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.

Oh good heavens.

That is the worst stuff I have ever tasted.

That is poison.

That's lethal!

If you ever drank that, there's not

an antidote known to medical science

that'd take care of you.

You know what I think, Matt?

I think he's got something against us.

I think he's trying to get rid of you.

I'll tell you what I think.

I think he's after your job.

That's it!

Pills with a mouth, that there's what you are.

Now, there ain't nobody saying that you gotta drink it,

is there, Matthew?

Matt, don't do it. Don't.

Now, come on.

I'll buy you a cup of coffee at Del Monico's.

Just hold your taters now.

Let Matthew make up his own mind.

He ain't even put a taste on it yet.

Go on.

Drink her down, Matthew.

DOC: I'm warning you.

-Does that offer still hold? -You bet.

Come on. -Now, just hold on.

What am I supposed to do with all this coffee?

I don't think I can tell you.

I tell you, that makes me feel awful good.

There's nothing I like better, Matt,

than to just ruin his day, you see, just right off the bat.

Morning, Marshal.

Doc.

How are you?

Hello.

Good to see you in town.

You don't get in very much anymore.

It's only the second time this here.

I spent the last couple months bringing in my harvest.

Looks like you had a good spring.

Well, the rain helped.

That and a lot of hard work.

If Mr. Lathrop gives us what we're hoping,

we're gonna take it easy for a while.

Well, now, that's exactly what you oughta do.

-We'll see you later. -You bet.

Good to see you.

You know, Matt?

I think that's woman's been kind of good for Eli.

Settled him down a lot, I'll say that.

I think so too.

Mrs. Baines and Eli, it's good to see you again.

Well, looks like you're about ready to talk

some businesses, Eli.

Yup.

I want you to take a look at my grain, fix a price,

then we'll haggle.

Glad to, glad to.

Maylee, you go do your shopping.

I'll go over to the post office and see if those catalogs

are there that I ordered.

Eli, don't stop at--

Now, Maylee, you know it's been three months since.

I ain't planning on breaking my promise to you now.

Now, don't be long.

Eli Baines, I thought the wolves got you.

Hello, Bob.

Well, they did, but they took one bite of this old hide

and spit me right out.

How long has it been since you were in town last?

Oh gosh, about three months, but it sure seemed like a year.

Well, you're just in time to help me celebrate.

What's that?

You remember Adam, my oldest boy?

The old boy with the cross eyes and knobby knees?

Well, he just got an appointment to West Point.

Gonna be an Army officer.

You fooling me?

If I was fooling, I wouldn't be buying.

Come on over to Long Branch and have a drink with me.

Oh, Bob, uh, oh, Maylee's in town,

and you know how women are.

She's no worse than my wife.

Come on.

Have one.

We'll never tell her.

Well, just one.

Well, am I going to have to wait all day for you

to take me to dinner.

Kitty, I got busy with these posters.

I guess I just forgot.

Be right with you.

That's not very flattering.

Marshal, it's Eli Baines.

He's gone crazy.

He's over at the Long Branch breaking up things.

[screaming]

Eli, let him go!

Eli!

[gunshot]

Eli.

Marshal, I'm sorry.

This is gonna sting a little bit now.

How's Mrs. Baines taking it, Doug?

She's taking it pretty hard.

Kitty's with her, looking after her.

What's that woman gonna do now?

Well, Matt, I don't know.

I just know that you didn't have any choice in the matter

at all.

I've had to kill a lot of men.

Usually had a good reason.

Eli Baines was no killer.

He was just a farmer that had too much to drink.

Well, he couldn't hold his liquor.

We both know that.

Wasn't over a year ago that he almost

killed a man over at the Bull's Head with your bare hands.

Yeah, I know, but he wasn't a killer.

He was then, capable of it at least.

And he was again today too.

Matt, if you hadn't have used your gun, he'd have killed you.

He almost did!

All I know is if I hadn't been wearing a gun,

Eli Baines'd be alive right now.

And you'd be dead.

What you're saying, Matt, is, if you weren't a lawman--

Doc, that's the trouble.

I am a lawman.

One minute, I'm having a cup of coffee,

the next minute I'm killing a man, a good one.

Matthew, I was just fixing to go

over to Long Branch in a few.

Maybe I'll see you over there later.

