Three Violent People

It happens a dozen times a day, Captain...

these fights between our returning soldiers and those carpetbaggers.

And every time, it's a Confederate who winds up in jail.

My advice is not to get into it.

I have no intention of getting into it, Mr. Carleton.

Come on, break it up.

Silence.

You men get on down to the Registry Office. Now go on.

Move along. There'll be another day.

Go back where you came from.

You better stay off the street.

You gentlemen will please disperse.

You ought to put them Rebels in jail. Whistling Dixie. Come on.

They ought to obey the laws of the Provisional Government.

Here you are. $850 cash left from your bank draft.

- Thank you. - I think you'll find that correct.

And now, Captain...

I'd be much obliged if you'd let me stand you a drink.

Sounds like a fine idea.

Fill them up again, bartender.

Here come a couple of them high and mighty you-all people. Let's have some fun.

Good day, Mr. Carleton, and you Capt. Saunders.

Whiskey, please.

Gentlemen, as I was saying, these here Southerners now...

they're a strange breed of cat.

Yes, sir, a mighty strange breed of cat.

Like I was saying, we whipped them good and proper...

and made them holler "uncle" loud and clear.

And now they still want to act like they was as good as us.

Hey, you.

Did you hear what I said?

Yes, indeed, sir. You speak very clearly. Your voice carries quite a ways.

Stagecoach coming. Bunch of new pretties coming in for the dance hall.

Come on, let's get the first look.

Hey Reb, new gals coming in. Don't you even want to take a look?

No, thank you kindly.

See what I told you? Just a mighty strange breed of cat.

Thank you, Capt. Saunders.

You sure have mellowed down a lot.

A man said that to you in the old days...

we would have to put this place back together.

You were smart not to take offence.

Oh, I took offence, Sam.

Just like you said, I've mellowed down.

Thanks for the whiskey, Mr. Carleton. Good day, gentlemen.

Come on! Come on!

Where I'm from, no gentleman lets a gal get her store shoes dusty.

Jump, my pretty.

You're on your own.

You're next, baby.

I thought you was one of them there.

Well, you got to get down anyway. Come on.

You can't talk like that to a Southern lady.

Now listen, fella--

Allow me, ma'am.

You'd better sit this dance out, miss.

Stand aside.

Stand back, coming through. What's the trouble here?

This Reb yelled that somebody insulted a lady.

Then he started hitting on us. Yeah, especially me.

Nobody insulted no lady. Quiet.

Arrest this man, sonny. I'll go along and proffer charges.

Take a good look at this uniform, mister...

and don't ever again call me "sonny."

Does a Union officer stand there and permit these men to say I am no lady?

Your pardon, ma'am. Silence!

Have these men insulted you, ma'am?

And beat my husband when he defended me.

Now listen--

Sergeant, if that man persists, arrest him.

The rest of you will disperse. Go on, move along.

Thank you.

Perhaps we'd better carry your husband down to the military medical post, ma'am.

I think not. If you could bring him to our room.

Room 110.

Of course, ma'am. Sergeant, take his feet.

You two, take his shoulders. Careful.

Gently, please.

Thank you.

Excuse me, gentlemen.

Is there anything else we can do, ma'am?

- Oh no, thank you. - You may go, men.

Oh Lieutenant, I'll take those things.

Thank you.

Capt. Colt Saunders, 14th Cavalry.

You must be very proud of Capt. Saunders, ma'am.

At the Point, our instructor told us...

the 14th Confederate Cavalry's charge at Round Mountain...

will go down in history with Gen. Blücher's cavalry action...

the evening at Waterloo.

Capt. Saunders never spoke very much of the war.

You must get him to, ma'am. His 14th Cavalry was an illustrious unit.

- Thank you again, Lieutenant. - Your servant, ma'am.

Good day, Lieutenant.

Mrs. Saunders. Yes?

Here, let me help you with those boots. I just wanted to say, ma'am...

that you mustn't judge the people of the North...

by those scum, those carpetbaggers.

We're not like that at all.

Those cheap politicians that scurried down here...

to take advantage of the chaos....

