy, I'd sure do it.

You're the only kin he's got, aren't you?

Only one dumb enough to claim him.

Then why don't you quit hollering at him all the time

and try and make something out of him?

You ever try to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?

I can hardly stand smelling this warmed-over grub,

let alone eating it.

Yeah.

I don't like the way things are going, Johnny.

This kid ain't turning out to be as much a meal ticket

as we thought.

Maybe you'd like working for a living better.

[ horse neighing ]

You're late, boy.

You're late, and you're empty-handed.

Yeah, you promised to bring us a side of bacon

and a plug of tobacco.

There wasn't no chance.

The way my uncle's been following me around lately,

I couldn't have walked away with a 10-penny nail.

Yeah, we ain't had nothing to eat all day

except that leftover mutton hash.

You know, the sheriff had

a pretty good idea this afternoon.

What was that about, work?

What could we do, Billy?

It's harvest time.

Farmers are hiring.

You mean stomping around in a field?

In the blazing hot sun from morning till dark?

Couldn't take it, boy. Tried it before.

Those hired hands, they die off like fleas on a mangy dog.

But you don't mind me bowing my back.

Oh, you seemed to have forgotten something, boy.

It hasn't been 2 months since we found you

under that cactus out there in the badlands.

You wasn't even moving, Billy.

That's right.

Them crows and vultures were screaming and swooping down.

I'd give you up for dead myself.

What color blue was he?

We even give you the food and water out of our mouths.

Ever since then, why, you've been turning on us.

What do you mean turning on you?

I've only been keeping you two in food and pocket money.

Now you got no call to talk ornery like that, Billy.

So you had a spell of tough luck.

Now we're having some.

All right, so why don't you do something about it?

That might be an idea.

Tell me, Billy,

you remember that stage stop where that Jess Harper works,

that Sherman Ranch?

What about it?

Well, it's only about 6 or 7 miles from here.

So?

So there's some white-face cattle there.

Nice and fat and grazing up on the hill.

Sure, and every one of them has got some brands on them.

Tell me, Sam,

you remember that fella we met off the Cheyenne road?

Yeah.

He said he'd give us real folding money

for every head we brought in.

No questions asked.

Johnny, the sheriff would lock us in jail

and throw away the key.

Well, if they catch us, which they won't.

I ain't planning on being greedy.

Just maybe one head or two.

Probably won't even miss 'em.

What if they do?

Let them try and prove something.

[ cows mooing ]

See, what did I tell ya?

You ever seen anything any simpler?

[ cows mooing ]

[ barking ]

Shh. You're gonna get us into all kinds of trouble.

[ barking ]

Shh. You promised you'd be quiet.

[ barking ]

Buttons!

Shh.

[ barking ]

Shh.

[ barking ]

Shh.

[ barking ]

Mike, what did I tell you

about keeping that dog out in the barn?

[ barking ]

Slim, look.

Hey, Jess, roll out!

Hey, hold it right there!

Whoa!

Yah!

Whoa!

[ horse neighing ]

Jess, those men Bill was with,

did he tell the sheriff who they were?

No, but I got a pretty good idea.

And if I'm right, our young cow thief

won't identify them.

I wonder what's keeping Mort.

Oh, he's probably over at the courthouse

getting the papers.

Jess, won't you change your mind

about signing the complaint?

You just won't give up, will you, Daisy?

How can I?

When I know that boy isn't as bad as you think he is.

It's not what I think he is.

The fact is he was caught red-handed

trying to rustle stock.

It's time somebody sat on him.

Suppose if someone had sat on you when you were--

I was waiting for you to say that.

Well, I'll tell you, if they had,

I'd have straightened out a lot sooner.

Oh, jail doesn't straighten everyone out.

That's the last thing to try.

Maybe it'll stop him from causing any more damage.

He's not that bad.

Honestly, I think I know him better than you do.

Sure.

To you he's just a poor misunderstood boy.

Yes, he is.

There must be some way to get to him.

[ door opens ]

Sorry to have kept you folks waiting so long.

Well, I guess everything's in order now.

