Original subtitles

[ theme music playing ]

Glass of rye.

Mr. Leland's waiting for you.

Just pour the rye, Sam.

MAN: Conway.

I got something to settle with you.

Well, say your piece. I'm in a hurry.

You was in a hurry a year ago, too,

the night my partner got killed.

He was a fool.

'Cause he wouldn't just give you

everything he'd worked for all his life?

That make him a fool?

I offered him a fair price,

but he wouldn't sell.

Now he's dead,

but we-- we got the claim anyway.

And you murdered him to get it.

Oh, that's bad talk, Trivett,

real bad talk.

Why, you dirty, filthy--

WOMAN: Get out of his way.

What are we going to do with him?

I don't know.

He's not much use to anyone now, is he?

You took your time.

Oh, I came straight here, Mr. Leland.

I just stopped at the bar for a drink.

I don't like waiting for people, Conway.

I'm, uh, sorry, Mr. Leland.

Sorry's not good enough.

You should know that after working for me five years.

Yes, sir.

Ever hear of Eagle Rock, Wyoming?

No, I don't believe I have.

You're going there. You start tomorrow.

Uh, Mr. Leland, I thought--

I want that town,

that Eagle Rock.

You'll get it for me.

We'll move in like we did in Pawnee Crossing,

Tascosa, Wagon Bed Springs.

Yes, sir.

This is your big chance, Conway,

I'm going to let you take over the whole operation as soon as you set it up.

The man you talk to and deal with is Frank Colter.

You come by here in the morning,

I'll give you the contracts and the money.

You should be able to make Eagle Rock five days.

Suppose this Frank Colter--

suppose he doesn't want to deal with me?

Like I said, this is your big chance.

Don't mess it up.

Leland Enterprises is moving into Eagle Rock.

Conway.

Failure is a poor thing...

and a man is a long time dead.

[ wagon train rumbling ]

DRIVER: Hey, whoa!

Ho!

Ho!

Ho!

Ho!

Hold it!

Hey, ho!

Ho!

Wait! Ho!

Ho!

H'ya! Hold it!

Hold on!

Ho!

Pull up! Pull up!

Hold up!

Ho, now! Ho!

Ho, now. Ho.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Ho.

That's right, just settle down.

You all right?

[ half-laughs nervously ]

Hoo-ha.

Guess they got away from me.

You might say that.

[ panting ]

I want to thank you for--

for what you did.

Ho, there.

I don't know--

I don't know what, uh--

got in them.

Something spooked them.

Well, sure goodness.

I sure couldn't stop.

Whoa, son.

Something--

Something the matter with him?

Is he all right?

Felt him buckle underneath me,

must've pulled a tendon.

You, uh--

you think that you can ride him?

No.

I got almost three more days of traveling

before I get to Medicine Bow.

Eagle Rock's, uh... just about three miles ahead.

Got a blacksmith shop there.

What did you say?

Eagle Rock--

just a few miles ahead.

Friend, Eagle Rock's a ghost town.

It died almost 20 years ago.

How long since you been this way?

About six months.

Things can change in six months.

Sometimes a lot sooner.

Look, why don't you just, uh...

hitch the horse on the back,

and we'll take him on in.

By the way, Frank-- [ pants ]

Frank Colter's my name.

Name's Trampas.

Ho, baby.

Just take it easy.

Trampas?

[ whistles ] Come on.

Get up! Get.

Ha!

[ dog barking ]

Hi, ma'am. Jed.

I had to see it to believe it.

But why?

Miners gave this town up years ago.

Who's responsible?

Well, you might say that I am.

Bye.Bye.

See you later.Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.Bye.

Whoa. Whoa-whoa-whoa.

McAlester. McAlester!

What was that all about?

[ clucks teeth ] Come on!

Whoa. Ho.

It's the blacksmith's.

Unhitch your horse.

Come on in. Devlin should be there.

Frank, about time you were getting back.

Beginning to fret some about you.

Come on, now. You're just worried about that 10 cents I owe you

from the cribbage game, aren't you?

Well, now, that's reason enough for a man to worry.

Uh...

Well, I might not have got back at all

hadn't it been for Trampas here.

He not only saved my hide,

but probably the whole wagon load of supplies.

Then you are twice welcome. Bert Devlin's the name.

Howdy.

Frank, you hear anything up in Billings, you know about--

No, no. Not a word yet.

Sure hoping you would,

but thinking and hoping

don't get the job done, do they?

