All language subtitles for The.Waltons.S05E13.The.Last.Mustang.WEBRip.x264-ION10

"The mustang, symbol of wild
courage and independence,

"is still with us on Walton's
Mountain."

Drink it in.

You won't see sights
like that, one day soon.

I've not taken advantage of
anybody because I have not

been on anybody's side,
let's get that straight.

If you print this, you're
going to lose the election

for a very good man.

Well, I think Ep Bridges
is a very good man.

They got a mustang.
They caught it.

According to my grandfather,
legendary creatures once lived

and some still existed
on Walton's Mountain.

There were tales of a bear so
huge he had no fear of anything,

a snake as big as a railroad
tie, and a mythical white deer

which could be spotted at in
the woods on a snowy evening.

One creature we thought
was legendary

we went searching for
one day and found.

There.

Come here.

It's hard to believe, isn't it?

I'm sure that's a wild mustang.

I can't see making much fuss
over a wild horse.

Jim-Bob, a mustang is a breed
all its own.

You don't see too many
of them around.

You are looking at a part of
history, James Robert.

That's a descendant of the
Spanish horses

that Cortez brought to this
continent.

There weren't any horses here
when the Spaniards came.

The Indians learned
how to ride them,

the settlers learned
how to use them.

They helped make this country.

I didn't know there
was any more left.

Not even out west. It's rare.

During the war between the
states, some cavalry units

from the Southwest came here
with these horses and cut loose,

run wild up in the mountains.
Just like this.

This one must be the last
of his breed.

Well, look who we got here.

That's Ep. Ep.

What on earth brings
you here to these parts?

Just stopping by for a visit.

I've been trying to call you
all over the place.

You've been out shaking hands
and kissing babies?

Well, I guess I am campaigning
a little. Yes.

-No need to do that in this
house, Ep.

-Thank you.
-No need.

You've been wearing
the county's badge so long

that you're a shoe-in.

Well, thank you
for the kind words,

but this time there's
a new wrinkle.

That Glen Oldfield
is real competition.

You think so, huh?

Oldfield.

Been educated up north.
Nothing but a carpetbagger.

He's learned how to charm the
fleas off a hound dog.

Well, I wouldn't care to admit
it outside this company,

but the man does have
personality.

He's yummy.

There, you see? I'm already in
trouble with the ladies' vote.

Yeah, well, not where this
lady's concerned, you're not.

Thank you, Esther.

Sheriff, I really could
use an interview.

-You wanna step into my office?
-Why, sure thing.

John-Boy, let the man have his
lemonade.

We got business to do here...

Alright, let him have his
lemonade. Go on.

I hope you can drink
and talk.

-I can do anything.
-We'll see you all later.

-You want some?
-No, thanks, Ma.

I'll have a cookie.

"The mustang,

"thought to have vanished
long ago,

"is the ghost of those
who opened up this continent.

"The mustang, symbol of wild
courage and independence,

"is still with us on Walton's
Mountain,

"the last of its kind."

That's very well said, John-Boy.

Thank you, Grandpa.
I was just using your words.

You put a few of your
own words in there.

-It's a nice piece of writing.
-Thank you.

Takes more than just putting
down words.

It's the understanding,
the good that's in behind that.

Oh dear, things change
so fast nowadays.

Here, look at your
headline here.

"Candidates for sheriff."

There's Ep Bridges,
one of the last of his breed.

Old Sheriff Ep Bridges
is the kind of man,

there's a dispute about a
property line, he'd say,

"Don't make the lawyers rich.
Just use your common sense."

Run across a man coming home
a little drunk, why, he'd

walk him away, maybe give him
a new, clean white shirt

so he could go home
to his family with some dignity.

These new young fellas,

they wouldn't do
things like that nowadays.

I wouldn't sell Ep Bridges
short, Grandpa.

He's got a lot of friends
around here.

Yeah, people know what
he's like.

Raising those two boys all on
his own after Luella died.

Being Mama and Papa and Sheriff.

I don't think any outsider can
beat him.

I don't understand what
Glen Oldfield

is doing here in Jefferson
County.

Why did he leave law practice
in the city to come here?

Yeah. What's all this about
little people?

When I hear that kind of talk,
something tells me to watch out.

Well, maybe you ought to throw
your own hat in the ring.

Nobody'd dare run against her.

