Original subtitles

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Until I can dig my own wells,

I insist on being allowed to pay for watering my stock on Ponderosa land.

There's absolutely no necessity for that, Mr. Nagel.

I'd never charge any of my neighbors for the use of Ponderosa water.

Every man has his own rules, Mr. Cartwright.

- Absolutely. - I'm new in Nevada.

If I accept no favors, I'm under no obligations.

All right. You just use as much of that water as you need

- and pay whatever you think is right. - It'll be a fair price.

I need one of your stallions, Mr. Cartwright, at a fair price.

Well, I think I have two or three to sell.

I'll be in Carson City for about a week or ten days.

As soon as I return I'd like to see them.

Fine. Anytime you're ready.

A... a whiskey?

That'll be 20 cents.

OK, that's... that's reasonable.

I got a hole in my pocket.

I lost...

I'm broke. I need a drink.

I'm a good swamper. I'll clean the whole place.

- Well, we got a swamper. - Oh, just a minute.

This ought to be worth something.

Not to me, mister. I've already got a box full of those old medals.

I don't need any more.

Does that belong to you?

- Does that medal belong to you? - Oh, yeah. Yeah. You want to buy it?

I'm surprised you'd be willing to part with that.

Why not? You want it, you can have it.

A couple of whiskeys, 40 cents.

When was the last time you had something to eat?

Oh, eat?

I gave that up a long time ago.

A Yankee war medal.

What for? Being the best drunk in the army?

This is the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Welcome back.

How long was I gone?

Oh, you slept 24 hours, around the clock.

Where did I end up?

At my ranch, the Ponderosa.

I'm Ben Cartwright.

Matthew Rush.

You think I'll live?

Yes, I think you will, for a little while, anyway. The doctor was here.

He said all you needed was some rest and good food.

Oh, and no more liquor for a while.

That sounds like something a doctor would say.

And maybe he's right.

Oh, our cook, Hop Sing, is a very good barber as well.

Where were you off to when... this happened?

Just down the road.

Just down the road, hm?

Well, I'm afraid you're gonna have to postpone your trip.

You're not gonna be able to travel for a while.

Is there anybody you'd like me to notify?

No, you've gone to a lot of bother already.

- No bother. - I can't pay you.

Have I asked you to?

I thought you might want this back.

Go on, take it.

You're among friends, relax.

- No questions? - No questions.

Yeah, I need a place to catch my breath.

Good. I'll get you some food. Be right back.

Oh, yeah. Here it is. July 12, 1862.

"The president is authorized to present in the name of Congress

a Medal of Honor only to each person who,

in action involving actual conflict with an enemy distinguishes himself

conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life

above and beyond the call of duty."

Just about says it, don't it?

In... intrep...?

- Intrepidity. - What that?

That means brave, not afraid of anything.

Not for Hop Sing. Shooting start, Hop Sing run like a rabbit.

How many people have been given the medal?

Let me see. Yeah, 47.

In four years of war, that ain't many, is it?

- Well, they only give it to the best. - And one of them winds up a drunk.

Why?

Only Matthew Rush can answer that question.

He's made it very clear he doesn't want to discuss it. Hop Sing!

Our guest is awake and hungry.

You'd better start him off with soft boiled eggs, I guess.

Doctor tell Hop Sing soup first, then egg, then steak and potatoes.

Soup ready long time.

Number one soup for intre...

Intre...

number one man.

Matthew Rush? Did he say where he was from?

No. Nor where he's going, nor what he does for a living.

Well, according to this book he's lucky to be living.

It says here, "Most of the medals had to be given posthumously.

Only a few men lived through the combat action in which they won the award."

Hello.

I was looking for something to do, some little chore.

I found a piece of this over in the corner.

Yeah, I've been intending to have that fixed for some time now.

Sure glad I waited till you came along.

My father was a cabinet maker.

I used to watch him a lot and I learned a little.

We could use a man with your skills around here. Interested in a job?

No, I was gonna move on as soon as I finished this chair.

Mr. Cartwright.

I took a bottle out of your liquor cabinet.

Hope you don't mind. I needed a drink.

Thanks for telling me.

Morning.

Good morning.

My daughter, Lori. Lori, Ben Cartwright.

- My pleasure. - Thank you.

- I've come to look at your stallions. - Oh.

Well, they're in the corral up the road about a mile. I'll get my horse.

No need. Plenty of room for two in the buggy.