Nope, but we got a job for you here.

It's a right foreleg.

Ah, let's have a look.

Poor son.

Ho, now.Ho, son. Ho, son.

Oh, I see what you mean.

It's swollen up pretty bad.

How bad?

Well, seems to be only a sprain.

With hot packs and rest,

he should be fit to riding in four or five days.

Four--

Suppose I rode another horse and trailed him?

Mm-mm. He'd pull up lame before you went 10 miles.

Sure don't want that.

Well, it looks like your town's going to have

a population of 58 for a few days.

Huh, we'll be glad to have you.

Frank.Keith.

Saw your wagon as I was going by. You just get in?

Yeah, just a few minutes ago.

Any news?

No. No, not yet.

Uh, Trampas, like you to meet Keith Bentley.

He's Eagle Rock's best attorney.

Eagle Rock's only attorney.

How do you do?Howdy.

Where can I put the buck here?

The first stall over there would be fine.

Fine.

I looked in the wagon.

Is that all they gave you in Billings?

Yeah, that's going to have to do us for a while.

About a week at best.

I'd say we've about used up our credit.

What happens when that's gone?

Well, then we ought to just wait and see what happens.

Besides, a week may be a enough.

We've been saying that for the last six months.

McAlesters got tired of hearing it.

They pulled out this morning.

Yeah, yeah, I saw them leave.

Frank... I don't like living this way.

Neither does Sara.

We both feel maybe we've made a mistake.

Now, look, Keith. We both knew it was going to be difficult from the beginning.

No, no, I--

I think it's time we get together for a talk.

Whenever you say.

I'll be in my office all tomorrow afternoon.

Let's make it then.

Mm-hmm, fine, fine.

You don't suppose he's pulling out, do you?

I don't suppose anything until I hear from him tomorrow.

Trampas, how about coming to the house

for a bite to eat before you go to the hotel?

Sounds fine

if it doesn't put anybody in any trouble.

No. No trouble whatsoever.

What about my gear?

You take care of that?

Oh, sure. I'll get it over to the hotel for you,

and you rest easy.

I'll take good care of your horse.

I'm sure your will.

Oh, by the way, this goes on my bill, huh?

Right.

That's the hotel over there.

Still a little trim work to be done on it,

but, uh... main things are finished.

Come on, I just live right up here.

Frank! Oh, Frank.

FRANK: Mmm.

Hello, Funny Nose.

[ both giggle ]

Miss me?

Why? Did you go someplace?

Been gone for five days,

and that's the way my wife greets me, huh?

Shows you how important I am around here.

Lois, I want you to meet Trampas.

My pleasure, ma'am.

How do you do?

Trampas here saved me from getting hurt.

It was all my own fault.

I almost turned the wagon over.

Hadn't have been for him, I suppose I would have.

Well, I'm very grateful to you.

Thank you, ma'am.

How do you like our town?

Oh, it's very nice, what I've seen of it.

[ sighs ] Well, it's small, but it's a beginning.

LOIS: It'll grow.

I don't understand.

Buildings, people--

Eagle Rock's been a ghost town long as I can remember.

Not anymore.

Railroad's going to bring this place back to life.

Railroad?

Yup.

It's going to come through here

after all these years...

and these few houses and stores,

they're going to double.

They're going to double and triple and quadruple.

We'll be the center of the cattle and mining business

in this whole territory,

and we're going to bring in people,

people who want to start their lives over again,

start new, start fresh...

like Lois and me are doing now.

That's what a town really is, Travis.

It's people.

It's people living together,

working together,

learning to share their lives together.

That sounds real fine, Frank...

real fine.

And it's going to happen...

any day now,

maybe tomorrow,

maybe next week, maybe next month.

Look, you two.

We can talk later.

In the meantime, supper's ready,

and it's getting cold.

Women-- why are they so practical, huh?

Ma'am, that was one fine meal. Thank you.

Thank you.

Where was I?

Oh, yeah,

so I was clerking for the railroad company

when I got this inside tip on the railroad route,

decided to gamble on it.

All these people here,

they were friends of mine and their friends,

and I talked them into taking a gamble with me.

Hmm. Your lawyer friend,

didn't seem to me like he was enjoying the game too much.

No-- [ sighs ]

I guess he didn't.

We got our problems,

but we'll whip them.

[ knock on door ]Ah, Ben.

BEN: Heard you got back.

Dropped by to say hello. Morning, Lois.

