Original subtitles

* [Charles Gounod: "Funeral March of a Marionette"]

Good evening.

Perhaps I should explain this.

My wife had these posters printed up as a joke.

Of course, she doesn't really want me.

Anyway, there isn't a chance I'll be recognized.

They're passport photographs.

This one is for going abroad...

and this one, for coming back.

My excuse for making these undignified remarks...

is that tonight's story, "The Belfry," concerns a wanted man.

In fact, an entire town is looking for him.

Such popularity must be deserved...

and, in this case, it is.

But I shall allow you to learn the details on your own.

First, however, I want you to hear this description...

of a much wanted product.

Listen closely.

It may be in your neighborhood store.

If it is, apprehend it at once.

The reward is high.

[bell ringing]

[children yelling]

I'm sure everyone's heard it by now, Albert.

Yes, ma'am. Hey, Luke. Wait for me!

Why, hello, Clint.

You keeping anybody after school today, Ellie?

No, I wanted to leave early.

I was kind of hoping we could walk over, have a look at the house.

I'm sorry, Clint, I-- You ain't seen it lately.

I'm just about ready to put the roof on it.

It ought to be all finished by summer vacation.

That's fine.

You must be anxious to get moved in.

It's gonna be real nice, Ellie.

Three rooms, and we can add more to them, if we need them.

We?

You and me.

We can get married as soon as school's out.

You mustn't talk that way, Clint.

I like you a lot and I surely appreciate your asking me...

but I can't accept.

You can't change your mind now.

All in your mind, Clint.

Just 'cause I let you walk me home from school couple of times...

didn't mean anything.

You got the wrong idea. Why, I'm sorry.

[stuttering] You don't understand, Ellie.

I'm building the house for you, if you'd just come and look at it.

That wouldn't hardly be proper, since I just got engaged.

Walt Norton gave it to me last night.

We aim to get married soon as school's out.

What?

You can't marry nobody else, Ellie. I ain't gonna stand for it. Do you hear me?

I hear you, Clint Ringle--

All these months I've been calling for you...

building a house, and waiting for school to let out.

I didn't make you any promises.

You never gave me a chance to ask you. If you had, I'd have said no.

I'm marrying Walt Norton. That's the end of it.

No, it ain't. Yes.

Howdy, Clint.

Did you hear about me and Ella? I was just telling him.

It don't make no difference what she says.

She ain't marrying nobody, unless it's me.

You just give back the ring, Ellie, 'cause you ain't marrying him.

Give it back, you hear me? What's the matter with you?

[Ellie screaming]

[sobbing]

(Albert) Don't you touch her, Clint Ringle.

Clint Ringle hit Walt Norton with an axe.

(Clint) I fixed him, fixed that Walt Norton good.

He had it coming.

He shouldn't have tried to take Ellie away from me.

He ain't gonna marry nobody now.

But don't you worry none, Ellie.

It's gonna be all right.

We'll go someplace else, and build another house.

Just like this one.

This is a kitchen, Ellie.

The stove goes right here, with a place for a wood box.

I was gonna build a big cupboard over here.

Women like big cupboards.

You would have liked the parlor, too.

I was gonna make that real nice for you.

We could sit in there after supper,

and you could read out of them books to me.

I'd have liked that, Ellie.

This was gonna be our bedroom.

And when we needed more, I'd have built as many as we needed.

It sure was gonna be nice, Ellie.

But we'll build another one.

[dogs barking]

[thunder clapping]

My lantern's running out of oil.

Mine, too.

Just wait till I get a hand on him. That's all I ask.

When we do, we'll turn him over to the sheriff.

We ain't gonna have no lynching.

The sheriff ought to be here, then.

He'll come along.

(Harlin) Anybody know what way the Blake boys went?

(Elmer) Took off down the Possum's Walk.

(Joe) They'd do better to try North Fork.

(Elmer) Likely holed up in a hollow log.

Yeah.

It's up to you, Elmer. You is Walt's cousin.

What do you reckon you ought to do?

We ain't gonna catch nothing but pneumonia standing here.

Maybe we'd better go back to the school and get organized.

Somebody shine a light over here. My lantern just went out.

Never mind. I found it.

Let's go.

(Clint) Fooled them. I sure thought I was a goner.

Gotta hole up someplace.

Just for a couple of days. They'll get tired.

And then Ellie and me will go away.

Where ain't they gonna look?

I know a place.

Right near Ellie.

Real cozy.

(Elmer) Howdy, Sheriff. (Sheriff) Hello, Elmer.

Well, Sheriff. What do you think?

Well, the way I see it, there's only two directions he can go.

Over the ridge or west to the state line.

(Joe) Might try the North Fork. Wouldn't ever make it.

All this rain, why she's swole up till the banks won't hold her.

Elmer, do you want to take your boys and work over the ridge?

Sure do.

The rest of them can come with me.

We're bound to flush him out by morning.

Whoever finds him, come back here and ring the bell.

That'll draw everybody in. All right.

Let's get moving.

(Clint) Go ahead, you fools.

I'll be here when you get tired and go home.

Ain't nobody around these parts ever gonna see me and Ellie again.

[birds chirping]

(man) Let's go home and get a bite to eat

and a little rest before we start out again.

Don't reckon there'll be no school today. No.

Ellie took to her bed.

She was all busted up about Walt.

She'll be back on the job tomorrow.

She's gonna need that $60 a month more than ever now.

You ask me, she gave the Sheriff a mighty sensible suggestion.

