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- Morning, Mayor. - Morning, Roy.

I just got a message from Juniper Creek.

Oh? How long is it gonna be?

Well, a day, anyway, maybe even longer.

Ah, well, I guess you better get going.

Roll out the odd fellas coach,

rastle up a four-horse team and go fetch her.

Sir, you just put me on the spot.

Right between a rock and a hard place.

I was told that nobody's gonna fetch her.

- Who by? - Bennett.

- The Senator? - No, his son, Carson.

He said that he's gonna be driving Miss Lola Fairmont

down the main street of Virginia City and nobody else.

Now, you can order me to send a coach.

Roy. I'm an odd fellow, but I ain't that odd.

- Hey, Roy. - Howdy, Hoss.

What's this I hear about the creek?

- Been a wash out. - Yeah, how bad is it?

Well, it's so bad that there ain't a splinter left

in the old bridge.

Well, how's a lady going to get in?

Maybe she won't.

Thank you.

Hey.

I thought you were gonna meet me over at the bank.

- What happened? - Oh, yeah, I was,

but something came up.

Tell Pa I'm gonna be late to supper.

- Well, what is it? - Well.

I don't want Miss Fairmont to

have to spend the night out there on the creek.

Miss Fairmont? What do you have to do with Miss Fairmont?

Just tell Pa I'm gonna be late, huh?

All right.

- You looking for something, Hoss? - Yeah.

Whereabouts is your crew?

Well, I sent 'em home.

Senator, he don't approve of his employees wasting money.

Trying to build a bridge across the water that ain't gone down,

that's purely a waste.

What about that stage?

Well, if it's the one I think you mean,

it ain't a regular stage, so it ain't my problem.

- Yeah, but you know who's on it? - Sure, I know who's on it.

Well, if Mr. Bennett don't get here,

she's either gonna have to swim for it

or sleep in the coach over there in the far back.

Aw.

Fontaine, that ain't gonna get it.

You can't expect a lady like Lola Fairmont

to wade through a mess like that.

It'd be fun to watch her try though, wouldn't it?

Out there in the middle, it ought to be about neck deep.

Of course, if you want to keep her feet dry,

you might try building a foot bridge across there.

You got all the makings right here.

Yeah, I might just do that.

How come you getting so worked up over some sporting lady

like Lola Fairmont?

Fontaine, I'm gonna make out like I didn't hear that.

Now, you get out of here while I figure out what I'm gonna do.

Go on.

You get that wagon unloaded, I'll send a driver back to pick it up.

Wait here, I'll check things out.

Well, what you got?

As much as what we got is what we ain't got.

What do you do in a case like this?

You got an idea and I'll listen.

What do you mean? You mean we're just stuck here?

What do you think?

We've got 10,000 people waiting for us in Virginia City.

She's got a performance tonight. It's all sold out, too.

There's a parade and a marching band.

I mean, the mayor's gonna give Lola the key to the city.

Why don't you ask him if he's got a bridge.

Lola?

Lola, you're not gonna believe this.

Howdy, ma'am.

- Who are you? - Hoss Cartwright, ma'am.

Who?

Cartwright, Hoss Cartwright.

I can't hear you. Come here.

Yes'm.

Howdy.

- Now, what's your name? - Cartwright.

What are we gonna do about this, Cartwright?

What, ma'am?

Well, this bridge business. Who's gonna fix it?

Oh, I've been working on it,

but if I had a couple three more hours...

Well, where are the others?

Why, I'm the only one here, ma'am.

I got a couple of planks up.

If you hadn't have been ahead of schedule,

I could at least had you a foot bridge across here.

If you just give me a couple more hours...

Cartwright.

I don't have a couple of hours.

I'm due in Virginia City at 5:20.

Yeah, well, you just better forget about that.

Just turn back.

Charlie. I want you to meet Cartwright.

He builds bridges.

- Howdy. - By himself.

Oh, not really, ma'am.

Now, don't be modest.

Is that your wagon and team of horses?

No, ma'am.

Well, can you use them?

I reckon I could, yeah.

Cartwright.

I have a wonderful idea.

Careful, Cartwright.

I will, ma'am.

You know, if you were a man, there'd be a way of delineating

your character with eloquence and precision.

Thank you. Since I'm not a man, shut up.

How far did you say it was to the stage stop?

