Gunsmoke – Season 22
Episode 666: The Devil You Know –
Part One
WRITER: Amanda
CAST:
Matt Dillon
– U.S. Marshal
Kitty
Russell Dillon –
Doc Adams –
Festus Haggen – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Newly
O’Brien – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Emily
Dillon – daughter of Matt and Kitty
Beth Ann
Dillon – daughter of Matt and Kitty
Bobby
Dillon – son of Matt and Kitty
Miss Hannah
– former
Mister
Bodkin – bank owner
Mister
Dobie – owner of the Dodge House
Moss Grimmick – stable keeper
Jubal
Waters – former outlaw, brought in by Matt 15 years before
Adeline
Joe Boulder
Torree
TEASER
FADE IN:
INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT (DAY): THE DILLON HOUSE. KITTY IS WASHING DISHES FROM BREAKFAST. BETH ANN STANDS NEXT TO HER, DRYING THEM AND
PLACING THEM IN A STACK. BOBBY IS
THROWING TRAMP A STICK INSIDE, MAKING THE DOG BARK EXCITEDLY. EMILY SHUSHES THEM BOTH.
KITTY:
Bobby, go outside with Tramp to play.
You know your father’s sick. I
want to let him sleep a little longer this morning.
BOBBY: But
Tramp likes playing inside.
KITTY: (Her
patience is thinning, but she remains calm.) I’m sure he does. Take him out, please.
BOBBY: Yes,
ma’am.
AS THE BOY AND DOG RISE TO WALK
TOWARD THE OUTSIDE DOOR, MATT ENTERS FROM THE BACK OF THE HOUSE. HE IS DRESSED IN HIS USUAL ATTIRE, BUT WEARS
A BLUE SHIRT INSTEAD OF HIS BUGGER RED SHIRT.
ALTHOUGH HE TRIES TO ACT
KITTY:
(turning from the wash basin) Matt! What on earth are you doing out of bed?
MATT:
Kitty, I’m fine. (His voice is hoarse
and rough sounding.) It’s just a cold.
KITTY: Cold
my eye. You’ve been feverish since last
night, and you hacked your way from
MATT:
(sheepishly) Sorry.
KITTY: You
don’t need to apologize for being sick. You’re
not responsible for the world, you know.
(She glances at him pointedly.)
No, I don’t guess you do know. (She
takes off the apron she has been wearing and hands it to Emily, who takes Beth
Ann’s place drying while Beth Ann moves to wash. It seems as if they’ve established this
routine.) Now, get back in that bed and
I’ll send Bobby into town to get Doc.
MATT:
(frowning) Kitty, I don’t need Doc.
Besides, I’m headed into town myself.
I can see him there.
KITTY:
(eyes wide, then narrowing) Matthew Dillon, you are absolutely not going into
town today. It’s getting colder and
windier. Do you want to catch your
death?
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT ON BETH ANN AND
EMILY, WHO ARE WATCHING WITH GREAT INTEREST. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THEIR NEW PARENTS HAVE
REALLY HAD A CONFRONTATION IN FRONT OF THEM, AND THEY ARE CURIOUS AS TO WHO THE
WINNER WILL BE.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT ON MATT AND
KITTY. SHE IS STANDING WITH HER HANDS ON
HER HIPS. MATT HAS SHOVED HIS HAT ON HIS
HEAD AND SHRUGGED INTO HIS COAT AND NOW STANDS AT THE DOOR.
KITTY: (in
a tone that is asking her husband to be reasonable) I’m serious, Matt. You’re too sick to go anywhere.
MATT:
(opening the door) I won’t be long. I
promised Judge Brooker I’d have that report done to
take to Hays.
KITTY: (a
spark of anger sharpening her tone) You are not going
to –
MATT:
(knowing what she’s thinking and interrupting her) Newly’s
going to take it for me.
KITTY: (a
little appeased) Well, okay. (She places
a hand on his arm.) Really, Matt, please
don’t be long. You need to be in bed.
MATT: If
you promise to join me there, I’ll make sure I return promptly.
KITTY LOOKS AROUND QUICKLY TO SEE IF
THE CHILDREN HEARD HIM. BETH ANN AND
EMILY HAVE TURNED THEIR BACKS, BUT WE SEE THE SMIRK ON BETH ANN’S FACE.
KITTY:
(with a fierce whisper) Matt!
MATT:
Promise?
KITTY: You
are incorrigible. Go on, now, and be
quick about it.
MATT:
(grinning at her and waiting)
KITTY:
(Finally, exasperated, she whispers and blushes.) Yes, I promise.
MATT: Leave
the light on for me. (He says this
casually.)
KITTY: (Her
tone is serious.) I always will, Matt. I
always will.
MATT:
(letting his expression turn serious, too) I know that, Red. (He leans in to kiss her on the cheek, then straightens to looks at his daughters.) You girls are doing a good job there helping
your mama.
EMILY:
(smiling proudly) Yes, sir. Mama says we
are expepshunal workers.
KITTY
SMILES FONDLY AND MATT GRINS.
MATT: Expepshunal, huh?
That’s mighty impressive.
EMILY: Yes, sir.
MATT:
(stepping outside and turning for one last word) I’ll see you later, Kitty.
KITTY: Just
a little bit later, right?
MATT: Just
a little bit.
THE DOOR CLOSES.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT. AWAY FROM KITTY’S SCRUTINY, HE LETS HIS BODY
SLUMP AGAINST THE DOORFRAME FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE BRINGING UP A HAND,
SHAKING SLIGHTLY, TO WIPE PERSPIRATION FROM HIS BROW. AFTER A SEEMINGLY PAINFUL BREATH, HE PUSHES
AWAY FROM THE DOORFRAME AND HEADS TOWARD THE BARN, HIS STEPS SLOWER THAN USUAL,THE WIND TUGGING AT HIS COATTAILS.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY. HER SMILE FADES AND SHE LOOKS OUT THE WINDOW,
HER FACE WORRIED.
DISSOLVE TO MAIN TITLE
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN:
ACT ONE
EXTERIOR LONG SHOT (DAY): DODGE
CITY:
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: NATHAN BURKE IS
CROSSING THE STREET AND SEES THE MARSHAL.
BURKE:
Marshal! I’ve been looking for you. Them Horsley boys
have been rambling in my boxes again. I
want you to do something about – (He stops and looks up at the marshal.) Say, you don’t look so good, Marshal. You sick?
MATT: Look,
Burke. I’m just in town to do a
report. Then I’m going back home. If you have a complaint, tell Festus or Newly, and I’m sure they’ll take care of it.
BURKE: I’ve
been lookin’ for Festus all morning. And Newly said he’s
headed to Hays later, so –
MATT:
(cutting Burke off and continuing on toward the jail door) Fine. You do that.
BURKE STARES AFTER HIM, BUT DOESN’T
TRY TO CONTINUE HIS CONVERSATION. AS
MATT REACHES FOR THE DOORKNOB, MOSS GRIMMICK CALLS FROM ACROSS THE STREET.
GRIMMICK: Marshal!
MATT:
(turning and grimacing) Moss.
GRIMMICK:
Glad I caught ya’.
I ordered them special oats for Buck, but they ain’t
here yet. You want me to send out the
old barley or wait until – (He stops and looks up at the marshal.) You know, Marshal, you don’t look so good.
MATT:
(sarcastically) Really?
GRIMMICK:
Really. You’re kinda
flushed and –
MATT:
(impatiently) Just send the barley this time and the oats
when they come in. I’ll pay for both.
GRIMMICK:
(still peering up at Matt) What? Oh,
sure. Barley then oats. Got it. You sure you’re all right?
MATT: I
would be if I could get through the door here.
GRIMMICK:
(a little startled) Well, I ain’t keepin’
ya’.
MATT FROWNS IRONICALLY AND ALMOST
SAYS SOMETHING, BUT HE DECIDES TO LEAVE IT ALONE. HE PUSHES THE DOOR OPEN, ALMOST INSIDE WHEN
HE HEARS ANOTHER VOICE.
DOC: Oh, Matt! Wait up!
MATT’S SHOULDERS DROP, AND WE SEE FRUSTRATION IN EVERY LINE OF HIS TALL FRAME. SLOWLY, HE TURNS BACK AROUND TO WATCH AS THE
DOCTOR COMES SHUFFLING DOWN THE BOARDWALK TOWARD THE JAIL.
DOC: Matt,
listen, Kitty invited me for supper tomorrow night, but Sue Lynn Thornhill’s Little Tom has the colic and I told her I’d –
(He stops abruptly and squints up at the marshal.) Say, you know you don’t look so good.
MATT:
(gruffly) Well now, that works out just fine, because
I don’t feel so good, either.
DOC:
(looking even more closely) Seriously, you’re flushed
and sweating. As your physician, I would
say you have a fever.
MATT:
Really?
DOC: Yeah.
MATT: I
don’t need a physician to tell me that.
DOC:
(ruffling) Well, pardon me for showing compassion,
Marshal Dillon. (waves
his hand as if shooing Matt away) Go on off and kill yourself if you want.
MATT:
(sighs) Come on, Doc.
I didn’t mean – (He sighs again, coughing roughly. He doesn’t have the energy to argue.) Nevermind.
DOC:
(sweeping his mustache, his true concern bleeding through any insult) Here, let
me take a look at you. Come on up to my
office.
MATT: I
can’t.
DOC: What
do you mean you can’t? And by the way,
how on earth did Kitty let you out of the house like that?
MATT: I’m
just here to finish that report Judge Brooker needs
for Ed Haley’s trial. Newly’s gonna take
it to Hays for me.
DOC:
(grunts) Newly could do the report for you, too.
MATT: I was
the one who arrested him. I promised
Judge Brooker –
DOC: Sure,
sure. And we’ll see if Judge Brooker promises us another marshal after you collapse –
(scowls) Nevermind.
