Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Gunsmoke.

With Milburn Stone as Doc.

Amanda Blake as Kitty.

Ken Curtis as Festus.

Buck Taylor as Newly.

And starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

Is there anything I can get you at Mr. Laithrop's?

Right good morning to you, ma'am.

And to you, Marshal.

Morning.

I'm looking for a Miss Kitty Russell, the proprietress.

I'm Miss Russell.

I'm Daniel Shay, ma'am, am representing Wistern

Company of San Francisco.

Oh, um, I was just on my way out.

Maybe--

Miss Russell.

Well, it's, uh-- it's hard to believe.

I mean, there must be something wrong with all the males

in Dodge City if a woman as beautiful

as yourself is still single.

Well, Mr. Shay of Wistern Company of San Francisco,

you may have stumbled on a-- on a great truth.

There is one male in this town who has a very serious

problem in that direction.

Kitty, uh, weren't you about to go to the store, or something?

Oh, but you mustn't leave now.

You see, Miss Russell, we've, um-- we've just come out

with a revolutionary new product which we're demonstrating

in certain select locations throughout the state of Kansas,

and I'm happy to inform you that your establishment here

is one of those selected.

Oh, that's very nice.

Maybe later.

It'll only take a moment, ma'am.

Just a moment.

Marshal, isn't it, um, a beautiful day

when, uh, men like us can spend a moment

or two in the company of as lovely a lady as Miss Russell?

What are you selling, Mr. Shay?

Blarney?

By the pound, ma'am.

Now, um, what I have in my hands here, my friends,

is-- is truly a matter of life and death.

Um, as you know, the west is overrun

with a certain vile creature-- now, don't say drummers.

You read my mind.

No, I'm serious, now.

There is no town, no place of business

that can afford to be without this ingenious little device.

The one and only delusion rat trap.

Well, there it is, folks.

A trap to end all traps.

Marshal!

Hey, he's getting the horses!

Send the kid!

Get the kid!

Hey, head 'em off!

My horse!

My horse!

Whoa!

Hey.

What's the matter with ya?

You almost let this boy get a knife into ya.

Now, now, here, here, hold on.

Jimmy.

You stop that right now.

We'll have no more of that.

I'm only gonna be another minute here.

What's the matter with him?

Well, the leg is sprained-- but not seriously, no.

I'd, uh-- I'd like to keep him quiet.

I'd like to keep him here overnight, maybe.

If you feel it's necessary, doctor.

I do.

I think it's a good idea.

I'll fix a cot for him.

Sorry to have to meet you like this, marshal.

I'm Sarah Morgan.

You must be new in town, ma'am.

Yes.

We came in last week.

The boy belong to you?

He does.

I heard about the horse Jim took.

Whose was it?

Well, the, um-- the name's Dan Shay, ma'am.

I'm sorry, Mr. Shay, but Jimmy--

Oh, it's all right.

There's no harm done.

It's really more my fault than Jim's.

I try to make him feel proud of his Indian blood.

I understand, ma'am.

I told him that according to tribal customs,

a young Cheyenne proves his manhood

by stealing his enemy's horses.

Not that you're his enemy, Mr. Shay.

But what can I say, marshal?

I never thought he'd try to prove his own manhood.

Look, marshal, I left my sample case at the Long Branch.

Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt on one of those traps.

Mr. Shay's not going to proffer charges against the boy, ma'am,

but I think you ought to know that the boy was

using this when we stopped him.

I think you oughta tell him that, uh,

the trouble he would have been in if he had hurt Mr. Shay.

I will, marshal.

Ma'am?

I'd like to ask you something.

How long has his other leg been like that?

Since-- since he was a baby.

Must have been a serious accident.

It was no accident, doctor.

It was no accident at all.

I'm looking for a place to stay the night.

There's the Dodge House right up the street.

Maybe, uh, something not as fancy?

Well then, uh, Moss Muller's will be your best bet.