With a good team, 20 minutes, maybe.

And then another two or three hours to Virginia City.

Yes, ma'am.

Attaboy, Cartwright!

Come on.

Very good, Cartwright.

All the way across the washout and not a spot on me.

No.

Well, hardly a spot.

- Here. - Thanks.

- Keep it. - Thanks!

Well.

Talk to me, Cartwright.

Why, I ain't much of one for conversations, ma'am.

What were you doing there at the washout?

Well, I...

I ain't a part of the crew, ma'am.

See, I just heard about your predicament

and I didn't like the idea of you

having to spend the night out there at that washout

so I thought I'd drive out and do something about it.

You mean, you rode all the way out from Virginia City to...

Yes'm.

Well, what did you do a thing like that for?

Well, sometimes I do crazy things, ma'am.

Have we ever met before, Cartwright?

No, ma'am.

You just make it a habit of building bridges for people?

Well, not for everybody, no, ma'am.

I never had anyone build me a bridge before, Cartwright.

I want you to know, I'm very touched.

Well, you're welcome, ma'am.

I'll tell you what. Anytime you need any of these bridges built,

you just call on me.

Gentleman inside got business with the lady.

Help me down, Cartwright.

When the hired help starts jumping, I know who's causing it.

Thank you.

Welcome to Juniper Creek.

Save the speeches, Bennett.

I said it all in San Francisco.

- Let go of me. - Now.

Private business, Mister. Stay out of it.

I'm thinking about your future, Lola, that's all.

Let go of me.

I'm thinking of all the days and weeks and months and years

you're gonna regret what you did in San Francisco.

Let go of me!

You're gonna ride into Virginia City, and you're gonna ride with me.

You understand?

From now on, that guy next to you is gonna be me.

Nobody else, me!

No more of this playing around with every Tom, Dick and Harry.

You so help me...

Stay out of it, Hoss.

Are you all right, ma'am?

Look out!

- I'm sorry, Cartwright. - Hush. Hush.

The Senator's son.

Have a rope around my neck soon.

Nobody'll touch you.

You don't know The Senator.

Give me that gun.

You never owned a gun, you hear?

- No. - You never owned it.

What are you doing?

Oh, wait!

Hoss.

He attacked her.

I stopped him.

Now, you look after the lady or you'll answer to me.

I'm riding out of here.

Now Hoss has really done it.

Ain't nobody can help him now.

What the...

Shut up!

Hoss? Hey.

Grady.

Yeah.

Can you get up?

My horse, get my horse out of sight.

- Law? - Yeah.

I'll get Joe, hmm?

Ugh.

Hey.

Those squeezins of yours are getting better.

- You reckon? - Yeah.

It used to be awful.

Now they're just middle of terrible.

Hmm.

If you don't like it, you can take your business

across the street.

Don't you go traipsing nowheres.

I'll be back directly.

Grady.

Welcome back.

That's some concussion you got there.

This here, mountain medicine.

'Rapaho woman learn me

one winter in the Tetons.

Yeah?

Oh, dad burn it.

She learn you anything else?

Some... long winter.

I know it don't make sense.

Ain't nothing made sense from the beginning.

All right, let's try it once more.

Now, you heard the shot.

I heard the shot, I ran for the door just as I got there,

someone threw the bolt inside.

- Are you sure? - No, I ain't sure.

I'm making the whole thing up.

There weren't no dead man, there weren't no shooting

and there weren't no washout

and the stage just went right on past without stopping!

Climb down, Fontaine.

Nobody's accusing you of nothing.

Well, that ain't the way it sounds to me.

All right, all right, all right.

Now, what did Hoss say to you when you went inside?

He told me to look after the lady or I'd have to answer to him.

- Well, why would he say that? - Ask him.

Well, Hoss never saw that lady before in his life.

She's told us so herself.

You'll just have to get the rest of your answers from her.

We tried that.

She was just too hysterical to make any sense at all.

Hysterical? Lola Fairmont?

That woman could ride an avalanche down

and never scuff the polish on her shoes.

Must've followed a stream bed.

- Did you follow the ridges? - Yeah, nothing.

There's a thousand ways he could've gone.

I'm getting a fresh horse right now, then I'm on my way.

You better find him before The Senator gets into it.

He'll call out the army.

She was pretty upset at the preliminary hearing.

