Original subtitles

(dramatic theme music playing)

(both guns fire)

ANNOUNCER: ...starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.

(sizzling)

Patience never was one of your long suits, Verlyn.

You best find a place to set down

and light a spell.

Walking the hobs off your boots

ain't gonna hurry things up none.

Dying don't take as long as he's making it.

Maybe she ain't gonna die today, neither.

Your poor mama went almost like that.

You know, I stayed with your mama

till she passed.

You best be remembering that,

you and Coy.

That could be your poor mama in there, fevered up like that.

Where's he at-- Coy?

I don't know.

Last time I seen him, he was

digging out a varmint with Homer.

Homer.

Boy's gonna have him a grief.

We got us a grave to be dug, boy.

You best go fetch Coy. Supper's ready.

Come on! Go get him!

All right.

Get over at the wagon. Supper's waiting.

Homer's ma die yet?

Coy, where's Homer?

I don't know.

What do you mean "I don't know"?

Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him?

Didn't I tell you to keep and eye on him?!

Well, now, go fetch him and don't come back without him

or you're gonna get the tanning that he ought to get.

And run!

You know, Pa, I been thinking...

Hmm... (grunts)

Old Wade's cow ain't gonna do him much good, not now.

He ain't a-gonna want to drag that old cow

around with him, is he?

Now, you eat your food, boy.

And you don't think about things like that, hear?

Well, I was just thinking.

Well, you cut out thinking like that!

(rustling nearby)

(low sigh)

For all that suffering,

she still went peaceable in the end.

Lord knows I thank Him for that.

Guess this means that you and Homer ain't gonna be

going on to Texas like you planned, huh?

Turning back, are you, Wade?

Ain't...

nothing to be going on to.

Back to, neither.

It's all gone now.

It's gone like my Libby.

Wade, I-I know

that this ain't no time to be asking.

But, uh, seeing as we've been traveling together, you know,

these last few days

and been sharing together,

uh...

well, uh, Verlyn here and me,

we've been thinking that, uh,

you know that old milk cow that you got?

If you could see a mind to part with it, uh,

well, we sure could use a good old cow like that.

Yes, sir.

We've be glad to pay for it, Wade.

Soon as we get to Colorado,

and we send you our stake money right away.

Uh, Wade, uh,

anything else you might see a mind to part with,

you know, belongings in your wagon or anything?

My boys and I could sure put a use to them, too.

WOO-worth (a?

That's what's left.

Our Texas money.

Well, Wade, if you come on a fair price,

you let me know, hear?

'Cause a good old cow we can sure use.

I ♪

(gunshot)

Pa?

Go find Coy.

Pa?

Pa, you killed him.

You just keep your mouth shut and go fetch Coy.

Wha... what do I tell him?

Ain't no need to tell him nothing!

Just tell him to fetch Homer and bring him on back here!

There.

(theme music playing)

Homer!

Homer?

(panting)

He...

he can't have gotten far, Pa.

If it was him.

It was him all right.

Do you think maybe he saw?

Shut up!

It was an accident.

Homer?

Ho-mer!

You can come out now, son!

Come on down!

Ain't nobody down here gonna hurt you!

Homer!

You better come on down now, son.

It's gonna be night pretty soon.

There's things up there in the night that'll get you!

What are we gonna do if...

if we find him?

Don't be worrying about that right now.

Let's just find him first.

Let's get our hands on him.

Now, you go fetch Coy and make him help you.

Homer!

I ♪

(crickets trilling)

Homer?

I know you're up there, boy.

Come on, son, this is just plain foolish.

Come on down here!

We ain't gonna hurt you, Homer!

Come on down!

Got plenty of hot water and food down here for you.

And a nice warm fire, see?

Come on down, Homer!

Come on down, Homer.

Your daddy wouldn't want you up there

after dark like this now, son.

Come on, Homer, please?

You're wasting your breath, Pa.

He ain't never gonna show hisself.

What's he feared of, Pa?

I don't know, son.

All we been trying to do is what's best for the boy.

