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Hey, Pa, I got 'em all staked out.

Tommy, give your ma a hand, will you?

Okay.

All right, get this stove cleaned up, son,

so your ma can start cookin'.

There ain't much to cook, Billy.

Dandelion weeds, fat back and some sunflower seeds.

Are you gonna look for a job today?

We ain't even moved in yet and you already you started on me?

I'll get a job when I'm good and ready.

I don't mean to pick at you, Billy, but we ain't got nothin' left. Nothin'.

Tommy, you want to go out and get the rest of them things

outta the wagon?

Yes, sir, Pa.

If you don't stop badmouthing me in front of that boy,

I'm gonna slap your teeth loose.

It's him I'm thinkin' about, Billy.

We've got to get some decent food into him.

All right.

All right.

I'll... I'll ride down to the railroad, see what they got.

But I ain't workin' with them Chinamen.

Carryin' them rails and them ties around,

I ain't doin' that.

Why don't you go out there and get the rest of them things

out of the wagon?

- We gotta fix this place up. - Yes, Billy.

Sorry, Pa.

What's the matter, Joe?

Don't you like the idea of takin' a day off?

There's a lot of work I wanted to get done today,

you know, so I could take it easy tomorrow.

What's so special about tomorrow?

Nothin'. I just want to take it easy, that's all.

Well, you can take it easy on Sunday. Somethin' down here

- I want you to take a look at. - Yes, sir.

- Hello, Seth. - Ben.

- Seth, how you doing? - How are you?

I got your goods right in here.

All right. Everything all right?

Just like it come from the factory, Ben.

We don't deliver no damaged goods.

If we were gonna pick up something big,

we should have brought the wagon.

Oh, I think we'll be able to manage.

I know it's a day early, Joe, but happy birthday.

Gee.

Travis, I always thought a horse was to ride,

but that horse pleasures you just lookin' at it.

That horse is something special.

Thanks.

Well, gonna climb on?

Darn right I am.

Whoa, whoa.

Whoo-ee, that is some kind of horse.

Yeah.

Papa bought the rich kid a new toy.

Well?

A lot of horse right here.

- I'll take it. - All right, let's go.

Mister... Excuse me, mister.

My name's Brenner and I's lookin's for work.

Well, there's nothin' here.

They're always lookin' for men up at the end of the track.

Well, I can't do no job heavy liftin' and carryin'.

I was thinkin' about being a conductor, like yourself.

If... Somethin' like that.

I'm afraid you're out of luck. All them jobs are taken.

Ain't that just like people,

grabbin' all the soft and easy jobs.

You might ask Mr. Cartwright for a job.

He's got one of the biggest ranches around here.

Rich man.

Come on, let's go.

Come on, you can do it!

Come on!

Come on!

Come on!

Joe, don't do that again.

Good heavens.

Did you see him run, Pa? Did you see that horse run?

I sure did.

Look at him, he's not even breathin' hard.

He can race that train again right now.

Not right now, if you don't mind.

- All right, I'll race you home. - Okay.

Hey.

Well, how's it going?

Pa wanted me to come back and check,

see how the work was doing.

He's everything Ben said he was, and more, I think.

- You knew about him? - Sure.

I gotta give you a lot of credit. You can keep a secret.

What's the secret?

Everybody in the whole place knew about it.

Everybody but you.

You know about it?

Oh, yeah.

Listen, you want me to... You want me to walk him off

until he cools down a bit, maybe give him a...

That's perfectly all right. I'll cool him down myself, thank you.

You know, eight to five says Joe sleeps in the barn tonight

just to keep an eye on that horse.

Wouldn't you?

Yeah, I sure would.

So would I.

Come on.

Come on.

- You find a job yet, Pa? - Don't you start on me, boy.

How come...

How come some people in this world got so much

and some people ain't got nothin'?

Maybe some people work harder, Billy.

Well, I work like they do!

And I sweat like they do!

And I get just as tired as they do!

How come they got so much more than me?

I don't know.

Maybe some people just stick to it longer than you do.

Yeah.

Maybe I can't get it because...

Because they already got it all, huh?

Well, it seems to me that...

No, let me tell you how it seems to me.

To get something, I'm gonna have to take it.

I'm gonna have to take it!

Billy, everybody we talked to along the way

said there was work up here.

Mining, lumber, cattle, railroad...

Now, don't you worry about nothin', woman.

Don't you worry about that.

Look, I got... I got somethin' in mind.

I do. I got somethin' in mind.

Well, the sooner you get it off your mind

and onto the table, the better off we're all gonna be.

What'd you say?

I said if you don't get work by tomorrow,

we're gonna have to sell your horse.

My horse?

We... We ain't gonna sell my horse.