I know you’re too danged stubborn for anything I say to change your
mind. Just come by my office and see me
before you leave. I’ll give you some
powders.
MATT: (He looks
disgusted at the suggestion that he would take powders.) If I
have time.
DOC: (firmly)
Make time, Marshal. (He squints up at
Matt once more time.) You know, you really don’t look so good.
MATT:
(ruefully) So you’ve said.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT: JAIL HOUSE:
MATT IS SEATED AT HIS DESK, WRITING.
AFTER A FEW SECONDS, HE LIFTS THE PAPER, READS IT, AND FOLDS IT. PUSHING UP STIFFLY, HE COUGHS HARSHLY AND SWAYS
A BIT, BRACING AGAINST THE DESK TO STEADY HIMSELF. HE WIPES AT HIS FOREHEAD WITH ONE HAND AND
WALKS TO THE BACK DOOR OF THE JAIL.
CUT TO EXTERIOR SHOT (DAY): BACK OF
JAIL HOUSE. WE SEE MATT STEP DOWN AND
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT: JAIL
HOUSE. AS MATT ENTERS, HE LOOKS UP. TWO MEN HAVE COME INTO THE JAIL. BOTH ARE DUSTY FROM THE TRAIL. ONE WEARS A BATTERED TAN HAT AND NO
VEST. THE OTHER HAS A BLACK HAT AND
BROWN VEST. BOTH WEAR GUNBELTS.
MATT:
(warily) Can I help you men?
JOE:
(grinning, but without humor) You sure can, Marshal.
CLOSE SHOT ON JOE’S GUNBELT AROUND
HIS HIPS.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT, HIS EYES
SLIDING TO THE LEFT.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT’S GUNBELT,
CUT BACK TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE
REALIZES HE’S AT A SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE.
TORREE: Whatcha lookin’ fer, Marshal?
JOE: You
figure you kin git to that gun before I plug you
right in the belly?
MATT: What
do you want?
JOE: Why nothin’ much. We
just want you, Marshal Matt Dillon.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT’S EYES: WE CAN TELL HE IS THINKING QUICKLY ABOUT WHAT
HE SHOULD DO, BUT THE FEVER HAS SLOWED HIM DOWN.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON JOE: HE IS WATCHING MATT, WAITING FOR HIS MOVE.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT OF MATT, JOE, AND
TORREE: SUDDENLY, MATT MAKES A MOVE
TOWARD HIS GUN, BUT QUICKLY MOVES BACK TO THE RIGHT AND DIVES TOWARD JOE,
TAKING THE MAN BY SURPRISE AND TACKLING HIM.
THEY SCUFFLE, BOTH MEN TRYING TO GET THE ADVANTAGE. MATT HAS DIFFICULTY CATCHING HIS BREATH. PERSPIRATION ROLLS DOWN HIS FACE. JOE PUSHES HIS HAND AGAINST MATT’S JAW. MATT BREAKS THE HOLD AND TURNS THEM SO HE IS
NOW OVER JOE. HE PUNCHES HIM ONCE, AND
CLOSE SHOT OF JOE FROM MATT’S POV: HE SEES JOE THROUGH BLURRY EYES.
MEDIUM SHOT: TORREE STANDS THERE,
NOT MOVING TO HELP.
JOE:
(trying to wiggle from the marshal’s grip) What – the
– hell – are you doin – just watchin’,
Torree? (gasps as Matt throws a hard right into his jaw) Do somethin’!
TORREE LOOKS AROUND ANXIOUSLY. MATT AND JOE CONTINUE TO FIGHT. MATT STILL SEES HIM BLURRILY. FINALLY,
TORREE’S GAZE FALLS ON A PIECE OF FIREWOOD PROPPED BESIDE THE STOVE. HE PICKS IT UP. SWINGING IT HIGH OVER HIS HEAD, HE BRINGS IT
DOWN HARD, SLAMMING IT AGAINST MATT’S HEAD.
THE MARSHAL COLLAPSES, FALLING ON JOE, WHO SCRAMBLES OUT FROM UNDER THE
HUGE LAWMAN. HE KICKS AT MATT AS HE
STANDS OVER HIM, THEN BENDS DOWN AND RIPS THE BADGE FROM MATT’S CHEST BEFORE
KICKING THE MARSHAL BACK OVER.
JOE: (Mouth and cheek are bleeding. He wipes at them.) Took ya’
long enough.
TORREE:
He’s a big ‘un. (peers
down more carefully) You don’t figger I kilt him, do ya’?
JOE: Naw. He’s still breathin’.
TORREE: And
bleedin’.
Look.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE IS FACE DOWN ON THE JAIL FLOOR, OUT COLD,
BLOOD TRAILING DOWN THE SIDE OF HIS FACE AND NECK.
MEDIUM SHOT ON JOE AND TORREE: JOE IS BREATHING HEAVILY, WIPING BLOOD FROM
THE CORNER OF HIS MOUTH.
JOE: That’s
what he gets for trying to be the big marshal.
He won’t do it again, I bet.
TORREE: He
might not do anything again.
JOE: Shut up.
We need him alive. You go bring
the wagon around to the side and we’ll load him up. Make sure the blankets cover him good.
TORREE: You
sure this is a good idea?
JOE: You
won’t be askin’ that when your pockets are full of
greenbacks.
TORREE: How
much you reckon we kin git?
JOE: For
Matt Dillon? No less than thirty
thousand.
TORREE: (grinning) Hoo wee! Thirty thousand dollars! You figger he’s
worth it?
JOE: Well,
I guess we’ll see. Now
let’s git going. Leave that note over on the desk. (holds out badge) And put this with it.
TORREE: (He
takes the badge and tugs out a rumpled piece of paper from his vest, placing
both on Matt’s desk.) I just hope he
don’t die on us before we kin git the money.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: THERE IS MORE BLOOD NOW. WE CAN’T SEE ANY MOVEMENT AT ALL FROM HIM.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN:
ACT TWO
MEDIUM SHOT (DAY), DOC’S OFFICE: THE PHYSICIAN OPENS THE DOOR TO HIS OUTSIDE
STARIS, LOOKING OUT.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT, BOTTOM OF THE
STAIRS: A TUMBLEWEED
ROLLS BY QUICKLY, INDICATIVE OF THE WIND.
THE STREET BELOW IS EMPTY.
CLOSE ON DOC: HE SHAKES HIS HEAD AND STARTS DOWN THE
STAIRS.
DOC: (to
himself) Some folks are just stubborn as a pack mule. Walkin’ around when they should be in bed. Can’t tell them anything. Should be used to it after
twenty years. (He continues onto
the boardwalk toward the jail, pulling up his collar to shield himself from the
wind.) You’d think he’d be
appreciative. A
trained physician offering to tend him.
Good thing his doctor is a caring, dedicated – You just gotta save some folks from themselves.
MEDIUM SHOT FROM INSIDE OF JAIL AS
DOC ENTERS: HE SEES NO ONE THERE.
DOC: Matt?
HE LOOKS AROUND, EYES CATCHING
SOMETHING WET AND SHINY ON THE FLOOR. HE
BENDS DOWN, LEANING ON A CHAIR, AND TOUCHES HIS FINGERS TO THE WETNESS. WHEN HE LIFTS HIS FINGERS WE SEE A GENEROUS
SMEAR OF RED. HE LOOKS UP, ALARMED.
DOC: Matt!
(urgently)
RISING STIFFLY, HE HEADS OUT THE
DOOR AS QUICKLY AS HE CAN, RUNNING INTO NEWLY AS THE DEPUTY IS ENTERING.
NEWLY: Hey,
Doc, what’s the rush?
DOC: Newly, have you seen Matt?
NEWLY: Not
yet. I was just coming to get the papers
he wants me to take to Judge Brooker in Hays. Figured maybe he’d stayed home, though. When I talked with him yesterday, he didn’t
look so good.
DOC: I
think he might look a lot worse now.
NEWLY: What do you mean? (concerned)
DOC: (points
to the blood on the floor) Look at this.
NEWLY BENDS TO TOUCH THE BLOOD, HIS
FACE ALARMED LIKE DOC’S AS HE REALIZES WHAT IT IS. HE STANDS AGAIN.
NEWLY: I
don’t like this, Doc.
DOC: Well,
me neither.
NEWLY: You looked out back?
DOC: Not
yet.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT, BACK OF JAIL: NEWLY AND DOC STEP OUTSIDE. THERE IS WATER SPLASHED AROUND THE BARREL. NEWLY BENDS TO LOOK AT SOMETHING. THE WIND IS SWIRLING MORE POWERFULLY NOW.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MARKS IN THE
DIRT, AS IF SOMEONE HAS BEEN DRAGGED:
THERE ARE BLOOD SPLOTCHES AROUND AND ON THE MARKS.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT ON NEWLY AND DOC
AS THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER, TRUE WORRY IN THEIR EXPRESSIONS.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT, INSIDE OF JAIL: NEWLY AND DOC ARE COMING IN FROM THE BACK AS
FESTUS ENTERS FROM THE FRONT, SINGING.
FESTUS:
(singing) And the ‘possum turned with his belly up,
his head inside a ol’ tea cup –
DOC:
Festus, stop that!
FESTUS: You ain’t
got no presheeashum fer
good music –
NEWLY:
Festus, the Marshal’s gone.
FESTUS: Y’a mean he went ta’ Hays hisownseff? He ortnotta done thet. I didn’t say nothin’
to him, but when I seed him yesstidy, he looked like
he wuz ailin’ –
NEWLY: No,
Festus. He didn’t go to Hays. He’s just – gone.
DOC:
Gone! And not without
a struggle. (He points to the
bloody floor.)
CLOSE SHOT ON FESTUS: HE SQUINTS HIS EYES
AND BENDS DOWN TO TOUCH THE BLOOD HIMSELF.
