Man with the Gun

Dade Holman's calling card.

And that's one cashed-in dog.

Maybe the boy'd feel better if I took a look.

Boys inside?

"Dog, you dare,"

"dog, you die."

I've been thinking.

You know, somebody ought to tell Mr. Pinchot

that when he's on Sheridan Street,

he shouldn't act like he's on Gold Street, or people won't like him.

I'll tell him.

I'm very fond of Ed Pinchot.

We had a perfectly divine dance last night.

Except he didn't take off his shoulder holster.

Take off his holster in Sheridan?

I guess he'd be safe these days.

Dade Holman's painted the town bright yellow.

Well, it could be worse.

Mr. Pinchot usually shoots people.

Well, what did I say this time?

Really, Ann.

How's he called, that big one?

Ed Pinchot.

Wears a shoulder holster?

Yeah.

Come in.

Get on the loose shoe as soon as I mend the Doc's rig.

He needs it for sick calls.

I'll mend my horse if I can borrow your layout.

Ridin' through?

Yeah, as soon as I take care of a little personal business.

Tools.

Thanks.

How about that, middle of Sheridan Street,

and the gun blast didn't even roust the Marshal out of his seat!

Sims get het up about a dead dog?

He ain't het up about the miner

who died sudden at the Palace last night.

Now, Saul, we can't afford to worry about Gold Street doings,

but when Holman's gunslick gets careless on this side of town...

Trouble's outside of town today.

Holman's fixin' for a busy one

when he borrows the Palace boys.

Now, everybody roundabout's heard that gunshot.

They don't know it's just a dog.

Ain't even noon!

And business goes to pot for the day!

It's on the house.

Where will I find Nelly Bain's place?

Nelly Bain?

Corner of Sheridan and Gold.

Entrance on Gold.

But don't let that fool you.

It ain't an entrance.

Nobody, no man anyhow, gets past Nelly.

You want to wait till night, you can see her girls at the Palace.

Sarah.

- Sarah! - Yes, Miss Bain.

Miss Bain ain't home.

When do you expect her?

She won't be home all day.

All right, give her a message for me.

You tell her that Clint Tollinger is riding through.

Tell her he wants to ask her just one question

before he moves on.

You tell her right now. I'll wait.

I can't do it.

She's already told me.

I'm a doc, so I'm entitled to theories,

and I got one now.

I got a theory that sudden death is catching.

Tollinger!

Well, if you haven't got it yet, maybe you never will.

No, you wouldn't remember me,

but I'm not likely to forget you.

No one who lived in Ponca,

who lived through Ponca, is going to forget you in a hurry.

Doc Hughes.

Tollinger?

Might call him a town doctor, too.

Ponca was a mighty sick town.

Clint operated on it.

Patient lost a lot of blood, but lived.

Town tamer.

Where you headin'?

Not here!

I never could sleep in a saddle.

- Board my horse? - My business.

Mostly west a mile and over, Doc.

Where law and order ain't caught up yet?

We're mighty far west, seems to me.

Atkins here is president of the town council.

It's his job to worry.

We're not that far west.

That so?

Well, I'm checking into the hotel

down here for a couple of days.

That'll give you time to decide just how far west you are.

I'll see you, Doc.

Saul, I know what you're thinking, but don't.

I don't believe in operating till you've tried all the cures.

We're not that bad off yet.

Aren't we?

Always dresses in gray.

Black would fit his profession better.

Dade says no guns unless we have to.

You reckon Castle saw us coming and lit out?

Let's get a fire started.

You want the next one between your eyes?

Tell Dade Holman I'm building here,

and if he bothers me again,

I'll personal put a bullet through his fat carcass.

When Dade's got himself

12 top gun hands out at his place,

not counting the boys he's got here at the Palace,

that's just too many to fight, boy!

And should I, at any time, rile them up,

they can ride in here, and wipe this town right off the map.

Now, Saul, ain't them the facts?

Heard you say so often enough.

There's more than one way to wipe a town off the map.

A town has got to eat if it's gonna grow,

but Dade doesn't want farms cluttering up his grass.

Look out there. It smells like a ghost town already.

Son, when you get a little older,

you'll realize there's certain things that's best left alone.

And by and by, they just take care of theirselves.

Leave Holman alone, and he'll swallow us up.

He's done swallowed and digested the whole lot of you already.

Long before I come to town.

Dade's a power in the county,

and he's gettin' to be a power in the state,

and now you want to cut him down to size.

Yes, now.

Look, son, hold your horses, will you?

Dade is old, and he's fat,

and he's got himself a bum ticker.

And one of these days, he'll just pop off, just like that.

Then that'll be the time to go...

Son, quit it, will you?

You are digging holes in my desktop again.

That land is mine, legal.

Dade needs to be told that, legal.

But if you won't do it, put a star on me,

and I'll tell him quick enough!

I ain't deputizing you, nor no other darn fightin' fool

who wants to go out and get himself killed.

- Saul, are you with me? - I'm not waiting till Dade dies

to live on my own property!

I... Son!

Look, Jeff.

Now, did you hear that?

I heard.

Look, before you and Stella set the wedding date,

I might've felt different about you declaring war on Holman.

- But now, boy... - It's too late, Saul.

I caught his boys red-handed today trying to set a fire.

Well, I shot them off my homesite, and I'm gonna keep 'em off.

Saul, step into my office a minute, will you?

- Maybe you and me... - No, Lee, we can't.

Tell her I'm here.

- Miss... - She's home.

You see that? That's my foot.

It's too big to close the door on. Now, you tell her.

Itching to get into it, Clint?

Hello, Nelly.

Your girls, I understand.

And you're the girl who was brought up to think that dancing was a sin.

I know you've come a long way, Nell,

but then it is a long way from home, isn't it?

I thought so.

But you're still in business, I see, so you've found it.

I might have known.

The town's rotten ripe.

Is that why you picked it?

Now I'm here on personal business.

I got your message.

Just the one question.

It's been three years.

You don't expect an answer.

It's been three years, and I do.

Leave us alone, Clint, I'm warning you.

As soon as I get my answer.

You won't from me.

Be kind just this once.

Forget us.

Ride away and let me forget you're still alive.

Beth is five now.

Where is she?

It's almost like you could reach out and touch the snow.

It looks like a lake I once saw up in the Sawtooth Mountains.

You know, Jeff, I thought of a mountain lake for our honeymoon.

Not in the Sawtooths.

No one around for hundreds of miles.

I could always fish, but what would you do?

Fish!

Sometimes, Jefferson Castle, I wonder about you.

Company.

Mr. Tollinger, this is my daughter, Stella,

and this young man ain't a member of the family yet,