Nothing fancy about Muller, but it's clean as a whistle.

Only a right if you're heading out main.

Thank you.

Sam.

Yes, Mr. Brandt?

That man who just left-- do you know his name?

Well, he's a drummer for some company that makes rat traps.

Uh-- Shay. Dan Shay.

You know him?

I thought I did.

The name just doesn't hang right.

Mr. Shay?

Ma'am?

I just wanted to thank you for not being hard on my Jim.

No need.

He's a good boy, it's just sometimes-- well, it's hard

on him, his skin being different than most everybody

he ever sees.

You don't have to explain that, ma'am.

Well, he almost put a knife in you.

You would have every right to think he was just a savage.

Most people do think that.

I understand, ma'am.

Anyhow, I deeply appreciate your kindness.

Well, I, uh-- I just felt sorry for you.

The kid too, that matter.

I mean, I understand the problems you're going to have,

raising a little heathen like that.

That's a thankless task, ma'amm.

That's the truth.

The boy would be better off with someone

of his own flesh and blood.

Jimmy is my flesh.

He's my son, by a Cheyenne Brave.

I thank you for your concern, Mr. Shay.

See, the rat.

All he has to do is job his head in the door a little bit,

there, to get a hold to that bait.

And when his beady little old eyes

looks in that looking glass, he sees his own self in there.

Matthew, you ain't watching?

I'm sorry, Festus.

Well, just supposing that you was a rat-- supposing that you

make you-- you looked in that there looking glass,

and you seen your own face, and you's

a thinking it's another rat.

What would you do?

Well, now, I don't know.

What would you do?

Only reason you don't know is cause you

ain't listening to me, Matthew.

You'd figure that that other rat was a-fixing to get

your cheese, don't you see?

That makes a lot of sense.

Well, of course it does.

And you'd just forget all your fidgety tail fears,

and you'd sashay in yonder and glom on that cheese.

And you'd get yourself caught, is what you'd do.

Yeah?

Yes you would.

Well, of course you would.

I would.

Any rat in his right mind would.

Do you consider yourself an authority

on the mental health of rats?

Just never you mind, you old blister, you.

Matthew, we need us a lot of these here traps.

We do.

And fact is, you're just the feller

that I want to talk at, Doc.

See, I want to tell you all about the--

I'm not interested.

Anybody for breakfast?

Doc, how's the boy doing?

Oh, he's doing fine.

Slept like a log.

His mother's up there, getting him ready to go home now.

What about his leg?

Well, the sprained one's all right.

It's coming along all right.

Painful.

But that other one-- that's been there a long time.

Well ain't there something can be did for him, Doc?

Afraid not, Festus.

That young fella's gonna be a cripple the rest of his life.

All right, come on, then.

Tell me about that. What is it?

Oh, you're gonna be sorry you asked that question.

All right, Doc, now just sit down over here

and take a load off your feet.

This ain't gonna take long.

You see, this here ain't no run of the mill rat trap.

Oh, I can see that.

No, sir.

This ain't no ordinary, everyday kind of a rat trap.

This here's for them foxy old critters

that won't get themselves caught no other way, don't you see?

Now, see that there little looking glass back there?

Now, that's the thing that starts the rat to function

to get through that door.

When he peels his eyeball in that--

There you go, Jim.

All right, Ma.

I, um-- I just wanted to, um-- I

thought you might need some help loading your son in the buggy.

That's all right, Mr. Shay.

We can manage, thank you.

The doctor says he can walk now.

The stairs are steep, and I could help you carry him down.

I'd like to, ma'am.

Why?

Well, he's too heavy for you.

Will you let me carry you?

Can you walk all right?

Oh, ma'am?

Um-- what I, uh, said yesterday in the street-- I'm sorry.

Nothing to be sorry about.

Well, I-- I've been thinking about your, uh-- ordeal.

When you were captured.

What you must have gone through.

Well, I-- I just, um-- well, what you did.