EYES WIDENING, HE RISES AND LOOKS AT DOC AND NEWLY.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: NEWLY WALKS OVER TO MATT’S DESK AND PICKS UP MATT’S
BADGE, HIS EYES WIDENING. THEN HE LIFTS THE
CRUMPLED PIECE OF PAPER TORREE LEFT.
NEWLY: You
two had better look at this.
DOC AND FESTUS WALK TO THE
DESK. DOC PICKS UP THE PAPER AND READS
IT.
DOC:
(reading) To the War Department or the citizens of Dodge. If you want to see Dillon again, it’ll cost
you thirty-thousand dollars.
FESTUS:
Thirty-thousand dollars!
DOC:
(continuing reading) If you don’t pay up, we’ll turn him over to the first one
what puts up the money.
NEWLY: Does
that mean –
DOC:
(finishing the note) Leave it in a bag at the big oak near Willow Creek by
Wednesday
FESTUS:
Why, Willer Crick’s halfway ta’
Garden City.
NEWLY: Doc,
do you think the War Department will pay the ransom?
DOC: (shaking his head) Matt would tell you
quicker than anybody, the
NEWLY: What
about Dodge?
FESTUS: Gollybill, folks ‘round here ain’t
got thet kinda money.
DOC: Maybe
half that much, but –
NEWLY: What
happens if someone else pays, then?
Someone who doesn’t exactly have the Marshal’s best interest in mind?
CLOSE SHOT ON DOC, NEWLY, AND
FESTUS: THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER, THE
POSSIBILTIES OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO MATT HORRIFYING.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT THREE
INTERIOR SHOT (DAY). SMALL CABIN. A WOMAN, LEAN, WITH THE APPEARANCE OF BEING
MUCH OLDER THAN SHE IS, STANDS OVER A NARROW BED, LOOKING DOWN.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT. WE SEE MATT LYING ON HIS BACK ON THE BED. HE IS OBVIOUSLY UNCONSCIOUS, ONE ARM ACROSS
HIS ABDOMEN, THE OTHER FLUNG OUT OVER THE BED.
THE PILLOW BENEATH HIS HEAD IS STAINED WITH BLOOD. PERSPIRATION STILL DOTS HIS FACE.
JOE AND TORREE ARE SITTING AT A
TABLE. JOE IS DABBING AT HIS FACE WITH A
WET CLOTH. THE WOMAN
GLANCES BACK AT THEM BRIEFLY.
ADELINE:
Who is he?
JOE: (wincing
as he touches the cuts Matt inflicted during their fight) None
of yer business.
Jest tend to him. We’re gonna need him alive.
ADELINE:
He’s awful big.
TORREE: Not
so big that a piece of cord wood couldn’t take him down.
JOE: You
got any grub?
ADELINE:
(absently) Squirrel stew. On the stove. (She turns back to Matt.) He don’t look so
good. Maybe you hit him too hard. (She places her hand on his forehead. Matt groans.)
Why, he’s burnin’ up.
JOE: Ain’t our fault. He musta already been ailin’.
TORREE:
(grinning) He didn’t go down none too easy, even at
that.
JOE: (defensively)
We took ‘im, though.
TORREE:
Sure. Sure. Don’t matter none, anyhow. He don’t look like
he’s gonna give us much trouble anytime soon.
JOE: (to
Adeline) You heard what I said. You keep him alive.
ADELINE:
Might not be so easy. He’s in a bad way.
JOE: Just
you do it, least-wise until we git what we want outta him.
ADELINE:
What’s that?
TORREE: Thirty-thousand
dollars. Ain’t
that right, Joe?
ADELINE:
(eyes wide) Thirty-thousand dollars?
(She looks down at Matt in wonder.)
He some tycoon or somethin’?
JOE: Even
better. Yer lookin’
at Marshal Matt Dillon. And if
the government don’t figure he’s worth forking over
the money for, I know a few gunslingers who might just put in their bids to git their hands on him.
ADELINE:
(She frowns slightly and looks back down at Matt.) What would they do to him, those gunslingers?
JOE: (chucking)
I reckon they’d fight over who got to tear his body to pieces.
ADELINE:
(looking down at Matt, a strange expression softening her hard features) Seems like a waste of a fine-lookin’
body.
JOE:
(frowning) Here, now.
Jest you don’t go getting’ no ideas ‘bout him. He ain’t here fer yer oglin’. You jest keep him alive until we’re ready to
unload him.
ADELINE DOESN’T ANSWER HIM. JOE SQUINTS AT HER ONE MORE TIME BEFORE
GRABBING TORREE’S ARM.
JOE: Come on.
I’m tired of squirrel stew. Let’s
get us a rabbit.
THEY GO OUTSIDE. THE WIND BLOWS THE
DOOR HARD, AND THEY HAVE TO WORK TO CLOSE IT BACK. WE SEE THEM PULL UP THEIR COLLARS FOR MORE
PROTECTION FROM THE WEATHER.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON ADELINE AND
MATT: SHE PRESSES A CLOTH TO HIS
FOREHEAD AND THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. THE
CLOTH COMES AWAY BLOODSTAINED. SHE
WATCHES HIM FOR A MINUTE, THEN GENTLY TOUCHES HER HAND
TO HIS FACE.
ADELINE: I
reckon yer in a mess of trouble, Marshal Matt Dillon. Too bad yer gonna
end up dead. I shore could git used ta’ lookin’
at ya’.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE TURNS HIS
HEAD, GRIMACING AT THE MOVEMENT, BUT REMAINS UNCONSCIOUS.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT FOUR:
CUT TO MEDIUM INTERIOR SHOT (NIGHT):
DILLON HOUSE. KITTY IS COOKING SUPPER
WITH THE HELP OF THE THREE CHILDREN.
TRAMP IS CURLED UP BY THE FIRE.
WE HEAR THE WIND HOWLING OUTSIDE.
KITTY GLANCES OUT THE WINDOW SEVERAL TIMES.
KITTY:
(muttering) I won’t be long, he said.
Just a little bit later, he said.
BETH ANN:
Mama, isn’t Daddy coming home for supper?
KITTY:
(trying to cover her irritation and worry) Oh, of course he is, Beth Ann. You know how things can happen. Probably some argument between a couple of cowboys is keeping him. I’m sure he’ll be along soon.
BOBBY:
(looking out the window) Sure is windy out there. Good thing Daddy’s got a big coat.
KITTY:
(eyes worried) Good thing.
BOBBY: Doc
told me once that March comes in like a lamp and out like
a line.
KITTY:
(smiling despite the situation) In like a lamp?
BOBBY: Yep.
KITTY: Do
you know what that means?
BOBBY:
Nope. I’ve been lookin’
and lookin’ out there, and I can’t see no lamps at all.
BETH ANN:
(shaking her head with the wisdom of a big sister) In
like a LAMB, silly. And out like a –
WE HEAR THE CLOPPING OF HORSE HOOVES
FROM OUTSIDE. KITTY TAKES A DEEP BREATH
OF RELIEF AND SMILES.
KITTY: Well, that must be Daddy. Better late than never.
SHE GOES TO THE DOOR, THE CHILDREN
BEHIND HER TO GREET THEIR FATHER. BEFORE
SHE CAN OPEN IT, THOUGH, THERE IS A KNOCK, WHICH CONFUSES HER. SHE WONDERS WHY MATT WOULD BE KNOCKING. CAUTIOUSLY, SHE OPENS IT. THE WIND CATCHES HER HAIR AND BLOWS IT, ALONG
WITH HER SKIRTS. WE SEE DOC AND FESTUS
STANDING ON THE PORCH, THEIR FACES TIGHT.
THEY ARE NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO TELLING HER ABOUT MATT.
KITTY: Doc? Festus? What are you
doing here this time of night and out in this weather?
DOC: Can we
come in, Kitty?
KITTY: Of
course. (She backs up so they can enter
and closes the door behind them.)
FESTUS: Miz Kitty, we – uh – I don’t s’pose
Matthew is here?
KITTY:
(stiffening – she realizes something is very wrong now) No. He’s – he’s in town. (pause) Isn’t he?
DOC:
Festus, why don’t you see if the children want some of that rock candy you brought.
FESTUS:
(nodding) Shore thang, Doc. (to kids) Come on, young’uns. Uncle Festus done brought ye
a treat.
THE CHILDREN GATHER AROUND FESTUS,
WHO GUIDES THEM AWAY FROM KITTY AND DOC. ONLY BETH ANN LOOKS BACK IN
CONCERN.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY AND DOC:
HE TAKES HER ARM AND LOOKS UP AT HER, HIS FACE RELUCTANT.
DOC: Kitty,
there’s no easy way to tell you this.
KITTY: (Her
hand goes to her mouth. She looks as if
she will be sick.) Oh my God. Matt’s
dead!
DOC: What?
No, oh, no. I didn’t mean – No,
no, he’s not dead. At least – (He stops
before he says too much.) No, but he’s
in danger, Kitty. Real
danger.
KITTY:
(taking a deep breath) Tell me.
DOC:
Someone’s taken him hostage. They’re
holding him for ransom.
KITTY: Oh
God.
DOC: Now,
Newly’s getting a group up and they’re heading out to find him. He’s gonna be okay. You just believe that. Matt’s strong and he can take care of
himself.
KITTY: I
know, Doc, but – but taken hostage!
DOC: We’ll
get him back.
KITTY:
(grasping his arm as if she’s just thought of something) He’s sick, Doc. Real sick. I tried to get him to stay home today, but
you know him. He promised he’d be back
soon. He promised –
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: THE CHILDREN
LOOK AWAY FROM FESTUS, THEIR ATTENTION ON THEIR MOTHER, WHO IS NOW OBVIOUSLY
DISTRAUGHT.
BETH ANN:
Mama? What’s wrong?
DOC: I’ll
tell you in just a minute, children. Let
your mother and me talk a little longer.
BETH ANN:
(hesitantly) Yes, sir.
RETURN TO CLOSE SHOT: DOC AND KITTY
DOC: It’s
going to be all right, Kitty. Even sick,
Matt Dillon is a better man than any other I know.
