Original subtitles

His name was J.B. Books,

and he had a matched pair of 45s

with antique ivory grips

that were something to behold...

but he wasn't an outlaw.

The fact is, for a while,

he was a lawman.

Long before I met Mr. Books, he was a famous man.

I guess his fame was why somebody

was always after him.

He learned to survive in the wild country.

He lived his life by himself.

He had a credo that went...

Nobody will do wrong to me. I won't let people insult me.

I won't let anybody hit me.

I don't do these things to other people.

I require the same from them.

You hold it right there.

Give me your wallet.

Be careful with that cannon, mister.

Just throw me your wallet.

Yes, sir,

and a little something extra.

You have murdered me.

No, but you're going to have a long

winter stomach ache, you fool.

Give me that wallet.

Just the wallet.

I can hardly move.

You shot a hole in my stomach.

I appreciate that.

You are not going to leave me here.

Well, it's quite obvious

that's what you were going to do to me.

Get out of the way.

Mister, you should find yourself another type of job.

This one sure doesn't fit your pistol.

Hey, mister, do you want a paper?

Yeah, I will, son.

Queen Victoria is dead.

There you are. Thank you.

Hey!

Hey, you!

Hey, Methuselah,

move that horse out of the way.

Are you talking to me?

Yeah, I'm talking you You dumb bastard.

I said: Move it, or I'll give you something

to remember me by.

Well, now, pardon me.

Hurry up!

Buster.

Try it.

Come on, Jay, the old man Isn't worth the bullet.

He looks worn out.

Hurry up.

You're right there, son.

Doc Hostetler.

John Bernard Books.

You remembered.

The newspapers occasionally remind me.

What was it, 15 years ago?

The only time I was ever hit right here...

at the Acme Saloon.

You killed two men.

I'm damn lucky you were around, Doc.

That second one nearly did me in,

coming out of nowhere like that.

You must have the constitution of an ox.

Well, we'll see.

That's what I'm here for.

Oh?

About 10 days ago in Creede, Colorado,

I hadn't been feeling well,

so I went to see a doctor there.

He, uh...

Well, the next day I got on my horse

and took off to find you.

And what did my colleague in Creede say?

Examine me, and I'll tell you.

You don't trust me.

Oh, Doc, you saved my life.

You don't trust my profession.

In my profession, you trust too much,

you don't celebrate many birthdays.

I kind of like it around here.

All right, I'll examine you.

Take your clothes off down to your long underwear.

Now, I, uh...

if I'm to know what to look for,

you're gonna have to tell me what is ailing you.

Well, I hurt, Doc,

way down deep in my back.

Not all the time,

but now and then, suddenly.

Pain in the lumbar vertebrae?

terribly strong.

All right, whenever you get ready,

just... bend over the table there,

trapdoor down.

Well?

Books, every few days

I have to tell a man or a woman

something I don't want to.

I've been practicing medicine for twenty nine years,

and I still don't know how to do it well.

Why don't you just say it?

All right.

You have a cancer...

advanced.

Is that what that fellow up at Creede told you?

Yeah.

And you didn't believe him.

No.

Do you believe me?

Can't you cut it out, Doc?

I would have to gut you like a fish.

Well, what can you do?

There's... just, uh...

very little I can do.

Uh, if... when the pain gets too bad,

I can give you something.

What you're trying to tell me

is that I...

Yeah.

Damn.

I'm sorry, Books.

You told me I was strong as an ox.

Well, even an ox dies.

How much time do I have?

Two months... six weeks... less.

There's no way to tell.

Well, what can I...

What will I be able to do?

Oh, anything you want at first.

Then, later on, you won't want to.

How much later?

You'll know when.

Now, you will have to get off your feet

and get some rest.

Have you made any kind of arrangements for a room?

No Doc. I just got in town.

You might try the widow Rogers.

She's got a place down the street a fair piece.

She takes in lodgers.

and she's a nice woman.

She needs the help.

I'll give it a try.

Doc, do me a favor.

Don't tell anybody I'm in town.