- Well, your daughter... - No, Mr. Cartwright.

When Father is talking or buying or selling horses, I stay clear away.

Let me help you.

Thank you.

- You have a very nice house. - Well, thank you very much.

If it's all right, I'll stay here and look around.

Why, certainly. Make yourself at home.

- I'll get Hop Sing our cook to... - Oh, don't worry about me.

Just take Father to see your horses before he explodes from pure impatience.

All right.

Hello.

If you're looking for Mr. Cartwright, he's probably...

He's in a horse trading dicker with my father in the north pasture.

I'm Lori Nagel.

Matthew Rush. Do you live around here?

Father bought the Bocksay. We just moved in.

- Where from? - Georgia.

Oh, I thought I detected some Georgia or South Carolina in your voice.

If I get a guess, too, your voice says... New England.

But we're both Nevada now.

Well...

An old friend.

My mother had an armchair something like this in her sewing room.

It was one of her favorites.

Mine, too.

- It's a good chair. - Was.

Ours are ashes now. We were burned-out.

That's why Father moved the family out west.

Mr. Cartwright, I like this chestnut.

- There's some Tennessee Walker in him. - Yep, for steadiness.

And gait.

I've owned some Walkers made you think you've saddled a rocking chair.

I think I see how you achieved your bloodline.

A careful selective crossing of Walker, Morgan and Arab.

And Texas cow pony.

Texans are breeding and raising very fine cutting and quarter horses.

I know that.

A young Texan once bet me his burr-tailed pony

could beat one of my thoroughbreds to the quarter pole,

winner take both horses.

That's how the Willow Bend bloodline went to Texas.

Did you say Willow Bend? Willow Bend Farm?

A well-known name once.

Oh, it still is, still is, in the record and stud books, jumpers and hunters.

Didn't you enter one of your horses in the Grand National?

Two of them.

They ran out of the money, but I'm proud to say they both finished

and neither refused a jump.

We were going to saddle up a winner next time out.

Sherman's men put the torch to that dream.

They burned my house and barns, stole my horses, butchered my beef.

The shock killed my wife.

My apology, sir. I didn't mean to start fighting the war again.

Well, some wounds take a long time to heal.

I have a few of those myself.

Some never heal.

I like clean simplicity of design.

This would be a very pretty house.

This is the main room, bedroom, kitchen.

- Doorway. - You must be a bachelor.

Yeah, how'd you know?

'Cause that's a man's house. Women like big kitchens.

Oh. Well, here. We can fix that.

There's a big one!

Well, we'll have some extra rooms added on. One, two... As the family grows.

And white curtains and red window boxes.

- Sure. All right. White curtains... - When do you start building?

Oh, I don't know. I don't really want to or need to.

I thought everybody wanted a home.

Lori?

- What are you doing in here with him? - Talking.

Mr. Rush was just showing me the plans to a house he wants to build.

Get away from him!

I don't understand. Why?

I'll tell you why.

This Mr. Rush is a war hero.

President Lincoln gave him the highest decoration they have. He's a Yank!

Like the one killed your brother, Billy Wayne, and two of your uncles.

- Father, please. - Burned Willow Bend to the ground.

Caused your mother's death.

A man wins the big Yank medal, he had to do a lot of killing.

I know this is your place,

but there's a time when a man has to say what he thinks.

You said a little while ago you didn't want to go on fighting the war.

And I meant it.

What Sherman's men did wasn't war.

There was no possible military reason or excuse

for the burning and the looting and the destruction.

That I'll never forgive.

You keep away from me and mine. Clear away!

Coming?

No, I don't think so. I can start getting the supplies.

Oh, we can load those after the service.

No, that's all right, Mr. Cartwright. Give me the list.

I'll go get them. I'll get it started.

- Father, will you excuse me, please? - What for?

The bazaar... The minister asked me to go back.

All right, don't be long.

Hey, mister!

My pa says you won a medal for killing soldiers in the war.

- How many did you kill, mister? - Go on, war hero.

Tell him. How many was it?

- Hello. - The church bazaar next week.

- Oh, Thursday? I'll be gone. - It's for a very good cause.

New books for the school. Barn dance, games, prizes.

Will you be there?

I have charge of one of the booths serving cakes and pies.

We waited at the ranch as long as we could. We got to be in Concho by noon.

It's always nice to see you boys, but didn't we say our goodbyes last night?