KITTY: How much?
DOC: What?
KITTY: How
much do they want?
DOC:
(sighing) Thirty-thousand dollars.
KITTY:
Thirty-thousand dollars! Oh, Doc, I
can’t get that kind of money. Maybe a
third of that, but –
DOC: You
don’t worry about that. They want the
War Department to pay it.
KITTY: The
War Department? But, they won’t. They
won’t pay a ransom, Doc, you know that.
DOC: They
might. And if they don’t, the town of
KITTY: Even
with every man, woman, and child giving, I don’t think we can raise that
much. What happens if we don’t? (She lowers her voice, and we see her body
brace.) Will they kill him?
DOC: (He
hesitates, doesn’t want to tell her this.) They’ll turn him over to the highest
bidder.
KITTY:
What! But that means – that means
anybody who wants Matt dead – or worse – can –
DOC: That’s
not going to happen, Kitty. We’ll get
the money somehow. Or we’ll get Matt.
KITTY: What
if we can’t, Doc? What if we can’t?
DOC LOOKS AT HER, THE UNPLEASANT
ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION CLEAR ON HIS FACE.
KITTY LOOKS BACK, EYES FEARFUL.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT (NIGHT): CABIN
OF JOE AND TORREE. ADELINE IS AGAIN
STANDING OVER MATT.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: MATT IS GROANING
AND MUMBLING IN THE THROES OF A HIGH FEVER.
HIS SHIRT IS SOAKED IN SWEAT. HIS
FACE IS WET, AS IS HIS HAIR. WE SEE THAT
THE CLOTH BENEATH HIS HEAD IS NOT AS BLOODY AS BEFORE, BUT HE IS OBVIOUSLY VERY
ILL.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: ADELINE WIPES
HIS FACE WITH A DRY RAG.
ADELINE:
You’d better not die on me, lawman. Joe
would have my hide. (Sighing, she
brushes back lock of hair from his forehead gently.) Plus, I’d be kinda
sorry myself.
MATT:
(still unconscious) Kitty –
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: WE SEE ADELINE
FROWN WHEN SHE HEARS HIM CALL OUT KITTY’S NAME.
HER EYES NARROW AND SHE PULLS AWAY THE RAG SHE IS USING TO TEND TO HIM.
ADELINE:
Kitty?
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT.
MATT: (in
between delirious groans) Kitty –
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: MATT AND
ADELINE. SHE IS WATCHING HIM NOW, HER
EXPRESSION NOT AS GENTLE AS BEFORE. HER
EYE CATCHES A BUTCHER KNIFE LYING ON THE COUNTER AND WE SEE HER HAND FLINCH
TOWARD IT, THEN WE –
DISSOLVE TO CREDITS
FADE TO BLACK: END OF PART ONE
~MK~
Gunsmoke – Season 22
Episode 667: The Devil You Know –
Part Two
WRITER: Amanda
CAST:
Matt Dillon
– U.S. Marshal
Kitty
Russell Dillon –
Doc Adams –
Festus Haggen – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Newly
O’Brien – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Emily
Dillon – daughter of Matt and Kitty
Beth Ann
Dillon – daughter of Matt and Kitty
Bobby
Dillon – son of Matt and Kitty
Miss Hannah
– former
Moss Grimmick – Stable keeper
Jubal
Waters – former outlaw, brought in by Matt 15 years before
Adeline
Joe Boulder
Torree
TEASER
FADE IN:
THE STORY THUS FAR:
MEDIUM SHOT:THE
DILLON HOUSE. MATT AND
KITTY. SHE IS STANDING WITH HER
HANDS ON HER HIPS. MATT STANDS AT THE
DOOR, HIS HAT AND COAT ON.
KITTY: (in
a tone that is asking her husband to be reasonable) I’m serious, Matt. You’re too sick to go anywhere.
MATT:
(opening the door) I won’t be long. I
promised Judge Brooker I’d have that report done to
take to Hays.
MATT:
(stepping outside and turning for one last word) I’ll see you later, Kitty.
KITTY: Just
a little bit later, right?
MATT: Just
a little bit.
THE DOOR CLOSES.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT. AWAY FROM KITTY’S SCRUTINY, HE LETS HIS BODY
SLUMP AGAINST THE DOORFRAME FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE BRINGING UP A HAND,
SHAKING SLIGHTLY, TO WIPE PERSPIRATION FROM HIS BROW. AFTER A SEEMINGLY PAINFUL BREATH, HE PUSHES
AWAY FROM THE DOORFRAME AND HEADS TOWARD THE BARN, HIS STEPS SLOWER THAN USUAL,
WIND TUGGING AT HIS COATTAILS.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY. HER SMILE FADES AND SHE LOOKS OUT THE WINDOW,
HER FACE WORRIED.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT: JAIL
HOUSE. AS MATT ENTERS FROM THE BACK OF
THE BUILDING, HE LOOKS UP. TWO MEN HAVE
COME INTO THE JAIL. BOTH ARE DUSTY FROM
THE TRAIL. ONE WEARS A BATTERED TAN HAT
AND NO VEST. THE OTHER HAS A BLACK HAT
AND BROWN VEST. BOTH WEAR GUNBELTS.
MATT:
(warily) Can I help you men?
JOE:
(grinning, but without humor) You sure can, Marshal.
CLOSE SHOT ON JOE’S GUNBELT AROUND
HIS HIPS.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT, HIS EYES
SLIDING TO THE LEFT.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT’S GUNBELT,
CUT BACK TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE
REALIZES HE’S AT A SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE.
TORREE: Whatcha lookin’ fer, Marshal?
JOE: You
figure you kin git to that gun before I plug you
right in the belly?
MATT: What
do you want?
JOE: Why nothin’ much. We
just want you, Marshal Matt Dillon.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT OF MATT, JOE, AND
TORREE: SUDDENLY, MATT MAKES A MOVE
TOWARD HIS GUN, BUT QUICKLY MOVES BACK TO THE RIGHT AND DIVES TOWARD JOE,
TAKING THE MAN BY SURPRISE AND TACKLING HIM.
THEY SCUFFLE, BOTH MEN TRYING TO GET THE ADVANTAGE. MATT HAS DIFFICULTY CATCHING HIS BREATH. PERSPIRATION ROLLS DOWN HIS FACE. JOE PUSHES HIS HAND AGAINST MATT’S JAW. MATT BREAKS THE HOLD AND TURNS THEM SO HE IS
NOW OVER JOE. HE PUNCHES HIM ONCE, AND
TORREE LOOKS AROUND ANXIOUSLY. MATT AND JOE CONTINUE TO FIGHT. MATT STILL SEES HIM BLURRILY. FINALLY,
TORREE’S GAZE FALLS ON A PIECE OF FIREWOOD PROPPED BESIDE THE STOVE. HE PICKS IT UP. SWINGING IT HIGH OVER HIS HEAD, HE BRINGS IT
DOWN HARD, SLAMMING IT AGAINST MATT’S HEAD.
THE MARSHAL COLLAPSES, FALLING ON JOE, WHO SCRAMBLES OUT FROM UNDER THE
HUGE LAWMAN. HE KICKS AT MATT AS HE
STANDS OVER HIM, THEN BENDS DOWN AND RIPS THE BADGE FROM MATT’S CHEST BEFORE
KICKING THE MARSHAL BACK OVER.
JOE: (Mouth and cheek are bleeding. He wipes at them.) Took ya’
long enough.
TORREE:
He’s a big ‘un. (peers
down more carefully) You don’t figger I kilt him, do ya’?
JOE: Naw. He’s still breathin’.
TORREE: And
bleedin’.
Look.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE IS FACE DOWN ON THE JAIL FLOOR, OUT COLD,
BLOOD TRAILING DOWN THE SIDE OF HIS FACE AND NECK.
MEDIUM SHOT ON JOE AND TORREE: JOE IS BREATHING HEAVILY, WIPING BLOOD FROM
THE CORNER OF HIS MOUTH.
TORREE: You
sure this is a good idea?
JOE: You
won’t be askin’ that when your pockets are full of
greenbacks.
TORREE: How
much you reckon we kin git?
JOE: For
Matt Dillon? No less than thirty
thousand.
TORREE: (grinning) Hoo wee! Thirty thousand dollars! You figger he’s
worth it?
JOE: Well,
I guess we’ll see. Now
let’s git going. Leave that note over on the desk. (holds out badge) And put this with it.
TORREE: (He
takes the badge and tugs out a rumpled piece of paper from his vest, placing
both on Matt’s desk.) I just hope he
don’t die on us before we kin git the money.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: THERE IS MORE BLOOD NOW. WE CAN’T SEE ANY MOVEMENT AT ALL FROM HIM.
XXXX
INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT: JAIL. DOC
ENTERS: HE SEES NO ONE THERE.
DOC: Matt?
HE LOOKS AROUND, EYES CATCHING
SOMETHING WET AND SHINY ON THE FLOOR. HE
BENDS DOWN, LEANING ON A CHAIR, AND TOUCHES HIS FINGERS TO THE WETNESS. WHEN HE LIFTS HIS FINGERS WE SEE A GENEROUS
SMEAR OF RED. HE LOOKS UP, ALARMED.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT,
JAIL: NEWLY AND DOC ARE COMING IN FROM
THE BACK AS FESTUS ENTERS FROM THE FRONT, SINGING.
FESTUS:
(singing) And the ‘possum turned with his belly up,
his head inside a ol’ tea cup –
DOC:
Festus, stop that!
FESTUS: You ain’t
got no presheeashum fer
good music –
NEWLY:
Festus, the Marshal’s gone.
FESTUS: Y’a mean he went ta’ Hays hisownseff? He ortnotta done thet. I didn’t say nothin’
to him, but when I seed him yesstidy, he looked like
he wuz ailin’ –
NEWLY: No,
Festus. He didn’t go to Hays. He’s just – gone.
