Original subtitles

Are you all right?

What's your business, mister?

Well, no need for that gun...

I'm lucas mccain, this is my son mark, we're your neighbors.

An' we just stopped by on our way to town to say hello.

All right, you've said hello, now clear out.

Please go.

And stay away from my wife!

To drive the neighbors away with a gun?

How can we live here after that, jake?

Big man, that mccain, like andy travis?

No, not like andy travis, like you were once, jake.

A man I could look up to, respect, a strong man.

Jake, this is the third time we've moved in a year,

It's already startin'.

I didn't ask him here an' I don't want 'im around.

The horse reared an' threw me because you beat her.

He was helpin' me to my feet.

You don't believe that.

No, not when you have to flirt with every man you meet.

If I just talk to a man, you say I'm flirtin'!

I can't live this way, jake.

I'm... Shut away from people an'... Shut away from you.

I sure can't get over that mr. Owens,

We were just payin' a neighborly call, was all.

Well, he's a strange man, son, I agree.

I want a few words with micah, maybe you better

Pick up the mail an' I'll meet you at the barber shop.

Barber shop? Was just a month ago, pa.

Hmm?

Well... Maybe it could wait another week.

I'll meet you back here.

Thought you were on a diet?

Well, a diet doesn't mean I have to starve myself to death.

Why not do it the easy way?

Just stop eatin', you'll lose that 10 pounds in no time.

Stop eatin'? What'll I do for energy to get my work done.

What work?

The heaviest thing you've picked up in 20 years is a cell key.

You know that's the trouble with this job,

People think that all it is, is wearin' a star

An' shakin' enough hands to get elected again.

By the way, uh, did you meet your new neighbors yet?

Yeah, I met them.

I just saw 'em for a minute when they arrived,

They were busy movin' in.

You'll like jake an' his wife, they're nice people, lucas.

How well do you know jake owens?

Oh, about as well as I know you.

Of course, 'til he moved here, I hadn't seen 'im in...

Oh, maybe four or five years.

He was wearin' a badge then in rebels falls, missouri,

But he'd already made a reputation for himself.

Owens wore a badge?

That's right, gave it up to become a cattle rancher.

I'm glad they moved here.

What's the matter, lucas?

You said you met jake, what did you think of 'im?

Now maybe he's changed a little, micah, since you knew 'im.

How long will you be?

About half an hour.

Half hour to pick out a hat!

Well, I have a few other things to get.

All here? I'll be back.

Travis, there's our boy comin' into town.

Headin' right for the saloon.

Still likes his liquor, I see.

Hmm.

Can't say I blame jake for buildin' a fence

Around that filly, she's pretty temptin'.

If you like arrogant women.

Turned you down, huh?

Well, jake owens doesn't think so.

I saw to that, an' it's torturin' him.

He even gave up his badge to get her out of town.

Lookin' at that leg he put a bullet in,

I'd say he's even with you.

Is that supposed to be a sample of your wit?

Put it away, simms, I've told you a dozen times

It won't be done in a handgun fight.

Be the easiest way, with jake owens' temper,

I- I throw a couple of words at 'im in the saloon,

He draws... He dies.

Maybe he dies... No, that would be too easy for him.

Besides, he was no slouch with a gun as a marshal.

That don't scare me, it's the way I like it, gun against gun.

Simms, I'm satisfyin' your pocket book,

Not your sense of enjoyment.

We'll dispose of owens my way.

You're footin' the bill.

Oh!

Sorry I- I usually look where I'm going, mrs. Owens.

That's all right, mr. Mccain.

That's very pretty, what is it, ma'am?

It's a hat.

Oh, a hat.

This is one of woman's small pleasures

An' one I haven't indulged in for a long time.

You know, north fork is a surprise to me,

It's so much bigger than I expected.

Ah... It's a growing town.

You're a surprise, too, mrs. Owens.

Oh, in what way?

Well, you don't fit the pattern, livin' on a ranch.

It's like findin' a... Thoroughbred pullin' a plough.

Oh, well, thank you for the compliment.

I was born an' raised in the east,

An' life there is a little different for a woman.

It's not easy runnin' a small ranch.

Hmm, a woman's work is never done. I manage-

I told you to keep away from my wife!

Jake, you have no right to presume-

Shut up!

This is your second warnin', mccain,

You're not gonna get a third.

You're makin' a scene, would you take me home?

You call yourself a husband?

She's my wife, mccain,

An' the next time I have to tell you that,

It'll be with a gun in my hand.

Jake? Jake? What's the matter with you, what's the trouble?