What is it you're doing there that's gotta be did now?

I'm making out my report to Judge Brooker, Festus.

All right then.

Maybe I'll see you over there directly.

Miss Baines.

Marshal, can we talk?

Yes, would you like to sit down?

Thank you.

Marshal, I know what you're going through.

Doc Adams told me.

And it's plain just by looking at you.

I want you to know that I know it wasn't your fault.

If anyone was guilty, it was me.

I should have been with him every moment.

No woman can keep that kind of a hold on a man, Mrs. Baines.

Oh, I know.

He didn't have an angry bone in his body.

He was the most gentle man I've ever known.

Marshal, you and I both know that wasn't the man

you were forced to shoot.

That man I only saw a few times.

And I lived in fear of him.

Whiskey had a hold on Eli like I never saw.

He said himself, they didn't mix.

If he knew that, then why--

I don't know.

Eli was a strong man, but every man wants to believe

he can hold his liquor.

Even the worst drunk won't admit he can't.

Maybe he was trying to prove himself

that he'd changed, like a sick man hoping he's cured.

He was strong.

Like any other man, he had his weaknesses too.

Maybe Eli was being too proud.

It wasn't your fault, Marshal.

Please, don't blame yourself.

How long will you be gone?

Oh, I guess just a few days, Kitty.

I was gonna come by and tell you about it.

No need.

Matt, you can't keep blaming yourself.

If it was anybody's fault, it was mine.

When Sam was here, he knew about Eli's problem.

Never served him more than one drink.

When the new bartender came, I just didn't tell him.

Eli hadn't been in Long Branch in so long,

I just completely forgot about it.

Well, I appreciate your saying that, Kitty,

but the fact remains Eli is dead,

and it was me that shot him.

You know, most of the time, I got about one second to decide

whether or not to kill a man?

Sometimes, that's a weight that gets

a little heavy to carry around.

I just wanna get away from it.

Festus and Newly'll look after things until I get back.

You won't be gone long, huh?

See you later, Kitty.

[thunder cracks]

[baby cries]

Please, don't hurt me.

I'm not gonna hurt you, Miss.

What are you doing here?

You sure you ain't no outlaw or something?

Miss, I'm not gonna hurt you.

My name's Matt Dillon.

I'm a United States Marshal from Dodge City.

This baby doesn't look very old.

You got a name for him?

It's a her.

She ain't got no name.

She's pretty.

It's chilly in here.

She needs her mother.

No, I don't want her.

She's your baby, Miss.

She needs you.

I didn't ask for her.

I ain't got no husband.

You must have a family.

Yeah, but they don't want her neither, or me.

She's shivering.

She needs to be kept warm.

Take her.

Go on, now.

Let's get over here by the fire.

What's your name?

Lettie.

Where you from, Lettie?

Um, farm, near Plainville.

But I haven't been home in seven months.

I-- I've been in sort of a school.

It's a place where they send bad girls, some of them like me,

having babies.

Here we go.

Sit down.

Easy now.

What was that?

Kind of like a school of corrections?

They called it a home for wayward girls.

I ran away.

The doctor told me that the baby wouldn't be coming

for a couple of weeks yet.

See, I was scared to have it there 'cause one of the girls

died.

Where were you headed?

To see Mrs. Rogers.

She delivered every baby for miles around my home.

She even brought me into the world.

And I-- I wanted to be with her.

And I walked.

Then yesterday, I started getting these terrible pains.

It was the baby coming.

Who sent you to that school?

Papa did.

He said I shamed him.

The baby coming wasn't my doing!

Where's the child's father?

I don't know.

It didn't happen like it did to all them other girls.

Honest, it didn't!

Papa didn't understand.

Some men came by when Ma and Pa were away.

Buffalo hunters they was, and one of them, he made me--

It's all right, Lettie.

You don't have to talk about it.

A couple of months later, I found out I was gonna have

a baby, and Papa sent me away.

Why'd he do that?

I said the baby was an evil doing.

He didn't want me or it in his sight.

What about your mother?

Well, she-- she felt bad about sending me

off, but seeing me the way I was, and-- you see,

she's just like Papa.

They're God-fearing people.

They believe real strong in the Gospel.

I'm gonna fix something to eat.

Well, then what are you gonna do?

I don't know.

I'm not gonna leave you here by yourself.

