Original subtitles

The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC.

This country, it's so beautiful.

- So different from... - Yes, it is.

I wish it were just a vacation trip.

Well, it is for you.

- New country to see and enjoy. - But not for you.

Oh, it's not that bad. Just one more job.

One more job. One more man to send to prison.

No, back to prison.

- Billy Miller escaped, remember? - OK, come on.

Come on, honey. The stage is ready to go.

Ha! Let's go!

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Hyah! Hyah!

Not gonna do any good looking at that watch.

It's not gonna make the stage come in on time.

- Joe, Candy. - Hey, Rick. How's it going?

- Hi, Rick. - Mr. Cartwright, I...

Listen, did you get that horse shod?

No, not yet. That mare throws its front foot out a little bit.

I was gonna build a special shoe and weight it some on the inside,

- see if I couldn't correct it. - Yeah, might be a good idea.

I hear tell there's a marshal on his way into town.

Yes, there is, as a matter of fact. Old friend of mine, Luke Mansfield.

Oh, he... he's just coming here for a vacation, Rick.

I don't think it has anything to do with you.

Luke.

How are you?

Well, finally, after 15 years.

Luke, my son, Joseph.

Joe, of course. How are you?

And this is Candy, one of my hands.

Candy, how are you?

Clumsy me. Thank you.

That'll be all, boy.

She can stand up without your help.

Father, if he hadn't caught me, I'd be flat in the dust.

He was trying to help.

I know what he was trying to do.

- Marshal, I was hoping that... - Come on.

Ben, I brought along a surprise for you.

I want you to meet my little girl, Lorrie.

Father, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not a little girl.

Indeed she's not a little girl. She's a beautiful young lady.

- Lorrie, how nice to see you. - Hello.

- My son, Joseph. - Pleasure, ma'am.

- How do you do? - And this is Candy.

Now, you boys get the luggage down. And the surrey's right over here.

Follow me.

Thank you very much.

Come on, dear.

Well, I tell you, Luke, I was hoping you could make this a real vacation,

you know, take it easy, enjoy yourself.

Well, as a matter of fact, I handed in my resignation a month ago.

Now that Lorrie's finished school,

I thought I'd settle down and make a home for her.

Well...

Then this one piece of unfinished business got in the way.

Unfinished business?

A man I put in prison a long time ago broke out 10, 12 months ago.

We all thought that he went to Mexico,

only last week we heard that he headed this way.

Well, since you're no longer marshal, why are you tracking him down?

It's a special case, Ben.

I'm still carrying one of his bullets in my leg.

Father.

It's so beautiful here.

Can't we just forget about that old Billy Miller, for today at least?

Oh, all right.

I'm all unpacked.

You should see the view from upstairs.

There's the cutest little burro in the corral.

Yeah, he's a cute little one. Total stranger wandered in one day.

We're waiting for his owner to come along and pick him up.

Hey, you know something? There's nothing he'd like better

than to be fed a big juicy apple by a pretty little gal.

- Come on. - I can feed him?

Sure.

Well, she's a sweet child.

Busy as a whirlwind and iron-headed sometimes, but she's a sweet child.

Sweet she is, but a child she isn't.

Oh, yes, she is, in more ways than one.

All those years at school, she's got a lot of growing up to do.

Well, all children do, Luke.

But tell me about this Billy Miller.

He's a very dangerous man. Guilty of murder twice over.

But all we could prove in court was mail robbery.

Ben, in my bag upstairs I've got a thousand dollars.

I'm offering it as a reward for him, dead or alive.

Luke, you're a pretty good marshal,

so you're gonna find out about this sooner or later anyway.

I might as well tell you.

There's a young fella in town, been here about, oh, 10 or 12 months.

Works at the blacksmith's shop.

And he never made a secret of the fact that he served time in prison.

But we all like him a great deal.

Well, that's your privilege. But it's probably a mistake.

Well, be that as it may, the reason I'm telling you this

is that it can't be the same fella you're looking for,

'cause this one is a young 'un, but his name is Miller too.

Not Billy Miller. Rick Miller.