Well, if women said what was on
their mind more often,

things would be better.

You put some of the things your
grandparents have been saying

-in your article, John-Boy.
-I wasn't writing an editorial.

I was putting down the
statements these men

using their own words.

It seems that Glen Oldfield
comes across kind of impressive.

Well, he is impressive.

And Ep Bridges comes across
as kind of plain.

He is that.

Maybe what your ma
is trying to say is

if you could find a way to perk
up Ep's speeches, you know,

and tone down Oldfield's
we might have a race here.

Well, just to be fair to Ep.

He's always been nice
and helpful to us.

You know what you're
asking me to do?

You're asking me to slant the
news. I can't, Mama.

It was just a thought.

That's Glen Oldfield.

It is.

Hello, John.

Well, certainly a pleasure
to see you again.

Came to thank you
for the article in your paper.

Well, it's not really necessary.

I did the same thing
for Ep Bridges.

You remember my aide,
Arlo Jessup?

-Yes.
-Pleasure to meet you.

-How are you?
-I'll tell you the honest truth.

I had expected to find
your paper favoring Ep Bridges.

Guess I stayed in the city
too long.

It's good to be home.

That's good to hear.
This is my family.

My mother
and my grandmother.

-Nice to meet you, Mr. Oldfield.
-Ma'am.

This is my father here
and my grandfather.

My three brothers,
Jim-Bob, Jason and Ben.

And my sisters Mary Ellen
and Erin and Elizabeth.

There's a whole pack of us.

I hope in time we'll all be
on a first name basis.

But meanwhile,
I'm not gonna try to fake it.

Ma, maybe these gentlemen
could use some coffee.

Be ready in a minute.

That'd be most welcome.
Thank you.

I was told that you actually
printed your newspaper out here.

Yes, that's true. See that shed
over there, that's it.

-That's The Chronicle.
-I'd like to see it.

Sure, come on.
I'll show you around.

He really is something.

What do you think of him, Mama?

He'll sure enough please
the ladies.

Come on.

She's a real old-timer.

Chandler & Price from 1912.

-They call her The Snapper.
-Why is that?

Well, to tell you the truth,
I don't know.

That's what the man said
when I bought her.

How old are you, John?

20.

Quite an accomplishment
for a young fellow.

Well, I'm still paying for it.

I'll be paying for it
for a long time.

I think Grandma's probably
got that coffee ready by now.

Just a minute. The profile
that John printed up on you.

I think we ought to have some
run off as handouts.

Can't think of anyone better
to do the job.

I don't mean as a political
contribution.

We'd pay you your regular fees.

No. That's not what I mean.
You don't understand.

I think he is uncomfortable
working on our side.

Having known Ep Bridges
for so long.

No offense, we can certainly
have it done someplace else.

I don't know about it. I just...

We're not asking you to campaign
against Ep Bridges, John.

It's a simple business deal.

Just business?

Well, then...

I mean, looking at it from the
practical point of view,

it'd probably be stupid
just to turn down business.

Yeah, I'll do it for you. Sure.

Alright.

-Good evening, Son.
-Hi.

I don't think it's fair,
John-Boy.

Ep Bridges doesn't have money
for printing handouts.

I wish you wouldn't
jump on me. It's a job.

What difference
does it make?

It makes a difference
to the Oldfield fellow.

We got a whole stack of mail.
Most of it is for you.

-Letters or bills?
-I didn't open 'em.

Big one's for you, Daddy.

Looks like a whole month's
worth all at once.

-Well, they can't all be bills.
-Can't all be bad news.

Well, wait a minute.
What is this?

This is good news. This is
an order for advertising.

An order for advertising for
Miller's Bootery in Rockfish.

You know anyone out there?

I don't know anyone
over there. What is this?

This is from Scottsville.

This is an order for advertising

from the Paulette Lumber Company
in Scottsville.

I can't believe it.

This is a wonder.

From Hastings Saw Works,
Richmond, Virginia.

Where have I heard
that name before?

Know what? You know where
you've heard that name before?

That's the name on the desks
down at the schoolhouse.

-That's what that is.
-That's right.

Hastings.

It's a contract

asking me to build 62 park
benches.

From the specifications
here, it's an easy profit.

$2 a bench.

I never even bid on this job.

You didn't bid on it, and they
sending you all that?