Good evening, Ben. The coffee's still hot.

No, thank you.

Ben Tolliver, I'd like you to meet Trampas.

Trampas is going to be a guest in Eagle Rock for a few days.

Glad to know you.Ben's the law in town.

Well, nice to meet you.

Ben Tolliver-- name sounds familiar.

Like the rest of me, been around a lot of years.

Anything happen while I was gone, Ben?

Well, let's see.

There was one dastardly act

that I was forced to deal with alone.

And what was that?

Old Ann Talbot stole one of Mrs. Taylor's pies.

And what did you do, Ben?

What did I do about it?

I threw them in jail, that's what I did,

and I fined them a dollar, which I gave to Mrs. Taylor.

And what else?

Well, uh...

let's say that old Ann and I disposed of the evidence

before I turned them loose.

Oh, Ben's handled things very well

besides dropping by at least once every day

to see if there's anything I needed.

That was the nicest part of my day.

I know what you mean.

Well, I reckon I better go down to the hotel

and find myself a room.

I'll walk on over with you.

Fine.

Frank. Thanks again, Lois.

Good night, Trampas.You're welcome.

Good night.Talk to you tomorrow, Ben.

That Trampas, I like him.

Hmm? Yeah, so do I.

Frank, what is it?

What's what?

Something's been troubling you.

Well, it's--- [ sighs ]

It's Keith.

Trampas was right.

He and Sara are thinking about pulling out.

Oh, no.

Well, you can't let him.

If he goes, half the town will follow.

I can't stop him.

It's been six months, Lois, six months,

not a word, nothing.

I don't know.

Maybe he's right.

Maybe--- maybe we all should just pull out.

No, Frank, you don't mean that.

I don't?

We're down to our last dollar, Lois.

The merchants in Billings, they're not going to carry us any longer.

They told you that?

That wagon load out there, that's it.

I can't go on promises alone,

and that's all that I can give them.

Oh, Frank.

Frank, we've come so far.

We're so close to everything we've ever wanted.

Don't give it up now, please.

You still believe in miracles, don't you?

I believe in you,

and I love you very much.

All right,

we'll run the string out to the end

as far as we can.

Just waiting isn't enough.

We've got to stop Sara and Keith.

Let's ride out there first thing in the morning and talk to them.

I don't think talk will change his mind.

You'll change it for him.

Besides, I haven't seen their baby for almost a month.

Oh... I see.

Well, I thought that there was another reason.

Well, when we have babies--Mm-hmmm.

I want all our friends to come see them.

I just know that you will,

Funny Nose.

Nice evening, isn't it?

This is the time of day I like best.

Yup, I know what you mean.

Most things a man enjoys,

all it takes is a time to open his eyes

and see what's there.

That took me a lot more years to find out

then you did.

Well, you took a different trail than I did.

Ben Tolliver, law man for some of the roughest towns in the west.

Not anymore.

My time's run out on me.

Well, you're still wearing a badge.

This town look to you like it needs taming?

No.

Don't to me either.

That's why I'm here.

Did you ever put an old cow pony out to pasture?

One or two.

Well, this here's my pasture.

I've had my share of killing and almost being killed.

From now on I'm going to just let the sun warm my face

and sleep easy at night.

Nothing wrong in that.

See you in the morning.

Good night.

[ clucking teeth ]

Whoa, son.

Well, he doesn't seem to be favoring as much as he did before.

No. I kept the stall wetted down, too.

That takes the pressure off his bad leg.

Well, I certainly appreciate what you've been doing.

That was a mighty nice thing you did for Frank Colter yesterday.

Anybody would have done the same.

They're a fine young couple, the Colters.

You know them long?

Sure. We're from the same town back East.

Went to their wedding last year.

You must have come here with them, then.

Yup. Sold out lock, stock, and barrel.

Had a nice-going little shop, too,

but when that railroad comes through here,

I'll make 10 times what I could have made back there.

Morning, you two.

BERT: Hi, Frank.

Good morning.How is he?

He's doing a lot better now.

Yeah, well, Bert knows his horses.

I can say that for him,

and he's not too bad at cribbage either.

Speaking of cribbage,

has he paid you what he owes you?

Not yet he hasn't, Lois,

so you keep after him.

Look, we're on our way out to the Bentleys,

take some supplies out.

Left yours up on the porch.

Oh, fine, thank you.

Okay?Mm-hmm.

Uh, Frank, good luck with Keith.

Anything in mind today? What you doing?