I've added the damage to your fence

and the dead steer right here in the complaint, Jess.

You want to sign it now?

Anything wrong, Jess?

I don't know, Mort.

Maybe I'd better not sign it till we look into it more.

Well, what is there to look into?

You caught the boy committing the crime, didn't you?

What is it you want, Sheriff?

Come on in and sit down, Ezra.

Well, I ain't got that kind of time.

Nobody's looking after the store.

This won't take long.

That nephew of yours,

he's caused more than $80 worth of damage,

not to mention--

You stop right there.

Now I'm not legally responsible for that boy.

He run off from his foster home.

I just took him in 'cause he's kin.

Now he can pay his own damages.

I'm not putting out any more of my hard-earned money

keeping him in books.

Ezra, if you don't stand behind that boy,

do you realize--

Yes. Go on, get it over with.

Maybe a spell behind bars will learn him something.

Ezra Watkins.

How can you talk like that?

I'm getting up there, Mrs. Cooper.

I don't need my last years

deviled by an ungrateful no-account.

Has it ever occurred to you

that there might be another way of looking at it?

A way that would keep a 17-year-old

from wasting his whole life?

Oh, I feel so strongly that--

Ma'am, if you've got all those feelings,

you take him in.

I got to get back to my store

before they steal me naked.

You do what you want, Sheriff, I wash my hands of him.

You see?

No wonder that boy acts the way he does.

Why, his uncle doesn't care the first thing about him.

What do you want to do, Jess?

Sign or not?

I don't know.

Look, I do have to dispose of this case.

His uncle doesn't want him,

and you won't let me send him to jail.

What am I supposed to do with him?

I reckon I'd better sign.

Oh, no, wait.

Isn't there some sort of a camp?

A railroad work camp?

No, ma'am, not in these parts.

Of course, you could let him work off his debt

to you on the ranch.

Now wait a minute--That's an idea.

A very good idea.

No, it ain't, Daisy.

Why not?

You could always sign the complaint later,

if it didn't work out, couldn't he, Sheriff?

In the first place, Slim won't go for it.

I think he will.

Well, now if the boy's willing,

I'll release him into your custody.

You're making a mistake, Daisy.

And why I'm letting you do it, I'll never know.

Right there.

How do you feel, Bill?

I'm all right, as far as I know.

Well, there's one thing you'd better know,

if Mr. Harper wanted to press charges,

we'd have to put you away for a good long spell.

I ain't asking for no favors.

This is not a favor.

It's strictly business.

We want you to come out to the ranch

and work off the damages

that you were partly responsible for.

I'll tell you right now, it won't be easy.

Are you willing?

Well, I'll think about it.

No, you won't.

You make up your mind right here and now.

Jail or work?

Work.

All right.

But I promise you, young fella,

you just sneeze the wrong way,

and I'll yank you back in here so fast,

your horse won't even know you've left the saddle.

I wish Bill would hurry.

He'll be here.

You find those tools?

Not yet, but they'll show up.

Bound to, sooner or later.

Well, I wish I was as sure as you are.

Now don't throw it up to Bill, Jess.

Well, he used them last.

Jess, I'm getting real good at roping.

Tell him how good I am.

He's coming right along.

He's got the arm and the rhythm.

And all I need is the eye.

Once I get the eye,

I'll be roping with the best of them, huh, Slim?

You get any better, and you'll be running

this spread in the next week or two.

Come on, let's eat, huh? We've waited long enough.

[ door opens ]

Sorry if I held you up,

but you didn't have to wait for me.

We try to eat together, Bill.

Well, I ain't part of the family.

Oh, we want you to feel at home.

Where's my milk?

Please.

Please.

Daisy, sit down.

Hey, Mike, why don't you get your own milk?

While you're at it, wash those dirty hands.

It must have been hot out there this afternoon.

It sure was.

Did you have enough lumber?

Plenty.

If you run out of anything, you just holler, huh?

Mmm.

You get much done?

Oh, enough.

How much is enough?

Jess.

Well, I'm tired of walking on eggs around here.