Don't you all know
who old man Hastings is?

He is the biggest political
wheel in the whole of Virginia.

People we never even
heard of doing us these favors.

I can't believe they're doing
all this without some reason.

They are not, daughter.

You can be sure they are not.

Maybe Hastings heard what
good work we do up here

and decided to give us a try.

I don't think so, Jason.

More than likely
someone's put 'em up to it.

If all this happened because of
the article in The Chronicle,

I'd say, "Maybe
that's the truth."

But it come after the article.

I didn't do anything to get
those orders.

It's just the way they do it.
First they give you a favor,

then they give you another favor
and then they ask for one.

And you're beholden to 'em.

I draw the line at that. We've
never been beholden to anybody.

I'm not beholden to anybody.
I don't owe him anything.

If you were rich, would you be
doing favors for Glen Oldfield?

I'm not doing him any favors!

I print advertisings and he
happened to send some my way.

Well, I'd send it back to him.

I'm not gonna do that, Grandma.

And neither am I.

Can you two do this
with a clear conscience?

As long as all they want park
benches,

I can make park benches.
And we sure can use the money.

I expect they knew that.

In fact,

I think I'll go over to the
forge right now

and order some strap iron
and rods and begin work.

-I gotta be someplace.
-Where are you going?

The Baldwin ladies are giving a
tea for Glen Oldfield

and Ep Bridges, and I gotta
cover it. Excuse me.

-Tea at the Baldwins?
-Sit down.

Mr. Ainsley.

You're a hard man to find, John.

What brings you out this way?

You do. Or at least
your article does.

I'm very anxious to find out
more about that mustang.

The mustang. Well,
that's good to hear.

Actually, I'm not the one
to talk to about that.

You ought to talk to
my grandpa.

He knows about the animals
and everything.

-Is he around here?
-Sure. I'm leaving to town.

I'll call him. You could
talk to him about it.

Grandpa! Grandpa!

Grandpa's been telling us for
years about this wild mustang.

John-Boy, I'm glad
you waited for me.

Grandpa, this is
Professor Ainsley.

-My grandpa, Zebulon Walton.
-Hi, Mr. Walton.

You're the man I wanna see.

Professor Ainsley is a
naturalist over at Boatwright.

I was hoping to come out here
and get a look at that mustang.

How so?

Well, there's a great
scientific interest.

I was hoping that we could get
him over to the college

and there, do a really
detailed study on him.

Professor, the Walton family
has always had a high regard

for learning and I'm very
interested in animal husbandry.

And you, more than
anybody else, should know

that to take an animal like that
from the mountains

who lived up there lonely
and free,

bring him down to college,
he'll most surely die.

I think, Professor, we'd best
let him be. I'm sorry.

Well, I wish you'd reconsider,
Mr. Walton...

Grandpa, they got a mustang.

-They caught it.
-What?

Carl Muntner in Rockfish.

He hired a bunch of guys
and they got him all penned up.

-John-Boy...
-I'll take you there, Grandpa.

Ben, you ride with the
professor.

Okay, we'll see you there.

Yeah, I caught him over there
next to Green Creek.

Took six of us to lasso him
and haul him on that old truck.

It was a regular Wild West show.

Where is he? Where is that man?

Let me at him.

I want that animal
returned to my land now.

Now take your hands off me, Zeb.

Who do you think you are, coming
here, telling me what to do?

That animal is my property,
if it belongs to anyone,

and I want him turned loose.

Who says it's yours?
You got a bill of sales?

He grew up on Walton's Mountain
and he was taken from there.

Well, that's where you're wrong.

I got him a long way from there,
down by Green Creek.

You chased him off over there.
I want him back home.

I'm not talking to you, Zeb.

Hey, Mark, go get Sheriff
Bridges.

He'll settle this.

What are you planning
to do with him anyway, mister?

Well, you notice all them people
coming to see the horse?

Business is booming, John.

Not just in my store,
but the whole town.

Is that what you're
aiming to do?

Show him off just for business?

I got the idea from a filling
station I stopped at once.

The fella had a wild cat and a
bunch of monkeys in a cage.

You couldn't go past
that place without stopping.

It was a gold mine!

What do you mean, talking about
monkeys? This is a wild mustang.

I never had it so good, Zeb.

Now soon as he settles down,
I'll call the vet,

and I'll see that he's alright.