Oh, nothing, just watching after old Buck.

This is mighty pretty countryside.

Would you like to ride along with us?

Well, it's a nice day for a ride in the country.

Fine.Come on.

Hello, Keith.

Hello, Frank. Lois.

Hello, Keith.

You remember Trampas here, don't you?

Yes, of course.

Howdy.

Brought some supplies out for you, Keith.

Not very much, is there?

I guess we'll all have to go a little short this time.

Looks like you've got a nice piece of land here.

Good, rich top soil.

It's some of the best land in the valley.

You got a lot of good feed--

Bluegrass, Switchgrass, Yellow,

and I don't see any Larkspur.

What's Larkspur?

Well, some kinds will kill cattle.

It's mighty pretty but hard on stock.

Well, I'm not a cattle man, Mr. Trampas,

and I don't expect to be one.

Uh, Keith, is Sara in the house?

Yeah, she's in there.

Good, I'll go say hello.

Where would you like us to put the supplies, Keith?

Shack's good.

Tell you what, Trampas, if we play our cards right,

we might be able to talk Keith out of some of his hard cider.

Sounds good.

Morning, blacksmith.Morning.

Tell me, this all there is to your town?

Oh, it's enough for us who live in it.

Like I always say,

each man has his own way to go.

When I see a town like this,

I like to ride right through.

Is that what you planning to do?

Yeah, mm-hmm,

soon as we settle a little business we have.

Uh, maybe you could help.

You know a Frank Colter?

What's it about?

Don't ask questions. Just answer them.

You have a loose mouth, Lonnie.

It'll get you in trouble some day.

He's been there before.

I'm sorry, blacksmith.

We've been traveling hard the last few days,

makes a man's tongue prickly.

Could you tell us where Colter lives?

Yeah, that house right over there.

Thank you, blacksmith.

[ knocks ]

Deke, check in there.

Ah, the lady of the house has nice taste.

There's nobody in there, Midge.

He must be somewhere around town or someplace.

You know, Lonnie, sometimes I wonder

how I'd ever get along without you.

Let's go and find him.

Sure, the sooner we get out of this crummy town, the better I'll like it.

Deke, we'll get out of this crummy town when I say, huh?

All right, Midge.

Are the Colters in here?

Evidently not, Sheriff.

Then what are you doing in here?

We knocked. The door was open.

That still don't give you the right to enter another man's home.

You're absolutely right, Sheriff.

We got no call to be here whatsoever,

but we were looking for Frank Colter.

Business matter.

Are we under arrest?

No. Just get out.

We'll wait for Colter in the saloon.

You seem to be carrying a lot of years to still be a law man.

I can still get the job done if I have to.

Yes, I suppose you can.

Thanks again, old timer.

Well, that was a long ride.

My throat's as dry as a tumbleweed.

Yeah, I could go for a drink myself.

Would you mind if I joined you?

No. Come on.

Thank you.

Trampas!

Come on.

[ grunts, snaps fingers]

You just fell down dead.

Maybe so, but I had company.

Midge.Trampas? How long has it been?

Well, it's got to be five years.

Last time was--

Ooh, last time was Durango.

That's right.

I remember.

I had a pretty little filly in the barn.

That's right.

I went to get her a drink, and when I came back, she was gone.

That's right.

And it took me a whole week to find out it was you

who scooted her away.

Well, she had a sick grandmother, and I took her to visit.

I'll bet.

[ laughs ]Come on, we got five years to make up for here.

Oh, you got me on that one.

Still shakes them up a bit, doesn't it?

Yeah, but, you know, we're getting a little old to play that game.

Five years older. A man can change a lot in five years.

TRAMPAS: You bet.Have you?

Well, yeah, you might say so.

Yeah, I can see it.

What have you been doing all this time?

Well, I been working.

Working at what?

Well, the job pays 40 a month and found.

Shiloh spread. What about yourself?

Oh, doing what I can any way I can,

most anything to make a dollar.

Same way as before?

Oh, no. No, those years have changed me, too, old horse.

I play things a lot more careful than I used to.

Well, I'm glad to hear it, real glad to hear it.

What brings you into town?

Like I said, chasing those dollars.

Well, mighty skimpy around here.

Yeah, but that could change.

TRAMPAS: Yeah.Who'd you come in with?

She's mighty pretty.

Well, that is Mrs.-- Mrs. Frank Colter,

and he's Frank Colter.

Colter?