DOC:
Gone! And not without
a struggle. (He points to the
bloody floor.)
CLOSE SHOT ON FESTUS: HE SQUINTS HIS EYES
AND BENDS DOWN TO TOUCH THE BLOOD HIMSELF.
EYES WIDENING, HE RISES AND LOOKS AT DOC AND NEWLY.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: NEWLY WALKS OVER TO MATT’S DESK AND PICKS UP
MATT’S BADGE, HIS EYES WIDENING. THEN HE
LIFTS THE CRUMPLED PIECE OF PAPER TORREE LEFT.
NEWLY: You
two had better look at this.
XXXX
INTERIOR CLOSE SHOT (DAY). SMALL CABIN. A WOMAN, LEAN, WITH THE APPEARANCE OF BEING
MUCH OLDER THAN SHE IS, STANDS OVER A NARROW BED, LOOKING DOWN.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT. WE SEE MATT LYING ON HIS BACK ON THE
BED. HE IS OBVIOUSLY UNCONSCIOUS, ONE
ARM ACROSS HIS ABDOMEN, THE OTHER FLUNG OUT OVER THE BED. THE PILLOW BENEATH HIS HEAD IS STAINED WITH
BLOOD. PERSPIRATION STILL DOTS HIS FACE.
JOE: (to
Adeline) You keep him alive.
ADELINE:
Might not be so easy. He’s in a bad way.
JOE: Just
you do it, least-wise until we git what we want outta him.
ADELINE:
What’s that?
TORREE:
Thirty-thousand dollars. Ain’t that right, Joe?
ADELINE:
(eyes wide) Thirty-thousand dollars?
(She looks down at Matt in wonder.)
He some tycoon or somethin’?
JOE: Even
better. Yer lookin’
at Marshal Matt Dillon. And if
the government don’t figure he’s worth forking over
the money for, I know a few gunslingers who might just put in their bids to git their hands on him.
ADELINE:
(She frowns slightly and looks back down at Matt.) What would they do to him, those gunslingers?
JOE:
(chucking) I reckon they’d fight over who got to tear his body to pieces.
ADELINE:
(looking down at Matt, a strange expression softening her hard features) Seems like a waste of a fine-lookin’
body.
JOE: (frowning)
Here, now. Jest
you don’t go getting’ no ideas ‘bout him.
He ain’t here fer yer oglin’. You jest keep him alive until we’re ready to
unload him.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT (NIGHT):
DILLON HOUSE. KITTY IS COOKING SUPPER
WITH THE HELP OF THE THREE CHILDREN.
TRAMP IS CURLED UP BY THE FIRE.
WE HEAR THE WIND HOWLING OUTSIDE.
KITTY GLANCES OUT THE WINDOW SEVERAL TIMES.
WE HEAR THE CLOPPING OF HORSE HOOVES
FROM OUTSIDE. KITTY TAKES A DEEP BREATH
OF RELIEF AND SMILES.
KITTY: Well, that must be Daddy. Better late than never.
SHE GOES TO THE DOOR. THE WIND CATCHES HER HAIR AND BLOWS IT, ALONG
WITH HER SKIRTS. WE SEE DOC AND FESTUS
STANDING ON THE PORCH, THEIR FACES TIGHT.
DOC: He’s in danger, Kitty. Real danger.
KITTY:
(taking a deep breath) Tell me.
DOC:
Someone’s taken him hostage. They’re
holding him for ransom.
KITTY: How
much do they want?
DOC:
(sighing) Thirty-thousand dollars.
KITTY:
Thirty-thousand dollars! Oh, Doc, I
can’t get that kind of money. Maybe a
third of that, but –
DOC: You
don’t worry about that. They want the
War Department to pay it.
KITTY: The
War Department? But, they won’t. They
won’t pay a ransom, Doc, you know that.
DOC: They
might. And if they don’t, the town of
KITTY: Even
with every man, woman, and child giving, I don’t think we can raise that
much. What happens if we don’t? (She lowers her voice, and we see her body
brace.) Will they kill him?
DOC: (He
hesitates, doesn’t want to tell her this.) They’ll turn him over to the highest
bidder.
KITTY:
What! But that means – that means
anybody who wants Matt dead – or worse – can –
DOC: That’s
not going to happen, Kitty. We’ll get
the money somehow. Or we’ll get Matt.
KITTY: What
if we can’t, Doc? What if we can’t?
DOC LOOKS AT HER, THE UNPLEASANT
ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION CLEAR ON HIS FACE.
KITTY LOOKS BACK, EYES FEARFUL.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT (NIGHT):
CABIN OF JOE AND TORREE. ADELINE IS
AGAIN STANDING OVER MATT.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: MATT IS GROANING
AND MUMBLING IN THE THROES OF A HIGH FEVER.
HIS SHIRT IS SOAKED IN SWEAT. HIS
FACE IS WET, AS IS HIS HAIR. WE SEE THAT
THE CLOTH BENEATH HIS HEAD IS NOT AS BLOODY AS BEFORE, BUT HE IS OBVIOUSLY VERY
ILL.
MATT:
(still unconscious) Kitty –
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: WE SEE ADELINE
FROWN WHEN SHE HEARS HIM CALL OUT KITTY’S NAME.
HER EYES NARROW AND SHE PULLS AWAY THE RAG SHE IS USING TO TEND TO HIM.
ADELINE:
Kitty?
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT.
MATT: (in
between delirious groans) Kitty –
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: MATT AND ADELINE. SHE IS WATCHING HIM NOW, HER EXPRESSION NOT
AS GENTLE AS BEFORE. HER EYE CATCHES A
BUTCHER KNIFE LYING ON THE COUNTER AND WE SEE HER HAND FLINCH TOWARD IT, THEN
WE –
DISSOLVE TO MAIN TITLE
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT ONE
INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT (NIGHT): ADELINE REMAINS STANDING OVER MATT, HER HAND
SLOWLY MOVING TOWARD THE KNIFE. SHE HAS
A STRANGE LOOK IN HER EYES, A LOOK OF BOTH LOVE AND HATE. WE HEAR MATT GROAN AGAIN AND SEE HIM SWALLOW.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: ADELINE’S HAND
CLOSES OVER THE KNIFE.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: THE OUTSIDE DOOR
OPENS SUDDENLY AND JOE ENTERS. HE
DOESN’T LOOK DIRECTLY AT HER, BUT HEADS TOWARD THE TABLE. HE HEARS MATT’S GROAN AND FROWNS TOWARD THEM.
JOE: He comin’ around?
ADELINE:
(She pulls her hand away from the knife and smooths
her skirt.) No. Not really.
He’s outta his head with the fever.
JOE: (He
walks toward them until he is looking over her shoulder at the marshal.) He ain’t gonna die, is he?
ADELINE:
(impatiently) I told ya’ already I don’t know. I ain’t no doctor.
JOE: Adeline,
he’d –
ADELINE:
He’d better not. I know. Ya’ told me. But if
he dies, killin’ me ain’t
gonna do ya’ no good.
JOE: At
least I won’t have ya’ draggin’
me down no more.
ADELINE:
Why don’t ya’ go ahead and do it, then?
JOE: If I
decide to, I will. Ain’t
no woman gonna tell me what to do.
JOE STORMS OFF, SLAMMING THE DOOR
BEHIND HIM.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: MATT HAS HEARD
THE LOUD NOISE AND BEGINS TO ROUSE. HE
OPENS HIS EYES, THEN WINCES AND CLOSES THEM AGAIN. WE SEE HIM SQUINT MORE CAUTIOUSLY. THE CAMERA SHOT SEES THINGS BLURRILY AGAIN
FROM HIS POV. SLOWLY, ADELINE COMES INTO
FOCUS, STANDING OVER HIM.
MATT: (His
voice is weak and hoarse.) What –
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: ADELINE’S FACE
HAS SOFTENED NOW, LOST ITS STRANGE EXPRESSION FROM BEFORE.
ADELINE: Shh. You jest lie still, now. You’ve been ailin’
something fierce. And Torree whoppin’ you upside the
head with a stick of wood ain’t hepped
ya none.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: THEY ARE BOTH
LOOKING AT EACH OTHER.
MATT: (with
effot – He’s still fuzzy.) Where – am – I?
ADELINE: Cain’t tell you that. Can tell you that you’re gonna be here a
while, so you might as well git used to it.
MATT TRIES TO RISE, GETS ONLY HIS
HEAD UP BEFORE HE FALLS BACK, EXHAUSTED AND GRIMACING IN PAIN.
ADELINE:
Told you. Your fever’s
down some, but it ain’t broke, yet. And that head don’t look so
good neither. It’s still bleedin’ some.
MATT:
(lifting a hand to probe the back of his head and looking at the blood that
rubs off on it) I – remember fighting – then – not sure – someone hit me maybe?
ADELINE:
(nodding) That wuz Joe you wuz fightin’. And Torree’s the
one what conked you on the head.
MATT: Torree?
ADELINE: He
don’t got no other name. Leastwise not so’s
you’d know it. Him
and Joe’s got plans for you, big man.
MATT:
(still weak and struggling to make sense of what’s happened) Plans? For what?
ADELINE:
They figger on ransoming you to the gov’ment. Or back to
MATT: (more
alert now – He tries to sit again, still cannot.) Ransom?
ADELINE:
Thirty-thousand dollars.
MATT: (eyes
wide – he’s astonished) Thirty-thousand –
ADELINE:
Joe figgers the gov’t feels
right partial to you, and they’ll pay.
MATT:
(wincing and having trouble getting the words out) The United States – doesn’t pay
– ransoms.
ADELINE:
No? That’s too bad. Joe said if the gov’t
won’t pay – or Dodge won’t – he’s gonna sell you to the higher bidder. Said you got yourself a heap of outlaws
what’d fork up big money for a piece of Matt Dillon.
MATT LOOKS UP AT HER. HE IS CLEARLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS
INFORMATION.
