Original subtitles

Hold it!

- What happened? - Nothing. The safe was clean.

Nothin'! All this for nothin'?

Stop!

I... forgive you.

And this here bunch of old cow waddles, you know,

is all hunkered down in a circle around the campfire,

and directly this here new feller come up and set down in the circle.

And then one of these here old boys says, "64,"

and everybody just busted loose and started to laughin'

and squallin' and the hoorahing and the thumping the ground,

and this new feller says,

"Say, Mister," said, "What's going on here?"

And this here old boy said...

Telegram, Marshal.

Oh, thanks, Burke.

He says, "Well, we're a-telling jokes,

but we've all heard 'em so blamed much

that we got 'em numbered, don't ya see?"

How about a beer, Burke?

No, thanks, Miss Kitty. I gotta go back to the freight office.

So this here young feller said, "Well, that sounds like a pretty good idea."

He says, "Do you all care if I go ahead and tell one?"

This here old boy said, "Well, shoot, no. Go ahead on."

Uh, anything important?

Burke! I'm telling a joke.

Some can tell 'em and some can't.

Why, you blabberty-mouth knockhead.

Big blab mouth.

Ya dang...

What is it, Matthew?

Some sheriff was shot down in Cascabel, New Mexico.

Gang came through, and they think it's the same bunch

that shot Marshal Cubbing here last month.

Well, they expecting you to ride clean down yonder?

Well, they want a U.S. Marshal, and I'm the nearest one available.

Well, that'll take a week, Matt.

Yeah, just about.

You want me to ride along with you, Matthew?

No, Festus, you stay here and keep an eye on things for me, will ya?

I'll be back before long.

Dropped in the dirt.

Now, that ain't very respectful of Trafton, now is it?

Sure ain't.

Yeah, it's a pretty penny's worth.

All right, stay where you are, Capps.

Howdy, Trafton.

Where you boys headed?

Just lookin' for you.

Just wondering where you going and abouts.

We heard you rode away with a sack from the church.

Now, if you got anything, we figure, uh,

we deserve a little piece of it.

That's what you figure, is it?

Well, I figure you boys better climb down off them horses.

I never figured you for this, Trafton.

All right, slap them horses out.

We can't walk back from here.

Gettin' closer, ain't I?

Drop them gun belts. You're going for a swim.

I can't swim, Trafton.

Sure, you can.

I can't swim. I never learned how.

It's easier'n dyin'.

Now, drop them gun belts.

All right, you boys start pullin' water.

And don't look back. You're liable to lose an eye.

Trafton, don't leave me.

I'm gut-shot.

Trafton, I hurt.

Please, Trafton. I can't stand the pain.

Why don't you just die?

Shoot me.

Do it.

Well, go ahead!

Ain't nothin' I can do for you.

You can kill me.

I don't feel like it.

You... you...

you dirty, yellow, egg-sucking...

Trafton.

Like givin' oats to a dead horse.

It's about time.

Name's Whale.

Quail?

It's been a long day.

Now, who are you?

Where ya from?

What do you want? And get it right.

Name's Trafton. I'm from most places.

I'm a traveling salesman.

You don't look like no drummer I ever seen.

Well, you don't look like no whale I ever seen.

- Why, you... - Hey!

New boy in town, the way I take it, Whale.

Now, we don't get no repeat business if all you leave is bones and boots.

Says his name is Trafton.

Says he's a drummer.

Ever see a drummer look like him?

Especially one with such a big mouth.

You better be more than a drummer if you sass Whale here.

What are you drumming?

Some solid gold goodies to match you.

Why, these are church things.

How would you know?

How'd you get 'em?

Took 'em.

From a church?

That's where they keep 'em.

Oh, Lord be.

Why?

Money.

Ain't you got no morals?

I got as many as you've got, tramp.

Why, you...

Don't, Mister.

Why not?

Big man, you come just about as close as you can come

to get yourself gathered by a rake.

You filth!

It's nice to have made your acquaintance, Miss Mary.

The only ones I saw were the two the townsmen picked up.

You should have seen them.

No horses, no guns, soaked.

Say their partner, named Trafton, ambushed them.

- Where are they now? - In jail. We're holding them for trial.

Did you, uh, happen to know Sheriff Niles, Dillon?