We'll sell that weddin' ring before we sell that horse.

All right, Billy.

Tell your ma I might be late for supper.

All right, Pa.

I gotta go see about somethin'.

Stop tryin' to knock my hat off, will you?

Have some fun.

You're gonna rub a bald spot if you keep that up.

Hey! Hey, Pa, I didn't see you.

- How you doing? - Oh, fine, fine.

Uh, want the boys to brand him tomorrow while they're...

No. No, I don't want a hot iron put on this horse.

- Well, we'll notch his ears, then. - No. No.

Well, we've got to put our mark on him.

Well, just let us figure it out.

We'll decide somethin'.

All right.

- Howdy. - Howdy.

- Mr. Cartwright? - Yes.

Yes, sir.

My name's, uh, Billy Brenner.

I just moved in across the mountain over there

and I was lookin', uh... I was lookin' for work.

Oh, well, Mr. Brenner,

we got all the ranch hands we need right now.

- Oh. - Maybe the, uh... The railroad...

No. No, I tell you, I was down there and they...

All them good jobs are taken down there.

Well, they always need some help in the mines.

Oh, no, sir.

I ain't gonna work down in no hole.

- It's a job. - Well, yeah.

It seems to me a place this big here, Mr. Cartwright, you'd...

You'd need some hands.

Well, not right now, I'm afraid...

If you think I can't do the work, Mr. Cartwright, I...

I was foreman of a place, just this big here, down in Texas.

- Oh, is that right? - Yeah.

Must have been a good job.

Well, it was.

Maybe you ought to have kept it.

Well, a fella likes to...

Likes to better himself, you know.

Well, that's true, of course.

But I'm afraid we have a foreman and we are full up. I'm sorry.

Well, can't you just kinda maybe...

I'm sorry, Mr. Brenner.

No luck, huh?

But you're welcome to stay and have a bite with us...

I don't want no handout from you.

I want to know what you'd be doing about now

if your old man didn't have all that money.

Probably the same thing I'm doing now,

a good day's work, that's all.

The hardest day's work you ever did, sonny boy,

was countin' your blessings.

Rich boy.

Why don't you do yourself a favor and ride out?

Yeah, all right.

You ain't heard the last of this.

Like I said, get on your horse and ride out.

Billy Brenner ain't a man to soon forget, Cartwright.

You gonna sleep here?

Out in the bunkhouse, they're betting two to one

you're gonna sleep in the barn tonight.

Are they?

I just came by to see if you might like to have a blanket.

A blanket won't be necessary, thank you.

Oh, Pa, that's some horse.

Yeah.

I'm glad you like him.

You know, I remember

my father gave me a watch for my birthday

and I just kept lookin' at that watch all day.

The last thing I looked at at night, first thing I looked at in the morning.

Of course I didn't keep the watch in a barn.

Okay, I got the hint.

We'll sleep in the house. How's that?

Last thing at night, first thing in the morning.

That's one heck of a horse.

Tommy?

For what we're about to receive may we be truly thankful.

Maybe he got a job.

Maybe he did.

That's why he's so late.

He probably had to stay so they could, uh...

Show him what to do.

It could be.

Oh, you know, it's not easy

going from place to place, gettin' new jobs all the time.

No, it's not.

Ma, I've been thinkin'.

Maybe it's about time I got a job.

I'm big for my age.

And strong, too. Pa said so.

I've been thinkin'...

It's time I started pullin' my fair share of the load,

with Pa's back like it is and us to take care of.

It ain't easy for him, you know?

I know.

Then it's settled.

What's the matter?

I've been thinkin'.

If I had my choice of any boy in the world for a son...

I'd choose you.

Don't worry, Mom, he'll be along pretty soon.

Whoa.

Hyah!

Hey, Candy, you seen Joe?

Not since this morning.

What time was that?

Rode out just after sunup.

Seemed to be in a hurry to get wherever he was goin'.

Oh, he's givin' that stallion a real workout then.

No, he was on the pinto.

Well, then I think I'll give that stallion a workout.

You can't have him standing around in the barn

just eating his fool head off.

That stallion ain't in the barn.

- Where is he? - I don't know.

- He's not in the barn? - No.

He's not with the rest of the horses.

Who's horse is that?

Well, I found him out behind the barn.

He was eatin' on some brush.

Candy, you say you...

You say Joe left in an awful hurry?

Yeah, like the barn was on fire.

He didn't even see me.

Hey, um, why don't you and Griff mount up

and see if you can pick up his trail, huh?

I'm awful hungry... woman.

It's on the stove.

Hello.

How you doin'?

Mister, do you know how far it is to town?

I'd say about 18, 19 miles that way.

- Is it that far? - Yeah.