Oh, no, but if I wanted to go unnoticed,

I don't think I would walk around with this thing.

I sStole it from a brothel in Creede.

Did you?

Hello.

This the Rogers place?

Yeah.

Ma!

You can tell your mother

that a worn out old man needs a room.

Good afternoon, sir.

Afternoon.

Doc Hostetler says you might be able to help me.

How kind of him.

Yes, sir, I have one room available.

Good.

Downstairs in the rear.

Eight dollars per week.

two dollars per day if you are not permanent.

Well, I'm not permanent, mam.

Oh, boy, get my gear and the saddle bags off that horse

and bring them into the house.

Gillom will be happy to do that.

The parlor is yours to use

and the telephone.

My other lodgers have rooms upstairs.

Two railroad men and a schoolteacher.

I will introduce them at supper.

My kitchen.

And the bathroom.

I thought that's what it was.

We do have running water,

also in the washbowl in here.

Nice looking brass bed.

I hope it hasn't got any, uh...

It hasn't got insects, has it?

It certainly has not.

This is very comfortable.

I'll take my meals right here.

I serve in the dining room.

I'll pay you extra.

Very well, since you're not permanent.

This suit's got a lot of dust on it.

I'd like to have it brushed before morning.

I'll take those saddle bags.

That sleeping bag you can leave outside.

I have my things wrapped in it.

They will need soap and water.

Have you a barn?

No, we don't.

Boy, take my horse over...

My name's Gillom. It is not "boy."

It's Gillom Rogers,

and I don't like being ordered around.

Well, that's fair enough, Gillom Rogers.

Would you be so kind as to take Old Dollar

over to the livery stable

and see that he gets a double order of oats?

O.K.

You seem to be a man

accustomed to giving orders.

I guess it is a bad habit of mine.

I didn't get your name.

I didn't give it.

Is it so important?

For anyone living under my roof, it is.

Well, all right.

It's, uh... Hickok,

William Hickok.

Where do you come from, Mr. Hickok?

Abilene, Kansas.

And what do you do there?

I'm a united states marshal.

Oh, that's nice.

No, it isn't.

I'm glad you're not staying long, Mr. Hickok.

I'm not sure I like you.

Not many do, Mrs. Rogers.

Moses, where did you hide the whiskey this time?

Third drawer from the left, Gilly boy.

Gilly, fetch me my spectacles.

What the hell are you doing?

You watch your language, boy.

J.B. Books is in my house.

Hey.

My name is Books.

You all get that?

Bang!

Boom!

He's in my house.

Ma!

Ma, I must tell you something.

Hush. Close the door.

What's happened?

Who do you think...

Oh, Gillom, you have been drinking again.

Do you know who he is?

William Hickok...

United States Marshal in Abilene, Kansas.

Ma, Wild Bill Hickok

was shot before I was born.

We got J.B. Books here.

He has killed thirty men.

Gillom, go to your room.

Go on. Go to bed before you wake the house.

Good night, Mum.

Hello.

Come in.

Mr. Books?

Oh, my clothes.

Thank you, m...

You are J.B. Books.

That's right.

May I ask how you found out?

My son.

I've been up all night because of you.

I demand that you pack and leave.

That is not possible.

And why not?

I don't want to say.

So you won't go.

No.

And that's your last word?

Mrs. Rogers, you have a fine color

when you are angry.

Central, give me the city marshal's office.

Thank you.

Come in, Marshal.

My name's Thibido,

Marshal Walter Thibido.

I'm told... you are J.B. Books.

You were told right.

Have a seat.

Don't think I will.

Breathe easy, Marshal.

You're closer to your gun than I am to mine.

Books, Carson City's full of dangerous people...

Is your head cold?

Huh?

Oh.

Books, Carson City's full of dangerous people

who would sell their souls to list you as their victim.

You will attract trouble like an outhouse attracts flies.

I checked my bulletins before I come over

and didn't find anything I can arrest you for,

but I want you out of town...

directly, today.

Maybe I don't want to go.

Then, by God, I will make you want to go.

I can recruit as many men as I need.