Yeah, we did, but we got to packing the chuck wagon

and we found some supplies was missing.

Well, you did send the chuck wagon on ahead, didn't you?

Yeah, three hours ago.

That's why Hoss brought an extra packhorse,

to carry the supplies we're gonna get from you.

What took you so long, long sermon?

No, not overly long.

It just took a while to read all the plans and prizes

- for the bazaar and the street fair. - The street fair? When's that?

Next Thursday afternoon and evening.

Oh, you mean we're gonna miss it?

Are they gonna have a barn dance, like they did last year?

Yeah. And a shooting gallery,

with 30 donated prizes, including a solid gold watch

and a booth with the prettiest gals in the congregation selling kisses.

Hey, Pa, don't you think I ought to stick around?

I mean, don't you figure the Ponderosa needs to be represented?

Well, Matthew and I'll represent the Ponderosa, Hoss.

Well, there goes the pancake-eating championship.

Hoss, why don't you take the buckboard and leave us the packhorse?

I think we'd wind up with more supplies.

Well, I thought about that, Pa,

but I don't know what we'd do with three kegs of nails on a trail drive.

Hey, Matthew, supper's on the table.

- Can you spare me a minute? - Sure.

Hey!

I was gonna move on in the morning.

- Any special destination? - No, just down the road.

But if the offer's still open,

I'd like to work for you until after the bazaar,

for room and board or for this old chair.

Well, I'll be glad to have you, Matthew, at top hand pay.

As far as this chair is concerned, I was figuring on throwing it out anyway,

'cause I didn't think it was worth anything, so it's all yours, no charge.

We'd better have some supper before Hop Sing decides to feed it to the chickens.

Come on. Looks good.

Whoa.

Now, shooting gallery is that way.

The barn dance is that way.

And here's an advance against your pay.

Advance? That's more than an advance.

And the pie and cake booth is just back there where we passed it, if you saw it.

Miss Lori?

Lori will be away for a few moments. Is there anything I can do for you?

Well, I brought this chair as a gift for her. Would you tell her that, please?

Your name? She'll want to know who left it.

She'll know who left it. Thank you.

Draw!

Three bottles in five seconds.

That's the fastest and best shooting of the day.

All right, gentlemen. Five shots for one dollar.

And every man that can hit three bottles in five seconds wins a cash prize.

And the man who shoots the fastest and the best for the day

wins a solid gold watch.

- Who's got the best time so far? - You have.

Well, all right. Who's next? Ah!

- Ben! Ben Cartwright. How about you? - Oh, no.

Well, how about your friend there?

Sure, the medal man.

Big war hero. Come on, show us how to do it.

I'm sorry. I don't have a gun.

No trouble at all. We brought guns and belts for all who forgot to wear them.

All paid-up here. Be worth it to see you shoot.

You don't have to do anything you don't want to.

Ah, that's all right, Mr. Cartwright. It's all in fun, and for a good cause.

Are you ready?

Draw!

Well, sorry. Strange gun.

You probably could do better with your own weapon.

No, it felt fine. I just missed.

Wasn't the pistol that bothered him. It was the targets.

War hero like that doesn't want to pop away at bottles.

He needs live targets to gun down.

That's enough of that now.

It's true.

You put men in there for targets, I'll bet you he doesn't miss.

You don't know when to quit, do you, Walt?

I haven't even started yet, Mr. Cartwright.

I'm not about to quit till I run that medal-wearing Yank

clear out of the state of Nevada.

All right, gentlemen, let's see who can win a solid gold watch!

Fastest and best shot of the day wins a solid gold watch.

That's right, sir. Step right up here.

You dance as pretty as you look, Miss Lori.

- Why, thank you. - Gonna dance every dance with you

- the rest of the evening. - Oh, well I'm sorry.

I've already promised the next dance. Mr. Cartwright?

I think this is our dance, isn't it?

Oh, yes, of course. I... I'd forgotten.

Excuse me, ladies.

- Thank you for saving my life. - My pleasure.

- Will you tell me something? - If I can, yes.

Well, somebody left a chair for me at the booth today, a beautiful armchair.

I think I know why, but after the terrible things

that my brothers and father said to him, why would he?

Young lady, have you had a good look at yourself in the mirror?

Well, if you doubt that, I suggest you ask the young man himself.

He's sitting in our wagon over there,

at least that's where I left him a little while ago.

I... I do have to say thank you.

