The Gunfighter

Hiya, Jimmy. —hi, old—timer.

- —Give me a drink. - Say!

- Just give me the drink, will ya? - You bet your life, Jimmy.

Do you know who that is? —who?

Jimmy Ringo.

Well. What do you know?

Nice to see ya again, Jimmy.

- —Thanks. - You remember the old buckhorn in Paso?

- Yeah. You worked there? - —five years ago, when Tim O'Leary had it.

He don't look so tough to me.

Well, if he ain't so tough, there's been an awful lot

of sudden natural deaths in his vicinity.

- How many do you figure? - —ten, 12,15.

Depends upon who's telling it.

I'll bet he ain't as fast as Wyatt earp.

In dodge city and places like that, they say he is.

Just two hands, like anybody else.

Yeah, the same number it looks like, but...

Oh, now, wait a minute, Eddie.

You ain't thinking of doing nothing foolish, are ya?

You mean he's so tough I can't even talk to him?

I mean this ain't no joke, boy. That's a real mean man there.

I just want to see how a great, big, important fella like that handles himself.

What's wrong with that? —I'm telling ya, Eddie.

I wouldn't do it if I was you.

Hey, Chuck. How about a little service down here?

That's if Mr. Frazzlebottom, or whatever his name is, don't object.

Eddie, don't you know who this is?

You mean it ain't Mr. Frazzlebottom? —It's Jimmy Ringo, Eddie.

Well, it looks like Mr. Frazzlebottom to me.

Did you ever hear anybody kid like him?

How about a drink, Mr. Frazzlebottom?

No, thanks. —how's that, Mr. Frazzlebottom?

- Eddie, please. - Please what?

I asked the man to have a drink with me. What's wrong with that?

How about it, Mr. Frazzlebottom?

Okay, partner.

Ah. I knew Mr. Frazzlebottom wasn't gonna pass up a free one.

Don't you understand, Eddie? This is Jimmy Ringo.

All right, so it's Jimmy Ringo.

So what's everybody supposed to do, fall on their knees?

Well, you can be a little polite at least.

Mr. Ringo,

Chuck figures you got a little extra consideration coming to you around here.

- —Is that right? - Nope.

How's that? You'll have to speak up if you want me to hear ya.

Why don't you button up your britches and go home?

How'd you like to try to make me, Mr. Ringo?

Now, listen, partner.

I come in here minding my own business.

Now how about letting me go out the same way.

I want to know first what you meant by that remark you just passed.

Tell you what. You just bought me a drink.

Now I'll buy you one, and then we'll drop it. What do you say?

Give him a drink for me. —never mind the drink.

I want to know what you meant by that remark you passed.

-Listen, Eddie — -i ain't talkin' to you!

I'm talkin' to Mr. Ringo.

I want to know what you meant by that remark you passed.

How I come I gotta run into a squirt like you

nearly every place I go these days?

What are you trying to do? Show off in front of your friends?

Are you ready to back up that remark or not?

What about this? Ain't some of you fellas in charge of this donkey?

- — I'm telling ya, Mr. Ringo! - Eddie don't mean no real harm.

Then let Eddie keep his big ugly nose out of my business

if he don't want to get it slapped.

[Gunshofl

- Did you see that? - Yes, sir.

- —He drew first. - Did you see it?

- Yeah, I saw it. - Yes, sir. I saw it.

Except I'd get on out of town anyway if I was you.

Why?

Because he's got three brothers that ain't gonna care who drew first.

All right.

Everybody stay where you are.

He can't be more than an hour ahead of us.

- —Must be killin' that horse of his. - Ain't doin' ourn any good either.

He can't keep it up at this rate. That horse of his won't last half a day.

All right. Put up your hands.

[Gunshofl

now, drop your guns. Right out there where I can see 'em.

Now, get off your horses, and stay away from them guns.

Back up.

Right back there.

Go on, boy. Giddap. Giddap. Giddap. Giddap.

Come on. Giddap. Go, boy. Giddap. Giddap.

Giddap. Giddap. Giddap.

- Can you walk? - Never mind about me, bud.

You've got all you can do to worry about yourself.

You've got about three hours' walk back to Santa fe. Now get goin'.