He can answer questions just like anybody else can.

If you got any complaints about my work, Jess,

then I'll listen.

If you don't, well, I just soon not hear from you.

Don't tell me what you want to hear

and what you don't want to hear.

This was a nice, peaceful outfit till you showed up.

And it's gonna get that way again soon.

Look, I ain't asked to come here.

And I ain't asked to become part of your family.

Well, I'm glad you said that,

'cause hired hands eat and sleep out in the bunk house.

It suits me fine.

Next time you take any tools,

put them back where they belong, will you, please?

Sit down, Bill.

What tools?

You know what tools I'm talking about.

If that happens again,

I'm gonna give you that hiding you've been asking for.

You try it.

Let it go, Jess.

[ door slams ]

You're only making it worse.

What do you mean I'm making it worse?

Practically every job he's had around here

I've had to clean up after him.

You can't expect the boy to change overnight.

I could change him overnight.

I'd like to take him out behind that barn.

I'd change him in 5 minutes.

You'll only make him meaner.

He's already been whipped to the bone.

Yeah, well, not so as I can tell.

You see yourself in that boy, don't you, Jess?

Is that why you've got this feud going?

I don't know, Slim.

It still doesn't give him the right to--

Whoa.

Let's not go through that again.

All right, what are you trying to do?

I was aiming for the post.

That's some aim.

Well, next time I'll aim at you and get the post.

Well, you come near me with that thing one more time

and I'm gonna wrap it around your neck.

Bill! Bill! Bill, help!

Help!

Help! Bill!

Bill, help!

Mike!

Whoa! Whoa!

Ho! Ho, boy, ho!

And naturally you were minding your own business

when this horse came up to you,

mistook your lasso for a big red apple

and grabbed it right out of your hands, huh?

Of course, not. I roped him.

Boy, you're gonna remember

that piece of horse flesh for a long time.

There's nothing serious, is there, doctor?

Well, he has some sore spots in some strange places,

a nice collection of bruises, but no broken bones.

Keep the sores bandaged,

put hot compresses on the spots that make him jump.

No need to call me back.

Unless that poor old horse needs tending to.

[ chuckles ] Ow.

Bye, son.

Bye.

Goodbye.

I hope you know, young man,

that you scared me half to death.

Well, I was scared, too.

Oh, Bill, I don't know how--

Forget it.

I got to be getting back to the barn.

Wait a minute, Bill.

Forget about that, huh?

Take the rest of the day off. Have some fun or something.

When you get back,

we'll have your gear moved out of the bunk house.

Slim and I think it'd be a good idea

if you stayed here with us.

You can room with Mike.

You sure you're all right?

Oh, Jess.

Oh, Jess, nothing.

Next time you decide to play rodeo,

wait till Slim or me are there.

All right.

Well, this book here, what do they call it?

Poor Richard's Almanack.

Why?

What's it about?

Lots of things. Benjamin Franklin wrote it

when he was a little kid learning to be a printer.

Well, is it any good?

Oh, I guess so.

It's got lots of crazy sayings in it.

Like what?

Oh, they're pretty dumb.

One of them is,

"A spoonful of honey will catch more flies

than a gallon of vinegar."

Who wants to catch flies anyway?

I don't think that's exactly what he meant.

I watched you at school

and you was sure the best reader in class.

You think you might be able to show me how?

Well, what do you want to learn to read for anyway?

Oh, I just do.

Do you want to teach me or not?

Well, why don't you ask Daisy?

She'd be glad to have you back in the class.

No.

Well, it's the easiest way.

No, I don't want to.

Why not?

Because I don't want a bunch of pint-sized punks laughing at me.

Well, okay.

But what are you so interested in reading

all of a sudden for?

Well, if I tell you,

you swear to keep your mouth shut?

Sure.

That uncle of mine,

he ain't never again gonna be able to

stand up in front of a room full of strangers

and say I'm too dumb to read the printing off of a package.

Where should I start?

Well, just any place.

You say a word and point to it,

and then I'm going to say it after you.

Okay. "Early."