Could be a relative. When a man's on the run,

he always goes somewhere to find somebody for help, family maybe.

I didn't wanna intimate that there was any relationship between them.

I'd better ride into town and have a talk with this young fella.

You said he was at the blacksmith's shop?

- Yeah, he's at the blacksmith's shop. - Ben, I need a horse.

- Yeah, sure, of course. - And then I gotta change, I think.

Aw.

Oh, he's going away.

Yeah, well, look, like I was saying, there's a dance Saturday night.

- It'd be a good idea if you and I... - Hey, wait a minute, you two.

I was the one that brought it up first.

- The way I figure it, I got first digs. - Joe.

It was Candy and I that met her at the stage.

- I think if anybody gets first digs... - Joe.

Joe, your... your pa's calling.

Oh. Yeah, well, think about what I said, hmm?

- See you later. - Mm-hm, yeah.

You know, Hoss, he's... he's about half right.

It was me and Joe that picked her up at the stage.

Oh, well, gentlemen, I'm sure there'll be enough dances for everyone.

Now, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I've never been to a real dance.

- Oh, yeah? - I... I've learned how.

I learned how in school. But it was always just with the girls.

Well, I'll tell you, Lorrie, this one Saturday night'll be somewhat different.

I guess I must have made a mistake.

I mentioned Rick Miller, and he immediately assumed

that he was related to this fella that he's tracking.

And, boy, he's sure rough on anybody that's ever served time in prison.

Yeah, maybe he's been a lawman too long.

Maybe, but, anyway, I'd like you to ride in with Luke,

just so Rick knows he still has some friends.

I'll saddle two horses.

The biggest problem I have

is not breaking the little gal's feet when I step on 'em.

- You bet. - Hey, where you going, Joe?

- I gotta go to town. - Oh, that's too bad.

Take your time. Don't hurry back.

So, Lorrie, what'd you do before you came out here?

Oh, nothing, really, just school.

- More competition. - Hoss, Candy.

- Hi, Rick. - Hi there, Rick.

Hey, Rick, you could have saved yourself a trip out here, old buddy.

I was gonna come and get that horse tomorrow.

Oh, thank you, Candy, but I wanted to come out anyhow.

Yeah, I'll bet you did.

Hi. I didn't have a chance to thank you properly this morning.

- Are you Rick? - Yes.

Hi. I'm Lorrie Mansfield.

Rick Miller.

The reason... the reason I came out, Miss Lorrie,

is I... I'd like to speak to your father.

Of course. He's in the house. Come with me.

Father, we were just coming in to see you.

This is Rick Miller. He wants to talk to you.

Well, that saves me a ride into town.

- Father, be pleasant, please. - Go in the house, Lorrie.

Can't you be pleasant for a minute? He only wants to talk to you.

Do as I say. Go in the house.

I hope we'll meet again, Rick.

Rick Miller.

Where'd you do time, boy? Down in Yuma, with your Uncle Billy?

Or... or is he your cousin?

Did you two work it out together before they let you go, boy?

No, sir.

Did you tell him you had a place ready and waiting for him when he broke out?

No, sir, it wasn't like that at all.

I want the truth, boy.

You remember what it's like down there in Yuma prison.

I can put you right back there.

- Just like that! - Father.

Marshal, I came out here to tell you about Billy.

He came all the way out here and you treat him like an animal.

- What kind of a man are you? - You ask me that? Ask him.

Look at him, sick with fear. It's written all over him.

The mark of a jailbird. I wouldn't lay a hand on him.

- Anyway, I told you to go in the house. - I know what you told me.

I'm staying right here.

Pull yourself together, boy. Nobody's gonna touch you.

You said you came out here to tell me something. All right, let's hear it.

Marshal, I was up in Fernlee when Billy broke out.

I didn't know nothin' about it till he got here.

He was all shot up, been riding for a long time,

didn't have no care or medicine.

I hid him in a shack up by where I was working.

I reckon I shouldn't have done it, Mr. Cartwright, but he was my blood kin,

my cousin.

There weren't even time to get a doctor. He just kept getting sicker and sicker.

He died in a couple of hours. I buried him up there, Marshal.