ADELINE:
‘Course, I ain’t got thirty dollars, much less
thirty-thousand, but if I did, I’d shore be willin’
to put it up for you. You’d be my man,
and I’d be mighty glad to nurse you back to health.
SHE REACHES OUT AND BRUSHES HAIR
FROM MATT’S FOREHEAD, LINGERING A BIT TO CARESS HIS JAW. MATT DOESN’T PULL BACK, BUT WE SEE HIS EYES
NARROW AS HE WATCHES HER. AFTER A
MOMENT, THOUGH, HIS ENERGY RUNS OUT AND HE FALLS BACK INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS.
ADELINE:
(absently, as if she is lost in a fantasy) Yes, sir, mighty glad.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN:
ACT TWO:
INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT (DAY): THE LONG
BRANCH. MOST OF THE IMPORTANT CITIZENS
OF DODGE SEEM TO BE GATHERED AND THERE IS LOTS OF RUMBLING AND TALK ABOUT MATT’S
ABDUCTION. WE SEE MR. BODKIN FROM THE
BANK, MR. DOBIE FROM THE HOTEL, SAM NOONAN, MOSS
GRIMMICK, NATHAN BURKE, PERCY CRUMP, AND OTHER TOWNSPEOPLE. SOME ARE SEATED AT TABLES, SOME ARE
STANDING. KITTY AND DOC
BODKIN:
There’s just no way we can raise that kind of money in this town.
DOBIE: Even
if we could, what guarantee do we have that they won’t kill the Marshal anyway?
BURKE: How
do we even know he’s not dead already?
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY AND DOC. KITTY IS CLEARLY UPSET BY THE BLUNT
STATEMENTS. DOC PLACES HIS ARM AROUND
HER BEFORE HE STANDS AND CONFRONTS THE TACTLESS GROUP.
DOC: Now, let’s don’t go talkin’
like that. We have to assume Matt’s
still alive.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT OF THE LONG
BRANCH.
GRIMMICK:
Much as I hate ta’ agree with Burke, what if we give
up that kind of money and (He looks over at Kitty apologetically for a moment
before he finishes.) the Marshal isn’t – well, he’s already –
HANNAH: I
can’t believe you people are even considering NOT paying this. For Pete’s sake, this is Matt Dillon we’re
talking about. How many times over the
last twenty years has he risked everything he had – and nothing less than his
life itself – to protect all of us? How
can we ever repay that?
SAM NOONAN:
I’ll put up my part of the
DOBIE: Even
then, twenty-thousand dollars –
THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER FOR A TENSE
MOMENT, THEN:
BODKIN: I
can put up two-thousand myself.
CRUMP: I
can give five-hundred.
HANNAH: Put
me down for a thousand.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY: SHE SMILES GRATEFULLY AT THEM, TEARS IN HER
EYES.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: ONE BY ONE THE
OTHERS STEP FORWARD, OFFERING VARIOUS DENOMINATIONS OF MONEY.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: PERCY CRUMP AND
DOC.
CRUMP:
(turns to Doc) Have you heard from the War Department,
Doc? Will they pay?
DOC:
(shaking his head) What I figured. They won’t even consider paying a
ransom. The telegram I got this morning
said it would jeopardize all the other lawman, put them at risk of being taken
hostage if someone thought they could get money out of it. We’re on our own here.
CRUMP: I can’t
believe they’d just hang the Marshal out to dry. After all he’s done.
DOC:
No. It just doesn’t seem right. Not right at all.
PULL BACK TO MEDIUM SHOT: THE REST
OF THEM BEGIN TALKING ALL AT ONCE AND FOR A WHILE THERE IS NO SINGLE
CONVERSATION.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT OF THE BAR: NATHAN
BURKE IS LEANING AGAINST IT. A MAN WE
HAVE NOT SEEN BEFORE STEPS UP NEXT TO HIM.
HE IS DRESSED AS AN EASTERNER, GREY SUIT AND BOWLER HAT. THE MOST STRIKING THING ABOUT HIM, THOUGH, IS
AN EMPTY SLEEVE WHERE HIS RIGHT ARM SHOULD HAVE BEEN. HE LEANS BACK AGAINST THE BAR AND PUSHES HIS
HAT BACK WITH HIS LEFT HAND. BURKE NODS
AT HIM. THE MAN NODS
BACK.
BURKE: Ain’t seen you around here before. My name’s Burke.
WATERS:
(offers his left hand) Jubal Waters.
BURKE: (He
is taken aback momentarily, then takes the left hand
to shake.) You new to Dodge, Waters?
WATERS:
Just passing through. (nods toward the crowd) What’s all this?
BURKE: The
Marshal’s been taken hostage. We’re tryin’ to come up with thirty-thousand dollars to rescue
him.
WATERS:
(whistles) Thirty-thousand dollars is a great deal of money.
BURKE: Sure
is. Ain’t much
chance we’re gonna git it, neither.
WATERS: Is
this your city marshal that has been abducted?
BURKE:
City? Hell, no. This is a
WATERS: A
BURKE:
You’d think so, but they kain’t give in ta’ kidnappers, they said.
Guess they figured he knew what he was getting’ into when he joined
up. (shakes his
head) Still, it don’t seem right.
WATERS: No. Not particularly. That places your marshal in a dire situation,
indeed.
BURKE:
(looks a little confused at the language) If that means he’s in a heap of
trouble, mister, you’re right. Them
kidnappers said if we kain’t fork over the money,
they’re gonna bid him out to whoever’ll give ‘em what they want.
WATERS:
That would probably be a tragic occurrence.
BURKE: It’d
mean torture and death for him, I feel certain.
There are a passel of men who figure they owe the marshal for putting
them away. Bad men who wouldn’t think
twice about shootin’ him down until their guns were
empty, then slitting him open and letting the buzzards eat at his insides.
WATERS:
(grimaces at Burke’s unsavory visual) Yes, well, that would certainly be –
unpleasant for the marshal.
BURKE:
(leaning forward to whisper) I think I’ve even spotted some gunslingers in town
already, just waiting to get their chance.
WATERS:
(wide-eyed) Really?
AN INCREASE IN THE DISCUSSION DRAWS
WATERS’ AND BURKE’S ATTENTION, AND WE WATCH AS BODKIN ANNOUNCES THE TALLY.
BODKIN: All
right, that adds up to twenty-thousand dollars.
DOBIE:
Still ten-thousand short.
WATERS STEPS FORWARD SO THAT HE IS
STANDING IN FRONT OF BODKIN. THE OTHERS
NOTICE AND CROWD AROUND THEM.
WATERS: I
understand, gentlemen, that you find yourselves in a
bit of a tight spot.
DOC:
Mister, that’s an understatement.
WATERS: I
would like to offer my assistance. You
have twenty-thousand dollars you can raise, is that correct?
BODKIN:
(warily) That’s right.
WATERS: And
you need ten more?
BODKIN:
(stilly wary) Yes.
WATERS: I
can provide that. What’s the next step?
KITTY: Don’t
take this wrong, Mister. I’m mighty
grateful, but – why would you do that for someone you don’t even know?
WATERS: I
suppose I’m just a lover of justice, Mrs. Dillon.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON DOC: HE EYES
WATERS SUSPICIOUSLY. WE SEE THAT HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE MAN’S REASON FOR
HELPING.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: THE OTHERS ARE
BREATHING SIGHS OF RELIEF, CLAPPING WATERS ON THE BACK. KITTY WATCHES WITH CAUTIOUS RELIEF, BUT STILL
INCREDIBLY WORRIED.
XXXX
EXTERIOR CLOSE SHOT, NIGHT: FESTUS
AND NEWLY ARE SITTING AROUND A CAMPFIRE.
THEY LOOK TIRED AND GRIZZLED, HAVING BEEN RIDING A LONG TIME IN SEARCH
OF MATT AND HIS KIDNAPPERS.
NEWLY: It’s
all right, Festus. Not your fault it’s too cloudy to keep going. Besides, we’ll be fresher in the
morning. We still have another day
before the deadline.
FESTUS: I
jest wish I knowed whut
them weasels wuz a doin’ ta’ Matthew. He
weren’t in enny shape ta’
be up ennyway.
An’ now –
NEWLY:
(nods in understanding) I know. He’s
strong, though, Festus. I’ve never seen
a man so strong, both physically and emotionally.
FESTUS:
(voice softening) ‘Ceptin’ when it comes ta’ Miz Kitty. I ain’t never seed
no woman love a man more’n Miz
Kitty loves Matthew. An’ he knows it,
too.
NEWLY: He
loves her, too, Festus. You can see it in
his eyes.
FESTUS:
Fiddle, dontcha think I knowed
that. I’ve been a’knowin’
that fer more’n ten years
now. Since I first come ta’ Dodge. They wuz awful quiet ‘bout it, but if ya’
watched close ennuf, you could tell.
FESTUS STOKES THE FIRE A BIT AND POURS
ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE. NEWLY SITS
QUIETLY.
FESTUS: I figger it wuz a coupla years after I got chere
that I knowed fer
shore. That time ol’
Mace Gore come inta town. (turns to Newly) You
ever heerd that story, Newly?
NEWLY:
Can’t say as I have, Festus. Was he a
gunslinger?
FESTUS: Naw. He wuz just a sorry out an’ out thief. Come inta town one
night an’ took it over with a passel o’ men.
Snatched up everboddies’ belongin’s
an’ wuz gonna hed outta town in th’
mornin’.
NEWLY:
(smiling) I take it the Marshal foiled his plan?
FESTUS:
(looks at bit confused at the word “foiled”) Wael, I ain’t shore about thet, but
Matthew took a chance to git outta
town an’ git hep.
NEWLY: He
must have managed.
FESTUS:
(shaking his head) Nope. They gunned ‘im down as he rode down
NEWLY:
(confused) Killed him? Festus, what are you talking about? They couldn’t have –
FESTUS: Doc
went over ta’ check ‘im out
and told us he couldn’t do nothin’. I listened my ownseff fer a heartbeat an’ didn’t
hear a peep.
