Original subtitles

"The Rifleman,"

starring Chuck Connors.

Flecker, you got something that belongs to me.

Drop it in the dirt and then ride out of town.

I can't do that, Ward.

Turn around, Flecker.

You can draw first or last.

Is he a friend of yours?

No.

Then why bother?

He's still breathing.

I'm taking him to the doctor.

Son, you wait for me in the buckboard.

Looks like he's trying to talk, Doc.

Probably wants to know what the bill is.

If he ever intended to pay a cent of it.

Not a chance.

Punctured both lungs.

He seems stronger.

It's the shot I gave him.

May be conscious for a minute or two.

My... my horse, take care of my horse.

Don't worry, he's all right.

Why did Haskins gun you down?

Doc, do something.

I can advise him not to tangle with Haskins,

but it's a little late for that.

Now, don't be a pompous fool.

Take another look at him.

I'm just a doctor, Lucas, not a saint.

Sometimes it's hard enough to stop one little germ

let alone a big 45 slug.

Boots.

What was between you and Haskins?

My boots.

What was your quarrel?

I... I'd die with my boots on.

Make any sense out of that, Doc?

It seemed like he was proud to die with his boots on.

I'd rather be a live coward than a dead hero myself.

Chalk up another word for Haskins.

You want to take charge of the body?

I didn't know him, Doc.

I thought he was an old friend of yours.

You lugged him in here.

Nobody else would.

I figured he deserved a chance.

You see anybody else fool enough to tangle with Haskins,

just carry him straight to the undertaker.

He never got off a shot.

He was scared half to death.

Maybe you'd better stay out of this yourself.

You'll end up on the table here.

You want me to go see Tomy and see

about getting a coffin ready?

No, I'll take care of it.

We work together all the time.

It's sort of a professional association.

You're not half as mean as you act, Doc.

Just a lovable old hick sawbone.

Now, get out of here before I decide to charge

you for an office call.

How is he, Pa?

It's too late, son.

But what about him?

What about him?

He belonged to that man.

Can we keep him?

I don't know, Mark.

Oh, he'll be good company for my sorrow.

Please, Pa, you can see he's got good qualities.

All right, I guess we can take care of him for a while.

Let me fasten him to here.

What do you say, boy?

You wanna come home with us?

Warm work, isn't it?

Sure is.

Looks good, though.

It'll look better when we get finished.

Did you curry the Palomino this morning?

Oh, I forgot.

Well, you better get to it.

You want that pony's coat to be as shiny as your sorrels,

don't ya?

Yeah.

And bring me some more nails when come back.

They're in the barn.

All right.

Morning, Mr. McCain.

Morning.

I figured it was about time you and we had a little talk.

Talk?

Joe Flecker had something that belonged to me.

I figure you got it now.

I'd like to have it back.

Flecker?

I don't know the name.

I mean, that broken down, saddle tramp I had to shoot

in self-defense the other day.

Why don't you give me that paper?

You're looking in the wrong place, mister.

Flecker tried blackmail.

You saw how it paid off.

What makes you think I've got it?

I want and searched his room.

It wasn't there.

Well, maybe he kept it with him?

I went to the doctor's office after you left.

So it's got to be with you.

Blackmail's out of my line, Haskins.

Mr. McCain, you've got five seconds.

I don't know what Flecker had on you, and I don't care.

But nobody walks on me on my own place, Haskins.

Now think it over while you ride back to town.

Maybe it'll save you another trip.

Who's he?

His name's Haskins.

Isn't he the one that did the shooting in town?

That's right.

Pa, what makes a man like him so mean?

It's hard to tell, son.

Something must have happened to him a long time ago,

when he was a young man maybe.

Or when he was a boy, maybe.

It could be.

You know, Mark, people aren't born mean or bad.

They usually get that way because someone

has done something to them.

That goes for animals too.

You remember that playful little puppy Jimmy Peterson's

pa gave him for his birthday?

Yeah I, remember.

Puppy didn't stay playful very long.

Jimmy had to give him away.

Thing got so ornery it wasn't safe to keep

him around the ranch.

You recall how he got that way?

Yeah.

Jimmy used to cuff him around, tease him,

and pull his tail too much.

That's exactly what I mean.

He felt mistreated and he had to strike back at anyone.

Well, the same thing's true of Haskins.

Only he's come to the point where killing a man

means nothing to him.

I see.

I'm not sure you do, son.

You see, a man is different from an animal.

He's got a conscience.

That means he knows right from wrong.

Just because he's been hurt doesn't

mean he's got the right to take out that hurt on anyone else.

That includes Haskins?

Uh-huh.

That's right.

I think I'll ride into town tomorrow and see

if I can dig up the reason why he tried

to take out his meanness on us.

You bring me those nails?

Yep.

Bring another board, will ya, son?

All right.

Make sure it's long enough.

Son, you remember to close the south irrigation ditch

in a couple of hours, will ya?

I let the water into the lower meadow.

I will, Pa.

Not like you to miss a trip to town.