Naturally, she's canceled all of her performances.

- All of 'em? - All of 'em.

Well, what about the rest of the tour?

Well, I don't know yet.

I mean, I'm not even thinking of that right at the moment.

I mean, I don't have to explain to you the reason why, do I?

I'm sorry. That's all I can give you at the moment.

You'll have to excuse me.

That takes care of the press.

You want a drink?

No.

We got about 24 hours, more or less.

- I said we got about... - Twenty-four hours.

'Til what?

'Til the senator gets here.

They wired him in Sacramento.

Sure you don't want that drink, honey?

I mean, I don't want to press things,

but if you're gonna drink, it better be tonight.

'Cause tomorrow you're gonna be cold stone sober

even if I have to put a muzzle on you.

Do you hear me? Are you listening to me?

I'm thinking about Cartwright.

Yeah?

You're all torn up inside, right?

Is that so strange?

No, it's not strange, just phony.

Who says it's phony?

- Maybe it isn't. - Thank you.

Let's see, you're 34 years old, now, Lola.

You know, someday, somewhere,

an honest emotion is gonna come to you.

It's got to happen sometime.

And when it does, you won't even recognize it.

Shut up.

You're a fake, Lola.

You're a big fake.

You've been selling phony emotions on and off the stage for so long,

an honest emotion would knock you unconscious.

Now you got that big clown out there somewhere in the mountains.

And he doesn't know it, but he's gonna pay for this,

maybe with his life.

And you, you're just gonna sit tight and keep your mouth shut

and just play it as it lays,

'cause that's the only move you got, honey.

'Cause anything else is gonna cost you about $140,000

in bookings between here and New York,

and a ruined career.

And maybe even a pretty hangman's noose

in Nevada State Prison.

Get out of here, Charlie.

Too late to take the bail, honey.

Get out!

Oh, uh... Sleep tight.

Ooh.

Lola...

Get away from her.

Leave her alone. Get away.

Lola.

Get away.

I won't let him hurt you.

Lola Fairmont...

Who is it?

Hunting woman name of Fairmont.

- What do you want? - Fairmont.

- Woman... - I'm Miss Fairmont.

Hoss Cartwright's calling for you.

Feeling poorly. Bad head split.

- I'll take you to him. - Right now?

I can't just...

I got no time to stand here jawing with you, woman,

get your plunder together.

We got a fair piece to travel before sunup.

- But that's out of the question, I... - He's calling for you, woman.

All right. Just a minute.

Just, uh...

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Whoa, whoa.

Untie that.

Fire's out. Gonna fetch some wood.

Well, wait a minute!

How do I...

How do I get down from here?

Untangle yourself and fall down.

- I got no time for jawing. - But I...

Get that horse of yours out of sight. The Lean-to yonder.

Whoa, whoa. No!

Wait... Ooh. Wait, oh-oh, whoa, whoa.

I'm not gonna hurt you.

Whoa.

It's all right. It's all right.

It's all right.

Come on. Come on.

Come on, I'm not gonna hurt you. Come on.

Cartwright?

Cartwright?

Ma'am.

Ma'am.

What are you doing here?

I don't know.

Can't fix anything.

Can't make it right.

Can only tell you how sorry I am.

But Miss Fairmont, if they find you here...

Just hush up.

- Look, I'm gonna be all right. - Just don't talk.

Go on, go on, get.

I brought you your handkerchief back.

That's yours. I gave it to you.

Go on.

Go to sleep.

Just go to sleep.

Sleep...

You never unsaddled your horse.

I thought I'd leave that to you.

Yeah, you'd never shine amongst the 'Rapahos, woman.

Throw you out of camp!

Here, take these with you.

Fetch me a good bate of 'em.

Find them close to water, in the shade.

- Well, what are they? - Yarbs.

Mountain medicine.

Get a big bate of 'em.

Old Hoss has got a ways to travel before he's sassy again.

What you gawking at, woman?

Git!

So ridiculous what I'm doing out here.

Phew.

Ah!

All right, Grady.

Grady, you been pretty close to his cabin, have you?

Tolerable.

What you hunting?

Hoss Cartwright and a woman.

Now, this lady had a livery horse with a side saddle on it,

both come up missing this morning.

Nobody come by, you say?

Prospector fellow. About a week ago.

Gave 'em a bate of corn meal.