Well, now, isn't that convenient?

You came all the way out here just to tell me.

Father, stop it, please.

Billy had a good reason to want my hide. It's a trap, isn't it, boy?

You wanna sucker me out there with some tall tale

just so Billy could have target practice.

- No, sir. - One sure way to find out, Luke.

Whereabouts in Fernlee?

About three miles northeast of the old Silver Dollar Mine.

Yeah, it's a long ride. You'll need company.

Candy, Joe, you go along with Luke.

And you'll need supplies and bedrolls.

Right.

We'll get the supplies in town. This is official business.

The government'll pay for all we need.

If it is a trap, we don't want him at our backs.

Well, I'll... I'll see that he stays here.

When you find that grave, Father, remember to be ashamed.

Lorrie. You don't understand, dear.

When I get back, we'll have a nice long talk.

A nice long lecture, you mean.

Lorrie.

Well, this time I'm not gonna listen, not unless you apologize first.

She'll be all right, Luke.

I think so, Ben. In anybody else's hands, I'd wonder.

Well... the chores aren't gonna get done by themselves, that's for sure.

Hey, I'll tell you what, Lorrie.

Maybe later on, you and I can take a little ride around the ranch.

Would you like that?

See you later.

What did you do to Rick last night?

Tie him up and lock him in the barn?

No. What gave you that idea?

He's in the tack room.

He said he'd stay until your father came back.

There was no reason to tie him up. What are you talking about?

He even offered to do some work.

You believed him.

Now, why... why couldn't Father?

Well, we know him. Your father doesn't.

We've known him for close to a year, like him.

I can't say I agree with everything he does,

like taking in an escaped convict.

I don't think that was right, although I can understand it.

He was cruel. You're not.

No, Lorrie.

He's not cruel.

Being a lawman in wilderness territory is pretty rough going.

You can't just take every stranger at face value. It might cost you your life.

Your father helped make this country a... a fit place to live,

and he did it mostly on his own, no one else to depend upon but himself.

That still is no reason for him to treat Rick like an outlaw, and a liar.

He has no right to play God.

That's what he does, always,

with me, like I was still five years old or something.

Lorrie, pass me that plate, would you, please?

You know, you can't blame a father

for wanting his little girl to remain a little girl.

Anyway, he hasn't had much chance to see you grow up. You know that, don't you?

That was his own fault.

Ever since I was little, he's kept me in boarding schools.

He's never cared about me, Uncle Ben.

If I as much as got a note from him on my birthday, it was heaven.

Lorrie, you've got to believe this.

Your father loves you very much.

When your mother died, he couldn't keep you with him.

It was impossible, the way he was moving around all the time because of his work.

You should have heard him yesterday,

how happy he was talking about the home he was gonna make for you and him.

- Is that for Rick? - Yes. He said he wasn't hungry before.

- I thought I'd take it out to him. - May I bring it to him?

You said you trusted him.

Of course.

I wish he were like you. Father, I mean.

I can talk to you.

There's never been anyone to talk to.

Well, I suppose no matter where you are, if you're lonely, you're miserable,

whether you're in prison or...

A fancy eastern school.

You talk about it so easily.

I'd think you'd want to forget about it, lie about it, even.

Doing time, you mean?

Wouldn't get me no place.

Somebody somewhere'd turn up who knew me

and I'd have to start all over again.

Reckon it's best to face up to it right from the start.

But it's so unfair.

It's not what you've been that should count, it's what you are.

Well, if I hadn't been caught robbing that cash box,

I suppose I would have probably figured it was unfair

that all I had to show for my trouble was 17 dollars.

17 dollars?

And 76 cents.

They put you in prison for stealing 17 dollars?

They put me in prison for stealing, Miss Lorrie. Didn't matter how much.

The way my father treated you yesterday...

That's all right, Miss Lorrie. It doesn't matter.

Rick?

Will you take me to the dance Saturday night?

What?

I know it isn't proper for the girl to ask,

but I really would be proud

if you'd be my escort to the dance on Saturday night.

Oh, no, Miss Lorrie, I'd be the proud one.

Would you stop calling me Miss all the time.