We will force you out or carry you out feet first,

so you state your preference, Mr. Gunman.

It's your funeral.

Soon, yes.

Huh?

I can't go.

Can't?

I'm going to die right here in this room.

Ha! That's a feeble excuse.

I wish you were right.

Would you believe Doc Hostetler?

That's his verdict.

You don't say?

You don't say... goddamn!

Whoo!

Whooee!

I tell you the truth...

Coming through that door, I was scared.

I know what a man like you is capable of.

I wondered who would get my job,

and if the council would give my wife a pension,

and if it would snow the day they buried me.

Excuse me if I don't have a sad face, I cant.

You talk too much.

Much as I damn please.

How long does the doctor give you?

He doesn't know. Do me a favor.

I owe you one... or the doctor.

My being here... maybe that's news,

but dying is my own business.

Keep it quiet, will you?

All right. Just don't take too long to die.

Be a gentleman and be convenient for everybody

and do it soon.

You have worn out your welcome.

Go.

The day they bury you,

what I will do on your grave

won't pass for flowers.

You damn little sneak. How long were you out there?

I was just passing by.

You spy on me and I will nail your ears to a tree.

Oh, no sir. No, I, I would never...

Oh, you've already told your mother.

Who else did you gossip to?

Ah...

Jay Cobb

Are you alright, Mr. Books?

I can't tolerate a sneak.

If you want to see me, knock on my door like a man.

I will.

Are you sure you're all right?

If there's anything I can do for you,

just let me know, sir, because

it's an honor to have you in this house.

I'm sure your mother doesn't agree.

She doesn't know how a man feels.

You're the most famous person to ever come into this town.

When I was a boy,

I heard about your shootout at the Acme Saloon.

I just never thought I would get the chance to meet you.

There's more to being a man

than the holding a gun.

Don't you have something to do? Don't you have a job?

Yeah, I was just headed over to Cobb's Creamery right now.

I help Jay with deliveries sometimes.

That was the nice gentleman

you were with yesterday.

Where is your mother?

She is in the kitchen, I think.

Well, goodbye, sir.

It was real nice meeting you.

Good-bye.

Mrs. Rogers, I, uh... hope you'll forgive me

for taking mister Hickok's name.

I thought it was pretty funny at the time,

but after reflection...

it wasn't such a joke, and I apologize.

You should.

The only way you can show your repentance

is to leave.

Well, that I cannot do.

Mr. Books, you are a notorious individual

utterly lacking in character or decency.

You are an assassin.

That's according to which end of the gun you're on.

You lied to me, made a fool of me.

This house is all I have.

If my lodgers find out who you are,

they'll leave.

I have a cancer.

I am dying of it.

I know what you will be thinking...

That I will be a lot of trouble.

Well, I won't.

You just bring me my meals,

and I will see to the other needs.

I promise you I won't be a burden.

Mrs. Rogers, I'm in a kind of a tight...

I will make it worth your while.

I can pay four dollars a day for the room.

Oh, Mr. Books.

Most pleased to meet you, sir, and honored.

What did you want to see me about?

My name is Dan Dobkins.

I am with The Morning News.

Mr. Dobkins, sit down.

Thank you.

Um...

we published the story this morning

that you were here at Mrs. Rogers'

and enjoying our lovely winter climate

and so on and so forth.

Have you seen it?

No.

It's page one, I assure you.

I bought your paper when I arrived.

Still reading about Queen Victoria dying.

Oh.

What can I do for you?

That's what I came to discuss.

Well, that's what I figured.

You must appreciate, sir,

that you are the most celebrated gun fighter extant.

Extant?

Uh, still existing,

alive.

Thank you.

Yes, and your reputation is nationwide.

My story went out over the wires this morning.

Every nespaper of consequence will run it,

but they will want more,

Especially the papers in the East.

Between us, Mr. Books,

we can really put Carson City on the map.

Mr. Dobkins, you're going the long way around the barn.

Yes, sir.

I would very much like

to do a series of stories on you.

A series?

Yes. Uh, how long will you be with us?

Not as long as I would like to be.