Maybe his losing his ma and pa so close is what scared him.

Yeah, that could be right, Coy.

(crying, sniffling quietly)

Well, we done everything right.

We give his folks a good burial.

Decent.

Now, you boys best be getting some sleep now.

Go on and lay down.

We'll be looking for Homer again when it gets light!

Good night, Homer!

(flying quietly)

(distant): G'night, Homer!

(crying)

Pa, you think there's any chance

of that kid still being alive?

Didn't I tell you to keep that boy out of your mind?

Didn't I?

Now, we done give him every chance there is.

Whatever happens to him from now on is his own fault.

Well, I know, but I just can't help thinking about him...

Well, you stop thinking about him.

I told you to shut your mouth about him, didn't I?

Now, I don't want to hear about him no more.

Now, I know it's a shame

what happened to his pa out there and all,

but the things that he done give us before he died

is gonna make a better life for all of us.

You just keep thinking on that for a while. Hyah.

Yes, Pa.

I'm trying. I'm-I'm trying.

Well, you try a little harder,

or you're going to get the back of my hand

across your mouth, boy.

Yes, Pa.

I ♪

I ♪

I ♪

Whoa!

Well, for heaven's sake.

Well, now, here, you're not going to use that thing.

You don't need it.

I'm not going to hurt you.

You pass a wagon?

Well, I passed a lot of wagons.

Matter of fact, I'm looking for a wagon myself,

with some folks in it need a doctor, I hear.

Wagon with three people in it,

man with a brown hat, two boys?

Yeah, come to think of it,

I think I passed them about an hour ago.

They your folks?

Oh, they're not your folks.

Well, you must have some folks around here someplace.

Hmm.

You look to me like you could need a drink of water.

Careful of that gun, now.

There you are.

All right, now, that's enough.

Tell you something.

You're just sure not going to last very long out here.

I'm just gonna take you into Dodge...

Here!

Keep your hands off of there... you...

DOC: Ooh!

What are you trying to do to me?

You could have killed me, don't you know that?

Who in thunder are you?

Who are you?

Well, here...

here, young man.

All right.

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

but I'm going to get you into town.

It's dang near as big as he is, ain't it?

Almost blew my head off with it.

Hmm!

I believe you're just making that up.

He looks like a pure little old angel to me.

Well, that "pure little old angel" has got teeth.

Mum

Hmm.

Must have smarted, didn't it?

Didn't feel very good, I'll tell you that.

FESTUS: How old do you reckon he is?

DOC: Well, I don't know... About ten, I think.

Tried to shoot you in the head, huh?

He didn't miss me over a foot.

I'll tell you this,

any young'un that'd try to do that

can't be too bad.

Morning, Miss Kitty.

Festus.

I'm sorry I'm late, Doc.

That's all right, Kitty.

There he is.

I never saw him before.

No, I hardly expected you would,

but I did think maybe you'd hear somebody talking

over at the Long Branch about a lost boy or something.

Nothing like that, huh?

No, not a word.

But I'll ask around.

What are you going to do with him?

Well, about the only thing I can do.

I got to keep him here.

He needs attention.

I-I don't mean... I don't mean physically.

He's fine that way...

Well, what do you mean?

Well, I'll tell you.

He's scared.

He's just scared to death of everything and everybody.

He's been hurt.

Somebody's hurt that little fella bad.

I'd sure give a lot to know who it was.

Of all the miserable, rotten luck...!

What are we going to do, Pa?

How do I know what we're going to do?

If you boys had checked these wheels before we left,

this never would have happened.

You never asked us to check no wheels, Pa.

-We didn't know. -No, you don't know nothing.

That's the trouble with you, both of you.

You don't know nothing.

You don't even know when to wipe your noses

unless I tell you how to do it and when to do it!

Well, now, ain't no sense in yelling at y'all;

there's only one thing to be done

and that's get another wheel,

and that's what we're going to do.

VERLYN: Where at? Where are we going to look?

I don't know where at,

and I don't know where we're going to look!

But there's gotta be someplace around here.