"Early."

"To."

"To."

"Bed."

"Bed."

[ whistling ]

Who was that?Nothing. Go on.

"And."

"And."

Ain't that just like a boy?

When you want him, he don't show.

It's like my ma always said,

some folks ain't never grateful.

Well, try it again.

[ whistling ]

Did you hear it?Yeah, I heard it.

It's just some mangy bird sounding off.

Who cares?

Go ahead.

"A."

"A."

Jess will be here any minute,

and I still have all those groceries to get.

Now?

Yes, now.

Did I hear someone volunteer to sweep the floor?

Oh, yeah, I'll do it before I leave, Miss Cooper.

Thank you.

I'm so glad you decided to come back, Bill.

You know, you amaze me.

I thought you didn't know how to read.

Well, I didn't, ma'am.

But today you were the best in the class.

Who taught you?

Well...

Let's just say, uh, Benjamin Franklin did.

Oh, you had a good teacher.

Yes, ma'am.

I think you better leave

Poor Richard in your desk tonight.

Not when I'm just catching on to it, Mrs. Cooper.

You know, I just never seen a body

who could wrap up so much stuff into--

into just a little handful of words.

Listen to his,

"Small strokes fell great oaks."

What's so good about that?

Well, it's right neat, Mike.

Something I know just how you feel.

A month ago, I wouldn't have given

a mouthful of chewing tobacco.

for all the print in creation.

Well, that's fine.

But I think you better pay a little attention

to your geography and your arithmetic.

Benjamin Franklin not only knew where the Red Sea was,

but he could add a column of figures

and get the same answer twice.

Tell Jess we'll be back shortly. Come on, we got to hurry.

Tidying up, Billy?

Now what's it look like I'm doing? Fishing?

Well, he's getting a sharp tongue.

Did you hear us calling you the other night?

Yeah, I heard you. I was busy.

What, after all we've done for you?

All right. What do you want now?

Just a little help, that's all.

To do what?

We got ourselves a notion

about your uncle's general store.

We've been watching it.

The farmers been coming in from miles around,

laying out their harvest money for next year's provisions.

Well, man, I ain't never seen

so much gold dust and silver in all my life.

Leave me out.

We need ya.

We'll give you your full share.

No.

No?

I heard you and Jess Harper was getting pretty thick.

Jess Harper has got nothing to do with this.

Well, what has?

You like being Harper and Sherman's mule?

I had to work for him.

It was either that or going to jail.

How long they going to keep

breaking your back in the hot sun, boy?

One month, two months?

Listen, in less than a half hour's work,

we can all have enough money to last for years.

No, I can't rob my own kin.

You never cared nothing about your uncle.

You never did.

And I still don't.

But that ain't got nothing to do with it.

Now listen, you weren't meant to sit around no ranch,

milking cows and washing down horses.

Not when you can hit the trail with enough money

in your jeans to have a real good time.

Well, don't count on me.

We was planning that tomorrow night.

We are counting on you.

And either way, we're going to do it.

So we'll be seeing ya.

I figure you owe us that much.

Come on.

They're more than a mile outside our property line, Jess.

A hundred miles is too close as far as I'm concerned.

In another 10 or 15 minutes maybe, Johnny.

I sure got to hand it to you,

that's the plumpest little old hen I ever did see.

She never made a squawk when you grabbed her.

That's no chicken.

It's a duck, a wild duck, and don't you forget it.

A what?

Looks like we got visitors.

Those two from the Sherman Ranch.

No, let it go.

Your rifle is next to your saddlebag.

I'll tell you when you go get it.

What do you mean, when I go get it?

Oh, that-- that's a nice thing,

come busting into a man's camp,

get dust all over his dinner.

You're going to get more than dust on you.

Where did you get that chicken?

It ain't no chicken, it's a duck,

if it's any your business.

Eh, well, maybe they don't know

the difference between a chicken and a duck.

Well, I know you're not going find any mallards

or teal around here until early spring.

And I don't have much use for anybody

who robs chicken coops.

