Desperate Riders

Uh, howdy, pilgrim.

Thought you were dead.

Not hardly.

Hey, hey. Is that kid cheating?

- Ibet he palmed it. - Stand up, boy.

There's a kid in the saloon skinning everybody at the poker table.

- Get back here. -

I'm talking to you.

Hey, kid.

You palmed that card.

That's a sorry excuse for losing to a kid.

Own up. I'm tired of talking.

Look, mister, if you don't know how to play, don't put up the money.

If you don't draw first, I will.

- -

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Easy now.

How old are you, kid?

Seventeen.

Seventeen.

Did you palm that card?

I don't think I'm gonna let you boys kill a kid today.

Who the hell are you?

Is there a doc?

Grab your horse. Doc's about a quarter mile away.

- That bullet. -

Well, you're pretty lucky.

Two more inches and that bullet would have ripped through your spleen,

your stomach, and your ribcage.

But you just got a flesh wound.

It feels-oh, my god.

It feels a lot more than just a flesh wound.

What kind of doctor are you?

I'm a practitioner of dentistry.

But I was a surgeon...

In the 5th Texas infantry during the war of northern aggression.

I saw the amputations pile up.

Chancellorsville, gettysburg...

And a dozen battles thereafter.

Here, drink some of that.

I, uh, heard you say you saved that kid's life.

I'm not sure what he was up to,

but nothing but moonshine and trouble in that saloon.

And I don't think that he is man enough for either one of 'em.

Yeah.

Yeah, you know how kids are.

They're always getting into trouble.

Yeah. Judging by the scars on you,

seems to me you might have been the same kind of kid yourself.

He's gonna have more problems with the sheriff.

Now, he saved the kid,

but he shot three people, including Ben Casey.

He shot Ben Casey?

Sure enough. Shot him right in the chest.

Ben Casey.

Well, he and that crowd he hung around with,

they were no good anyway.

About time somebody brought 'em down.

Ain't nothing wrong with taking the law in your own hands if they're deserving.

I ain't never seen anybody faster.

But that sheriff's gonna look for him.

One of the boys he shot was kin to the sheriff.

Well, you know, lindstrom,

the sheriff and I go way back to the war of secession.

We were in hood's brigade together.

So, I'll make it right with him when he gets back. Don't you worry.

I appreciate that.

I don't want any... I don't want any trouble.

I'm just curious.

What exactly were you doing passing through town?

I was just going to see some old friends.

Figured...

Yeah, well, if you keep up these gunfights,

you won't be doing any visiting orjawing with old friends, that's for sure.

Accept my apologies, but this may hurt.

- Oh, god! -

I didn't think he'd be out for so long.

Well, maybe he's just resting.

Looking at all those scars, there's a long history on that man.

A lot of men pass through this town.

A lot of stories.

Some true, some worse than others.

Well, I don't know how many more stories Kansas is gonna have if he keeps this up.

- Hoo... hooch is wearing off. -

You got some good stuff, doc. I might have to try that.

Medicinal purposes only, lind.

Where's my gun? What did you do with my gun?

Right there, right there, right there.

I-I took the Liberty of cleaning it and oiling it for you.

You never know how patients are gonna react after surgery.

I'm the only doctor within 100 miles of here,

and I don't recommend doing surgery on yourself.

I tried that once. It didn't work out so well, I tell you.

Anyway, my apologies, my apologies. I...

My pa says the only thing more important than a man's gun is his humility.

Your pa's a smart man. You should learn to follow him.

- What do I owe you, doc? - Owe me?

You don't owe me.

You took out Ben Casey and his sons.

If anything, I owe you.

Well, I...

Listen, I don't think you should leave until your head clears.

But, ah, hell, you're not gonna heed me anyway, are you?

Mister?

If you get a moment, I'd just like to run something by you.

Feeling okay?

Look, look, I don't... I don't mean to bother you,

but just when-when... when you're done,

I wanted to talk to you about something of mine.

What do you want, kid?

Uh, well, actually, I got this book here. I think you might know it.

I mean, it's not... it's... It's not exactly my... my kind of...

- Oh, god. - Kinda... kinda story,

uh, but that's you there.

- Help me on this horse. - Okay.

You get up there all right? Feels okay on there?

- 80-30 I wanted to talk to you... - I'll see you around, kid.

Hey, hey. Did you hear what I said?

Sir, I just need a second of your time.

But... it's my pa, he's got...

I know his type.

He's searching for something, but he don't know what.

And he won't stop till he finds it.

Lindstrom, the next time you bring me a patient,

it'd be really nice if their teeth needed fixing, too.

Sure, doc.

Hey, mister.

Mister, I don't care sour grapes about you, but...

Look, I'm broke and I'm footsore, and so you got to listen.

Oh, god.

Look, we-we got us a ranch down in bell's Meadow,

west of Texas, off in the foothills,

and my ma's been getting letters from canon city prison.

Thorn Larson.

Pa got real mad and burned 'em up. I've never seen him that mad.

Ma said he used to bother her before she got married

and pa said you're the only one that can maybe stop Larson when his time is up.

But I just heard how Larson busted free at canon city,

so we gotta warn pa.

What's your name?

Cassidy. Billy Cassidy.

What's your ma's name?

Carol. And my pa's name is Sam.

You have any other kin?

Well, my pa, he had a brother, Jack.

Seems he-he went off to fight with Grant.

Got killed.

So there's no cassidys left except my pa.

And-and my ma, she's got a...

She got friend over from... From Texas, Leslie Allen,

shoots better than I do, but...

Look, are you gonna help us or not?

Honest truth. You cheat?

Vveh, yeah. But he cheated first, so I just...

You damn cheat. God.

Don't-don't tell my pa. He'd whoop me for sure.

So you gonna help us or not?

How far?

Three days.

Quit smiling, kid.

Leslie, you're my best friend, but if I didn't know better

I'd think you were a boy.

The way you hold that gun.

Like the love of her life.

How are you supposed to find a husband if you can outshoot and outride them all?

Come on, now. Leave her be.

One of us has to meet these men on their own terms.

Lord knows you and I just run the house for our masters.

After I married Sam and my father died,

my mother moved to Texas.

And Leslie's mother sent her along to get away from some secret admirer.

A long time ago. How old were you, 15?

Sixteen.

Sixteen. It changed her, though.

Do you even own a dress?

Now what happened to the secret admirer she was dragged away from?

She will not tell.

Whoa, boys.

This is my property.

Sam Cassidy?

That's me.

Oh, my god.

Ladies, get to the cellar now.

Now! Go! Get!

Get outside!

Get out!

Where's my husband?

You're looking at him.

Looks like we're gonna have to extract that tooth, Mr. Veal.

Now, if you could just say "ah".

Now this ain't gonna hurt too much.

I applied enough numbing agent to your gums.

You wouldn't feel a bullet going through yourjaw.

Where is he?

Excuse me?

You talk to a doctor like that?