Maybe some squatter's cabin.

Couldn't we get a wheel off Mr. Bonney's wagon?

It ain't far, and it wouldn't cost us nothing.

Coy...

you got a real head on your shoulders, son.

Now, here's a smart boy.

He uses his head, you see?

That is just what we going to do!

We going to use old Bonney's wheel!

Pa, Pa, we can't go back there.

Not back there.

What's the matter with you?

It's only half a day's ride, boy,

from here back to Bonney's wagon.

We can leave the wagon, go the rest of the way on the horses.

-Colorado ain't that far. -What do you mean, leave the wagon?

This is our whole stake here in this wagon.

What are you talking about?

Pa, we can't go back there.

What if he's there?

What do you mean, "what if he's there?"

What if who's there? Who?

Is that what you're afraid of, son?

You're afraid of Homer?

Aw, son, he's done long gone by now.

He's dead, boy.

Yeah, but Pa, old Bonney's Texas money,

-that's our real stake, isn't it? -JUDD: Shh!

Now, don't you ever mention that again, boy.

Didn't I tell you about that?

Didn't I tell you never to open your mouth about that again?

Now, you remember how it was, don't you, boy?

Old Bonney fevered up just like his missus did.

That's the way it happened.

He fevered up just like his missus,

and the night before he died,

he give me that money 'cause I was his friend.

I was his only friend, boy, now 'member.

Now I'm going to get this saddle here and saddle up the mare.

And you're going to ride on back to Bonney's wagon.

Anybody you see on the road, you pay them no mind, hear?

Just relax.

Maybe we ought to introduce ourselves.

I'm Doc Adams.

Most everybody around here calls me Doc.

This is my office, and this is Dodge City.

What's your name?

Oh, well, all right,

I'll just, I'll just call you Clem.

Everything's going to be all right, Clem.

My name's Homer.

Oh. All right, Homer.

You see, we didn't have much of a chance to get acquainted.

You slept all the way in town.

You even slept when I kind of

patched up your legs there a little bit.

You scratched them, you know.

You're going to be all right.

Nothing wrong with you that

a little rest won't cure.

At least I... I don't think so.

Where is it?

DOC: What's that?

My gun, what did you do with it?

Oh.

Well, I locked that up so nobody'd steal it.

It's mine. I want it.

Oh, I know that, but you see, uh... the marshal here,

Marshal Dillon, he don't like the idea much

of young fellas carrying guns, especially ten-year-olds.

I'm 12.

Is that so?

And I'm not going to stay here.

DOC: Well, where do you figure you're going to go?

Colorado.

That's a long way.

I'm going to get there.

Well, I don't doubt that a bit.

Tell you, though, before you go,

I think we ought to have a little food.

Why don't you and I go down to Delmonico's

and get something to eat?

Well, now, if you're going all the way to Colorado,

you're gonna have to have some nourishment.

My gosh. Come on.

HOMER: Ow...

Yep, afraid it's going to hurt you a little to walk.

I can walk.

Well, sure you can.

I'm a good doctor.

Come on. Let's go.

(horse snorting)

Hello?

Hello!

Is anybody here?

I ♪

WW

Hyah! Come on!

WW

Woman was-was here.

The man there.

There's no identification on them at all, huh?

None.

It's-it's very strange, Marshal.

The doctor at the fort performed an autopsy.

He believes the woman died of consumption.

The man had a, had a bullet in his back.

I see.

I guess whoever did it just went over here,

and helped themselves to their belongings then, huh?

Well, that's the way we figured it.

Probably... Indians.

No, no, I don't think it was Indians.

How can you be sure?

Well, all the hoof prints here are shod.

Looks to me like all the people around here were wearing boots.

And you're prepared to swear that it wasn't Indians?

(laughs) Well, I guess I am, Captain.

If you insisted on it.

I'm obliged to tell you, Marshal,

I-I simply don't believe it.

Tell me something, Captain, how long

you been out here in the West?

Three weeks.

That's about what I figured.