I'm honored, Lorrie.

Hello there.

Hello, little fella. Hello.

How are you?

Don't have an apple.

We can be friends, can't we, huh?

Go away.

Come on, now, go away.

Rick!

Rick?

This is getting to be a bad habit of mine, falling on my face.

Except I didn't get here quite quick enough this time.

Hey, Lorrie, how about that ride after lunch?

I'd love it.

Guess I'd better get back to work. See you later.

Not after lunch, Hoss. Now.

Pa, I been out digging post holes all morning.

I'm as empty as a rain barrel in a drought.

Well, Hop Sing has got the picnic basket prepared.

You two could leave right now. How about it?

- I have to change first. - Well, go ahead, scoot.

She and Rick have been together since breakfast.

It's perfectly all right, but you know Luke. He wouldn't care for it.

So make it a long ride, huh?

- I was sort of figuring on a nap. - Hoss, what's the matter with you?

You got a whole afternoon ahead of you with a beautiful young girl.

Yeah, that's just the problem. Don't you think she's a little too young?

Oh, don't let her hear you say that?

- Well... I'll go get the buggy. - Yeah.

Lorrie, there's still some chicken and cake and stuff over here.

You know, I couldn't.

Oh.

Sorry, Mr. Ant, but you're a little late for the picnic.

It's funny, it seems no matter where you stop to eat, they always show up.

Oh, sure they do. They got a system, you know.

Yeah.

A little guy sits on a little mound,

and when he sees a horseman ride by with a picnic basket

or a buggy go by with a picnic basket,

he sends a signal to another little guy on another little mound,

who in turn sends it to another little guy on another little mound, and so on.

- You're fooling. - Why, no.

How else would they know where to go?

You must think I'm still coloring picture books.

No. No, I don't, Lorrie.

You're... You're almost a grown lady.

As a matter of fact, it won't be long till you'll be a grandmother,

with a shawl around your shoulders and rocking in front of a fireplace.

What do you think of Rick?

Well, I told you, I like him. We all do.

Even though he's a jailbird?

Well, that sets him apart a little, but the way I figure it,

he made a mistake and paid for it.

He's never lied about his background.

He came into town and got a job at the blacksmith's shop doing odd chores,

and now he's probably one of the best blacksmiths I know.

When do people stop remembering?

I don't know, Lorrie. That's... That's hard to say.

Well, look, if we're gonna see Beaver Tail Falls,

we better be on our way, huh?

Uncle Ben sent us on this picnic so I couldn't talk to Rick.

That's true, isn't it?

Sort of.

Yes, I think we'd better be getting back now.

Well... Wondering when you were gonna get back.

Hoss is out grooming the horse. He said he'd be in in a minute.

Ah, good. Did you enjoy it?

- Yes, it was lovely. - Good.

Well, we're gonna have supper in a little while, if you want to freshen up.

I'm going to take something out to Rick first.

I already have.

Uncle Ben, there's something I wanna ask you.

- Yes? - It's about Saturday night, the dance.

I wanna go, but I know my father wouldn't approve.

Lorrie, uh... Now, you...

You're making your father out to be an ogre.

We're all gonna go. No reason why he'd disapprove.

I wanna go with Rick.

Um...

- Did he ask you? - We want to go together.

I know if you talked to my father, he'd say yes.

Well, I don't know if your father's gonna be back in time before the dance.

Well, if he is back in time, will you talk to him?

- Well... - If not, you could give me permission.

Well, I tell you, Lorrie, it's not what I think or want.

Your father left you in my charge,

and, well, knowing what he thinks about people who've been in prison...

You like Rick.

Yes, of course I like Rick. But this is different.

No, it isn't. It isn't. What's the matter with all you old people anyway?

You say one thing and you do another.

I thought you were different, but you aren't. You're just the same.

Well, Lorrie, you don't seem to understand.

I do too.

I'm not too young.

You're all too old, that's all. All you think about is the past.

You've forgotten what it's like to have a future,

what it's like to be alive even.

Well, I hope I never get to be like you.

What's that book you're reading?

History of Brands.