I'll tell you what, Mr. Sherman,

you go home and count your chicks.

If there's one missing...

You want to make a meal out of your own teeth?

SLIM: Stay where you are.

Ease off, Jess.

Now you trail drifts got till morning

to clear out of here.

You saying it don't make it so.

You think it don't?

Not so as we're going to lose any sleep over it.

You stand to lose more than that.

You get lost by morning

or we're taking you in to the sheriff.

For what?Rustling, that's for what.

Well, now that's got to be kind of hard to prove.

Sheriff couldn't do it.

He was here less than an hour ago.

Yeah, he tried to scare us off, too,

threatened to throw us in jail on suspicion.

We said, fine, jail food's probably pretty good.

Now wait a minute.

Billy's turning into a decent kid,

and we're going to see that he stays that way.

Now you're wasting your time

if you're thinking any different.

Well, I think it's-- it's our time.

We can waste it the way we want to.

This is government land.

Like they say, it's a free country.

Mister, you're leaving, and that's it,

unless you want 6 feet of this free country.

Now you're not the kind of man to

shoot somebody down in cold blood, are you?

I'm close to making you number one.

Sam, go get the papers out of the saddlebag.

You know, the ones we took out

to file for that homesteading claim.

The what?

Homesteading claim,

the ones we signed yesterday.

We put them in your saddlebag, remember?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

You'd be shooting down your own neighbors.

Now that wouldn't be a very charitable thing to do now.

Hold it.

All right, Jess.

You better be out of here by morning

because the next time we come riding in,

it won't be to talk.

You hear what he said?

Yeah.

Let's get them.No.

We'll pick our own time.

Yeah, but it's now I'm thinking about.

Oh!

What's the occasion?

Well, there's none, Daisy.

I just thought I'd do something for Bill.

Sort of make up for the way I've been riding him, you know.

Think he'll like them?

You know the answer to that.

Oh, it's a nice idea.

I don't want him to know they're from me.

Not yet, anyway.

I'll let him find them in the morning.

Well, that ought to last for a while.

Then why don't you wash up for dinner.

Daisy!

Yes?

Have you seen Mike?

No.

Well, my gun's missing.

I told him if I caught him playing with it again,

I'd give him a good tanning.

I don't think Mike's been in here.

Hello, Jess.

If you're looking for Mike, he ain't here.

I was looking for you.

Any special reason why?

Yeah, I think you got something that belongs to me.

I want it back.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I think you do.

Don't make me ask you twice, Bill.

I ain't got nothing of yours.

Why don't you just let it drop, huh?

Did you just bring in the firewood?

So what if I did?

You didn't take my gun?

All right, I-- Well, I found the gun.

I didn't know it was yours.

What difference does it make whose it was?

I thought you were told not to go near a shooting iron,

no matter what.

All right.

I was looking at your gun.

I was going to put it back.

Keep your finger off that trigger.

Well, Jess, I ain't going to shoot you.

Not with an empty gun anyhow.

[ horse neighing ]

Whoa. Whoa.

He's not coming back, Daisy.

You'd rather have it that way, wouldn't you?

Yes, I would.

Why in the world?

I take it he didn't intend to take your gun.

Well, he sure gave a good imitation.

Well then, explain why he left that place

wide open for anyone to see.

Well, he just didn't think about it, that's all.

I don't know, Daisy.

Boy's got something eating at him from inside

that nobody can get to.

You forgetting what he did for Mike?

I'm going into Laramie to look for him.

Now, Daisy, you shouldn't go into town alone.

I'll finish this page here

and then I'll hitch up the buckboard.

Oh, you can't go either, Slim.

Stage line inspector is due tomorrow.

You got to get those books in order.

I'll go.

No, Jess, the way you're feeling now,

you wouldn't be of any help to that boy.

I don't have to help him to find him, Daisy.

That's what I aim to do.

He's not in there, Daisy.

Where can he be?

I don't know.

We've looked just about everywhere.

We'd better be heading back.

He didn't have any money.

His uncle hadn't seen him.

He can't be far away.

We don't know that for sure, Daisy.