(horse snorts)

I suppose you've checked over this stuff pretty good

for any clues as to who they might've been?

Whoever did it was either very lucky

or very careful not to leave any clues.

Of course we don't know it was murder.

No, but on the other hand, there's easier ways

to kill yourself than shooting yourself in the back.

Well, look here.

Here's wagon tracks leading right out this way.

Seems to me your scouts could've followed

that all right, couldn't they?

Well, I don't have time to send my scouts

trailing wagons, Marshal.

No, I called you because I figured it was a civil matter.

Well, you did the right thing, Captain.

I appreciate it. Thanks.

You-you're sure you can follow those?

Well, I can try.

Doc, I'm telling you something.

He's gonna bust.

Well, he's hungry.

He hasn't eaten in a couple days.

The way he's a-glomming on that pie,

you'd think he hadn't ate in a couple of months.

Why don't you just hush up? You're gonna make him nervous.

Now, he's hungry. I want him to eat.

And that's the very reason why he bit you.

-What is? -'Cause he's hungry.

Oh, for heaven's sake.

Of course, I don't blame him for turning you loose,

once he got the taste of you.

Oh, shut up!

You want another piece of pie?

Go ahead on, Homer. He's rich.

He can afford it.

If you don't want it, I'll eat it myself.

By golly, I'm gonna have to take him out of here

before you corrupt his morals.

I'd like my gun now.

Ernest, bring this young man another glass of milk.

We'll talk about that gun later.

Aah!

Please, Pa, I-I couldn't help it.

You couldn't help it?

You come back without the wheel, didn't you?

And why? Because you were scared

something was gonna pop out of the ground?

-A ghost? And get you? -Pa, you got to listen to me!

It was more than. The graves was all dug up.

What do you mean they was "dug up"?

That's what I've been trying to tell you.

The bodies was gone.

-Somebody took them away. -Who took them?

Well, I don't know who, but the graves was all open,

and old Bonney and his wife was gone.

We should've dug them graves deeper,

and we should've hid the bodies.

Pa, we got to get out of here!

That's what you get.

That's what you get for being good to people,

for doing a good turn for them.

You give them a good decent Christian burial in the ground,

and somebody comes poking around

that don't respect the dead.

Pa, listen to me! We've got to get away!

Why should we get away?

Why?!

Well, you know what we done!

Boy, what did I tell you about that?

Didn't I tell you we done nothing?

Now, we found that old man out there with a bullet in his back,

and all we done was to give him

a good decent Christian burial.

There ain't nobody gonna believe that.

Don't care what they believe!

How many times I got to tell you that, son?

You don't have to bother with that!

Ain't nobody saw us with the Bonneys.

Ain't nobody saw us any connection with the Bonneys.

And there ain't nobody gonna say that our word

is not the gospel truth.

What about all his stuff we took?

What about it?

You want us to leave this out there for the Indians?

You want the Indians to take it?

Besides, ain't nobody saw that how we got it.

And ain't nobody going to say that it ain't ours.

What about Homer?

Well, what about Homer?

How many times I told you about Homer, boy, that he's dead?

I told you there wasn't no way

that he could live out there without food.

What we gonna do?

Well, we gonna go back into Dodge.

And we're gonna buy us another wheel.

And bring it out and set it up on the wagon.

And then we're gonna go on

to Colorado like we planned.

(hoof beats approaching)

Homer, you little old scamp!

Don't you realize there's a law against horse-stealing?

-Let me go. Please let me go! -Just bup-bup-bup-bup!

You know I can't let you go,

especially not on somebody else's horse.

But they're getting away!

Who's a-gettin' away?

Oh, you ain't gonna tell me, huh?

All right, just get down.

(grunts) Now, I know what you're fixing to try to do.

You're fixing to try to kick me right in the head, ain't you?

Well, that old dog won't hunt.

Now, get down off of there!

I think it's time you and me and Doc

had us a heart-to-heart talk.

Now, you get down from there!

Now, I mean it!

You little whelp.

(Festus muttering)

Hold it!