Why, he's my reason for being here.

How's for an introduction?

Well, fine, fine, but you remember the brand, yeah?

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Lois, Frank,

I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine.

This is Midge Conway. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Colter.

Hello.Howdy.

It's a pleasure, ma'am.

How do you do?Please, sit down.

Thank you.

I must say, you two have a very strange way of greeting one another.

Tell me, ma'am, who do you think won?

I was too scared to notice.

Well, it was close. It was very close.

It always is.

Oh, Frank, Midge is in town so he can talk to you.

Me? Well, that's fine. About what?

You ever hear of Leland Enterprises?

No, I can't say that I have.

Well, it's one man, actually, Philip Leland.

I work for him.

He moves in a lot of directions--

building, investments, amusement concessions, things like that.

He's heard about you, Mr. Colter.

He heard about how you got people to invest

and rebuild this town,

and he heard about the railroad.

Only he heard about it after Frank did.

That's right. After.

Now, he's liked what you've done, Mr. Colter,

and he'd like to buy into it.

Oh, wonderful.

New business is always welcome in Eagle Rock.

Well, that's fine.

What sort of business is he interested in?

Uh, amusement concessions mainly.

What Midge means is...

gambling tables.Among other things.

Well, I don't know.

We've just never thought of gambling in Eagle Rock.

We'd run honest tables. It would be no trouble...

and 25% off the top goes to the town.

You can do what you like with it.

Twenty-five percent?

Well, that would mount up, and we could sure use it.

Well, look.

This might help you decide, Mr. Colter.

Mr. Leland knows about you being pressed for money right now.

He sent this along as a sort of advance.

Hell, there's enough here to cover you till you hear about the railroad,

and you can pay it back any way you like.

Well, I'd--

I'd have to talk it over with the others.

Well, fine,

but I would like to know by tomorrow.

Well, if it's agreeable with everyone else, it's a deal.

Fine. Let's drink to that.

Well, I--

I've got work to do, and I better get to it.

It's good doing business with you, friend.

It's a pleasure.Oh, and don't forget this.

Go on.

I think I'll call it a day, too.

Midge, great to see you again.

I'll walk out with you.

One drink and you fold?

You have changed.

Well, it can happen, old horse.

See you.See you.

Nice meeting you.

Ma'am.

[ mutters ]

BEN: Frank.

Afternoon, Ben.

You talk to them three fellows come here to see you?

Sure did, yeah.

Did you know them before?

No, but one of them's a friend of Trampas here.

Oh?

Ben, our town's getting a name for itself already.

A big investor wants to buy in with us.

That what they wanted?

Yeah. Not them, but they represent a man name Leland.

Leland?Yup.

Philip Leland?

You know him?

I know him.

I've worked towns where Leland operated.

They never were the same when he got through with them.

What do you mean, Ben?Just what I say.

Any crooked or rotten deal you can come up with

Leland has used.

Let him get a grip on this town,

and he'll rip it right out of your hands,

and the men that work with him are no better.

What about that, Trampas?

What about your friend?

I haven't seen him in five years, Frank.

I can't vouch for what he is now.

Well, that doesn't sound too good, does it?

Well, maybe Leland's changed.

A lot of good towns have gambling.

Lois, what is it you were saying last night

about the people?

People in this town are our friends,

and they're here because we brought them here.

Now, this Leland's the kind of man

that Ben says he is, then...

I don't know.

I don't know if we want any part of it.

Darling, there's so much at stake.

You mustn't make a hasty decision.

Think it over till tomorrow.

Talk to the others,

then you can decide.

All right. Talk tomorrow, huh?

Ben, Trampas.

What would you do, son?

Sheriff, I'm just passing through.

Isn't my town.

Isn't my affair.

I'm not too sure that's right.

When Colter's team was running away with him,

you didn't feel that way.

Now the same thing is happening to his town.

They'll listen to you, son.

To them maybe I'm just an old man

who sees trouble everywhere.

Look, Ben, I'll be leaving in a couple days.

What can I do?

When the time comes, you'll know.

See, this here shoe will give him a softer walk

and take some of the strain off his leg.

Will I be able to ride him tomorrow?

Don't see why not.

Just don't push him too hard for a few days.

What are you doing, getting fitted for new boots?

Morning, Midge.Horse.

Morning, blacksmith.Morning.

Are my horses ready to go?

Groomed, grained, watered them,

just like you told me to.

Good, saddle them up, will you?Mm-hmm.