Come on, it's getting late. They're closing the saloon.

I think I'll spend the night in the hotel.

I have to be here in the morning early to teach anyway.

You go along.

What, and leave you alone? No, I'll stay, too.

We'd better go get some rooms.

I'll attend to it.

Do me a favor, get in the buckboard

and drive around town one last time.

You sure don't give up easy, do you?

All right.

Whoa.

All right. Come on.

Wait here.

There's something I want to get.

There won't be time later.

Is this what you're looking for?

Mrs. Cooper, what are you doing here?

We looked everywhere for you.

This was the only place that was left.

How did you know I'd come back for the book?

Well, I didn't know exactly, but when I found it here

I thought it wouldn't hurt to wait,

at least for a while.

I guess you know me pretty well, don't you, ma'am?

I think I do.

Enough to know that you're not quite

honest with yourself or with me.

I got to be leaving.

If you wouldn't mind loaning me the book,

I-- I'll send it back just as soon as I've finished it.

I want you to have it.

I'll make you a present of it.

Why did you run off this afternoon?

Too late to talk about that.

But why?

We're all very fond of you, including Jess.

Yeah, I know how fond he is of me.

No, you don't.

He spent the whole night trying to find you.

Maybe it's better he didn't,

'cause I'm clearing out for good.

I don't know where you're going,

but I have a feeling this is a turning point for you.

Don't make a mistake.

Before you know it, you could...

[ footsteps approaching ]

I got to be going, ma'am.

Goodbye, Mrs. Cooper.

Come on, Billy, what...

Well, what have we got here?

You're the lady from the Sherman Ranch, aren't you?

Yes.

Well, who are you here with?

No one.

You've been discussing our plans, Billy?

What?

How come they're sitting around the schoolhouse

during this time of night?

I don't like it, Johnny.

She-- She forgot something

and she just happened by when I did.

Maybe they're fixing for us to walk right into a trap.

What are you accusing me of, Sam?

Nothing, Billy.

Sam's just being careful.

We can't take any chances.

We don't know how she got here or who sent her.

I didn't.

We can take her along with us till we get out of here.

That's a good idea, Sam.

All right, lady.

BILL: Leave her out of this.

Oh, I'd like to oblige you, Billy,

but she's the best insurance policy we could want.

All right, lady, move out.

Come on!

[ bell rings ]

Yeah.

Oh, evening, Jess.

Out kind of late, ain't ya?

Yeah, sort of.

Let me have a piece of paper, will ya?

I want to leave a message for Mrs. Cooper.

Now don't bother with all that witting,

I'll tell her when she gets back.

Gets back?

Yeah, she came in here and registered

and then she waltzed off about a half hour ago.

Didn't say where she was going.

Thanks, Ed.

[ dog barking ]

EZRA: I hear you. I'm coming, I'm coming.

Who is it?

Uncle!

Open up, it's me Billy.

I got to talk to you. It's important.

All right, Ezra,

open that safe and make it fast.

Oh, no.

I worked a whole lifetime for what's in there.

Then maybe you'd like to die.

I just take some of that guaranteed blasting powder

you sell and blow it apart.

Well?

All right.

All right.

He's taking forever.

Get the key and open the safe.

Don't just stand there, help him.

Is this what you wanted, Billy?

You stay out of this.

I have nothing to say about how you destroy yourself,

but you've no right to take this boy with you.

Get out of the way.

[ grunting ]

[ gunshots ]

[ grunting ]

Get the sheriff, Billy.

Listen, Jess, I--

You did fine.

Now just get the sheriff.

Oh, would you look what they've done to my store?

[ clattering ]

You're lucky you're alive, Ezra.

That ought to count for something.

What are you looking for?

Here it is, Mrs. Cooper.

I told you, it was a present.

And I meant it.

Thank you, ma'am.

"Experience is an expensive school,

but a fool can learn in no other."

Did you just read that?

I swear.

What's it mean?

It means you--

you got to kick some people in the head

to learn them anything.

I was that kind of a fool today, Bill.

So was I, Jess.