You ain't exactly the trustiest young'un

I've ever run up against.

-You better settle down. -You let... Let me go!

Or I'm gonna start to get on you like ugly on ape.

You know what I mean?

(coyote howling in distance)

Hold it right there.

I'm a United States marshal. Now, throw the gun down.

Come on out of there.

I sure am glad to see you, Marshal.

You alone out here?

Yes, sir.

My pa and brother's gone into Dodge.

We broke a wheel.

Let me show you.

Well, I can see how you could break a wheel

with all this weight you're packing here.

I suppose so.

You come far?

All the way from Ohio.

With all this?

No, we got most of this stuff from Mr. Bonney.

Now, who's Mr. Bonney?

He's a man we met on the trail.

His wife was real sick, then she died.

What happened to Mr. Bonney?

He died, too.

How'd he die?

He was sick like his wife.

Must've come on awful sudden.

Well, son, I tell you,

I think you'd better come along to Dodge with me.

I sure would like to, Marshal.

I'm scared to be alone.

But Pa'd skin me alive if I left this wagon.

Well, don't worry about him.

Get you ready to come along now.

No!

I swear he's got hisself a head made out of solid marble.

I have not!

Now, you listen to me!

We've tried every way in the world to be a friend of yours.

And you-you just won't have anything to do with us.

What's the matter with you?

I never wanted to come here in the first place.

Well, I'll tell you if you hadn't a-come here

in the first place, you'd have been out there on the prairie

with the buzzards pecking at you.

Is that what you wanted?

I want to go to Colorado.

-Oh. -Homer, you little old scudder you.

What Doc's trying to tell you is

that you're too danged little and too young

to be out yonder on the prairie all by yourself!

I am not!

Now, I know that rankles you,

but it's a gospel truth.

I ain't sick no more.

You got no right to keep me here.

Well, I'll tell you about that. We got every right in the world

to keep you here, and if you don't quit trying to get away,

we're gonna put you where you can't get loose.

What do you think of that?

What do you mean?

Well, we're just gonna have to throw you in jail

for the good of your own self.

You're not the marshal.

I am, too.

Well, I am when the marshal's out of town.

I help him out.

(Doc chuckles)

Is that right?

Well, I'll admit it's kind of a dangerous situation.

But it's-it's the truth all right.

Oh, come here, son, I want to talk to you.

Now, sit down there.

Now, I-I don't know what in thunder has happened to you.

But somewhere, sometime along the line

you got to learn how to trust somebody.

You don't trust me.

Well, we're willing to try.

How?

Well, by gosh, if you'll promise

that you won't try to run away on us,

we'll just give you the run of the whole town.

-Honest in jun? -Honest in jun.

I can go wherever I want?

Well, as long as you don't leave town you can.

How long do I have to keep this promise?

Well, till Matthew gets back.

That's the marshal.

That ought to be about tomorrow.

You won't tell him I tried to steal a horse?

Oh, my gosh, forgot about that.

Well...

I don't know.

What do you think?

We ought to mention that horse business?

Oh, I-I don't think we'd ought to tell him.

All right.

We won't mention the horse.

Is that a deal?

It's a deal!

Look out, son, that shoe's hot.

(water sizzles)

I ♪

Hey, blacksmith?

See that wheel there? Can you fix that?

Uh...

yeah, I guess so, long as you ain't in any hurry.

(chuckles): No. We done come too far already today

to go on back tonight.

We was figurin', my son here and I, on staying the night.

Fine. Have it for you first thing in the morning.

Well, much obliged to you.

Come on, boy. Let's us go see the big city.

Might even spend a dollar or two.

(objects clattering)

(panting quietly)

(rattling)

Yeah, and he's smaller than me.

And he's skinnier than Coy here.

No doubt about it, Matt-- it's the same boy.

And you haven't seen him since this morning?

No, we ain't saw him since he tore up old Doc's office.

Any one of a hundred places he could be hiding,

but he can't shoot anybody with that gun.

-Why not? -Well, I took the bullets out and hid them

before I locked it up.