Oh, well, we could start today, right now,

then get together again tomorrow.

You see,

there has been so much cheap fiction about gunmen.

I want to get the true story for once,

while you're available,

before anything happens to you.

I mean, I hope nothing does.

keep talking.

I want to cover your career factually.

The statistics, you might say.

Then I would delve into the psychological aspects...

Why you turned to violence in the first place?

Are you by nature bloodthirsty?

Uh, do you, uh, brood after the deed is done,

or have you lived so long with death

that you are used to it? The death of others?

The prospect of your own?

pretend that is a nipple.

One twitch or movement

and Mrs. Rogers is going to be washing your brains

off the wallpaper.

On your feet.

Back up.

Now, we are heading for the front door.

Now, don't you shake, shiver, or sneeze.

Mr. Books, what are you doing?

Madam, we have a difficult situation here.

Out.

Turn around.

Turn around.

Bend over.

Yes, sir.

Dobkins, you are a prying, annoying ass,

and if you ever come snooping around here again...

That was a savage thing to do.

Maybe...

Mr. Books?

I will look after myself.

First things first, Doc.

I almost forgot to ask you.

How much do I owe you?

You are a man of strong morals, Books.

Most of them ask that last, if at all.

Well, let's see.

We'll make it four dollars for the two visits

plus one dollar for that.

What is that?

They call that laudanum,

a solution of opium and alcohol.

Opium, that can be addictive.

Why, absolutely, addictive.

How does it taste?

Just... just awful, terrible,

but it's the most powerful painkiller we have got.

How much of it do I take?

Well, as much as you need when you need it.

I think a spoonful

would be all right to start with.

Later?

I don't know,

but I... I think one morning

you're just going to wake up and say,

Here I am in this bed, and here I will stay.

Doctor, I want to know.

Well, unless you insist,

I prefer to not discuss it.

Well, I want to know.

All right.

There will be an increase

in severe pain

in your lower spine, in your hips, and in your groin.

You...

Do you... Do you want me to continue?

The pain will become unbearable.

no drug will reduce it.

If you are lucky, you will become unconscious,

but until then, you will scream.

I... I'm sorry.

I... I didn't mean to be specific like this.

The next time, I will go to Mrs. Rogers.

You... You... You just telephone.

You just telephone.

There... There is one more thing I will say.

Both of us have had a lot to do with death.

I am not a brave man, but you must be.

Ah.

Now, now, now, this is not advice.

It is not even a suggestion.

It is just something for you to think about

while your mind is still clear.

What?

I would not want to die the way I just described.

No?

Not if I had your courage.

Oh.

Thanks.

Come in, Mrs. Rogers.

Oh, Mr. Books, I...

I'm beginning to know your knock.

I was reading about old Queen Victoria.

Well, maybe she outlived her time.

Maybe she was a museum piece,

but she never lost her dignity

or sold her guns.

She hung on to her pride and went out in style.

That's the kind of an old girl I would like to meet.

Mrs. Rogers, are you afraid of me?

Well, to be frank, yes.

Why?

All these guns and the kind of man you are.

Maybe you're afraid of too many things.

Sometimes widows are,

but I'm sure there's plenty of starch in your corset.

Mr. Books, I came here to see what you can eat,

if you can have what I'm serving.

No, you didn't.

I wish you would stop contradicting me.

I wish you'd say what you mean.

Very well.

I apologize for the unchristian things

I've said and done.

I'm sorry, and I will do whatever I can for you.

Well, thank you. I...

All my life, I have been too proud

to take help from anyone.

I guess I will have to learn.

Would you, uh...

sit down for a moment?

Please do.

What's that?

Laudanum.

The doctors remedy.

That is addictive, isn't it?

Mrs. Rogers, would you go for a drive

in the country with me tomorrow?

Oh, I... I couldn't, but thank you.

I wish you would reconsider.

It would only be for an hour or two.

No. I appreciate the invitation, but no.

Is it that you don't want to be alone with me?

It's not that, I assure you.

It's just that I've only been a widow for a year.

People would...

People!

If I have to work on your sympathy, I will.