I found it terribly interesting last night,

but, for some reason or other, I just can't keep my mind on it tonight.

Yeah. Same with me.

Adding up that column of figures...

Four tries, four different answers.

- She sure was upset. - Yeah.

I didn't hear much of it, but just from the little I did hear, she was that.

Trouble is, she may be right.

I tell you...

getting old means getting overcautious, overcareful.

It's no wonder the young folks won't talk to you.

Can't trust your judgment.

Pa...

Of course, the root of the trouble here is

that she doesn't think her father cares about her.

- Of course he does. - Of course he does.

Deeply too, but danged fool won't tell her.

- You gonna talk to him? - Yes, I'm gonna talk to him.

Her too. First thing in the morning.

I'm going to bed.

Yeah, I think I'll join you.

Lorrie.

What are you doing up at this hour? It ain't even light yet.

I couldn't leave without seeing you. I had to wait till you were up.

Leave? Why?

I don't know. They're all too old. They don't understand anything.

But you do.

We can talk... you and I.

Sure, Lorrie, but...

Please come with me.

Neither of us'll have to be alone anymore if you come with me.

Lorrie, you're not alone. You've got your father.

My father? My father? What does he care about me?

He doesn't care at all.

He won't let me do what I want.

He won't even let me think what I want. It's like living in prison.

Oh, Lorrie, you got no idea what prison's like.

I knew you were going to say that.

But that's what it's like, honestly.

Please come with me.

I can't come with you. I got a job in Virginia City.

You had a job. Do you really think my father's going to let you keep it?

Don't you remember how he treated you yesterday?

Lorrie, I been thinking about something your father said yesterday, about fear.

And I reckon the trick is, you gotta learn to stand up to that fear.

- Maybe next time... - Next time?

Well, maybe there won't be a next time, Lorrie.

You know, all folks ain't like your father.

Oh, but they are, all of them.

They're all the same, even Uncle Ben. They're hypocrites.

They'll never let you forget about your past because they can't forget about it.

Rick, there can be a whole new world for us, for you and me.

Rick.

What?

Come with me. Please.

I can't, Lorrie.

I just can't.

I better go. My father will miss me.

Lorrie.

Here, you forgot your bag.

I can't let you go alone.

Come on, I'll saddle the horse.

Do you think he can carry both of us?

He'll have to. He's all I got, and I ain't no horse thief.

Hey, Pa, Lorrie! Breakfast's ready.

Coming, coming.

Hey, Lorrie, come on, wake up. Time for breakfast.

Lorrie, come on.

Lorrie.

Hoss! Hoss, come on up here, quickly!

- Pa? - In here.

Lorrie's missing. Look at this, this mess here.

"Lorrie, darling. Another lonely night at camp on the trail."

"Somewhere ahead of me a man who held up a stage

is wondering what will happen when I catch up with him."

"I wonder too."

"Daily journal to be given to my daughter, Lorrie, in case of my death."

She thinks her father doesn't care. We gotta find Lorrie.

- She's gotta see this. - I'll check the tack room.

Just as I figured.

Rick's horse is the only other one that's gone.

Oh, well, they're riding double. That'll slow them up anyway.

- Yeah. I'll saddle the horses, huh? - No, no, just saddle mine.

I want you here in case I miss Luke and the boys on the road.

- I'll get my things. - All right.

Well, I guess I was a little wrong about that boy, Ben.

We found the grave, Pa, just like Rick said.

And this, Billy's gun, with his name scratched on the butt plate.

When we get back to the Ponderosa,

I'm gonna have a little talk with that boy, Ben.

Well, I'm afraid you're not gonna be able to. He's not there.

- What do you mean, he's not there? - He's gone, Luke.

I can't say as I blame him. I was a little tough on him.

- I might as well get back to the ranch. - Well, Lorrie's gone too.

Sometime during the night they both left.

Unless you've got the reward money with you, it's missing too.

You let that prison dirt take my daughter.

Ben... if any harm comes to my child...

- How long they been gone? - At least a couple of hours.

We hit this road about a mile back.

If they were headed for Virginia City, they've already passed the junction.

- You fellas take the Carson City road. - All right.