No, I never met him, but I knew of him. He was a good man.

You know how much it cost me to bring him out here?

$1,000.

But I didn't mind paying the price.

People know you're taking care of them, they work hard.

And then those viper snakes comes in and kills my man.

Two men, Bannion.

Two men?

Oh, Father Carter, God rest his soul.

I have great respect for Father Carter.

But it's... it's not like he was going anywhere in business.

Goodbye, Mr. Bannion.

Buenas noches, señor.

You got something to eat?

Where's your folks?

They have gone to God.

You live here alone, huh?

Yes.

And why's that? Why don't you go where there's some other folks?

This is my home. Why should I leave it?

There ain't nothin' to do.

Some more milk?

Yes.

Tell me something, boy.

You ever do anything bad in your life?

I don't understand.

You know, something you were ashamed of.

Something... Something real bad you couldn't get out of your head.

Two years ago, when my father was alive,

I lied to him.

About what?

I told him a wolf got one of the goats.

That wasn't true, huh?

No.

I sold the goat to Mr. Ramirez.

What'd you do with the money?

I bought a knife with many blades.

You figure that was real bad, do ya?

Where's the knife now?

I put it in my father's grave.

What kind of a fool thing was that to do?

I didn't have the money to give back,

so I gave him the knife.

Good knife rusting in the ground.

There ain't no sense to that.

It made me feel better.

We must always pay for the bad we do.

Always.

Oh, he was somethin', Marshal.

Chilled me to look at him.

You know, I been in business a long time,

and I thought I'd heard it all,

but killin' a priest.

And lootin' a church.

I hope you kill him.

God, forgive me.

Well, that sounds like the man, all right.

There's no two like him. I'll tell you that.

Whale, come here.

Tell him.

Marshal, I ain't seen nobody lightning-sharp like he was.

He tore up that shotgun of mine like it was made out of pretzels.

I'll remember that.

Thanks.

Bye, Marshal.

- Bye, Marshal. - Bye.

I wouldn't mind having a seat in a tree when them two come together.

I wanna thank you good folks for coming today.

I hope I may see you all next week.

In the meantime, above all things,

keep forever open your heart for the Lord.

For He sees you always.

He suffers for you.

He stands next to you constantly.

He whispers to your soul, which is His,

saying, "Hear me, loved one."

Those that are gone are not gone.

They see you. They hear you.

They stand beside you.

There is no death.

There is only eternal life.

God bless you.

Excuse me, Mrs. Farrell. Nice sermon, wasn't it?

Well, that ain't at all like her.

She'll usually talk a feller's leg off.

Maybe she didn't hear me.

What's wrong, Mama?

Why are we hurrying?

We've got a lot to do.

What do we gotta do, Mama?

It's Sunday.

We're gonna make some boysenberry cobblers. How about that?

I'll make the crust.

Fine, honey. Fine.

Oh.

Mama?

The flour's got weevils in it.

I said the flour's...

What's wrong, Mama?

I heard you.

Why don't you run over to Mrs. Miller's and see if you can borrow some?

But Mr. Nathrop's store is closer.

I don't wanna bother him on Sunday.

Go on now.

All right, Mama.

Missy.

That, uh, shop you just came out of,

a lady named Farrell run it?

That's my mother.

Your mother?

What's your name?

Maria.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Oh, well, it's just you're so pretty.

Thank you.

Tell me something, Maria.

How old are you?

I'll be 11 in January.

11 years old.

That's a ripe age.

Do you know my mother?

From a long time ago.

Is she in there?

Maria.

You run along now, honey.

He says he knows you.

Yes. Yes.

Go on now.

Tereese.

It's, uh, been a time.

You, uh, got some coffee.

No.

Go away.

Please

Look at this.

Look.

Ten years in Folsom Prison.

I thought cows was the only thing they branded.

If you can tell me the reason for that after a man's served his lawful time...

then you've got the reason they made Hell.

What do you want here?

Just some coffee.

What do you want here?

I got nothin' for you.

Just some coffee.

I never made that war. I never wanted to fight.

Just a boy helping his daddy on a little border thicket cow ranch.

Never shot nothin'.

Never shot nothin' except the needs for the table.

You know I can't tell you this minute why I joined.

Folks talkin', I suppose.

But I could ride,

and Billy Anderson's Raiders is where the riding was.