Unless you want to cut over the ridge, then it's only about seven or eight.

I probably couldn't make it here and back before supper, right?

No, son, I'm afraid you'd be a little late.

Hey, mister, do you know where I can find a job?

What kind of work?

Just anything that could make me some money.

You see, it's for my pa. He's been set back a little.

I'll tell you, sonny, if you get a job back in Virginia City,

you've got an awful long walk to work in the morning.

Yeah, 19 miles.

That is a problem.

But I'll work it out.

I'm sure you will.

Hey, mister, which way you going?

- I'm headin' that way. - Me, too.

Come on.

Well, what are you gawkin' at, woman?

You got somethin' on your mind, you speak up! Just speak up!

Where'd you get the horse, Billy?

I traded for it, Alice.

Straight across, my horse for that one.

With or without the saddle?

- Billy, please. - I traded for that horse.

- Please. - You understand?

- Please, Billy. - You understand, don't you?

- Yes. Yes, I understand. - All right.

All right.

I think our luck's changed, Alice.

We're gonna sell that horse.

Then we'll go to California, Alice, maybe. You like that?

You and Tommy and me?

Around a town, gonna buy some land, maybe.

Get a new start.

I'd be my own boss, Alice.

Just you and me and Tommy.

Nobody would ever tell me what to do ever again.

Don't move, Brenner.

Keep both hands on the saddle.

Run, Pa! Go!

Tommy!

Get him in the house, Alice!

- Stay down! - Pa needs help!

- He needs me! - Tommy!

Pa!

Hurry up with the rags.

Oh, Tommy... Tommy.

Press down here.

It ain't gonna work. It ain't...

- Just press down! - I am.

You gotta put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.

Don't worry about it. He's not going to feel anything.

Just keep the pressure on it.

Brenner!

Look, keep pressure on that wound, all right?

Brenner, get in the house.

Help your wife.

I'm gonna get my boy a doctor.

You put your boy on that horse, you'll kill him.

Well, I'll get a doctor and bring him out here.

No, I'll get the doctor.

You go in the house, boil some water. Keep the wound clean.

It's 20 long miles back to that... That town.

Not if I go over the ridge. It's only seven or eight.

There ain't a horse alive can climb that ridge.

Just let me worry about the ride. You take care of your son.

Go on, move!

Go on inside!

Come on!

Don't you touch him.

You act like I meant to do it.

You did it, Billy.

You shot your own son over a horse you stole.

No...

He ran out in front of me.

And you shot him.

Well...

It was Cartwright's fault.

It's always somebody else's fault, ain't it, Billy?

It's their fault you can't get a job,

it's their fault you can't keep the job you get,

it's their fault we ain't got a decent home, or food, or clothes.

It's their fault you stole a horse and shot your son.

You're as pure as blue sky and as clean as spring water.

A man with no faults.

And no honor,

no decency, and no love.

All you had in this world was a boy

who showed some promise of becoming a man...

And you damned near killed him.

I think we lost him.

Yeah, maybe.

He's probably back there in Virginia City,

having a beer right now.

Well, which way?

This way. Come on.

We'll try the other side of the mountain.

Well, if you can make it, so can I.

Whoa, easy.

Easy.

Easy. Just take it easy.

There he is.

Whoa.

Griff...

You ride to town and get a doctor.

Take him to the old shack near Salt Creek.

Boy had been shot there.

Yeah, Joe.

You should have seen him.

He just ran his heart out.

Said he couldn't go over that ridge.

Boy, I tell you, he went.

Just ran his heart out.

Just one hell of a horse.

Pa.

You all right, Pa?

Yeah.

Yeah, I think he'll be all right.

It's up to you now.

Keep him in bed, keep him covered,

and every time he wakes up, put some good food in him.

When I say good food, Mr. Brenner,

I don't mean fat back and greens.

I mean something to keep his strength up.

I just don't know how to thank you.

It's all right.

No, I can accept a favor, but I can't take charity.

Come on, it's not for you, it's for the boy.

He's going to need food and some medicine.

He doesn't have to know where the money came from.

For Tommy.

Mr. Cartwright, what are you gonna do about Billy?

What does he think of the boy?

They're close. Very close.

Let's just let 'em stay close, then.

Doc, thank you.

I'm just glad I didn't get here too late, Joe.

I darn near didn't make it.

- Thanks again. - Mr. Cartwright.

I want to tell you that I'm... That I'm sorry...

I... sure am sorry.

Well, sorry doesn't mean anything to me, Brenner.

Sorry's just a word. It doesn't mean a thing.

You want to say you're sorry, you tell your wife,

you tell your son.

Maybe they'll forgive you. I don't.

The boy's gonna be all right.

What about Brenner?

Forget him.