Keeping your child.

I want you to know that I think you did right.

There was no ordeal, Mr. Shay.

The Cheyenne, well-- it wasn't the way you think.

The man who made me his wife was just that.

A man.

Not very different from you, Mr. Shay,

despite his Cheyenne skin.

The only ordeal I ever suffered was at the hands of whites,

when I was "rescued."

Look, I-- I didn't mean to say anything to hurt you.

I just--

I'm beyond over it, Mr. Shay.

I've had to take well meaning advice from good people

wherever I go.

And I keep thinking, someday-- someday

I'll find a place where I don't have to face up to all that.

Where I can raise my son with pride and joy.

But I guess that's too much to expect.

Ever.

Anywhere.

See, um, each trap comes wrapped in paper

and packed in boxes of a dozen.

Um, with circulars and instructions for each one.

Now, if-- if you'd care to order a box, Mr. Laithrop,

I think you'll find an awful lot of customers for 'em.

Oh, I appreciate you coming by, Mr. Shay.

Let me sleep on it.

Look, I realize you already have rat traps in stock,

but nothing like this little wonder.

Well, drop by in the morning.

I'll give you an answer.

I think they'll be a good seller for you, Mr. Laithrop.

Why don't you keep this one overnight?

I'll pick it up tomorrow.

Well-- it's--

Thank you for your time.

It's not really necessary, Mr. Shay.

But--

Something I can do for you, mister?

Was looking to buy a good horse, if I can find one.

Well, I ain't got a good one I'd want to sell.

You see, I'm not into selling them.

I just rent 'em out by the day, mostly.

Is there anybody in the area you could recommend?

Yes.

Outside of town, on Cimarron Road,

there's a fella out there who's got quite a place.

A lot of horses.

He'd be glad to sell you one.

It's his business, you see?

I'll pay him a visit.

How do I get there?

Well, you go down Main Street, and when you get out of town,

you turn to the left.

How do you do?

What can I do for you?

Well, the, uh, man at the livery stable

said I might find a good horse for sale out here.

Take a look.

There ain't much in that crowd.

The one bay down there looks better than all the rest of 'em

put together.

Good eye, mister.

That's a lot of horse.

You mind if I take a turn on him?

Not if you can handle him.

He's a right smart horse.

And, uh, he don't go for nothin', neither.

It's that old boy you was wondering

about in the bar the other day.

Look at him ride.

I never even figured he could set him.

What did he want?

That bay, according to what he said.

He always did have him a rifle eye for the horses.

How much did he offer?

Ain't said.

Tell you when you do-- you sell him that horse.

Broken down drummer like him ain't

gonna have the price, Brandt.

Doesn't matter.

Sell him that horse for whatever he's got.

And $20 more.

Where's that coming from?

He can work it out.

What for?

Now, what you want to go and make a fool deal like that for?

That's an old partner of mine.

He can work out his time.

Just don't let him know I'm involved.

I worked for him once.

Harder than I knew how.

And now he is gonna work for me.

Good morning, Miss Morgan.

Jimmy.

What do you want here, Mr. Shay?

Well, your, um, son tried to steal my horse the other day.

He had his choice of five or six others at the hitch rail,

but he took my horse, Courier.

Well, that tells me something.

Mr. Shay--

It tells me I'm in the company of a young man

who knows horses.

Knows how to pick an animal that can ride like the breeze,

free and easy.

I asked you a question, Mr. Shay.

I'm getting to it, ma'am.

Just give me time.

This is an important moment.

See, Jimmy, the, uh-- the truth is that, uh, Courier

there's been wanting to retire.

All those rocky trails I've been taking him over,

they're getting to be too much for him.

Well, I sure would appreciate it if you could give a good home

here with your mother.

Would you do that for me, Jimmy?

I can't let him accept a gift like that.

You'd be doing me a favor, ma'am.