Give him a hand.

Well, you fixing to pull out?

Yup, first thing in the morning.

I should wrap my business deal up this morning,

then I'll be leaving.

You going back to talk to Leland?

That's right.

Say, why don't you ride back with me?

I put the word in to Leland, he'd take you on.

A lot more money than wrangling.

No, Midge, like I said.

Yeah, I know.

You're riding easy with what you got.

Like I say, each man has his own way to go.

Midge, what's your end of the deal?

The best setup I ever had, the best.

I get to manage the whole shooting match,

top man next to Leland.

As you know, I've been waiting a lot of years for this.

Midge.Yeah.

Nothing.

Good morning, Mr. Colter.

They told me I'd find you here.

You needn't have bothered. I'd have come to your office.

There's no need.

There's no deal, Mr. Conway.

Here's your money back.

You know about this, old horse?

Oh, Trampas has nothing to do with it.

We just don't want any gambling in Eagle Rock.

I think you and I better have a serious talk, Mr. Colter.

No amount of talk, Mr. Conway, is going to change anything.

I've got an awful lot of work to do.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Then we'll have that talk.

Old horse, tell your friend about me.

I haven't changed that much in five years.

What was that shooting about?

Conway.

So now it starts.

What starts?

Trouble.

How much trouble, Ben?

You tell him.

Whatever it takes to make you change your mind.

[ horse whinnies ]

I know, I know. Whoa, son.

That makes two of us are edgy to get out of here.

How's your old leg, hmm?

Frank, do you have to clean that thing now?

I haven't cleaned it in a while.

Or used it.

What do you think will happen?

Nothing. Nothing's going to happen.

What makes you say that?

They're just running a bluff, Lois.

All we have to do is sit tight and wait.

When they see we're not going to change our mind now,

they'll give it up.

And if they don't, what happens then?

We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

But Frank, look at--Not "buts"!

Talked about it enough for one evening,

now let's just forget about it.

Oh, son, good morning.

Morning, Ben.

You leaving us?

I'm on my way right now.

Sorry to see you go.

Ben, in case of trouble,

Midge is fast.

He's real fast.

I figured he would be.

It might be some help to know that Midge, before he draws,

he tugs at his ear.

It's a habit he has.

Thanks. I'll remember.

Good luck to you, Ben.

See you soon, son.

Ah, didn't hear you coming.

Sort of startled me, son.

Sorry. You ready to ride?

Soon as you throw a saddle on her.

Why, looks like he's feeling pretty good.

Uh-huh.

Thanks for everything you've done.

Just did my job is all.

Hey, Trampas.

If you were in our place,

what would you do,

you know, about them fellas?

Devlin, I'm not in your place.

I find it best to let folks make up their own mind.

Guess you're right.

It's not your problem.

I'll go get your bridle.

[ horses trotting ]

Morning, ma'am.

Colter.COLTER: Morning.

I've come for your answer.

I hope it's different than yesterday's.

No, I'm afraid nothing's changed.

I can't take that back to Leland.

See, it'd be my job,

and it's too good a job to lose.

That your final decision?

Yes, it is.

Oh, Frank!

Frank! Frank!

Frank! Oh!

No, let him go! Let him go!

Frank! Let him go!

[ sobbing ]

Let him go!

Frank! No!

Please...

Let him go!

Hold it.

Oh, something you want, Sheriff?

Tell your men to take their ropes off him.

And if I don't?

I'll put you all in jail.

Deke, Lonnie, hear that?

Sheriff here is going to put us all in jail.

Why don't you do that?

Why don't you just try and put us in jail, old man?

WOMAN: Oh!

[ people clamoring ]

Oh, Frank.

Well, Midge, you've had your fun.

The game's over.

Wasn't much of a game, was it, old horse?

Oh, you proved your point, whatever that was.

Well, I've proved it if he's changed his mind.

There's no change.

No, you're wrong, friend.

I brought some men with me back from Billings.

They're camped outside town.

Each has $200 in gold.

The reason he has it is to make a change.

This contract allows Leland Enterprises to operate in this town.

Now, you sign it and give it to me this afternoon,

or there won't be one building left standing by tonight.

And old horse, if you're still around,

stay out of it, huh?

He's fast, like you said.

He just nicked me,

but I won't be able to hold a razor with that hand for a week.

Come on, Ben, let's get inside and take care of that arm.

You all right, Frank?

Yeah, I'm all right.