- Oh, Miss Lori. Good evening. - Mr. Rush.

- Thank you for the chair. - Oh, it was nothing.

But it is. It's lovely.

Well, if you say so.

Uh... I know you don't want a drink, do you?

Do you mind if I do?

It's a beautiful chair.

That's the Yankee way of saying I'm sorry your house burned down.

Please. That wasn't your fault or mine.

That was just something that happened, like the thunder, the lightning.

Besides, it's over and done.

Well, some people haven't been so informed.

You bought one of my pies.

Yes, I went by your booth a couple of times, and I bought one.

- But you haven't even tasted it. - I will, if you'd care to join me.

No, I can't stand my own cooking.

Well, in that case I'll save it for breakfast.

Well, now, that's a silly time to eat pie.

I do silly things all the time.

To tell you the truth, I went looking for you. I wanted to say goodbye.

- When are you leaving? - In the morning.

Well, maybe you'll find a place to build that house.

It's not likely.

You know, your folks back at the party are gonna be missing you.

If you belonged to me, I'd be concerned about you.

That music sure sounds good when you're away from it, doesn't it?

Makes you want to dance. It just keeps asking you to dance.

Here, by yourself?

Here, but not by myself.

Oh, well, Miss Lori,

if you're willing to take a chance with a man who's had one too many...

- Or two too many. - Or two too many.

I'd be honored to dance with you.

I'm sure I can put up with you.

Guess it's not my day.

Gentlemen.

Where's Lori? Time we headed home.

She's not dancing. Maybe she's over at the cake booth.

Could be getting her fortune told.

Well, find her. I'll meet you at the wagon.

You get out of the way.

- Pa will take care of you. - Walt, stop it.

There's a fight! There's a fight!

Pa warned you to stay clear of her, of all of us.

Walt, I asked him to dance with me.

I asked him!

'Cause you're a big Yank war hero, you think you can walk right over us.

Well, blue-belly, I'm gonna prove you wrong.

- Now get up. - Walt, wait!

- Get her out of here and keep her out. - Lori, come here. Lori.

- Get up. - I'm not gonna fight with you.

You'll get up and you'll fight.

You get up, or I'll drag you up and down every street in Virginia City.

It's over. You hear that?

It's over, I don't care who started this or why, but it's over.

I proved what I wanted to.

Oh, tell me, will you? What did you prove?

- That I'm better than you are. - That you're better than me?

That's some ambition.

Walt, no!

Lori don't need none of your trash.

Did you hear that, Ben? He said he wanted to be better than me.

No bones broken.

I guess the bruises and the cuts will all heal up nicely.

- Want some of this medicine? - No, that's all right.

I'm sorry you had to go to all that trouble.

I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner.

Well, if you had, you would have disappointed a lot of people.

Why, do you think they enjoyed watching you getting beat up like that?

They all stayed and watched.

Are you surprised that a man who won't go to church owns a Bible?

Yes, a little.

Take a look at the inscription. You'll be surprised even more.

"Presented to Matthew Rush from his fellow graduates...

Yale University, 1860.

The honor student in an honored profession."

- Are you an ordained minister? - You're half right.

I was an ordained minister.

My father wanted me to be a builder, but I had another star to follow.

The proudest day of my life was the day I was ordained.

Then came Fort Sumter and the war.

And that turned me away from the ministry.

Why?

Well, how could I stand in front of a congregation,

and preach about loving my fellow man when all I saw was hate,

and I was part of it?

Yes, most soldiers have had to force themselves to forget that.

But most haven't forgotten or forgiven.

You take Seth Nagel and his sons.

They carry their hate around like a flag.

- Well, not everybody's like that. - Well, perhaps not.

But all those good people tonight, they wanted to see a fight in the dirt.

The North against the South, the war all over again.

Yeah.

Yes, there are some.

There'll always be some.

The rest of us just keep trying.

And praying for some miracle to help up along.

Well, I for one am out of miracles.

I think I'll be leaving in the morning.

This isn't the same way we went to Virginia City the other day, is it?

No, no. It's just a little longer, but it's pretty country.

And since you're leaving, I thought you should have a chance to see it.

Some trappers passed through this spring, got drunk, set fire to it.

Ah, that's too bad. A beautiful place to build.

The people who lived here must have been awfully unhappy.

Yes, they were.

Strange looking building for a home. It was all one big room.

It was, but one room was enough.

This was a church?