You do that, you pen that animal
up, that wild animal,

when you come here in the
morning, you'll find him dead.

Mr. Walton's right.

That mustang stallion's
been running wild all his life.

He's gonna kill himself
tied up like that.

Ep.

Ep, you gotta stop this.

That horse is gonna kill
himself if he doesn't get out.

He's our horse taken from
our land, Ep.

Well, Zeb, I've already
looked into this.

And Carl says that he caught
that animal down by Green Creek.

He did so. He run him off from
Walton's Mountain,

I'll wager that.

Well, it don't really matter
none where he caught him.

The point is you don't
have proof of ownership.

If you'd tagged him in some way
to show that you laid claim

to him, I could back you up.

But this way, there's
nothing I can do.

It ain't right.
It ain't right.

What's right and what's the law
ain't always the same, you know.

I'll tell you one thing.

Any of this bunch as much as
throws a candy wrapper

on the sidewalk,
I'm gonna start writing tickets.

Well, you just lost my vote, Ep.
And I got a bushel of relatives.

I can handle that.

But what I can't stomach
is what you're doing in there.

Yes, here's the ones I like.

They're good.
Thank you very much.

-They're good.
-They sure are.

I hope you're having a good
time, Sheriff.

You're having a real
wing-dang-do here.

That's very good.

Do play another.

-Alright.
-Yes, please.

What a charming
and talented man.

He's so like Ashley Longworth.

Ashley would've made
a splendid politician.

He had such a way with people,

and of course, he was
just wonderfully handsome.

Yeah, so is this one.

Mary-Ellen.

Yes, ma'am?

Well, you are a married lady
now, don't you know?

I'm just looking.

How is that nice David Spencer?

Miss Emily, I married
Curt Willard.

Well, they were both
doctors, weren't they?

Hello, John.

Hello.

Came off rather well for Glen,
I think.

Well, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, Mr. Jessup,
I wanna ask you about something.

I wanna ask you about
some advertising orders

and a mill contract
for my father.

Don't worry about that. It was
nothing. Phone call.

Well, it may be nothing to you,
but it stirred up some pretty

strong feelings at home.

Why should it?

Forgive me for saying this, but

are you sure there's
no strings attached?

Bye-bye. Thank you for coming.

John, why don't you follow us on
over to campaign headquarters.

There's a couple things
I'd like to talk over with you.

-Goodbye.
-So nice of you to come.

It was lovely having you here.

Well, ladies, we are most
certainly in your debt.

Not at all. It's been
a lovely afternoon.

So informative. I just hope
I can remember it all.

Don't worry, Miss Emily.
I got it alright here,

you can read about it
in The Chronicle.

You've been very gracious.
And I can't say enough, really.

And for a politician,
now that's going some.

Enjoyed meeting you, Sheriff.

Now that's off the record.
For the record, he's a rascal.

Well.

-Bye-bye. Thanks very much.
-You're very welcome.

-Goodbye.
-Goodbye.

-It was nice to meet you.
-Miss Emily.

Goodbye, John-Boy.

John, I don't understand
what you're so concerned about.

That new business you got?

It came from our people.
What's wrong?

I didn't say anything was wrong.

I just said I wanted to talk
about it.

I'd be delighted to speak at the
chamber of commerce meeting.

-Excuse me. Mr. Jessup.
-I'll be right with you.

Mr. Jessup, the radio
announcements are finished.

-Will you look at them?
-Yeah.

It's gonna be close.
Bridges is very popular.

We'll win but we'll squeak
it out.

I'll have to get to that later.
Thank you.

-Come on in here.
-You're really going all out?

It's the only way to do it.

Sorry about that
madhouse out there, John.

-It's alright.
-Have a chair.

Thank you, I'd just
as soon stand.

Please, sit down. Sit down.

Alright.

Now about those orders
you've received.

The folks buying advertising
from you are Oldfield supporters

showing their appreciation.

The people who read your
newspaper shop

in Rockfish and Scottsville,
don't they?

Yes.

So the advertising pays
for itself.

There's no harm there.

It's the same
with the mill contract.

Now somebody has to build
those park benches.

Mr. Hastings has the inside
track on government work

like that, and he just
included the Waltons in.

It seems like there's a little
bit of favoritism involved.

Well, who are we supposed
to favor, John, our enemies?