You see, I got this younger horse now, and--

Thank you just the same, but we don't

want any handouts from anybody.

It's not a handout, ma'am.

I-- I want the boy to have the horse.

It'd mean something to me.

Please, Ma?

I don't think so, son.

But why not?

As a favor to me, ma'am.

Please.

Mom?

All right.

You could have the horse.

Thank you, Mr. Shay.

Dan.

Just call me Dan.

Thank you, Mr. Dan.

Now look, that's going to be your horse from now on.

You're going to have to see he gets proper care.

That means rubbing down regular, curring him.

Besides helping your mother with her chores.

I will.

Well, right now, why don't you, uh-- why don't you

just walk him around awhile?

It's like making a new friend.

You gotta let him warm up to you.

Well, go on. He's yours.

Thank you.

Um-- would you, uh, like a cup of coffee?

There's, uh, there's a pot on the stove.

I'm a dressmaker.

That's going to be for Miss Kitty.

She's my first customer here.

You're going to open a shop in Dodge?

Oh, I don't think so.

I'd just as soon work out here.

Because of Jimmy?

Uh-huh.

Well, you, uh, have a nice place here, Miss Morgan.

I've never seen my son happier.

Never.

I'm really grateful to you.

Well, it wasn't my idea, really.

It was, uh, kind of my horse's idea.

Besides, I should be grateful to you.

You opened my eyes to a-- a lot of things.

Uh-- how do you like your coffee, Mr. Shay?

Um, black.

It's mighty good.

-Why are you being kind to us? -I told you.

I-- I explained about the horse.

I'm sorry.

You get so, uh, living in the past, you--

you doubt everybody's motives.

I'm sorry.

You don't have to be sorry, ma'am.

I don't blame you.

From now on, I'll try to keep my mouth closed,

with my foot outside of it.

You've said nothing wrong, Mr. Shay.

I guess I'm just too sensitive, and Jimmy, well-- he's

never taken to a man before.

Perhaps it's my fault.

Has his, um-- his father been gone a long time?

Jimmy hardly knew his father.

He doesn't remember him at all.

Have you ever heard of the Rock Creek Massacre?

Well, the cavalry rode him down and killed him there.

Mr. Shay!

Mr. Dan!

I've been looking for you.

What do you-- what do you mean?

Who are you?

When are you coming to work?

I got a-- I got a job.

On a horse ranch, ain't it?

Pay back for the pretty stepping bay you bought.

Well, I own that ranch.

You're working for me.

I, um-- I'm a-- I made a mistake.

I don't want the horse.

Who are you, anyway?

You don't place me, do you, Sarge?

I saw you the other day in town.

I didn't place you, neither.

Not until I saw you ride.

I'll never forget the way you rode, Sarge.

Oh, you're-- you-- you're mistaken.

I'm, uh-- I'm Dan Shay.

I sell rat traps.

Oh, I know all about your rat traps.

And I know about old times, too.

I'm Enoch Brandt.

Knocky Brandt, they called me in the Fifth, remember?

You rode me hard in the cavalry, Sarge.

Now it's me who's gonna be doing the riding.

All that time, me in the ranks.

Me, listening to your fetch and carry.

Me, going every scum detail you could

think up in the name of your regular army discipline.

Well, I had to take it, didn't I?

Had to.

Now you're going to be listening to me,

Sergeant Major Patrick Gargan.

No.

No!

I'm not Gargan!

I'm not-- I'm not working for you, or anybody else.

Look, you, uh-- you just-- you take your hose back.

You can keep the money.

You're Gargan, and you cut and run

to hide from your reputation.

And I know it.

Sides, that horse is yours.

By law.

Now, I'd be some fool to take it back, now, wouldn't I?

How many people would like to buy

a horse that was used by the bloody butcher of Rock Creek?

As you can see, gentlemen, our hoses are treated like royalty

until they're broke gentle, and they're

ready to sell to true government horse buyers, like yourselves.