Ask him, he's an old friend of yours.

Micah, how well do you know mccain?

As good a friend as I have in the world,

An' a man you can trust.

I don't trust any man where my wife is concerned,

Keep him away from me, micah.

What's wrong with you, jake?

What's happened between you an' fay?

Nothin' that concerns you.

Jake, look at me. Jake?

I always knew you were jealous of fay,

But I never thought I'd live to see the day

You'd treat her like you just did.

I don't want any trouble with you over mccain.

Any trouble will be of your own makin'.

And hers, the minute my back is turned.

Mccain is a friend of yours, keep him away from me.

And a long way from my wife.

Travis: Whom the gods will destroy, they first make mad,

With an assist from me.

What's that mean?

I've made jake owens think he married an incurable flirt,

An' it's drivin' him berserk,

An' makin' both their lives miserable.

I thought you just wanted 'im dead?

Oh, I do, in time.

But if he keeps antagonizin' that sodbuster

They call the rifleman, he won't be long for this world.

That would mean I made a trip for nothin'.

Simms, if owens dies, it doesn't make any difference

Who the executioner is, you or mccain.

Now, you better hurry, son, before miss prichard

Puts you to choppin' kindlin' wood for being late.

Yeah, she doesn't miss a chance

At gettin' somebody on that wood pile.

Now, I'd say that's a practical way

Of settin' aside winter firewood.

Well, you wouldn't think it was so practical if...

If you were the one choppin' more than half the pile.

Well, I guess that would slant my outlook on it.

Mark, ever since you got up this mornin',

You seem to have somethin' on your mind.

Well, I- I was thinkin', pa, today we were studyin' about...

Well, about english kings, an'... Well,

I was just figurin' it was more important for me to help you

Finish fixin' those fence posts on the north line.

You're worrying about that north line being too close

To the owens ranch, aren't you?

Sort of.

Well, no sense me tellin' you not to worry about it,

Worries don't shed too easy, that's certainly the truth.

He sure is an unreasonable man, that's the truth, too.

There's an old sayin', mark,

The things we worry about most, never come to pass,

So with that in mind, why don't you start ridin'

An' try an' beat that school bell?

You mean, if I keep on worryin' about being late

Then it won't come to pass an'... I'll be early?

You can try it, you can also

Try hustlin' just to play it doubly safe. Now get goin'.

Mrs. Owens! I'm sorry I disturbed you.

You didn't.

This is my north line, I'm replacin' some fence posts.

Well, I rode out here just to get from the house,

Someplace where I could think.

Well, then I'd better let you be, I can start further down.

Stay, please?

I don't really like being alone.

Sometimes it has its advantages.

I suppose so.

But then it takes a certain kind of strength to face loneliness,

I'm afraid I don't have that strength.

Actually I have another reason for being here.

I- I saw you repairing fences yesterday and, uh,

I wanted to apologize for the embarrassing scene in town.

It's just a man, doin' some early day drinkin'.

You're very kind.

You're a widower, mr. Mccain, you know what loneliness is.

My wife died a long time ago.

Did you ever... Doubt her? Were you jealous?

I loved her.

An' you believed her when she told you she loved you?

Lucky man, thank you.

Thought for a minute, owens has something,

Them two meetin' out here like this.

Oh, it's all quite innocent,

But rugs have been woven out of fewer threads.

Putting it another way, simms,

I think we've got enough here to start a snowball rollin'.

And this would be the perfect spot to end it. Come on.

-Pa? -Hmm?

I've been thinkin'.

Well, I guess that's a good sign your schooling's payin' off.

No, I... I've been thinking about a way

Dishes could wash themselves.

Suppose you had a box, I-

I mean a box that didn't leak water an'...

An' you put the dirty dishes in it?

Well, I guess that could be arranged.

Well, the rest would be simple, you...

You just tie the soapy water box on the back of a horse an'...

An' jog 'im around the house a few times.

Oh, no, I guess it wouldn't be too practical.

No, I don't think so, son.

Well, I've gotta get these wire cutters sharp

An' then get out to the north line

An' replace some fence posts.

I'll have my chores done by the time you get back.

Hello, micah.

Lucas, mark? Could I, uh, have a word with you alone, lucas?

Sure, son?

Oh, I- I'll get the wagon hitched up for you, pa.

What's up, micah?

What's goin' on between you an'... Fay owens?

What are you talkin' about?

Is it true that you two had a meetin'

At your north fence this mornin'?

Well, what do you wanna hear,

That I've been seein' jake's wife?