You can get down if you want. Come in for a drink.

Somebody like that comes by, you give us the word, you hear?

Yeah.

Leave her be.

Leave her be.

Stop.

Stop...

Blow wind.

Blow wind.

Blow tempest.

Wakes, death, unknown.

Fate.

Cartwright?

And if... I should, die.

Unknown fate.

Heavens forbid

but that our loves and comfort should increase,

even as our days do grow.

Amen to that.

Cartwright.

Good morning.

Feeling pretty.

- I thought I was dreaming. - Yeah.

Ain't surprising, since you like to get your head knocked off.

What's she doing here?

He fetched me.

Yeah.

Most ways, she ain't much account,

but she shines with the yarbs.

Grady, you had no right.

Sat up all night with you putting on the yarbs.

She ain't in it with the 'Rapaho,

but for a white woman, she's... tolerable.

Oh! Pfft!

- Budge. - Huh?

I'm making saleratus biscuits.

And what do you know about saleratus biscuits?

Budge!

Cartwright, what's a 'Rapaho?

Sort of an Indian.

Where does he get that?

Oh, ma'am, I wouldn't pay too much attention to him.

I could weigh ten pounds

and beat any 'Rapaho squaw in the country.

Hey, you're talking pretty big there.

Where'd you learn how to make them biscuits anyhow?

My mother ran a boarding house.

Who was your pa?

I never knew.

Neither did my mother.

Anything else, ma'am?

This pie ain't bad.

As good as the 'Rapaho's?

The only thing that woman couldn't make was dry apple pie.

When was the last time you made dry apple pie, ma'am?

When are you gonna stop calling me ma'am?

Lola.

Not since I was a girl.

'Rapaho women makes first rate plum duck.

Why are you foxing up that fire, there, woman?

I about melted down to a puddle of keller.

Cartwright.

It's time you had a bath.

A bath?

A bath.

'Rapaho women never done that.

- You feel better? - Much, thank you.

- You sure now? - Oh, I wouldn't lie to you.

- Oh, I don't know. - Why?

I wouldn't tell you no lie, ma'am.

Well, you did before, Cartwright. You told me a big one.

- A big, black whopper. - What do you mean?

- You said we never met before. - Well, we ain't.

Formally.

I don't know how I could have forgotten you.

Big gawky stagehand.

McGuire's in San Francisco, the year I did Desdemona.

I'll be doggoned.

I wouldn't have figured in a million years

you'd have remembered that.

You gave me some of the lines from the second act

when you were delirious.

I haven't done Othello for ten years, but I remembered.

Heavens forbid but that our loves and comfort

should increase, even as our days do grow.

Amen to that.

- What's the rest? - Oh, golly, golly.

I've forgotten.

I know this.

I remember the first time that fella smothered you with that pillow,

I dang near run out on the stage and tackled him.

You were the...

You were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my whole life.

How long did you work for McGuire?

Oh, about two months, I reckon.

I came in to San Francisco to see the big city

and lost all my money in a gambling parlor

and I sure wasn't about to go home and tell my Pa what I'd done,

so I figured the best thing for me to do is get a job,

make a little money before I went back home

and Mr. McGuire was hiring husky stagehands

and it seems like I turned out to be one of them.

I worked there with him

for a couple of months 'til y'all left town,

the show went back east then I came on back home.

I wondered what happened to you.

Well, I kept up with you.

I mean, we got newspapers back here regular, you know?

So I kept up with you, all over Europe, everything you did.

Even that Spanish prince

and them two fellas had that duel over you,

and even where you played before the Queen, Queen Victoria.

Yeah, I kept up with all that.

But I...

I reckon you must have a lot of fellas that do that.

Keep up with you like that, I mean,

follow you around and all.

That's exactly what I was doing out there, fixing that bridge.

Oh, Romeo, Romeo.

Wherefore art thou, Romeo?

Oh, ma'am, don't be silly.

If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully,

or if thou thinkst I am too quickly won

I'll frown and be perverse

and say thee nay so thou wilt woo.

But else not for the world.

Sweet... good night.

This bud of love,

my summer's ripening breath

may prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.

Good night.

Good night.

The sweet repose and rest come to thy heart

as that within my breast.

Don't say that unless you mean it.

Cartwright.

I...

I don't know.

That's the hell of it.

I don't know.