I saw and done more killin'

than a man's got a right to see or hear or...

feel.

Man comes away from that, it's...

like a ghost town, you know?

Like... broken windows in him, you know?

The wind sweepin' through his soul till he's hollow.

Hollow.

I don't wanna hear this.

And then seein' you.

I never knew nothing could be as pretty as you.

Was I pretty?

When you dragged me into that alley.

I was drunk. I don't hardly remember it.

I can't hardly forget.

Eh.

Guess that's kinda hard with the little girl around to remind ya.

How do you know about her?

Oh, I went back to Greensburg the following year with another herd.

Asked around, and found out you'd been, uh...

disgraced, they called it.

Moved to another town.

No one knew it was Dodge.

They knew.

Folks always know when there's something to tongue-wag about.

Is that, uh, coffee hot yet?

Why are you afraid of me?

I ain't hurt you but that once.

I been scared every day of my life.

Every single day.

Never knowing when you might come ridin' up.

Every stranger rode into town,

my heart jumped till I saw it wasn't you.

Why?

Why?

I got reasons aplenty!

For one, nobody knows about you.

Everyone thinks...

I had a husband.

What'll happen to Maria if they find out?

Look, I never told nobody.

I'll beg ya if you want.

Please go away from here and leave us be.

I gotta do something for you. For her.

The best thing you can do for us

is ride a long ways on.

No.

No.

Tell me, in your whole life,

did you ever do something good?

Something besides hurt?

I sent you money when I had it.

That was trying to buy forgiveness.

Well, I can't forgive you!

Go ask God to do it.

You try to do something right, and folks step on you for it.

Go away from here and don't bother us no more.

Please.

Dillon: Kitty. It's one of the strangest things I ever ran into.

He never got more than two miles off the road to Dodge.

What happened?

I went all the way to Cascabel.

And they'd picked up two of these prisoners.

Third one was in a rock grave,

and a fourth one I been trailin' all the way back here.

Hmm.

Well, I haven't seen any strangers, but...

'course that doesn't mean anything.

Maybe he doesn't drink.

Well, Kitty, the nearest thing I can figure... that this man,

he calls himself Trafton,

that he's trying to get himself caught.

Well, you just said that he was doubling back all the time

in order to hide his trail.

Well, yeah, but every little town that we came to,

he went in there and he got himself into a lot of trouble.

It's like he wanted people to remember him.

Any idea why?

Well, just that I think he wants whoever's following him

to know where he's headed.

Does that make any sense?

No.

But I'll tell you something, Kitty.

I got the feeling he's right here in Dodge.

Or somewhere mighty close by.

Anybody home?

Anybody here?

Yes, who is it?

What's wrong?

Something happen?

You the man of God around here?

Well, I'm the Reverend English, yes.

Well, I got something for ya.

Oh? What?

These.

Good Lord.

You know what they are?

Yes, of course. They're...

They're from a Catholic church.

Well, it don't matter where they're from. I'm giving 'em to ya free and clear.

But why?

'Cause I got no use for 'em no more.

Neither have I.

Where did you get these?

Don't matter. I'm giving 'em back.

No.

Listen, Mister,

I said you're taking 'em, like it or not.

That cross there is solid gold.

You stole these from a church.

Did you hear what I said?

Solid gold.

Now, you can melt that down

and feed some starving bellies around here with money.

Instead of pumping their heads full of words

that fade like snow in a fry pan.

They're not of our church.

Now, what in the raw name of common sense has that got to do with anything?

I'm sorry, but no.

Greenhorn!

I'm trying to tell you something that makes sense.

Now, you can do something with that.

You can really help somebody.

"Not of our church."

What is that supposed to mean?

What is that supposed to mean?

That you got the answer and some little sin-killer down the road,

he's all wrong?

Well, let me tell you something, Mister.

You ain't got the answer.

I'll tell you something that comes a whole bushel closer to making sense.

It's that Injun out there.

Or a coyote yammerin' because he feels the moon.

Now, they make sense, because they belong to something that works.

But you little dudes...

tellin' folks that nothin' dies,

and all that about freedom of the soul

just as easy and troubless as you singing in your Saturday-night tub.

But you ain't never been shot, Mister,

and you ain't never shot nothin'.

Or felt the sting of both.