I'm warnin' you, Ringo. We're gonna get you yet.

Yeah, I know. I heard that before too.

You had no right to throw down on a boy like Eddie.

What was I supposed to do? Stand there and let that boy shoot me full of holes?

Now, come on. Get out of here.

No more than a kid.

[Gunshofl

Good boy.

He's headin' straight for cayenne.

Well, you think you can make it?

Cayenne ain't no further than Santa fe.

Come on.

- —Give me a drink. - You up early or out late?

Either way you want it, partner. Just so I get a drink.

Jimmy Ringo.

Well, where was it with you?

The mint saloon in dodge city.

You and bucky Harris used to come in nearly every night. Don't you remember?

- Could we ever get a drink? - Sure.

Oh. Oh. Oh, sure. Sorry, Jimmy.

Here. Remember now?

Yeah. I remember now.

What about something to eat? You got a cook around here?

My old woman's back there. Want some eggs?

- Got a steak? - Yeah, I got a steak.

I'll take a steak and some eggs and a pot of black coffee.

What about a place to wash up first?

Uh, right out on the back porch. Here. I'll show ya.

Never mind. I can find it.

You got a livery stable here, boy?

Uh, he's a little astonished, Jimmy.

When you get him unastonished, tell him to take care of my horse.

- —Yeah. - Oh, and don't ride him. Lead him.

He's all wore out.

Archie, you heard what Mr. Ringo said. Now go on and do it.

- You gonna be around? - —hurry up, Archie.

Sure, I'm here all day.

- I want to have a little talk with you. - Yes, sir.

Never mind the horse.

Run over yonder and tell the marshal that Jimmy Ringo is here, and hurry.

- Was it really him? - Go on, I tell you. Run!

Will you please leave that blamed mop here.

Marshal? Jimmy Ringo's here, marshal.

Where? —In the palace bar. You gonna shoot him?

- —Who told you it was Jimmy Ringo? - Mac.

Mac knows him. Mac called him Jimmy.

He's on the back porch washin' himself.

Charlie.

- —Yeah. - Get hold of bud and Skeeter.

- -

- —Where is he? - Out on the back porch getting cleaned up.

I ain't after any trouble, Mark. I just thought you'd want to know he was here.

You sit over there, Charlie.

Stand down there, Skeeter. Take the door, bud.

Just take it easy. And don't try to jump him.

Hiya, Jimmy.

Mark.

I'll be a son of a gun. How are ya, partner?

I'm fine, Jimmy.

- Are you joking? - —nope. I'm the marshal here now.

Well, I'll be darned.

And these idle barroom loafers, they're your deputies?

- —Mm—hmm. - For me?

Mm—hmm.

Then you won't be needin' 'em. I ain't startin' anything.

You sure?

Mark, that's the last thing I want — Trouble.

All right, boys.

- What are you doing here, Jimmy? - I was about to have a drink.

How about it?

- —No, thanks. - Marshal Mark strett.

Well, if that ain't a good one.

But I'm glad for you, Mark. Mighty glad.

Thanks. But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to move on.

Why? I ain't wanted for anything around here, am I?

Nope. I just want you out of town anyway. And pronto.

- Coffee ready, Mr. Ringo. - —thank you, lady.

You don't mind my having something to eat while we discuss this, do you?

I'll have the rest in a minute.

I don't know anybody in the world I'd rather talk to this morning than you.

Oh, lady, will you bring another cup for the marshal?

- Yes, sir. - —

How about it, Mark?

I got something I want to talk to you about.

Looks to me like you got a gossip on your staff.

That's your public, Jimmy.

Yeah, I'm a big man now.

That's what you wanted, wasn't it? Top gun of the west.

Yep.

Guess I got more people wondering when I'm gonna get killed

than any other man in the country.

You don't sound as happy about it as you did the last time I saw ya.

How many is it now? Eleven?

Twelve.

- There's one you ain't heard about yet. - You really keep count?

Don't ask dumb questions, Mark.

What's the trouble now, Jimmy? Somebody after you?

Three somebodies. —the law?

No, this is personal.

I don't want 'em to catch up with you here, Jimmy.

I don't want 'em to catch up with me anywhere.

That's why you gotta move on right away.

You know why I come here... don't ya?