Well, have you?

-Not the way you mean! -Is there another way?

You know there is!

Fay owens is an unhappy woman,

No man has a right to treat her the way jake does.

I agree, but after all, they are man an' wife.

An' what's between them, should be settled between them.

Who told you about our meetin' this mornin'?

Nobody!

Near as I can figure the talk started

In the saloon an' spread-

Well, talk is the one thing I never listen to!

I wouldn't do anythin' to add to it, lucas.

Oh... I'm sorry for her, micah, that's all,

Being married to a man who doesn't trust her.

I don't know what's happened to jake,

He always did have a quick temper, but this...

This jealousy of his, I... I'd stay away from 'im, lucas,

An' from fay, too.

Aren't you drinkin' a lot lately?

Maybe I've got good reason to get drunk today.

What do you mean?

I heard about you an' mccain.

You heard what? There's nothin' to hear.

You deny meetin' him at the north line?

No, I don't deny it,

I went there to apologize to him for your behavior.

Oh, I heard a different story in town.

I don't care what you heard.

How about today? Feel he needs another apology today?

The bettin' in town is mccain will be fixin' fences again

Today with you right there helpin' him.

Jake, this is ridiculous.

Maybe I'm upsettin' that by cuttin' short

My business in town.

Would you not start with this unreasonable jealousy again?

Unreasonable?

What about andy travis,

An' all those times I saw him ridin' away from our house?

I will tell you again, there was nothin' between us.

He was never in my house,

I never saw him anywhere near the house.

Well, I heard a different kind of talk.

Talk, that's all it was!

For the hundredth time, travis was a braggart,

A lonesome creature who bragged about all women

Who rejected him.

You shot him for his braggin'. Nothing else.

Jake, your jealousy is destroyin' us.

It's already robbed you of the most important thing

In your life, your job as a lawman.

The most important thing in my life is you,

And I intend to fight for you!

You don't have to fight for me, I'm your wife, I love you.

Mr. Mccain is expectin' a visitor at the north line,

We don't wanna disappoint him!

Jake!

Jake? Jake, believe me, please!

Come on now, impatience,

Owens ought to be along pretty soon now.

I say we should cut down on owens the minute he shows,

And head out, nobody would know the difference.

I'd know the difference.

No, we'll let mccain take care of the job.

An' if owens comes out of it alive,

We'll take care of 'im then.

What about mccain being a witness?

Well, it hardly seems sensible to leave such a loose end

Danglin', does it?

I warned you, mccain,

The third time I talked to you would be with a gun.

If you came out here because of that talk in town,

You're makin' a mistake.

No mistake! That kind of talk don't start by itself.

You got your gun, use it.

You're makin' a mistake, owens.

I got a belly full of lies, mccain, use it!

Now?

I'll take mccain.

How am I gonna convince-

Jake?

It's all right, who was it down there?

Andy travis was one of them.

Travis!

And you sayin' it was just talk, he even followed you here.

Jake, he must have started the rumors here in north fork,

Just as he-

Oh, jake, no.

You wanted me out of the way, then you'd go to him.

You're a fool, owens.

This fellow, travis, you think he just wanted you dead?

That could have been easily arranged, ambush, no witnesses.

Are you so blind you can't see that he just wanted

Your jealousy, your sickness to cause your death?

You are a fool.

fool.

This one isn't too clean, pa.

Well, I guess the best dish washer is still a woman, huh?

I guess so.

Ma was as pretty as mrs. Owens, wasn't she?

Yes, she was.

Were you ever jealous over ma, like mr. Owens was?

Oh, maybe a little while we were courtin',

But not after we were married.

You know, son, bein' jealous means a...

A man doesn't... Well, doesn't really trust himself,

And he doesn't trust his wife to know her own mind

When she says she loves him.

Your ma always knew her own mind.

Yeah, say, pa, about that dishwashin' box idea,

I've been thinkin' about it some more an'...

An' suppose we had a little windmill.

Windmill?

Well, sure we... We could attach the windmill shaft to...

To sort of a rockin' chair an' every time the windmill turned,

The rocker would go back and forth an'...

An' rock all the dishes clean.

Well, it's a good idea,

But how about the days the wind doesn't blow?

Oh, I never thought about that.

Hey, pa, tommy hamilton once let his dog lick his plate clean

An'... His ma never knew the difference.

So what if we had, uh, one of those old farm dogs

With one of those big old lappin' tongues,

Who is always hungry? Why, he...

I guess that would be sort of be a- an unsanitary dishwasher.

Yeah.