Ma'am, what I mean is, we soldiers--

I'm sure no Southerner would ever misjudge you, Lieutenant...

or your kind.

Your servant, ma'am.

Good day.

Lieutenant. Ma'am?

I don't believe you'll be needing those.

Oh.

- Good day, ma'am. - Good day.

Yes, ma'am?

- I'd like to see Miss LaSalle. - Miss Ruby LaSalle?

Yes.

I'll get her if you'll wait a minute, ma'am. Will you sit down, please?

Thank you.

I woke up this morning and my money belt was gone.

So you made moo-moo talk with one of the entertainers...

and now your head hurts and your money's gone. What is it?

- There's a lady to see you in the office. - Who is it?

I don't know. When I said "lady," I meant it.

- Keep an eye on the drunk, Tod. - Right.

Ma'am, you said.... Yes, I did, didn't I? Matty.

You wanted to see me? Miss LaSalle...

I have a matter to discuss which may be embarrassing to both of us.

I hesitate to offend but....

You old hag.

You've got your hair too blonde.

It's better when it's more on the reddish side.

Lorna baby, you got my letter.

I was afraid you wouldn't with the mail the way they are these days.

Well, honey, it's like I told you: This town is knee-deep in money.

The carpetbaggers are stealing a ranch a day.

I'll shut up. You sit down and you tell me everything that's happened to you. Everything.

Oh, nothing different ever happens. Just the same thing over and over.

The little girl from the well-off family who teaches school...

just to wile away her time.

Oh, I may decide to take up teaching again.

Teaching is genteel.

Carefully selected children, of course.

Ooh, I bet the gentlemen knock each other down...

to show how polite they can be to a real dyed-in-the-wool lady.

'Cause you did have a different raising from most of us. School and all.

I often wonder how come you wound up arm-in-arm with the likes of me.

Hunger's a very powerful motive...

and you're the nicest person I ever found to be arm-in-arm with.

Oh, speaking of hunger...

I don't expect it in the immediate future.

Here, put these in your safe, will you? They weigh a ton.

Gold is heavy, but I'm still very fond of it.

This poor but proud act of yours must work.

I'll want a room.

I have to lay low for a few days.

The angry gentleman who formerly owned the $900?

Yes.

Big, wild character named Colt Saunders. Do you know him?

Colt Saunders?

Yes.

Where did you leave him?

Sleeping peacefully, I hope.

You listen to me, Lorna. He'll take this town apart, not because of the money.

He owns all the land from here to there in Texas.

But because the Saunders are made that way.

He once chased a rustler all the way down into Mexico for 20 scrawny cows...

when he owned thousands. They're like that. Always willing to get killed or kill...

if they think they're right. And they always think they're right.

Don't you see, Lorna? When he wakes and finds....

Now you listen to me.

I've got a little room way up in the attic.

We're gonna plant you there until we decide what to do.

I'll make out a receipt.

Make it out to Capt. Colt Saunders.

You're crazy. I'm telling you, you'd better crawl up in my attic and hide.

No, no, I want the nicest room in the place.

Just make out the receipt to Capt. Colt Saunders.

They've got a saying in Texas:

"The Rio Grande changes its course...

"but the Saunders don't."

- Hello. - You were unconscious.

That fight was a little fast for introductions.

- I'm Colt Saunders. - Miss Lorna Hunter.

Well, now that you're all right....

- My head's spinning. - Oh, dear.

I always wanted to see what women carried in one of these knapsacks.

You savage!

You brute!

Quiet down now.

I don't mind giving you a share, but not all.

- Let me go, you.... - Savage? Brute?

Sodbuster!

All right, angel, where's the money?

Are you going to give it to me, or do I have to shake it out of you?

You see, $900 is just much too much...

for services so far rendered.

Well, sir, you up and healthy already.

Yes, sir, I see you healthy. You, girl.

Bring me the coldest bottle of wine in the saloon. The best.

Yes, sir.

Shall I fetch you a comb, ma'am? No.

Let's be civilised about this. Civilised?