Did you bring me out here deliberately?

It was just a little out of our way.

Is it gonna be rebuilt?

Yes, I think so.

What happened to the minister that was here?

Oh, he went on to another town, another church.

- Well, I wish you luck with it. - Matthew.

You say you saw the destruction of war.

The... the waste.

You see it right here.

But after a war, man rebuilds, like this will be rebuilt.

With sacrifice and courage.

If we give up on ourselves... we have no place to go.

Well, if we don't see each other again, goodbye.

Good luck to you.

Morning, Sam.

- Morning, Ben. - How's the missus?

Complaining. She'll live to be 100, and still complain about all her miseries.

What can I do for you?

I want to send a telegram.

- Who's it go to? - The War Office, Washington, D.C.

- Good morning, Mr. Cartwright. - Morning, morning.

- What brings you out here? - That, uh... That Yank, that Rush.

He's building right next to my land.

Yes, he's building a church.

I don't care what it is. Let him build it somewhere else.

Well, it's an ideal location. The road runs right past and it's close to town.

Cartwright, that's your land. You can run him off.

- Well, what is there about a church...? - It isn't the church!

It's the man that's building it, the man that won that killing medal.

Cartwright...

Cartwright, I commanded a company of men, 250,

and I sent 36 survivors back to their families.

36 out of 250.

And all for what? For nothing. We lost it all.

And you're asking me

to let a man like that build a church facing my land?

Let it stand there and remind me of what he, and others like him

did to all but a few of my men?

No, no. No!

Mr. Nagel, there are a lot of men in this town

who fought against each other in that same war.

Now they're neighbors and friends.

Give it a chance to work. Make an effort.

I'll ask you one more time.

Take back that land, send him packing.

He stays.

And the church gets built.

Father, I've asked very little of you.

The answer's no.

Has it gone so far that you won't even let me ask before you say no?

Look, what harm has he done you? And I don't mean the Yankee army.

I mean Matthew Rush.

He wore the uniform. That's harm enough.

There are a thousand people in Virginia City who wore that uniform.

Are you gonna try and run them all out of Nevada?

Only the one that got the top medal for killing.

- And if he won't go? - He'll go.

One way or another, he'll go.

- Pa, wagon's all loaded. - Got everything we need?

Everything we need.

You stay in the house till we get back. Do you hear me, Lori?

I hear you.

Ugly looking stuff, isn't it?

About ready now, Pa.

Did you ever see a man tarred before?

- Time for talking is over, Pa. - I'll say when it's over.

Have you?

It's not a pretty sight.

A man carries the scares of it to his grave.

I'll give you one more chance.

Pack up tonight and get out, I'll call this off.

Stubborn, mule-headed Yankee!

Told you time for talking was over.

Well?

Get on with it.

Hold it!

Untie him.

Do what he says.

This won't stop it, Cartwright. It may set it back, but it won't stop it.

- What will? A killing? - If it takes that.

You ought to know something about the man you're so intent on killing.

This came to me in reply to a telegram I sent

- to the War Department in Washington. - Ben, I wish you wouldn't read that.

I want them to know.

"Subject: Citation to Lieutenant Matthew Rush,

Army of the United States.

On July 2nd, 1863, at Chancellorsville,

an artillery barrage had forced both Union and Confederate forces to retreat

leaving behind their wounded.

It was considered impossible to re-enter the area.

Lieutenant Rush, although severely wounded,

and with disregard for his own life entered said area again and again

under heavy bombardment,

and pulled to safety those wounded soldiers,

both Union and Confederate, he was able to find.

He remained with them, giving them medical aid and spiritual comfort,

Lieutenant Rush being an ordained minister,

until his own wounds rendered him unconscious.

For this heroic and unselfish act

his grateful government is proud to award to Lieutenant Matthew Rush

the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States."

Why? Why didn't you tell me?

This, all of it, wouldn't have happened if I had known. Why?

I'm Matthew Rush, a human being, my friend.

I want to be accepted for what I am, not for something I did.

It's over. Build your church.

Thank you, Ben.

Well, you can start work in the morning.

No. It's no use.

Why? They're not gonna give you any more problems.

You mean they'll tolerate me.

No, it's not the right foundation to start to build on.

Matthew, how do you think I knew what was going on here today?

When she came to me and told me,

she had no idea how you had won that medal.

Now, it doesn't take too much to start a miracle.

One step at a time.

Show me what you're building.