Come on.

Whoa.

Why are you stopping?

We're off the Ponderosa now. We got some talking to do.

Rick, if my father gets... They could be after us right now.

Well, it can't be helped, Lorrie.

I mean, us running off into nowhere like this is just plain crazy.

Now, my horse can't carry us both forever.

We gotta make some plans. Maybe we can catch a stage or something.

Fine. Where to?

Well, Lorrie, I ain't got no money on me.

What I got's in the bank, and that don't amount to much.

I told you, I've got money. A thousand dollars.

Oh, Lorrie, you didn't take that from the Cartwrights, did you?

Of course not. It's the reward money for Billy Miller, alive or dead.

You were the one who knew, so... there.

Take it. It's yours.

Far as I know, there was no reward offered.

Even if there was, your father or a court'd have to hand it out.

You taking this money is just the same as stealing it.

- Don't you see that? - No, I don't.

You're the one said they'd never forget my past.

I reckon this just about guarantees it.

Well, who cares? We're going to change our names anyway.

I'm taking it back, Lorrie. I'm taking you back too.

Running away, trying to forget everything that ever happened

just don't work.

Oh, Lorrie, sweet little Lorrie, why don't you grow up?

You know, a man can't be just what he wants to be.

He's what he's been, what he is, what he hopes to be.

Everybody is.

So are you.

Come here, Lorrie.

You wouldn't shoot him, Father.

Do as I say, while you can. Move.

The boy's not armed, Luke.

Luke.

Stop it! Back!

All right, that's enough, Luke. Luke!

That's enough, now. Luke, did you hear me?

What did you want me to do, Marshal? Just let her run off by herself?

That's what she was gonna do, you know.

That's what I'm still fixing to do.

Here, the reward money.

That's what you really came after, isn't it?

No, Lorrie. I came after you.

Oh, Father, stop it.

And don't try to send Rick back to prison. I took it.

He showed you where Billy Miller was. It belongs to him.

Even so, he was gonna return it.

I don't understand, Lorrie. Why do you wanna leave?

No, you don't understand. You wouldn't have to ask why.

What difference does it make? You don't care about me. You never have.

Lorrie.

You never had any time in your life for me, ever.

You were always sending me away, keeping me away.

It was all for you, Lorrie. Everything I did was for you.

How could it have been for me? My own father ends up a stranger.

You never even wrote me, except maybe once a year.

I bet you never even thought about me.

Tell her, Luke.

Luke, tell her.

I found this in your father's bedroom after you'd left.

It's a... It's a daily journal which he wrote for you.

"To be given to my daughter, Lorrie, in case of my death."

He wrote to you every day.

Sometimes a word, sometimes a... a whole page.

He thought of you all the time.

Why in a journal? Why didn't you put it in a letter?

Life hasn't always been pretty for me, Lorrie.

Sometimes, no, most times, the things I put down

weren't seemly for a little girl to read.

I'm not a little girl anymore.

Yes, I know that now.

I should have written all along.

I should have, but I guess it's a little late to start that now.

May I read it now?

Sure, if you want to. It's yours to keep.

Thank... Thank you.

Now, shall we get back to the Ponderosa?

If we can find those horses you spooked, Luke.

Lorrie tells me that back east

they figure California's the place with a future.

When I heard that, I thought we ought to look around out there

before settling someplace else.

- That makes sense, doesn't it, Ben? - If Lorrie says so.

Evening, Mr. Cartwright.

- Oh, hello, Rick. - Marshal.

Ben here's been telling me that you have hopes

of taking over the smithy one of these days.

Well, I hope to, sir, one of these days.

Maybe when I get a little something put aside.

I deposited a thousand dollars to your account this afternoon.

Maybe it'll help.

Like Lorrie says, it does belong to you.

Thank you, sir.

What I came to ask about...

Well, I'd like your permission to dance with Lorrie, sir.

Well, I'd say that'd be up to her. If she wants to, I have no objection.

Thank you.

Well, that didn't hurt too much, did it?

No, but it takes some getting used to.

- How about some more punch? - How about something a little stronger?

I'm with you.