Hoss, it doesn't make sense to me.

Why did you lie about it? Why did you say you killed him?

Joseph.

There's just some things a man has to do

sometimes no matter what.

Aw, come on now, Hoss, listen to me...

Joseph.

It's my play. I ain't hurting nobody but me.

Yeah, well, what about Pa?

What do you think you're doing to him?

Pa will understand.

I don't think so.

All right, look, you care about the girl,

but there's more at stake than that.

What about the ranch?

There's not gonna be any pieces to pick up when this is over,

or haven't you ever heard of Senator Bennett?

He's not that powerful. He can't do all that.

Oh, he can, and I think he will.

I'm not gonna argue with you anymore, it's your decision.

Joseph.

Is my horse outside?

What's gonna happen to you?

Well, it'll be Joe and Pa. They'll... They'll help.

Well, I better be going down, too. Grady will ride with me.

Where is he?

He'll be back later. He said there were too many people.

He hates crowds.

Oh. Thank you, ma'am.

- Lola. - Lola.

Here.

- Better take your bandana. - Why, that's yours.

Well, don't you worry about a thing.

Nothing's gonna happen to you, I'll see to that.

Come on, Joseph.

I don't like to keep repeating myself, Cartwright.

Neither do I, Mr. Bennett.

I must point out to you

that you are committing a criminal offense

by concealing a fugitive from justice.

I'll say it just once more, Senator.

I don't know where my son is.

I suggest you find out.

- We're doing everything we can. - It's not enough.

I want that man here by tomorrow morning at the latest.

And I'll see to it that he is here if I have to order out

a whole troop of cavalry.

You'll have to excuse me, Senator.

- I haven't finished. - Well, I have.

I've listened to everything I'm going to.

Now, I don't care who you are, how much you yell

or how many troops of cavalry you can muster.

- Now, just a minute, Cartwright. - Your time is up.

I can shut off the water to this penny ante cow ranch

like turning a spigot.

I can cut off your markets,

put your out of business with the stroke of a pen.

- Do it. - All right.

I've done it to other men, bigger men than you,

without any compunction whatsoever.

Good night, Senator.

Now, you listen to me.

My son is dead. Murdered.

The only witness is missing, kidnapped, to my way of thinking.

And the way cow country justice operates around here,

if I didn't assert myself,

the whole thing would be kicked under the rug and forgotten.

Now, I'm a man that knows what he wants

and I'm used to getting my way.

Hoss. You all right?

I'm sorry, Pa, it's gonna take some explaining.

I'm just happy to see you back.

Sit down over here.

Well, there you are, Senator.

Well, let's have it. What's your story, cowboy?

- Wait a minute. - Let him talk!

Well, I... I don't really know how to...

Try the truth.

What happened inside that stage stop?

- Your son grabbed ahold of the lady. - The truth, I said.

He loved that woman.

She's a no-good tramp, but he loved her.

- He wouldn't lay a hand on her. - Well, he did.

I thought he was gonna kill her, that's why I...

Tell him the truth, Cartwright.

That's what killed him, Mr. Bennett. And it's mine.

- Lola. - Shut up and sit down, Cartwright.

I killed him, Mr. Bennett,

because I couldn't take him anymore.

I couldn't take all of the,

what you call the dark corners of his nature.

I walked out on him in San Francisco.

Went back on the stage,

picked up where I left off before I had the bad luck

to run into him

and he caught up with me at that stage stop and he attacked me

and I killed him.

And this poor, wonderful guy

has been trying every since to take the blame for it.

So, that's the truth, Mr. Bennett,

and if you want to press murder charges,

then I'm your huckleberry,

but you better think long and hard before you make your move,

'cause I'll go back to San Francisco and stand up in court

and give the performance of my life.

Book, chapter and sordid, miserable verse.

I'll drag out dirty linen enough

to stretch from one end of Montgomery Street to the other.

It'll be the wildest drag through the mud the Bennett name ever took.

And it'll ruin me forever.

Lola Fairmont will go down the drain,

but Senator Carson Bennett will go down the drain with me.

If that's what you want, you can have it.

Now, why don't you get out of this respectable house?

I'm sure Mr. Cartwright has had enough of you.

- I'll be in touch, Miss Fairmont. - Do that.

Lola.

Why?

That's why.

Oh...

I wish I was... good enough for you.