You talking about shrewd, would make a turtle blush, Brant.

Hey.

You unload those sacks of feed grain, like I told you?

Look at me when I'm talking to you.

Clean out those horse stalls.

Now.

You heard me, Shay.

Move.

Would you gentlemen believe that used to be a Sergeant Major?

That's right.

He used to order us troopers around like he owned us.

Treated me like dirt.

Seems like you're one up on him now, Brandt.

Well, we have an army contract to celebrate, gentlemen.

200 army remounts.

That makes a tidy little contract.

We'll go to the Long Branch and hoist a few in celebration.

My partner will be buying.

So, she said it depends on which filling you got.

Honey, another round right here.

Excuse me.

Where will I find Miss Kitty?

In her office, ma'am.

Thank you.

Now, those horses will be in at the end of the week.

And they'll pass US government inspection.

I guarantee it.

Those remounts are good enough for anybody.

You don't have to worry, Mr. Trent.

Yeah.

Good enough for anybody.

Even for old pros, like Mr. Shay there.

That right, Mr. Shay?

Those remounts good enough for anybody?

Knocky Brandt.

You're a cheat, and a liar.

That corral of yours is-- is filled with wind

suckers and star gazers.

Now, horses like that could break down on the trail

and cost a trooper his life.

You talking out of turn to me like that, Sergeant?

How could I ever forget you, Knocky?

A whining little gall brick that couldn't

take decent care of his mount.

A bloody disgrace to the uniform.

[shouting]

Go get Matt.

All right, that's enough!

Now, I want all of you out of here.

Right now!

That'll be a pleasure.

It turns my stomach to be in the same room

with the man responsible for the Rock Creek massacre.

Hold it.

Hey, he-- he started it, marshal.

These gentlemen will bear witness to that.

Maybe he started it, but it seems to me he had good reason.

Mr. Trent.

Mr. Trent!

Easy.

You all right?

I told you, no women or children!

Stop it!

Go away!

All of ya!

No women or children!

Stop it!

No more!

Stop it!

Stop!

Stop!

Good morning, Matt.

Morning.

Matt.

How about some coffee?

Sounds good.

How's Dan Shay feeling?

Well, he's not feeling too good, and he's got his reasons,

I guess.

Was he really mixed up in that massacre?

Looks that way, Doc.

Says he's the man that led the charge.

It's bothered him ever since.

He hasn't been able to get it out of his mind.

That's why he left the army.

To become a dummer.

And of rat traps.

Seems like he could have chosen something better than that.

Well, maybe he was just trying to humiliate himself.

A lot of men do that, you know?

Maybe their idea of doing penance.

Yeah, but why blame yourself for something that you tried

to stop in the first place?

I don't know, Kitty.

If you knew that, maybe we could understand the human mind

a lot better than we do.

[humming]

Morning, Daniel.

I brang you some breakfast, here.

I don't want any.

You don't want none?

Well, you got to eat.

A man can't live unless he eats something.

You know, Matthew, uh, he just throwed you in jail

here till you kind of simmered down some.

[screaming, gunfire]

Daniel?

If being here in the jailhouse is killing your appetite,

you can come up here and eat.

I don't give a hoot.

Hey, you know what I found back yonder in that storeroom?

One of them beady eyed little varmints got himself

caught in one of our traps.

What do you think of that?

I'll tell you something, Daniel.

We got ourselves a winner.

That there trap is a purple tens pearl button bangle billy.

I'll guarantee you it is.

Are you listening at me?

You sure you don't want none of these here vittles?

Just a blame pity to have 'em go to waste.

Well, I reckon somebody will eat 'em.

Well, now, you just holler if you need anything.

I'm fixing to take this back over to Del Monico's.

I just wanted to look at you, so

that I'll remember for the rest of my life

that there are men like you.

Men who kill because that's all they know.

Maybe if I can hate you enough, it'll

burn away some of the pain of what happened nine years ago.

Um-- would you listen?

