Original subtitles

The Rifleman.

Starring Chuck Connors.

Hello, Wes.

It says I'm a better man.

You ought to save your money, Owny.

Then your friends could give you a good funeral.

Strong words.

For a man that's taken to hiding behind a woman's skirts.

Come on, Wes.

Sure enough, it's true.

You know, maybe it wasn't in the deal

that I ought to take insults from a two bit saddle tramp.

Hold it.

Owny, you told me you were just passing through.

Well, I was on my way and I saw my old buddy here.

Now that you've seen him, what's keeping you?

Nothing.

Good seeing you, Wes.

Kind of strayed from your usual stomping ground,

haven't you, Wes?

Well, I haven't heard of any law that says a man

and his wife can't change their address.

Wes isn't looking for trouble, Marshal.

We're hoping to settle here in North Fork.

Begging your pardon, ma'am, but I'd rather you didn't.

Seems to me you're talking a lot of line.

You're mistaken about my husband.

Wes made a promise.

He's through being a gunfighter.

Ma'am, knowing about some of the friends

your husband made in the past, I'm

wondering just how long he would be able to keep that promise.

An old Kentucky Trapper told me about this when

I was still in knee britches.

Spruce wood has a nice, clean taste and it's not too hard.

Doesn't look much like a toothbrush to me.

It'll do till I get to town and get you a new one.

Looks like we've got some early morning visitors.

You know who they are?

Man and a woman. Can't tell who.

You go in and button up.

Hi, folks.

Lucas.

Claire.

Hello, Lucas.

Claire Wheatley.

Only it isn't Wheatley anymore.

I've been Mrs. Wes Carney for almost a month.

Wes, this is Lucas. Hello, Lucas.

Glad to know you.

Carney.

This must be Mark.

Claire was one of your mother's dearest friends, Mark.

They grew up together.

I'm very pleased to meet you, ma'am.

This is her husband, Mr. Carney.

How do you do, sir?

Hello, Mark.

He resembles Margaret a great deal, Lucas.

Yes, I know.

What brings you this neck of the woods, Claire?

Well, we're looking for a place to settle.

I'd heard that you'd moved here and I thought

maybe you could help us.

It'd be a special pleasure to do anything I can.

Is there a problem?

Are you aware of Wes's reputation?

I've heard his name.

Seems as though your Marshal doesn't draw a line between one

form of gunfight and another.

Micah may be a little hasty in his judgment,

but he's fair if you meet him halfway.

That's all Wes and I ask.

Well, then there shouldn't be any trouble.

Let's go inside and we'll talk it

out over a cup of coffee, huh?

Fine.

Oh that would be nice.

Pa?

I'll go water the horse.

I'd appreciate that, son.

Being the wife of a man who lives by the gun

just doesn't fit some women, Lucas.

Claire is that kind of woman.

I guess I would have married Wes anyway,

but when he said he'd take off his guns,

I knew we'd both be happier.

Well now that you've given up your trade,

what are you aiming to do?

Well, we thought we'd stay in Crowder where

Claire was teaching school, but there's

been a drought season there.

Regular jobs just aren't to be had.

I've seen it happen that way.

Then I had an offer to take over the marshal's

job at Bolton City.

I thought it was the answer all the way around.

But I guess Claire was right when

she said that it was just another name

for what I'd always done.

So you kept on being, how do you

say it, a fish out of water?

Lucas, that's not fair.

Well, maybe not.

Look, I figured if we could buy into some kind of business

here, maybe we could work it out.

Well, the Don Gordon farm is for sale.

It's a nice place too.

Good water and soil.

Be fine for raising most any crop.

No, I don't think I'd be any good at finding.

The only other place for sale is Matt

Beale's feed and grain store.

That sounds like What we're looking for.

All right, honey.

Well, that is, if the man doesn't

want too much of the place.

$2,500 is his asking price.

I've got almost that saved from when I was teaching.

I'm sure Beale's price could be horse traded.

Would you try, Lucas?

You sure being a storekeeper's what you want, Wes?

Well, I'm willing to try.

It's not going to be easy.

Starting a new life is a tough job, especially

for a man with your reputation.

He's going to need all the help he can get, Claire.

Wes knows he can depend on me.

All right.

I'll saddle up and we can get going.

Lucas.

You'll never know how much this means to me.

That looks pretty good, Wes.

Well, not bad considering.

Considering what?

Considering that I haven't had my first customer yet.

At least you're dressed for the part.

Well, Claire says when a man's a storekeeper,

he should look like one.