"Keep a watch on that house of his," she said.

"That's where he'll go, back to that old shack he's building."

(Clint) You shouldn't have called it that, Ellie.

You shouldn't have called it an old shack.

It was gonna be our house.

I guess I was wrong about you, Ellie.

You ain't a nice girl like I thought.

You're no better than that Walt Norton, and I took care of him.

If I had known I'd have finished you, too, while I was at it.

And it ain't too late.

All right, children. Now we're gonna have some problems in long division.

Who wrote that on the board?

That was a mean, horrible thing to do.

Which one of you is responsible?

One of you boys did it, and I want him to be man enough to admit it.

I'm waiting.

Albert?

No, ma'am. I never wrote it.

Luke?

No, Miss Marsh. Honest I didn't.

Please, ma'am. It was there when I came.

And I was the first one in the room.

[children chattering]

Andy, Andy, Over.

(Albert) I could have had it, but you got in my way.

(boy) Just throw the ball!

Andy, Andy, Over!

(Luke) Now look what you went and done.

You gotta go up there and get it.

Stop your yelling. I'll get it.

Give me a boost.

[children chattering]

[bell ringing]

[children yelling]

All right, children. You may all go home now.

Put your books away and leave quietly.

No loitering around the schoolyard...

and no shouting till you get past the side road.

Have a nice weekend.

See you on Monday, Miss Marsh. Bye.

Bye. Thank you, Miss Marsh. See you Monday.

Bye.

[bell ringing]

[children chattering]

That's enough, Albert.

Yes, ma'am.

Hey, Luke, wait for me!

[sobbing]

[Sheriff whistling]

[door closing]

[door closing]

(Sheriff) Miss Ellie.

Hello, Sheriff.

I reckon it might be a good idea if I walked home with you.

Just a moment.

It's real nice of you, Sheriff, but I'm all right.

No need to take no chances, as long as Clint Ringle's in these parts.

He's likely three counties away by now.

Never can tell.

You know, Sam Leggett said somebody slept in his haystack last night.

Why, I was told by Walt's cousin, Elmer...

that Ab Harlin swears he saw him over Pottersville.

That's always the way.

People see 'em 10 different places at once.

He wouldn't dare show his face around here.

I don't know.

Young Albert Grinstead told me...

there was some writing on the blackboard this morning.

Was there, Miss Ellie?

Some silly scrawl. I'm sure one of the children put it there.

I'd like to look at it all the same. I rubbed it off.

It was just a prank, one of the boys.

(Sheriff) If you say so.

Ready?

[door closing]

(Clint) You wait, Ellie; I'll get you. You just wait.

Next week, nobody will come to walk you home.

Working out real nice, ain't it?

I got two days to catch up on my sleep.

Then it'll be Monday.

You won't be so pretty by then.

By the time they find you, I'll be long gone and hard to find.

[birds chirping]

[footsteps pattering]

(Luke) I still think we ought to go fishing, Albert.

(Albert) I said I'd get that ball and I will.

I got another ball at home.

You fall off that roof and you're gonna kill yourself.

I ain't scared of slipping.

(Sheriff) Hey! Get down from there.

What do you want to do, fall and break your neck?

(Luke) We lost a ball up there.

It's gonna stay there. Now, come on, son, get down from there.

[thud]

(Elmer) Sure wish Ella hadn't rubbed that writing off.

I'd know that scrawl of Clint Ringle's anywhere.

Yeah, he was probably looking for food.

If he was here, he's gone now.

He's had three nights to travel.

He's probably clean out of the state by now.

Yeah. Sure hate to see that skunk get away...

but sure looks like he's gone for good.

You look around. I'll get the place ready for church tomorrow.

Yeah, go ahead.

*[congregation singing]

(Clint) Go ahead, sing all the hymns you want.

It ain't gonna bring Walt Norton back.

(preacher) I have taken my text from Numbers...

Chapter 35, Verse 16.

"And if he smite him with an instrument of iron...

"so that he die...

"then he is a murderer:

"the murderer must surely be put to death."

We have all been saddened by the untimely passing...

of our good friend and neighbor, Walter Norton.

How many of us have asked ourselves:

"Why did this happen?

"Why does a good man die in the prime of life...

"and a murderer go free?"

But is the murderer free?

"Thou shalt not kill.

"He that killeth by the sword...

"must be killed by the sword."

(Clint) You gotta catch me first, and you ain't gonna.

[snickering]

(congregation) * Abide with me

* fast falls the eventide

* The darkness deepens

* Lord, with me abide

* When other helpers

* fail, and comforts flee

* Help of the helpless

* O abide

* with me *

(preacher) Brothers and sisters...

at 3:00 this afternoon there will be a service for Walter Norton.

[man coughing]

I want you all to try and be there.

(Clint) Nothing to worry about now.

No more meetings.

No more ringing the bell.

No more kids.

Tomorrow, I'll get Ellie and then, I'll light out of here.

[sighing]

I gotta get some sleep.

I gotta get ready to move.

"Till thou return unto the ground...

"for out of it thou wast taken...

"for dust thou art...

"and unto dust shalt thou return."

As Walter Norton lived...

so let us remember him.

"Our Father which art in heaven."

[birds chirping]

[screaming]

[bell ringing]

That was satisfying, wasn't it?

It couldn't have happened to a nicer person.

And speaking of nice people...

before I return...

we will have a few quips...

from television's most tolerant sponsor.

Surprised you, didn't I?

Good night.

* [Charles Gounod: "Funeral March of a Marionette"]