That's for sure. We'll think of something.

Maybe she's hungry.

We'll take you back to your folks, Lettie.

No!

My pa, he'll turn me away again.

You're gonna need your folks.

I'll talk to your pa.

When will we be going?

Soon as you're strong enough to travel.

She's got such tiny hands.

You know, I ain't never held a baby before.

She's got my mother's eyes.

That's a miracle.

You're right, Lettie.

Marshal, there's Mama.

Papa must be out in the field.

Lettie.

[baby cries]

It's a girl, Mama.

My name's Matt Dillon.

I'm a United State Marshal.

I found your daughter here in a cave with this baby alone.

Take that child and leave here, girl.

Now!

Joseph!

JOSEPH: It was agreed.

I know that, Joseph.

But after all that she's been through,

we just can't send her away.

Where will she go?

She's no longer part of us.

She's your daughter.

She needs you.

You know what kind of a man it was that--

I know.

What difference does that make?

She's not to blame.

We only got her word for that.

Papa.

That child is a seed of an evil act.

The sins of the fathers!

I want them out of my sight.

Would you have liked it better if she'd been killed that day?

That child is part of that man.

Evil begets evil.

The Bible says!

Yeah, well, those are fine words.

You just stay too close to the letter of them,

you get blinded.

My life is guided by the Gospel, Marshal.

Yeah, and the Gospel says a lot of things

you're not living by either.

Leave here, Marshal.

Take her and the child with you.

If she leaves, Joseph, I go with her.

You don't know what you're saying, woman.

Lettie is still a child.

She needs me.

And what of me?

It'll be your decision.

There's no way I can let that child stay.

And Lettie?

She's my daughter.

Go into the house, child.

Wait there.

Marshal, I'll never be able to accept that child either.

I don't understand either of you people.

That child's a human being.

How can you turn your back on her.

It would only Remind us of that day.

Surely, you can understand that.

Marshal, Lettie is only a child herself.

That's why she needs your help.

Yes, she does.

And she can stay.

But the baby can't.

Even if it could, it would grow up

being unloved and punished for something she couldn't help. .

I'm sorry, but you were right.

We've lived too long by the word, much too long to change.

The pity of it is, we're the poorer for it.

Will you take the baby, Marshal?

Find a home for it?

Here are some things for the baby.

They were Lettie's.

There's a milk bottle in here, some milk, some diapers.

It's clear, Marshal, you don't think much of us.

They say that time heals all wounds, but in this case,

I don't know if that's true.

It's a question you and your husband

are gonna have to live with a long time, Mrs. Graham.

Sorry.

You know, I never even gave her a name.

You'll have to name her.

She belongs to you now.

[baby cries]

Goodbye, Lettie.

Goodbye.

KITTY: Go away, we're closed!

Kitty, it's me!

What is that?

Trouble.

I'll see you in the morning.

[baby cries]

Would you warm up some milk for me?

She's hungry.

We don't have any milk, Miss Kitty.

Well, then, get some.

Yes, ma'am.

What's the matter, guys?

Haven't you ever seen a baby before?

Well, you can button her up now, Kitty.

How is she?

Well, she's amazing, just amazing.

You know, when you brought her in here, she was kind of frail

and I was kind of worried about her,

but, by golly, she's got the heartbeat of a race horse.

What have you been giving her?

Security.

Can you imagine what it was like out in the wilds with Matt?

Hello, Matt.

How's she doing?

Well, fine, just fine, Matt, thanks to Kitty's expert care.

Well, now, I don't want you two to get any big ideas.

You know, I've got a saloon to run,

and a saloon is no place to raise a baby.

Well, I'm sorry it's taking so long.

I'll try to find a place for her as soon as I can.

Well, actually, you don't have to be in any real big hurry.

Well, you know, I was hoping the Parkers would take her.

Oh, Matt, they've got enough of their own.

Well, I was hoping maybe they wouldn't mind one more.

You know, if we don't find a place for her pretty soon,

we're gonna have to take her over to Pierceville.

You mean the orphanage?

Well, I don't know what else we can do.

Oh no, Matt.

Uh-uh.

Not an orphanage, no.

No, Kitty's right.

No, I wouldn't stand for that.

There's something we haven't thought of.

Maylee Baines is out there on that farm all alone.

You think she might be interested, Doc?