And you ain't never been in prison, Mister,

to know what freedom of the soul means,

until it's been took from ya,

each and every bit of it.

Just blotted and swept away.

You understand?

Yes, I understand.

Now, take 'em.

- No. - I said take 'em.

No.

It wouldn't take no more than nothin' to kill you.

I agree.

I'm nearly scared to death already.

There would have been a day.

There would have been a day you'd have been

splattered all over the wall.

Can't do nothin' right no more.

Nobody wants 'em, I'll melt 'em down myself.

Go with God.

Go to Him yourself.

Hello.

You, uh, going somewhere?

To Kansas City.

That's kinda sudden, ain't it?

Yes, but we're going to visit Mrs. Ames.

She took care of me after my father died.

How'd he die?

My father?

He was stampeded.

It was a bad accident.

Why?

Oh, I just wondered.

Well, he was on this trail drive.

He was a ramrod.

That's a kind of a leader.

And one of his drovers fell off his horse.

And when my daddy tried to save him,

he was run over.

Oh. It sounds like he was a real gut-buster to me.

Gut?

Well, that's just a saying cowpokes have about, uh,

you know, men that are big enough to ramrod cattle drives.

Things like that.

Gut-buster.

You said you knew my mama.

Did you know him too?

Uh, no, no, never met the gent.

But I heard about him, though.

'Course I don't know is I should tell you what was said.

You can tell me. Please?

Well...

Come on.

Now, you don't repeat this, you hear?

'Cause I don't want nobody to know I told ya.

'Cause I don't hardly believe a word of it myself.

But they say he was the biggest, most handsomest man

to ever sat in a saddle.

Handsomer than me, they say.

'Course it's kinda hard to put stock in something like that.

Heard some waggoneers talking about him once.

Oh, they say he was strong and big, tough.

Didn't like to fight. Didn't like to fi... But he'd fight if he had to.

Defend a lady or such as that.

Yeah, I guess all in all he was somebody you could be proud of.

'Course, I don't put no stock in what I heard.

Ain't nobody that good.

He was.

You know that for a fact, do you?

Oh, there's Mr. Burke. He's a ticket seller.

Are you, uh, going back to your house?

No, I'm supposed to stay here with Mr. Burke until Mama comes.

But I guess I could get the tickets

and then walk back with you if you're going that way.

No.

No, you best do what your mother says. Always.

All right.

- Hello, Maria. - Mr. Burke.

And directly, one of these old boys said, "36."

Well, the rest of 'em just hoorah'd

and laughed and beat on the ground,

and had a fit, and this here young feller says, "Well, what's that..."

- Miss Kitty. Festus. Marshal. - Reverend.

I have been wrestling with my conscience whether I should tell you or not,

- but an incredible thing has happened. - What's that?

Well, there was a man. A desperately confused man came to visit me.

You didn't have to go to Kansas City.

How'd you know?

I'm here to tell you... you don't have to be afraid of me no more.

I ain't gonna hurt ya.

I'm going away. I won't be back.

Don't come near me.

Now, look, I'm telling you... You stay here, you hear?

You stay here in Dodge. You and the girl.

I'm trying to tell ya I won't bother you no more.

How do I know that?

Because I'm tellin' ya. That's how you know.

No. No.

Because I'm asking you to.

How can I believe someone that kills people?

I've killed a lot of men.

But not no more.

All right.

All right, I'll tell ya.

Because I shot one man...

and he forgave me.

What kind of a fool thing was that to do?

I can't get it out of my head.

He forgave me.

I mean, I used to shoot a man

with no more thought than, uh...

squashing a beetle.

But I tried.

I can't.

And that means I ain't gonna last very long.

Why'd you come back in the first place?

I don't know.

What do you want?

I don't know.

Maybe... Maybe just to...

tell you I'm sorry.

Maybe to tell you that, all these years, you had no reason to be afraid.

Maybe...

Well, how should I know why?

Anyway, I'm going away. You won't never see me again.

Uh...

You tell her goodbye for me. All right?

Trafton?

I can't forgive you.

I don't know how.

But if it's any good to you...

there's Maria.

Oh, I hate what you did.

I always will.

But I love her.

Marshal.

That's the man there.

Reverend, get back inside.

Trafton.

Festus.

Marshal.

I forgive.