I think we've all got some talking to do.

We'll meet in the hotel.

I'm all right.

This is my--I'm all right!

Well?

It's legal.

It'll hold up in any court in the land.

Keith, in plain words, what does it say?

In plain words,

it says that Leland Enterprises

can take a 99-year lease on any property in this town

and use it as they see fit.

In other words, they'd control the town.

That's about it.

Well?

What happens now?

Well, I suppose we have to find out

what this town means to us...

to all of us

and the price that we're willing to pay.

Is it worth our lives?

Is it, Frank?

I can't talk for you, Keith.

I can't say for any others.

For myself, I think it is.

You don't have any children, Frank.

It's different when you've got children.

Yup, I suppose it is.

Look, we were all in this just for a gamble.

We weren't risking our lives,

just, um, money.

Devlin's right.

No sense in getting killed for a scrubland

with a lot of beat-up, old buildings.

If we sign this, we still get a fair return on our investment.

With this money, we can wait as long as it takes

for the railroad to come through.

So we sell out, huh?

and leave the town to Leland and the others, is that it?Yes.

Yes!

We come out ahead on the deal.

What happens after that is none of our business.

And you, do you think like the rest of them do, huh?

It's time I was getting on home.

Sara's got her hands full with the baby.

I'll see you all later.

DEVLIN: Good night, Keith.

Ben.

Where will you go?

I haven't given it much thought.

I will when I ride out.

This could've been a nice little town.

I'll walk you home.

Frank.

Frank, where have you been?

Walking.

It's been over two hours.

Frank.

Frank?

Frank, I went along with the others

not for the money,

but because of you.

I don't care about money, this town, anything.

Only you.

I love you...

and I don't want you killed

because of foolish pride.

Is that what you think it is, Lois?

Foolish pride?

Maybe it was once.

I suppose that any man who works for $7 a week

hopes that some day he'll be important, powerful...

but I have got a lot of good people tangled up in this...

and now somehow

being important,

it just doesn't mean anything...

but those people, they do mean something,

and so does this town,

and I want it to be a good, decent town, Lois.

But the others wanted you to sign.

Maybe,

and maybe they wanted me to take a stand.

You had no choice.

Didn't I?

Don't we have a choice?

Are we suppose to stand by and let them walk right into a town

that we built, that we breathed life into

and let them rip the heart right out of our hopes and dreams?

You want me to accept that?

Do you want me to accept it, Lois?

No, Frank.

Hello, boys.

Figured you'd be gone by now.

I don't like to travel in the heat of the day unless I have to.

[ chattering ]

You ever been in on the death rattle of a town, son?

No.

Well, you will today.

It won't be a quick, clean death.

It'll be a slow, dirty one.

Folks can get rich by destroying a town

same as they can building one,

and that's a lot easier.

[ wagon approaching ]

MAN: Hey, look. Here comes the Bentleys.

[ baby crying ]

[ townspeople clamoring ]

What happened, Keith?

They burned our house, Ben,

burned everything to the ground.

Oh, Sara. Here, let me have the baby.

You all right, Keith?

You want to talk now?

They rode into our place,

about 10 of them.

We told them we signed the contract.

Conway wanted to make sure we didn't change our minds.

They laughed while they put the torch to the house.

They were laughing when I was trying to fight the flames.

Then they put us in the buggy.

Then they said to tell you that they'd be here by 5:00,

said to stay off the streets till they told us different.

[ clamoring ]

Frank, if you still want to stay and fight,

you won't be alone.

I helped build this street.

There's no man going to tell me

when I can or can't walk on it.

I'm staying.

MAN #1: We'll stay and fight.

MAN #2: Yes, Frank, we'll stay.

WOMAN: We'll stay, too.

MAN #3: I'll back you up, Frank.

MAN #4: We'll back you up, Frank. We'll make a fight of it.

Okay, get your guns. We'll make a stand.

What about you, Frank?

[ tearing ]

MAN: That's all I wanted to see.

We've got 15 minutes before they ride in.

All right, Ben, what do we do?

We get a hold of all the wagons

and bales of hay that we can

and set up a barricade

down there and up there.

They could come from either direction.

Fredicks, Bolin, Greer,

get up on those roofs

and make your fire count.

All right, the kids, the women, what do we do about them?

The hotel is the safest place in town.

Tell them to stay put.

Right.

Phillips, Rigney, take a wagon.Lois, Philly, Miss Mathews--

Get yourselves a wagon.