(saloon piano playing a jaunty tune)

(saloon doors open)

(Judd chuckles softly, drunkenly)

(hoof beats clopping past)

(Judd muttering drunkenly)

Hello, Mr. Stableman.

(mumbling)

Come on.

Nag-

Stinkin' lousy town.

(grunts)

Don't give you nothin', and they take your money.

Get on up here, now!

Take your money, and they don't give you nothin' back.

Can't trust nobody.

(groans)

Got to always watch out for yourself,

'cause you can't never trust nobody.

Hear that?

Pa, come on, let's go, let's get out of here.

-We got a room at the hotel... -Get away from me!

Didn't I tell you to get away from me?

How many times I have to tell you that?

You and your brother ain't worth the powder

to blow yourselves up with!

Get out!

(sighs) Mm mu.

Now I got to feed you, right?

(quietly): Stupid...

(door creaking open)

Thought I told you to stay on out of here!

I ♪

What are you doing here, boy?

You killed my pa, and I'm gonna kill you.

Son, that was an accident.

Why, I-I was aiming at a sagehen.

You killed my pa, and then you took his money.

I seen you.

Well, you ain't gonna kill me for that, are you, boy?

Oh, no.

That was an accident, son.

I was just being neighborly.

I'm just a poor old man, son-- I wouldn't hurt nobody.

I was just helping your daddy because your mama was so sick.

Hey, boy...

tell me something.

Did you ever kill anybody before?

Hm?

Well, if you hadn't, you better know something.

You ain't liable to kill me with just one shot.

I can see that's all you got in there, just one bullet.

You know what happens if you don't get me

with that one bullet?

Old Judd Print's gonna get you, boy.

I got lots of bullets, enough to kill you.

I don't think you do.

I don't think you got any bullets at all.

Matter of fact, boy, I don't even think your gun's loaded.

Is, too!

Oh... it is?

Well, if it's loaded, son...

...if the gun's loaded, shoot at the bucket.

Not at me-- if it's loaded, you go ahead and shoot

right down at the bucket.

No, no. Down at the bucket.

That's right, point down at the bucket.

Point it down at the bucket

and shoot the one bullet! Go ahead!

(gun clicks)

Hey, boy...

where's all them bullets you said you had in the gun?

Huh?

Go ahead, boy.

Lift at it.

(panting)

You can't budge it.

Too bad.

(panting)

Stay away.

Why should I? That wasn't very nice of you,

you come after me with a gun.

(panting): I told 'em.

I told everybody what you done.

(whispers): Shh. No, you didn't. You didn't tell nobody.

You know why? 'Cause if you'd have told anybody at all,

this whole town would be a-buzzin'

with what you had to say.

So you didn't tell a soul.

So you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna fix you now, boy,

so you ain't never gonna tell nobody nothin'.

-Pa! -Get out of here.

Now you... you don't hurt him none.

I told you to stay away from me, boy.

I told you to stay away from me, now.

You leave him alone! He's just a kid!

Listen to me-- this boy has enough on us to hang us.

Now, if you ain't got stomach for it--

-He's just a little boy. -Shh!

If you ain't got stomach for it then get out of here.

-No! No! -I said get out of here!

Get out and stay out! Out! Out!

Okay, boy...

Hey, boy...

First rule of thumb, son, when you're going to kill somebody:

don't forget to put the bullets in your gun.

Boy...

(laughs)

I'm gonna come up there now, son...

and I'm gonna get you.

Here I come, boy.

Okay, boy...

I'm gonna squash you like a bug.

I'm gonna cut you, boy.

Hold it!

Pa!

(Homer sobbing)

-FESTUS: Are you all right? -He killed my pa!

He killed my pa!

-It's all right. Cry, boy. -ls he all right, Festus?

Course he is, Matthew.

He's crying his heart out.

Aunt Thede always said that's the best remedy there is

for a 12-year-old man.

-Come on, Homer. -(Homer sobbing)

(sobbing continues)

All right, move out of the way; let this man through.

It's all over, it's over, it's all over.