Well, I don't know.

Now, Eli and Maylee had a baby about six years ago, stillborn.

They wanted another one.

They couldn't have it.

It just might be that Maylee'd want this baby.

She just might.

Well, that's a good idea.

I'm gonna go out and see her.

Miss Kitty, how is she?

Well, she's fine, Festus, just fine.

Ain't she the very daintiest of creature.

She's growing like a weed, ain't she?

You know, Miss Kitty, I noticed here the last few days,

you've been hauling this youngin' around here and there.

Why don't you get you one of them kind of a pushy

around things that's got the wheels on it?

I'm on my way to Mr. Lathrop's now to see if he has one.

Well, good.

That way, she'll be riding in style, don't you see?

Are you doing anything for the next few minutes?

No, ma'am.

I was just fixing going yonder and get me a beer.

Would you like to carry her for me?

-Me? -Uh-huh.

Can I?

Well, certainly.

Yes'm.

Now, just hold your arms out.

No, the other way.

It'd be easier.

Yeah.

Yeah, just like that.

Make sure you keep her-- keep her head up.

That's it.

Well, you can hold her a little tighter than that.

She's not made out of crystal, you know.

She sure is little, ain't she?

Just like a little old chick that

went and got herself hatched.

Oh, Matt.

Hello, Doc.

How are you?

How's Miss Baines?

Oh, fine, fine.

It's good news.

She wants that baby.

Fact, she was all excited about it.

She's out there now getting her house all straightened around.

I'm gonna take the baby out tomorrow.

This'll be a big burden off of Kitty.

Well, I-- I dunno.

What do you mean?

I'm not sure that Kitty's gonna be

all that happy about it, Matt.

This one just came in last week, Miss Kitty.

Well, it's kind of plain for a little girl.

Well, I'm sorry, but it's the only one I've got.

But you could pretty it up a bit yourself.

You know, a little silk, some satin, few frills.

All right.

I'll take it.

I-- I've got some nice material right here in the back.

Good, and I'm gonna need some baby clothes too.

All right, Festus, you may put her in the carriage.

It's all hers now.

All right, Miss Kitty.

Here you go, little dumpling.

You little bitty old stud you, you ain't

no bigger than a tater bug.

Bee buggy, buggy, bee, bee bug.

Iggy biggy bug.

You-- Why don't you let a feller know you're around?

You come a-slipping up like a blamed old coyote

through a bog.

What are you doing to that baby?

Well, I'm making her laugh.

Making her Laugh with an ugly face

full of whiskers like that?

You're scaring her to death!

Now you just hold on.

DOC: Where'd you get the buggy?

Well, Miss Kitty just went and bought it for her.

Where's Miss Kitty?

She's back yonder.

Itchy, pitchy, pitchy.

Woody, would you excuse us?

Oh, sure.

I'll-- I'll be upfront, Miss Kitty.

All right, Mr. Lathrop.

Kitty, I'd like to talk to you.

What is it?

Well, Matt just came back from seeing Miss Baines,

and she wants the baby.

I'm keeping her, Doctor.

Doc, Kitty admits herself she's in no position

to raise that baby.

I know that.

But, you see, she's been taking care of it.

Now she's become attached to it.

She don't wanna give it up.

Well, Miss Baines is expecting that baby

out there tomorrow, Doc.

What am I gonna tell her?

I don't know.

It's up to you to make Kitty realize she can't keep it.

Me?

Sure.

You're the only one.

Lord knows I've tried.

Matt, Maylee Baines has already lost one baby.

I just don't think we want to see her lose this one.

Well, all right.

I'll go and have a talk with Kitty.

[knocking on door]

Kitty.

Matt.

She's-- she's gone to sleep.

Well, I guess I know why you're here,

and you might as well forget about it.

Kitty, you can't expect to take care of that baby by yourself.

Mrs. Baines is alone.

Well, I know, but she leads a different kind of life.

You mean she doesn't run a saloon.

Well, you said yourself, the Long Branch

is no place to raise a child.

Well, Matt, I've taken care of that.

I've taken a room over at the Dodge House.

I move in tomorrow.

And then when she's a little older,

I'm gonna take a house outside of Dodge.

You won't have to worry about a thing.

She'll be raised in a proper manner,

even if I have to sell the Long Branch to do it.