No. No.

Now, I'm gonna tell you
honestly,

Glen is impressed with you.

Both of us feel you have
a very promising future.

Well, I appreciate that.

There's an old saying
in politics, John.

Go with the winner.

Glen Oldfield's a winner.

You go with us
and I promise you,

and in a very short time you
will be writing your own ticket.

For a young man with your
abilities, the sky's the limit.

I'm just not too sure about what
you mean when you say,

"Go with us."

Join the team, John.

This job as sheriff is just the
first step for Glen Oldfield.

It's a foot in the door.

You know as well as I do
that he's not gonna stay here.

In eight months,

there is a seat opening up
in the state assembly.

Mr. Hastings is grooming
Glen for that job.

Within the year,

Glen Oldfield will be
a state assemblyman.

And you know what that means
for those of us on the team.

Yeah.

And,

what would I do on the team?

With your writing ability and
that little newspaper of yours

you could do Glen
a lot of good in this county.

As he goes up the ladder,
you go with him.

Mr. Jessup, I don't think you
know about people around here.

People are people, John.
They're the same everywhere.

I think you could be
mistaken about that.

I don't think the people around
here're gonna take too kindly

to Glen Oldfield's political
ambitions.

I think if they feel like
they've been taken advantage of,

then they'll resent that.

We won't make
a point of talking it up.

-No need to.
-I think there is.

The people
have a right to know

if Glen isn't planning
to stay here as Sheriff.

They should know if he's using
the county as stepping stone.

Just a minute, John.

This little conversation
we just had is off the record.

No, it's not.

Pardon. You never mentioned
about it being off the record.

I've a right to print material
and I intend to...

You've taken advantage of me.
You're on our side.

Now, wait a minute.
Let me tell you something.

I've not taken advantage
of anybody

because I've not been on
anybody's side, okay.

If you print this, you're
going to lose the election

for a very good man.

Well, I think Ep Bridges
is a very good man.

Excuse me.

Alright, now, wait,
wait, wait, John.

John...

Let's be practical, alright?

No.

Now these are hard times, John.

Your father's just been
given a contract

to build 60 park benches.

Now who knows?
He could end up with a contract

to build 60 benches every month.

On the other hand,
something could happen.

Hastings may have to cut back.

And there'd be no
contract at all.

Now,

it says in the Bible,
something to the effect about

what the good Lord giveth,
he can also take away.

I think that says it
alright there, doesn't it?

Think it over, son.

Ep, I hear you been
over to the ladies for tea.

I tell you, John, that was...

That was a real fancy affair.

And that Oldfield,

boy, he really...

He really had them going
in circles.

Yeah, he's a sweet talker
from way back.

I never could do that.

Never could. It's a gift, huh?

But it takes more than pretty
words to keep the law here.

Yeah, but a lot of them
are gonna vote for him.

Maybe, maybe too many.

It's tough to know how
to fight him, isn't it?

It beats me.

You know, it's a funny thing
but I,

I just never thought
about ever losing this job.

For 15 years,
I tried to do my best,

24 hours a day,
seven days a week.

I was delivering babies
or putting out fires,

chasing burglars,

pulling people out of the river.

Well, I know most of the people
around here by their first name.

But along comes a man with

with a big smile
and a way with words

and folks just plain forget.

Not all of us forget, Ep.

Makes you think, John.

Makes you think.

I wonder what a 46-year-old
ex-sheriff could do for a living

in times like these.

I wish I could tell you.

-John, you seen that mustang?
-Why?

He broke out, busted his halter,
kicked the fence down.

He's a wild one.

Why don't you just
leave him that way, Carl?

I'm gonna break him in yet.

I'm gonna make a saddle horse
out of him.

You sure you didn't see him?

I'm afraid if I had,
I wouldn't tell you.

-Good evening.
-Hey, John-Boy.

Where is everybody?

Bed. It's late.

Daddy, too, huh?

As soon as he got that iron,

he set out to make
a lot of benches.

He's a day and a half
ahead of himself already.

-Guess it can wait till morning.
-What's that?

Grandpa, coming in,
I saw that horse of yours.

He was out on the road. Must've
busted loose from Muntner's.

God bless America.

But I went on farther
down the road,

I run into Carl,
with some boys in his truck.

They were looking for the horse,
Carl said he planned

to break him to saddle.