NEWLY: But
–
FESTUS:
Turns out he wuz hurt, an’ hurt real bad, but Doc figgered he have a better chance if Gore thought he wuz ded, dontcha
see? Took ‘im
over ta’ Percy Crump’s an’ left him – (Festus’ voice
cracks with the emotion of the memory.
He takes a moment to collect himself.)
Ennyway, Miz Kitty
thought – (His voice shakes again, but he hangs on.) Miz Kitty wuz mostways beside herseff, but Doc wouldn’t tell her different ‘cause he
still weren’t shore Matthew wuz gonna make it. Doc an’ me dug them bullets outta him and he did like he always doz
– he pulled through. I’m tellin’ ya, Newly,
when Miz Kitty seed him, I don’t figger
the Union line at
NEWLY:
(Grinning) Wish I could have seen it.
FESTUS: She
throwed herseff inta his arms and kissed and hugged and cried –
NEWLY:
(eyes wide) What did the Marshal do?
FESTUS: Wael, considerin’ he wuz close ta’ fallin’
out right there on th’ floor, I don’t reckon he had
much ableness ta’ fend her
off. (smiles)
An’ don’t reckon he had much notion to, neither. He hugged her back best he could. Me an’ Doc tippytoed
out, so’s I kain’t speak to
nothin’ thet happened after
that.
NEWLY:
That’s amazing, Festus. I never knew.
FESTUS: Miz Kitty don’t like ta’ talk
about it none. Guess I kin see why.
NEWLY:
Yeah. Festus, what do you think it would
do to her if – well, if the Marshal was – if he didn’t make it.
FESTUS:
Newly, I reckon it would slap out kill her.
NEWLY:
(sighs and looks up at the sky) Another couple of
hours and it’ll be light enough to track again.
We’ll find him tomorrow.
FESTUS:
(blinking and nodding) Yessiree. That we will.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT THREE
INTERIOR CLOSE SHOT, NIGHT: JOE’S
AND TORREE’S CABIN. MATT IS PROPPED
AGAINST THE HEADBOARD OF THE NARROW BED.
HE SEEMS A LITTLE STRONGER, BUT WE SEE THAT HIS HANDS ARE NOW TIED TO
THE POSTS. HE LOOKS UNCOMFORTABLE AND
STILL IN PAIN. ADELINE SITS IN A ROCKING
CHAIR NEXT TO HIM.
ADELINE:
(rocking) I told ya’, Hank, not ta’
let Joe know you wuz awake. He don’t want ya’ to run off, see?
That’s why he roped ya’ up. I tried ta’ tell
him you wuz my man and wasn’t gonna leave me.
MATT:
(watches her closely, not knowing how to read her strange behavior now) Don’t you want to leave, Adeline?
ADELINE: Why,
watcha bein’ so formal fer, Hank? Addie
used ta’ be good enuff fer ya’.
MATT:
Addie. Right. Don’t you want to leave, Addie?
ADELINE: What fer?
MATT: Joe
doesn’t treat you very well. Don’t you
want to get away from him?
ADELINE:
Joe? He ain’t gonna do nothin’
ta’ me, not when my man’s around. (She smiles lovingly – but a little scarily –
at Matt.) You ain’t gonna let Joe do nothin’ to me, are ya’, Hank?
MATT:
No. Of course not. With my hands tied, though – (He pulls his
arms away from the bedposts as far as he can to emphasize how he is bound.)
ADELINE:
(frowns) I see what ya’ mean. Joe’d be mad at me,
though, if I wuz ta’ untie ya’.
MATT:
Listen to me, Addie. You untie me and
I’ll take you away from here. Away from Joe. We’ll
go – we’ll go anywhere you want.
ADELINE:
(eyes lightening)
MATT:
ADELINE:
(thinking it over) Last time you promised you’d take me somewhere, Hank, ya’ left me. Just up
an’ left me in San Antone all by myseff. I didn’t have no money or nothin’. That’s how I got up with Joe.
MATT: (He
is beginning to understand Adeline’s behavior now.) I was wrong, Addie, to leave you. I won’t do it again.
ADELINE:
(Her eyes begin to look a little wild.
She glares at Matt.) No, Hank, you ain’t gonna
do it agin. I’ll see ta’ thet. Yer gonna take me ta’
MATT:
(worried now – she’s acting very strange) Sure I am, Addie.
ADELINE:
Jest th’ two of us?
MATT: Just
the two of us, Addie. Untie me,
okay? I can’t do anything for you until
you untie me.
ADELINE:
(hesitantly) Well, I guess.
SHE REACHES TOWARD THE ABLE WHERE
THE KNIFE STILL RESTS. MATT WATCHES HER
MOVE, UNCERTAIN ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT SHE WILL DO.
SHE HOVERS OVER HIM FOR A MOMENT, THE KNIFE CLOSE TO HIS CHEST. THEN SHE CUTS THE ROPES THAT BIND HIS RIGHT
HAND TO THE BED AND LEANS OVER TO CUT THE ROPES THAT BIND HIS LEFT HAND. WHEN HE IS FREE, SHE THROWS HERSELF ON HIM,
KISSING AND HUGGING ON HIM. MATT
TOLERATES IT BECAUSE HE’S NOT SURE HOW SHE WOULD REACT IF HE PUSHED HER AWAY.
ADELINE:
Oh, Hank. I know we’ll be happy. I’ll be a good wife, and we’ll have lots of
children. And
MATT:
(trying to move quickly now) Sure, sure we will. But we need to head out, now, Addie. Before Joe gets back. How many horses does he have?
ADELINE:
Three. The two him and Torree are ridin’ an’ th’ one draft ta’
pull th’ wagon they brung ya’ in.
MATT: All
right. We’ll take whichever horse is
saddled.
MATT STANDS AND SWAYS SUDDENLY. WE SEE HIM REACH UP TO PRESS A HAND AGAINST
HIS FOREHEAD.
ADELINE:
You’re still ailin’, Hank. Mebbe we should
wait ta’ go ta’
MATT:
No! (He startles her and tries to soften
his tone.) No, it’s already been too long, don’t you think?
ADELINE:
(running a hand up his arm and resting it against his chest) I know one thing
it’s been too long fer, Hank.
MATT:
(clears his throat) Uh, yeah. Well, maybe later, Addie. We need to get going now.
ADELINE:
(pouts a little in a teasing way) That’s not what you
used ta’ say, Hank. Always wantin’
ta –
MATT:
(takes her hand and pulls her with him toward the door) We’ll
talk about it later. Let’s go.
THEY REACH THE DOOR, AND MATT LOOKS
OUT. JOE AND TORREE ARE LEANED UP
AGAINST A COW TROUGH, TWO EMPTY BOTTLES BETWEEN THEM. THEY ARE SNORING LOUDLY. MATT PRESSES HIS LIPS TOGETHER IN
SATISFACTION AND MOTIONS ADELINE PAST HIM TOWARD THE HORSES. ONLY ONE IS SADDLED. MATT LEADS THAT HORSE AWAY FROM THE MEN
TOWARD THE BACK OF THE CABIN. ADELINE
FOLLOWS HIM. WHEN HE IS SOME DISTANCE
AWAY, HE SWINGS HIMSELF UP INTO THE SADDLE, WITH MUCH MORE DIFFICULTY THAN
USUAL, WINCING AT THE EFFORT. THEN HE
LEANS DOWN AND OFFERS ADELINE A HAND, PULLING HER UP ONTO THE SADDLE BEHIND
HIM. SLOWLY THEY RIDE AWAY, BREAKING
INTO A CANTER WHEN THEY ARE FAR ENOUGH FROM THE CABIN.
ADELINE:
Tell me what it’ll be like, Hank. Tell
me about it.
MATT: (He
hesitates. We see he doesn’t want to
lead her on, but he also isn’t sure about her reaction if he tells the
truth.) Well,
ADELINE:
What about us, Hank? Tell me how that will be. (She reaches around him and hugs
him.) It’s been a long time since ya’ kissed me,
Hank. Since ya’
– since ya’ laid with me. I
missed ya’.
MATT: Uh,
yeah.
ADELINE:
Didn’t ya’ miss me, too, Hank?
MATT:
Sure. Of course I did.
ADELINE:
Let’s stop at the next stand of trees. I
kain’t wait ta’
MATT:
(swallowing) Addie, we – uh – we have a – a train to catch. Don’t want to miss it, do you?
ADELINE:
(frowning) Don’t guess so. (She perks up some.) On the train,
though? Kin we git
one of them sleepin’ cars and you kin lay with me on
the train?
MATT:
(blowing out a hard breath) Yeah. We’ll
do that.
CLOSE SHOT ON ADELINE: SHE SMILES
AND HUGS HIM, LEANING HER FACE AGAINST HIS BACK.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE IS
GRIMACING AND WE SEE THAT HE IS WONDERING HOW TO GET OUT OF THIS WITHOUT
ENRAGING THE CRAZY WOMAN.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: MATT AND ADELINE
CONTINUE TO RIDE ACROSS THE PLAINS. DAWN
IS JUST BREAKING ON THE HORIZON.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT: THE
DILLON HOUSE. BETH ANN AND EMILY ARE
AGAIN HELPING PREPARE SUPPER. WE SEE THE
FRONT DOOR OPEN AND BOBBY DRAGS ONE PIECE OF WOOD IN,
STRUGGLING WITH IT VALIANTLY, TRAMP AT HIS HEELS. DOC IS SEATED AT THE TABLE. KITTY TURNS FROM SUPERVISING THE GIRLS TO SEE
BOBBY DROP THE WOOD IN THE DOORWAY.
KITTY:
Bobby, that’s too heavy for you. Try a
lighter piece.
BOBBY:
(seriously) Daddy can carry five pieces like this all at once. Now that I’m the man of the house, I’ve gotta start doin’ this.