Well, I wanted to stay and take care of the pony.

Oh, is something wrong with him?

He's been acting kind of funny, like he's sick.

He wouldn't eat this morning, and he won't let me ride him.

He keeps on bearing his teeth and whinnying.

You keep your eye on him.

I'll just stop by and speak to the vet while I'm in town.

You'll be careful, won't ya, Pa?

Don't you worry, son, I'm not looking for trouble.

I'm trying to avoid it.

Go away.

Place is closed.

Open up, Doc.

Very delicate operation going on.

It's me, McCain.

Open the door or I'll do it for ya.

Surprised to see you alone, Mac.

Couldn't you find another corpse to carry in here?

A little early in the day, isn't it?

For this?

It's my own personal prescription.

It's the only good medicine I have.

You know why?

Because I'm a good patient.

Only take it when I need it.

Don't wait till it's too late.

Man die last night?

People around here never call a doctor

until they see the vultures circling the house.

Then they hate me because I can't help.

Grab some of this for you too.

Oh, not now.

Say, did you keep Flecker's belongings?

That's right.

Wrapped him in a sheet and stuck him in the Potter's field,

like most of my patients.

Where'd you put his things?

Cabinet there.

These are nothing but rags.

They are now, after Haskins got through with them.

Tore them all up.

Did he say what he was looking for?

Told me to mind my business.

I considered it very wise.

Flecker kept talking about his boots before he died.

What's that?

Our friend Haskins is wanted in Kansas for two killings.

Stay out of it, Lucas.

Burn it, bury it, throw it away, forget you ever saw it.

I don't want to lose my only friend.

You don't mean that, Doc.

What happened to you that you're drinking

so early in the morning?

Last night, they brought me a little 8-year-old girl.

I had to watch her die.

Yesterday afternoon, it was a 16-year-old boy.

That's two kids in the same day, Mac.

Death is part of a doctor's business.

You can't save them all.

I could have saved these two if they called me soon enough.

They've got a new cure.

People don't know about it.

The great scientists spent years working on a serum.

I sent all the way to Philadelphia for it.

These stupid plow pushers won't give me a chance to use it.

What the kids die of, Doc?

Anthrax.

Not an easy way to go.

Anthrax?

That's right.

We've got an epidemic starting.

Hadley, the vet, told me he had to shoot a dozen

animals infected with it.

one out of every 10 horses.

Come in.

Good boy.

Nobody answered my knock, so I thought I'd look around.

You mind?

Where's your father?

We've got some important business.

I said, where's your father?

He's in town.

That's better.

Now, tell me where he keeps his important papers.

No.

I don't like that word, now try again.

Mark?

Mark?

Don't move, McCain.

Drop that rifle.

Where's my son?

Drop it, I said.

Real slow.

I'll take that paper you got from Flecker.

Haven't you already found it?

Not yet, McCain.

Don't turn around.

Who else knows about this? Nobody.

But you read it.

You must have.

Yes, I read it.

I'm going to kill you, McCain.

You leave me no choice.

There's no point to killing me, Haskins.

I'm not going to turn you in.

There's no need to.

Flecker's pony nipped you the other day.

That horse has anthrax.

Anthrax?

Anthrax.

That's always fatal, you know that.

You ever see a human that's got it?

First he gets chills, and it turns to fever

and he starts to burn up.

And his brain begins to rattle and ache.

Gradually, he goes mad with the pain.

Not very pretty to watch, Haskins.

You're lying.

You're stalling for time.

You got no proof that horse has anthrax.

He's sick.

There's an epidemic.

You don't believe me, he's out in the barn.

Go look at him.

No, you show me.

Move around the table.

Hold it right there.

All right, move.

You first.

He has got anthrax.

Pa, rifle.

You all right, Pa?

I'm all right, son.

Poor pony.

I guess he's lucky to go this way, than...

than from anthrax.

I'm sorry you had to see this, son.

I'm sure glad you showed up with that rifle when you did.

I didn't do nothing.

Just saved our lives is all.

We make a good team, son.

We're going to last a long time as long

as we look out for each other.

Let's go in, Pa.

Something troubling you, Mark?

Just tired, I guess.

It's been a pretty tough day.

Maybe we better sit down and talk it over?

Come.

Nothing to talk about.

Haven't we always agreed to tell each other everything?

You seem mighty worried about something, Mark.

Just seeing the pony get killed, and Haskins holding

a gun on ya, that worried me.

You've never lied to me before.

Is there anything else?

The pony did this?

How long ago?

Just a little while ago.

Then I heard you telling Haskins that people

always died from it.

I didn't want to worry you about it.

Oh, son.

I was just stalling Haskins.

Doc Burrage has a serum that'll cure this.

You don't need to tell me that if it ain't so.

It's so, Mark.

Come on, son, let's go.

A very famous doctor named Pasteur

invented this serum, Mark.

You gonna be a doctor when you grow up?

I thought about it, but I'd rather work with my Pa.

We make a good team.

It didn't hurt a bit, did it?

Huh?