Wes, I owe you an apology.

When you first came to town, I just sort of figured that...

Morgan and Clyde Bailey.

Owny Kincaid, Jeff Wallace, and...

Phil Norton.

As fine a bunch of killers as you'll

find between here and the Kansas line.

Wonder what they want here.

I think we're about to find out.

I told Owny I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't

seen it with my own eyes.

Wes Carney wearing an apron.

On him it looks natural.

All right.

You've had your little joke.

Now move on.

Aw, now that ain't no way to talk

to five law abiding citizens that figure on making

North Fork their home.

We'll maybe want to start a business like Wes did.

Only work a little more fitting for a man.

Like I've always been partial to banks.

I think I'll open one here.

I was afraid something like this would happen.

You let one fast gun stay, why not others?

They just came to bait me. I won't take the bait.

Maybe they'll move on.

Little rough on him, Micah.

I only said what I felt.

Well he might have been a fast gun,

but he never hired out to the wrong side.

No use arguing the point, Lucas.

All I know is things were pretty good in this town

before Wes arrived.

Now we're becoming a haven for killers.

Morning, Wes.

Where's your apron, Wes?

Got anything with flowers on it?

All right, Clyde, now move out of the way.

Plenty of room in the street, Wes.

You looking for something, Wes?

Looks like he lost something.

I think it's his guns.

We can walk in the street, Wes.

I don't mind.

You know what they're trying to do.

Don't let them.

He ain't wearing an apron today.

He's hiding behind one.

You forgetting I took care of you once already?

I ain't forgetting nothing.

None of us are.

Wes.

Got a customer waiting at the store.

wants some oats for his back meadow.

Put it away, Clyde.

Put it away.

Ain't you mixing into something that

ain't none of your business?

I'd say it's the other way around.

From now on leave these folks alone.

I ain't one for taking advice, Lucas.

Well right now I'm giving it for nothing.

Later on it might cost.

Come on.

I'll walk you back to the store.

Thank you, Lucas.

There we are.

See now, so far we have four sacks of chicken feed,

three sacks of scratch corn, 100 pounds of oats,

and 100 pounds of barley.

Anything else, Mr. Moody?

No, there's something else.

Can't place my mind on it.

Well, your wife was asking the other day about package seeds.

That's it. Good thing you reminded me.

Ellen would have nailed me to a post had I forgotten them.

They're right over here.

Take your pick.

You know, when it comes to flowers,

I'm just as green as they come.

Get Wes to pick them out for you.

He's an expert.

Ask him to show you the correct way to plant shrinking violets.

Guess I'll let the missus pick them out.

Be around later this afternoon to get the order.

It's a nice looking place you got here, Wes.

Yeah, I'll maybe get me a place

like this when I get older.

A nice, safe place to retire.

You won't be lucky, Owny.

Somebody will cut you down long before then.

Hey Wes, what do you suppose is in these here sacks?

Corn, rice, wheat?

Why don't you find out for yourself, Clyde.

I guess I'll water the plants.

Hey, this bag's got a hole in it.

Take him and get out of here.

Straighten out his shelves, boys.

Let's take him out back.

I've waited a long time to pay Mr. Carney all that I owe him.

Time you turned in, son.

I would've been finished long ago if it

wasn't for this one problem.

Fred has 15 cows.

John has twice as many cows as Fred

had when Fred had as many cows as John has now.

How many cows has John?

Study it some more, son.

If you can't come up with the right answer,

we'll work it out together.

A little late for visitors.

Mark, get some hot water and a towel.

Just take it easy, Wes.

Come on.

your feet.

It's my own fault. I shouldn't have been so careless.

Thanks, son.

You go on to bed now.

Let's take a look at that back of yours, Wes.

Wes, I don't think these welts are bothering

you as much as something else.

It's been a long time since I've taken a whipping.

When I was a young pup back in Illinois,

I was about as scrawny as a sapling in the desert.

I'd had cholera when I was a baby

and just barely made it through.

I used to tag around after my ma all day long following her.

The other young pups would call me about it.

I'd yap back.

They'd start shoving me around and I always

wind up taking a licking.

Until Ma would come to my rescue.

Ma died when I was eight.

I was left practically alone.

Pa working early morning to late night at his print shop.

So I had to face the other kids knowing that nobody

was going to save my skin.

When you're forced to fighting every day,

you get tough pretty quick.

But it wasn't long ago before nobody bothered me anymore.

They'd keep their distance, show me the proper respect.

I grew to like it that way.

