Bonanza

Sure is hot, Cartwright.

No relief in sight, either.

Scorcher, all right.

That's what's worrying me.

Worrying about the weather won't do any good?

If the weather may, it may prevent my son, Hoss, from getting here with the cash on time.

We got to five O'clock.

Mr. Owner, is there any possibility of extending that deadline?

I told you, Mr. Cartwright.

We've already got another offer for that land in cash.

Now, I can't risk losing that to extend your option.

I could pick up that option right this second if you'd only accept my bank draft for $12,000.

I don't understand you being so stubborn about it.

Look, since the drought set in, we've accepted too many drafts that have turned out to be no good.

Like this one here.

I've got a whole drawer full of them.

I'm sorry, but my clients insist on cash.

Cash.

It wasn't such a good piece of land.

But it is, Mr. Cartwright.

And you know it.

Yes, sir.

Sure is a hot one.

All right, don't make a move.

Name's Stedman.

I'm the county sheriff.

Well, I'm sure glad to see you.

You're a little jumpy with a lone rider coming up over here.

Let me out here.

What do you got to be jumpy about?

Well, I mean, with the drought being what it is, there's quite a few hard cases roaming around.

Yeah.

Sorry about the gun.

How about a cup of coffee?

What's that for?

I like to have a look in those saddlebags.

Any objection?

I don't think I have much choice, do I, Sheriff?

Move back.

You've got a lot of money here.

Delivering it to Scottsburg for my pa.

It's a land deal.

You can prove that.

Of course I can.

Suppose you come with me and we do that.

Come where?

Dutchman's Flats, about eight miles yonder.

Sheriff, look, I've got to be in Scottsburg at five O'clock this afternoon.

You'll make it.

Unless we stand here all day arguing about it.

What are you going to charge me with?

I could charge you with building a fire on Rangeland or something more serious.

Like what?

Like maybe you're part of the gang that held up the bank at Dutchman's Flats and killed a teller.

Now, you want to get on your horse and let's get this thing over with?

Well, there sure ain't much of a town, is it?

It's a hot one, I'll say that.

Think you could stand a cold beer?

Yeah.

Morning, Milt.

Morning, yes.

I can't remember it being so hot for so long.

Too long.

Everything's burnt to a crisp.

Yeah, that's right.

Jesse.

Now, Milt, I know what you're going to say.

I must ask you again.

If I can't extend credit, the farmers and ranchers are going to have to move out.

And I can't do anything about that unless you give me a loan.

Milt, you know as well as I do that since the robbery, the bank is almost without funds.

Jesse, you've just got to do something.

You're the banker in this town.

People depend on you for help.

Well, don't you think I know that?

Well, then why don't you do something?

What are you just sitting around for?

Now, wait a minute.

I'm getting sick and tired of you and everybody else in this town blaming me for this robbery.

I lost as much, if not more, than anybody.

Remember, it was my own son-in-law who was shot and killed.

Now, that's all you have on your mind, Milton.

I'm sorry, Jesse.

It's just that I've got to say no to all those farmers that come to the store all the time.

I told them I'd talk to you.

What they don't understand is there's nothing I can do.

If I only had a little more time.

I've tried to negotiate a loan from every bank in this territory.

But everybody has hit as hard with this drought as we are.

Then I say this town is going to die.

Just as sure as that dang sun comes up every morning.

How's Mary Ann?

How do you think she is?

Her husband dead?

Good day, Mary Ann.

It's nice to see you about again.

Well, can I leave?

I'm sorry, Larson.

Wait a minute, don't give me that.

The bank just turned me down.

Look, I got a house full of kids and I'm not going to let them go hungry.

I can't give you what I haven't got.

And I got it right from a feller that talked to a feller

who knew the brother of one of the men that was right there.

Hockey, there was two bears.

You know what he told me?

I'll tell you what he told me, son.

He told me there was grasshoppers.

Millions of them.

Fifty miles north of here.

Just a two and a... We'll set up everything in sight.

You know what?

Here's Bunyar.

Them grasshoppers is gonna be down on us, he's sure as shoot.

There ain't no grasshoppers north of here, mister.

Who told you that?

Ain't nobody told us that.

We just rode through there yesterday.

I say there's grasshoppers up there, millions of them.

And I say there ain't.

That storekeeper, that no-good tight-lipped hypocrite, he won't give anybody any credit.

Well, it's the drought, that's what's the trouble, Ned.

It's that bank robber that laid this town low.

I tell you, them robbers got all their money.

Yeah, there's nothing being done about him.

Sheriff Steadman, he's riding all around the country finding nothing.

You leave the sheriff out of it.

I work for him and he's a good man.

You know, he let me wear a gun.

Yeah, I know, I know.

I was in the bank the day it happened.

I could have prevented the whole thing.

Yeah, Shooky, it's too hot to go through all that again.

Yeah, but I mean... I've heard it 900 times in the last few weeks.

Yeah, but I still could have prevented the whole thing.

Come on.

Fight.

Million grasshoppers?

Yeah.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

It's too dang hot to fight about grasshoppers.

Well, you're right.

Have a beer.

Wasn't much of a fight.

Better no fight at all.

At least it was a little excitement, huh?

Yeah.

Come on, Ted, let's get this place back together.

What you got there, Sheriff?

Not much.

Just hold it right there.

All right, get down.

All right, inside.

Yeah, must be something, riding a $50 horse.

Gee, sure is a big man.

Sure is.

Just like the one...

Like one what?

I gotta give the sheriff a hand.

What's going on, Sheriff?

What does that fella do?

Caught him starting a fire on Rangeland.

Says his name's Cartwright.

Oh.

All right.

Oh, now, Sheriff, come on, will you?

Ooh-wee!

Must be 1525!

Thousand here!

That's 12.

Think he stole it, Sheriff?

That's a pile of money!

Think he stole it?

The Sheriff knows where I got the money.

Look, Sheriff, I gotta be in Scottsburg in three hours.

The Sheriff's too smart to turn you loose.

You might be a bank robber or some such.

Sheriff, look, all you gotta do is send a telegraph to the land office in Scottsburg.

My pa'll verify my story.

You awful fidgety for an honest man.

Shucky.

Yes, sir?

Go stable the man.

Man's horse.

See that it's rubbed down.

Right away, Sheriff.

Hey, Shucky.

Uh-huh?

Who was that the sheriff caught?

Says his name is Cartwright.

You know, he had $15,000 in gold in them saddlebags.

$15,000 in gold?

Uh-huh.

You think he stole it?

Wouldn't surprise me at all.

Of course, he said he didn't, but being the sheriff, think he's lying.

We're gonna hold him in jail for a while.

Um, I got some things to do.

See you later.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.