Load it up with a water barrel and some food.

We may be here for quite a while.

Now, the rest of you,

get your weapons and get back quick as you can.

Now, come on! Let's get on it.

The sun has cooled off some.

Shouldn't you be on your way?

What chance do they have against them?

We'll know in about 10 minutes.

Stay inside and stay away from the windows, all right?

Yes, we know.

Come back to me.

Please?

Stay away from those windows.

Something troubling you, son?

Men getting killed always troubles me.

No call for you to fret about it.

How much help do you figure you'd be with your arm like that?

I can make do.

Well, those warm, easy years you were telling me about

are kind of bunching up on you, aren't they?

Could be.

I'm no hero, son.

I got over all that foolishness a lot of years ago.

A man sets himself a way of living.

Hard to break the mold,

and me, well, I just never learned how to run.

Or ask for help.

I never figured I'd need help.

Deputy only pays a dollar a day.

Man would be a fool to take the job now.

[ badge clunks onto table ]

And I'd never ask him to.

Good, good.

Water and food here?

It's all taken care of. It's right over here.

Enough to last for three days.

You men ready up there?

How about you?

That does it.

Now what do we do?

We wait...

about two minutes,

and then...

So he decided to take the job, huh?

Ben, you didn't have any right to ask him.

It's not his fight.

A man like that does what he wants to do,

not what people ask him to do.

Well,

reckon we're ready.

Ten of them.We outnumber them.

[ guns cocking ]

That depends.

On what?

On how much better gunfighters we are.

Come on, this way.

What are they doing now, Ben?

They'll be back.

What do you think?

I think I made a mistake burning the Bentley spread.

How so?

You wouldn't understand that, Lonnie.

Your kind never does.

What makes you think you're any different than me?

Yeah, maybe you're right.

All I know is you said this would be a walk-in.

It don't look like no walk-in to me.

Still can be.

Those men aren't gunfighters.

Hear bullets cut past their head,

they'll lose their stomach for fighting.

Suppose they don't?

I say they will.

Yo!

[ cocking rifles ]

Ben, I want one more try to stop this before men are killed.

What you have in mind?

I want to talk to him.

If you think it'll help, go ahead.

He's a fool to go out there alone.

Well, old horse, you changed jobs after all.

For a while.

You chose sides.

Midge, these men,

they're not going to let you take their town.

They intend to fight.

Then they'll die.

But why, Midge?

It can't mean that much to you.

You're wrong.

Now, all I got to show for 10 years work

is this horse under me and the rags on my back.

Frank, what are you doing? Frank.

But if I wrap this job up, I'm riding clear from there on out.

So you see, it is important to me.

Trampas!

You go back there, you can cause me an awful lot of misery.

See, if I kill you, I can walk all over the rest of them.

I'm, uh...

sorry it had to end this way for us.

So am I.

Like I always say,

each man has his own way to go.

[ fires ]

Hold it, Deke!

Hold your fire.

All right, now, you tell the others,

they want to send a torch to this town, to come ahead.

but a lot of you are going to die doing it.

All right.

If Leland wants this town, he can fight for it.

Come on, boys.

[ gasping ]

Now we know who's fastest.

Proud of you, Frank.

You think that settles it, Ben,

or will Leland try again?

No, he's made his move.

He won't push it.

Keith...

If I give you the money,

will you give it back to Leland?

I'll take care of it.

Well, we're right back where we started from--

no money, no word when the railroad's going to come through,

if at all...

but I think we know what this town means to us.

If it's worth

fighting to hold, at least for myself,

it's--

it's worth working to build.

Now, we've got the land,

can give us everything that we need,

but it's going to take a lot of hard work.

We're going to have to work with our hands.

We're going to have to work with our backs.

It's not going to be easy.

Now, it's up to you.

Sara and I've got a home to rebuild

and some good ranch land to start working.

Keith, there's a lot of people around here

will be out there to give you a hand.

Thank you, Bert.

Trampas.

Well, it's time I was leaving, Frank.

I--

we all want to thank you very much.

Our door is always open to you, Trampas.

I'll remember that.

So long, Frank.

Trampas.

Bye, now.

BEN: Trampas.

Looks like I've got a town to run again.

Yeah.

Oh.

You better take this, Ben.

You might be needing it again sometime.

Your wages, son.

You earned it.

Ben, I don't think I'd enjoy spending it.

You take care of yourself, you hear?

You do the same, son.

[ theme music playing ]