I tried to tell you how it really was.

Nobody has to tell me how it was.

I was there.

[screaming]

I still hear the screams.

See the horses.

The sabres.

I had my baby in my arms.

I ran-- My baby!

I know.

I know!

If there was just some way to tell you--

Miss Morgan?

Listen, I, uh-- I don't know if it means anything to you,

but he did everything he could to prevent

what happened at Rock Creek.

According to him.

What else could he say?

I believe him.

Well, I was there, and I don't.

I was living in that camp when they rode in,

and I saw them cut down women and children.

Saw my own son trampled under cavalry horses.

I don't want to listen to anymore.

Words won't restore my son's leg.

Won't bring back the people butchered at Rock Creek.

That's true, Miss Morgan.

But there's a man in there-- he's a good man--

and you can help him.

Not me, marshal.

Not me.

Mama?

Anything I can do to help?

Nothing right now, Jim.

Mr. Dan says he wants me to help you.

Well, then, that's what you'll do.

I wonder when he's going to come and show

me how to take care of Courier?

I showed you how to do that, Jimmy.

Now, don't pester me about it anymore.

Mr. Dan isn't coming back anymore.

Why, Mama?

He was one of the soldiers who attacked our village long ago.

Made your leg the way it is.

Killed your father.

Mr. Dan did that?

He led the soldiers who did.

Why did they do it?

Why?

How do I know why?

Why do people murder one another in war?

Mr. Dan told the soldiers to kill my father.

No, but he was there!

He was one of them!

Jimmy, I'm sorry I told you like that.

Mama, if I ever did anything that was wrong-- that

was bad-- would you forgive me?

Of course I would.

I love you.

Doesn't anybody love Mr. Dan?

[knocking]

Jimmy.

Hello, Mr. Dan.

You're leaving, huh?

Gotta be going.

Traveling is a salesman's life, Jimmy.

My mother said that you're a soldier.

That you were the leader of the men that killed my father.

I was there, Jimmy.

I never got over being sorry for it.

Jimmy, you know what honor is?

Well, I guess it's acting so you don't ever have to be

ashamed for what you done.

There's nobody ever put it better than that.

But, uh-- I was a soldier, Jimmy.

Like your mother said.

We were at war with the Indians, and, uh-- war

means men fightin', and dyin'.

But I, uh-- I always tried to behave like you said,

so that I'd never have to be ashamed of anything I did.

I never was.

Until-- until that day at Rock Creek.

The Cheyenne that, uh, hurt us-- he'd hurt us bad.

And had killed a lot of us.

The men I had left were, uh-- mean and angry-- scared.

I knew that scared men are dangerous,

but I was ordered to attack.

I was angry too, Jimmy.

I remembered the men I'd lost.

But I screamed at my men-- I told

them to fight like wild men.

But when we rode down into that village,

I realized that there was just a-- a handful of warriors

there.

All the rest were women, and, uh, children,

and babies, and old people.

So I-- I yelled at my men.

I-- I told them to hold their fire.

It was too late.

I'd lost control.

They wouldn't hear me.

They roared through that camp like fire

through a wheat field.

I saw women with babies run throughs with sabres.

And children trampled.

Old people shot.

When it was over, I rode away from me

like a man in a nightmare.

My whole life, ruined by what I'd seen that day.

From that day, Jimmy, I have not known one hour-- one moment

free from the-- the guilt, and the shame

that settled on me that day.

Jimmy, I can't-- I can't ask you to forgive me.

I can only hope that you understand,

and that you don't despise me.

Mr. Dan, you didn't mean to.

I forgive you, Mr. Dan.

Ma?

Mama?

I asked Mr. Dan to stay to dinner.

Mr. Shay.

I, uh-- I left a stew simmering.

I-- I wouldn't want it to burn.

Won't you come in?

NARRATOR: Stay tuned for exciting scenes

from our next Gunsmoke.

[theme music]