So naturally it followed for me to become

a gunfighter, and a proud one.

You know, all that time there was something that was missing.

I was lonely.

I know.

Then Claire came along, everything changed.

She's got ways about her.

Sweet and kind.

Soft brown eyes like Ma had.

I gave my trade to make her happy.

It's been hard, but I owed her that much.

And you think that's what she really wants even

though it makes you miserable?

Claire knows there's a limit.

Lucas, it's Claire. Hello, Lucas.

Is Wes here?

Sorry.

It's all right now.

Listen, we've run across tougher boys than these.

They can be handled.

This time you're going to stay out of it.

Let me handle it my own way.

Oh Wes, Hattie Dutton saw them riding you out of town.

When she came and told me, I took it on myself

to talk at the Marshal.

I had to, Wes.

I wanted him to know because I was

afraid of what you might do.

Well, then I guess everything's taken care of.

Not really, Lucas.

It seems that Bailey and his boys have the whole town cowed.

Even Hattie's afraid to say out loud what she told me.

It's up to Wes to bring charges.

I love you, Wes.

I love you too much to let you gamble with your life just

to satisfy your pride.

All right, I'll go to the Marshal.

I'll go get some bedding, Wes.

You and Claire better stay the night here.

I'll ride in with you in the morning.

Well good morning, Lucas.

I was hoping you'd come in this morning.

Micah, I'm ready to file charges against Bailey

and the rest of them.

Wes, you'd just be wasting my time and yours.

Those charges don't amount to a hill of beans against what

they did last night.

They were in the Last Chance bragging.

One the boys from the

had just enough to give them too much courage.

They shot him down before he could half draw.

Put a bullet in Joe Logan's leg when he tried to go for help.

There's the basket, Wes.

File your charges there.

How did it wind up, Micah?

It didn't.

I tried to get me some deputies last night,

but nobody would stand up.

I saw Bailey and the boys out in front of the hotel

this morning.

They're figuring on staying, Lucas.

Taking over the town and me with it.

Where are you going?

Try again to get me some deputies.

I'm counting on you, Lucas.

Good luck.

Lucas...

We've got a lot of work to do back at the store.

Sorry, Lucas.

Hey, looks like that sheriff coming.

Anybody with him?

Luke McCain.

Who else?

Nobody else.

I'll just be a minute, Micah.

Go on home, Charlie.

Hello, Lucas.

Micah had no better luck today than he did last night.

and his boys are out in round up

and so are all the other men he might have counted on.

You two are taking it alone, huh?

Kind of looks that way.

We can straighten up ourselves, Lucas.

I know you can.

When I was in the territories, I knew

a fellow named Tom Hardesty.

He was Indian fighter and reckoned as one of the best.

He was mighty proud of his reputation.

But he fell in love with a girl who came out from the east.

Loved her like there was no tomorrow.

Her condition for getting married

was that he gave up his trade.

He did.

He quit and opened up a small inn and was doing pretty good.

Then one day about 20 miles out, the mail stage

was wahooed by a raiding party.

When they brought the bodies in for identifying,

they couldn't tell which was which.

I'll never forget the look on Tom's face

while he stood there.

You see, one of his jobs had been

to scout for that mail line.

I didn't see him again for quite a spell.

When I did, he was still running the inn.

Only it wasn't doing so good.

The reason was that Tom and his missus were barely speaking.

Seemed like he'd lost all his own self respect.

And when that happened, it was only natural that he soon

lost the respect of his wife.

That's a very pretty story, Lucas.

What did you do? Make it up?

Claire.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean it.

Well, I have to go.

Well, Lucas, boy, I was beginning to think you forgot

all about our appointment.

Sorry to keep you out here in the hot sun, Micah.

Well, no use waiting here.

Let's go.

Hey.

Owny's yours.

Lucas, take the Bailey brothers.

All right, boys.

Put down your guns and surrender.

Now you had your say, Marshal, what you going to do about it?

Get him, Owny.

That's what happens when a man takes off his guns.

He gets careless. That's all right.

Don't worry.

Is that all you can ever say?

Don't worry?

Better take him up to the doc's.

I'll look after the store till you get back.

Never mind, Lucas.

Wes is going to take that Marshal's

job if it's still open.

I was going to talk to you about that.

Were you now?

Marshal.

Lucas.

What do you figure made them change their minds?

Remember Tom Hardesty?

Sure.

The old Indian fighter.

I told them what happened when Tom married a woman

set in changing his ways.

I didn't know Tom got married.

He didn't.