I'll tell you one thing.

If that Carl Muntner
sets foot on Walton land,

I'll ride him off of it.

See how it feels to have
a saddle on his back

-and a spur on his rump.
-Now you watch your language.

I'm going to bed, think it over.

I'll come up with something.
There is a way.

And dry your feet.

That old man, he's gonna twist
and turn all night

worrying about that horse.

I got some work to do at the
paper. I'll see you later.

John-Boy, something's
troubling you.

It's written
all over your face.

You're as close-mouthed
as your father.

Well, you'll find out about it
soon enough.

-I thought you were asleep.
-Your grandma woke me up.

She shouldn't have done that.

What's wrong, Son?

Daddy, I got a hold
of something today.

You know how people have been
suspicious of Glen?

They call him an outsider?
They say he's got no stake here?

Well, they're right.

I found out that he is planning
to use the sheriff's job

as a stepping stone to get him
into the state assembly.

I'm not too surprised
about that.

He's a carpetbagger for sure.

I feel like a fool.

But a story like that's
got to go into my newspaper.

And the minute it does,
he can't win the election.

His friends aren't gonna like
that, Son.

Well, I don't care about
his friends.

The thing is,
if I print that story

we can forget about any future
business with those people.

I don't much like doing business
with them anyways, Son.

I think it's only fair
to tell you that

I found out today you probably
could've counted on an order

for 60 park benches every month
from that Hastings fellow.

-We sure could've used that.
-Yeah.

What are you gonna do
about the order you got working?

I'm gonna finish it,
fast as I can.

Good.

Daddy,

sometimes I wonder what we did
for trouble around here

before I got this newspaper
started.

We managed, Son. We managed.

Of course, the only convention
we ever attended

was the one when Papa
cast the vote

for the Virginia delegation.

"Fellow delegates,

"the great and historic
Commonwealth of Virginia,

"mother of presidents,

"a sweet land whose beauty
extends from the Blue Ridge

"to the shores
of the mighty Atlantic."

Oh. He was magnificent.

He surely could've been
president if he'd wanted to be.

Mr. Woodrow Wilson himself
frequently urged Papa to run.

But Papa preferred to stay home
and make the Recipe.

Will there be anything else,
ladies?

How many papers
would you like, Ike?

Let's see. Give me 25.

You only gave me 22.
Three more.

James Robert.

You can call me Jim.

Have you changed your name
again, Jim-Bob?

Well, Jim-Bob sounds like a baby

and James Robert
is kind of stuffy.

So you can call me Jim.

-Alright, Jim.
-I'll be darned.

Why, Mr. Godsey,
you seem alarmed.

Not alarmed, Miss Mamie. Mad
is what I am. Listen to this.

"Oldfield ambitions revealed.

"This newspaper has learned
from a reliable source

"that if Oldfield is elected
sheriff of Jefferson County,

"he intends to use that
position as a stepping stone

"to achieve his
eventual ambition

"as a member of the state
senate."

You have such a pleasant
reading voice, Mr. Godsey.

You must come
to our poetry society

and read for us sometime.

Sister, this is not time
to be talking about poetry.

This is shocking
and distressing news.

Indeed, yes.
What does it mean, Sister?

What it means is we could've
been hoodwinked by that

slick-talking Glen Oldfield
into tossing Ep Bridges

right out of his job.

That won't happen, I trust.

It won't happen once the folks
read this issue.

Jim-Bob... I mean, Jim,
will you deliver the papers?

Get goin'. Deliver
the newspapers.

-Thank you, Miss Emily.
-Sure.

John-Boy said for me to give you
one of these special.

Thank you, Jim-Bob.

That's enough.

-Looks like a branding iron.
-Yeah, it is.

You know that mustang
will never know any peace

till it belongs to somebody.

But I didn't think that you
wanted anybody to own it.

Goes against everything
you've been saying, Grandpa.

Yes, according to law,
he'll be ours.

He'll have our mark on him
for the rest of his days.

But he'll run wild and free
until the end of his days.

Isn't there any other way,
Grandpa?

I don't know of any, son.

You reckon it'll hurt him
much, Doc?

No, no. That whole thing looks
a lot worse than it is.

It don't hurt him any too much,
I don't think.

Well, we never branded
Blue or Chance.