I want to go out in the world again

and see trees, lakes, hills, and the sky.

And I don't fancy seeing it alone.

I've been full of alone lately.

I'm sorry.

Besides, there's a threat of snow in the air.

Since I moved in here,

we've been scratching at each other

and apologizing.

Well, let's see if we can do better.

Damn it. I wish you would ride with me.

I apologize for my language.

I'll go with you.

Good.

Tomorrow at 10:00?

Will you please get Mr. Gillom Rogers

to go down to the stable

and get us the best horse and buggy they have?

I will.

I am grateful, ma'am.

Good evening.

Deuce is the dead card.

Eight is your winner,

and the lovely queen, the loser.

Hellfire!

That makes seven turnovers in a row.

Pulford, J.B. Books over at Mrs. Rogers.

That was yesterday's news.

But I just heard he's dying.

Dying?

Friend of mine got it from the Marshal.

Old Mr Books is dying.

That's hard news.

That's a man I could have beaten.

Ha!

My ass.

You have two ways

of leaving this establishment, my friend...

Immediately or dead.

Gentlemen, place your bets.

Place your bets, gentlemen.

Look out!

Forty three...

Forty four...

Forty five...

Forty six...

Forty seven... forty eight.

Straight through the heart!

Hey, Pulford!

Over eighty feet!

- Hooray! - Hooray!

Oh, really handsome, ma'am.

Moses had to dust this buggy off.

He says he don't rent it too often.

Does not.

Except just for funerals.

Well, thank you, Gillom.

I appreciate this.

I want that wood chopped by the time we get back.

Oh, Ma, I was going to go on...

Yes, ma'am.

That is beauty.

It is a little chilly up here.

Would you like the top raised?

No, thank you.

You all right?

I will be in a minute.

Can I help you?

I've had plenty of practice.

Why don't you get married again?

What?

I think you heard me.

That's none of your affair.

I haven't time to be polite, Mrs. Rogers.

Well, for one thing, I haven't been asked.

For another, I loved my husband

and still do.

How did he die?

Stroke, they think.

They found him slumped at his desk.

He was lucky.

He was forty one.

Did he have time to, uh...

Did he leave you any security?

I have the property and the house,

which he built with a bank loan,

and Gillom.

And he worries you.

Yeah, he certainly does,

especially when he complains about being bored

and needing excitement.

Well, I wouldn't be too hard on him.

Every young man feels the need

to let the animal loose now and again.

I try to reason with him. I can't.

I can only mother him.

That's not what he wants.

Like I said, that you can change.

Don't you have enough worries of your own?

A few, but in general,

I've had a hell of a good time.

Tell me, um...

what does the J.B. Stand for?

John Bernard.

And yours?

Bond.

That's an interesting of a name for a woman.

How do you do, Bond?

How do you do, John Bernard?

Shall we?

Good morning, Mrs. Rogers!

Mr. Sweeney.

Mike Sweeney?

John Bernard Books,

now, I'm flattered that you remembered me.

You live around here now?

My farm is in the foothills to the west.

Well, you look just like I remember the Sweeneys...

mean and ugly.

Well, I heard that you were in town

for a very short time.

That's true.

Drop by.

We will talk about old times.

The good old times.

Ha ha ha!

You can bring your fancy pillow,

and your landlady is welcome, too.

Now, my problem is

that she never accepts my invitation,

and to you two, I say good-bye.

I'm surprised at the company you keep.

That man is no friend. Quite the reverse.

How do you know him?

I don't. I had some dealings

with his brother Albert once.

What happened?

Oh.

That's what worries me, John Bernard...

the thought of your victims.

What worried me was survival.

Bond, I don't believe I ever killed a man

that didn't deserve it.

Surely, only the Lord can judge that.

Mr. Books!

Mr. Books?

Sir?

Are you hurt?

No.

But they are.

Call the marshal.

He got both of them.

They came in through the windows... guns shooting.

Close your robe.

He's so damn fast, he killed them both.

John Bernard Books in a shootout right here.

Son of a bitch!

I will not have that language in my house.