MAYLEE: Who is it?

It's Matt Dillon, Miss Baines.

MAYLEE: Come in.

In here.

Morning, Marshal. -Miss Baines.

I've just gone through some things.

What's wrong?

I'm sorry, Mrs. Baines.

What happened?

Well, you know I told you that Miss Kitty

was taking care of the baby.

Yes.

I don't know how to tell you this except just to tell you,

but she's gotten so fond of that baby that she--

she wants to keep it.

I'm sorry.

Did she know I wanted the baby?

Yes, I told her that.

Marshal, you've known Miss Russell for a long time.

She's a very beautiful woman and has her own business and money

and everything, but does she really want the baby,

or is it just a passing fancy, something

she'll get tired of in a few months.

Well, she says she's willing to give up

everything she has to keep it.

I spent the whole night getting this room ready.

I just spent the rest of it tossing and turning, waiting.

That trunk full of baby clothes, six years ago, Eli and I

expected a child of our own.

This nursery was for our baby.

You can see for yourself, it's still empty.

After that, we just closed the room off,

used it for storage mostly.

Yesterday was the first time I'd been in here since.

I'm not blaming you, Marshal.

You started out with good intentions.

Thank you for coming out.

Miss Russell, please?

She's in the back, ma'am, working on the books.

Is the baby with her?

Well, no, ma'am.

She's upstairs in Miss Kitty's room.

Would-- would it be all right if I

went up and sat with the baby till Miss Russell's free?

Well, I guess so.

Her room's at the end of the hall.

Thank you.

Miss Kitty, Mrs. Baines is here to see you.

She's-- she's waiting upstairs.

Thanks.

I was tempted to steal her.

I don't blame you.

Sit down, Mrs. Baines.

Can we talk without waking her?

Oh, she'll sleep through a storm.

Marshal says you mean to keep her.

Yes.

Miss Russell, I guess you know how much I wanted her.

Yes, and I understand how you must feel,

especially when you thought she was gonna be yours.

That was my fault for letting it go so far.

You know, when Matt first brought me the baby,

I felt like it was an intrusion.

I was busy.

But then after feeding her, and clothing her, caring for her,

and most of all loving her, she gave me

a feeling of responsibility I'd never had before.

And it's a good feeling.

Up to now, I'd always felt that my life was reasonably full,

but the baby's changed all that.

She's all I care about now.

I can understand why you won't give her up.

In your position, I wouldn't either.

But, ma'am, I gotta try.

Miss Russell, I know you never had a child,

but now suddenly you wanna be a mother.

The only difference between us is, I always wanted to be one.

I did have a child, a girl.

Although she died, and I never really knew her in one way,

I was very close to her in another.

For nine months, she was part of me.

You've only known this baby for two weeks.

If you lost her now, it'd be hard,

but only a woman who's carried a child really knows the loss.

I lost mine.

This baby can take her place.

[baby cries]

Kitty.

Matt, I've-- I've decided that Mary will

be better off with Mrs. Baines.

Will you take me out there?

You sure?

Now, look, it-- it's not gonna take

very much to get me to change my mind, so please

don't say anything.

Let's go.

Miss Russell.

Take her, Mrs. Baines.

She's yours.

But you were so sure.

Well, I've-- I changed my mind.

Would you like to see what I fixed for her?

Well, sometime later.

Not right now.

Miss Russell, when we came into Dodge, I hope we can come by.

You better.

Bye.

Oh, when you do come into town, there's a baby carriage.

It's Mary's.

Oh, thank you, but I can't afford it.

Oh no.

No, it was just an old thing that was just lying around.

Good luck to you, ma'am.

Thank you, Marshal.

Thank you, Miss Russell.

Thank you very much.

Kitty, it's gonna be all right.

She's-- she's in good hands.

Oh, I know that, damn it.

Why'd you have to say that for?

Didn't know what else to say.

I-- a woman crying.

Boy.

What-- what did you want me to say?

Well, you could have said that-- well, I don't know!

Why don't you just ask me to have dinner with you tonight?

All right.

How about it?

Well, say it!

Miss Kitty, I'd consider it a pleasure if you'd

join me for dinner tonight.

How about my place?

Sounds good.

NARRATOR: Stay tuned for exciting scenes

from our next "Gunsmoke."

[theme music]