Well, if it does hurt,

gonna have to be a case
of being cruel only to be kind.

You remember last spring
when you hurt your leg?

Remember how Dr. Vance asked
your daddy to hold on to you

while he was fixing you up?

I held on to your daddy, many
a time, in the same way.

Only he yelled a lot
louder than you did.

But it had to be done.

Sometimes in this life

we have to go through
a little discomfort

to arrive at some lasting good.

And that mustang's gonna have
to learn things the same way.

-Hey, Ike.
-Hey, John.

A telegram come in for you. I
thought I'd bring it by to you.

Well, that's nice of you, Ike.

Want to come in for some coffee?

No, got a lotta work.
I better go.

-Alright.
-Thanks anyways.

Thank you.

See you later.

What is it?

It's a telegram from Hastings.

They've cancelled everything.

They can't do that.
You've got a contract.

In so many words they say,
"If you don't like it, sue us."

It's an awful letdown.
I'm sorry.

I guess I should've
known better.

What are you gonna do
with all that?

Sell it for scrap.

If nobody'll buy it, I'll see
for openings at the poor house.

I'm sure they'd like that.
All 11 of us trooping in

with everything we own
tied up in a bundle.

What do you say 11 for?
2I count 15.

Is there somebody
in the family I've missed?

Well, there's Reckless, there's
Blue, there's Myrtle

and there's Chance.

What about Rover?

I am not going to any
poor house with a peacock.

Good. Then let's just stay home.

Look at this.

I guess what disturbed me
more than anything,

more than allowing myself
to be taken in,

was what they did to my father.

I was truly angry,

not just at Glen Oldfield
and his team,

but with myself
for being so gullible.

-Hello.
-Hello.

You got the telegram.

Yeah.

Yeah, your people
are very efficient.

I'll be leaving today.

I had nothing to do

with the cancellation
of your mill contract.

Those details are handled
by other people.

You call that a detail?

I know your family got hurt
and I'm sorry.

That's the way politics works.

I won't ask you to shake hands,

but I wanted to come here
in person

and offer you my apologies

because it all happened
in my name.

Good luck to you, John.

My respects to your family.

One more thing.

That headline in your paper.

"Oldfield ambitions revealed."

Well, it revealed something
to me.

I learned how not to run
a campaign.

I guess I just assumed

that people like you could be
bought with political favors.

Obviously, I was wrong.

And I feel pretty embarrassed
about it.

I just hope that next time
I come through here campaigning,

I can earn your support.

Come along, boys.

Come along. We are going
to the mustang.

I'll tell Mama.

Don't forget to bring
the pickax and spade

so we can build
the branding pen.

Okay, Grandpa.

Easy now.

Easy, easy. Come on. Come on.

They got him, Grandpa.

They got the mustang.

-Grandpa, you're all ready?
-Yeah, we're ready for him.

I don't believe it.
I'm gonna go see him.

Go get it.

Sure is.

Easy, easy.

Come on, come on, come on. Easy.

Use the blanket
over his eyes, Ben.

That'll settle him down.

Easy, easy.

Easy.

Easy, easy. Come on.

Take the blanket
and put it over his eyes.

Almost time.
Put it over him, Ben.

-Easy now, easy now.
-Careful.

I think you can do it now,
Grandpa.

It's already done.

-Already?
-Let him go.

Halfway across the county.

Hey!

Look at him go.

How about that tender beef?
We did real good.

Don't that look pretty?

Look up there.

-Well, now.
-Isn't that something?

You won't see sights
like that, one day soon.

When that day comes,

there'll be a lot more
than horses gone.

The mustang remained
free after that.

We would see it
from time to time

and it always brought
a rush of excitement

and the feeling of being in
touch with something primitive

and rare and very special.

Ep Bridges continued on
as sheriff

for more years than
anyone could remember.

And Glen Oldfield,
to no one's surprise,

became a member
of the state assembly.

-John-Boy?
-Yes, Elizabeth.

If you ran for something,
I'd vote for you.

Well, thank you, honey, but I'm
not planning on it right now.

If everyone in the family voted
for you, you could be president.

Elizabeth, you know how many
votes it takes to be president?

Millions.

I guess we'll need
a bigger family.

-Mama?
-Goodnight, Elizabeth.

-Goodnight, everybody.
-Goodnight, Elizabeth.

Goodnight.