KITTY: (her
face devastated) Don’t say that, Bobby. Daddy’s coming back. I promise – I pro –
SUDDENLY, SHE TURNS AND RUSHES INTO
THE NEXT ROOM, HAND CLAMPED OVER HER MOUTH.
THE CHILDREN WATCH HER, NOT SURE WHAT TO DO. DOC RISES TO HIS FEET.
DOC: It’s
all right, children. I’ll go to
her. You just keep doin’
what you’re doin’.
Bobby, you get some more wood in, okay?
BOBBY:
(nodding obediently) Yes, sir.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY, WHO IS
STANDING AT THE WINDOW OF THE BEDROOM, STARING OUT INTO THE NIGHT. WE DON’T SEE HER FACE AT FIRST, BUT HER BODY
LANGUAGE TELLS US SHE’S FIGHTING NOT TO BREAK DOWN ENTIRELY. DOC STEPS UP BEHIND HER, PLACING A HAND ON
HER SHOULDER. SHE TAKES A GASPING
BREATH, BUT DOES NOT RESPOND OTHERWISE.
THEY STAND THAT WAY FOR A MOMENT, THEN:
DOC: Kitty,
I have to believe –
KITTY:
What, Doc? What do you have to
believe? That Matt’s not dead this
time? That it wasn’t all too good to be
true – finally getting married, and the children? (She is still not looking at him.)
DOC:
Yes. Yes, that’s what I have to believe.
KITTY: What
about me? What should I believe? (Now she turns, and we see the tears streak
her face.) There have been so many times
he could have been killed, so many hours I sat and waited and wondered if –
SHE SQUEEZES HER EYES SHUT AS IF SHE
IS REMEMBERING THOSE TIMES. GENTLY, DOC
PULLS HER TO HIM AND SHE LETS HIM HOLD HER.
KITTY: Oh,
doc, what if this is finally it? What if
it is? I can’t – I’ve told you before I
can’t live without him.
DOC: Yes,
you can, Kitty. You can do whatever you
have to do. You have to remember the
children. And what would Matt want you
to do?
KITTY: (quietly)
You think he’s already dead, Doc?
DOC:
(pushes her back to look her in the eyes) You listen
to me Kathleen Russell Dillon. This is
NOT it. Matt’s coming back to you, and
he doesn’t want to find you falling apart on him.
AT HIS WORDS, HER CHIN JUTS OUT, HER
MOUTH TIGHTENS IN ANGER. BUT QUICKLY SHE
SEES STRENGTH IN HIS ASSURANCE. AFTER A
MOMENT, SHE TAKES A DEEP BREATH, SQUARES HER SHOULDERS, AND TURNS TO GO BACK
INTO THE ROOM. BEFORE SHE ENTERS, SHE
LOOKS BACK AT DOC.
KITTY: Matt
would want – he would want some supper about now. You ready?
DOC:
(smiling) You betcha.
TOGETHER THEY WALK BACK INTO THE
OTHER ROOM.
XXXX
CUT TO EXTERIOR LONG SHOT: JOE AND
TORREE ARE RIDING ACROSS THE PLAINS. JOE
IS ON THE REMAINING SADDLED HORSE.
TORREE IS RIDING BAREBACKED ON THE DRAFT HORSE. BOTH LOOK HUNG OVER AND ANGRY.
TORREE: I
told ya’ not ta’ trust her.
JOE:
(pressing a hand to his head as if it aches fiercely) Shut
up.
TORREE:
Told ya’ she wuz crazy, that’un. Shudda knowed it down in San Antone.
JOE: I told
ya’ to shut up.
TORREE: Now
what’er we gonna do?
They’re gonna want ta’ see Dillon before they
give up that kinda money. When we git to the
spot, what are we gonna do?
JOE: If you
don’t shut up, I’m gonna shut you up permanent-like.
TORREE: I’m
jest sayin’ –
JOE: We’ll
figure that out when we –
VOICE OFF
CAMERA: Hold it rite thar.
JOE AND TORREE HOLD UP THEIR
HANDS.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: FESTUS AND NEWLY
STEP OUT FROM BEHIND A SMALL STAND OF TREES.
FESTUS HAS HIS PISTOL AIMED AT THE TWO MEN. NEWLY HAS A RIFLE ALSO AIMED AT THEM.
JOE: We ain’t done nothin’,
mister.
FESTUS: You
jest let us figger that out.
TORREE:
There goes thirty-thousand dollars.
JOE: Yer a damned fool, Torree.
FESTUS: I
reckon he ain’t got th’ onliest claim on that
name. Now git
off yer horses before I shoot ya’
off.
NEWLY:
Where’s Marshal Dillon?
FESTUS: An’
wherever he is, he’d best be in th’
pink of health.
JOE: We
don’t know whar he is. He an’ the girl wuz
gone this mornin’ when we woke up.
TORREE: But
he weren’t in the pink of health, that’s fer shore.
NEWLY:
(eyes narrowing) What do you mean? What did you do to him?
JOE: We didn’t do nothin’.
Why don’t you keep your damned mouth shut, Torree?
FESTUS:
(jabbing his pistol against Joe’s gut) You answer
Newly, mister, before yer coughin’
up lead.
JOE: Torree just tapped him on th’ head a bit.
He wuz ailin’
before we took him. Feverish. Outta his head mosta th’ time we had ‘im. The woman
tended him.
NEWLY:
Where was this?
JOE:
(cocking his head to indicate the land behind him) Back there ‘bout fifteen
miles. But they ain’t
there no more.
FESTUS: Arright you yeahoos, if Matthew’s
dead, yer gonna wish I’d tied ya
up and left ya’ to th’
buzzards before I’m done with ya’. (prods Joe with the
pistol) Now git
movin’.
FESTUS AND NEWLY EXCHANGE WORRIED
GLANCES. THEY ALL MOVE TOWARD THEIR
HORSES, MOUNTING AND RIDING TOWARD DODGE.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT FOUR
EXTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT: MATT AND
ADELINE STOP BY A SMALL STREAM TO GET WATER.
THEY DISMOUNT, AND MATT GETS DOWN ON HIS KNEES TO DRINK FROM THE
STREAM. WE SEE THAT HE IS STILL
DIZZY. ADELINE APPROACHES HIM FROM THE
BACK, SMILING SLYLY. WHEN SHE IS RIGHT
NEXT TO HIM, SHE THROWS HER ARMS AROUND HIS NECK FROM BEHIND, LEANING OVER TO
PLANT KISSES OVER HIS JAW AND CHEEK. HE
GRABS HER ARMS AND STANDS, TRYING TO PULL HER OFF HIM.
ADELINE:
(confused but still hanging on) What’s wrong, Hank? You said –
MATT:
(finally detaching her arms from around him) Adeline, you can’t – I’m not –
listen to me. I’m not Hank. I never was Hank. I never heard of Hank –
CLOSE SHOT ON ADELINE: HER EYES
WIDEN WILDLY AND SHE LUNGES AT MATT, TRYING TO CLAW AT HIS FACE.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: SHE GETS A GOOD
SCRATCH ACROSS HIS RIGHT CHEEK BEFORE HIS HANDS CLOSE OVER HER WRISTS AND HOLD HER. BEFORE
EITHER OF THEM CAN MAKE ANOTHER MOVE, HOWEVER, THEIR ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO A
RIDER ADVANCING ON THEM. HOLDING ADELINE’S
WRISTS WITH ONE HAND, MATT PULLS THE RIFLE FROM ITS
MATT STANDS FACING WATERS, THE RIFLE
POINTED DIRECTLY AT THE ONE-ARMED MAN.
ADELINE IS HELD BEHIND HIM.
MATT:
That’s far enough.
WATERS: (smiling)
Well, Marshal. I’ve come to rescue you
from the villains, but I see you’ve already rescued yourself.
MATT: Not
exactly.
WATERS:
(jutting his chin toward Adeline) Is this your
kidnapper?
MATT:
Depends.
WATERS:
(chuckling) You always were a careful man, Marshal. Although perhaps not quite
careful enough this time.
MATT:
(narrowing his eyes) Have we met?
WATERS: I
don’t know if I’m hurt or relieved that you don’t remember me.
MATT:
(cocks his head in thought – We see he is not completely sure about Waters.)
WATERS: It was fifteen years ago. We were both
much younger and perhaps more rash. I became involved,
unwisely it turned out, with a group called the Barker Brothers. We made the costly error of attempting to rob
–
MATT: – the
bank. (He nods in recognition.) Jubal
Waters.
WATERS: I’m
flattered you remember, Marshal.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON ADELINE AS SHE
PULLS OUT OF MATT’S GRASP AND STEPS BACK.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: HE LETS HER GO,
WATCHING WATERS CAREFULLY.
MATT: (He
juts his chin toward Waters’ empty sleeve.) How did that happen?
WATERS: The
medical facilities in prison were – less than ideal, I would say. The bullet you put in my arm led to this.
MATT:
(narrows his eyes cautiously) You were shooting back,
as I recall.
WATERS: Not
quite as efficiently, however.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: ADELINE SHIFTS
SLOWLY BEHIND MATT, BENDING TO SLIP THE KITCHEN KNIFE FROM HER SHOE.
CUT BACK TO MEDIUM SHOT ON MATT AND
WATERS.
MATT: So
now you’ve come to get your revenge?
Where’d you get the money for the ransom?
WATERS:
Well, first, it doesn’t seem as if I will need to pay the ransom. You appear to be missing your
kidnappers. And second –
CLOSE SHOT ON WATERS: HE DRAWS HIS
GUN, MUCH MORE QUICKLY THAN WE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED FROM A ONE-ARMED MAN. MATT RAISES THE RIFLE, BUT WE CAN SEE IT’S
TOO LATE. WEAK AND FEVERISH, HE IS
HOPELESSLY OUTDRAWN.
CLOSE ON WATERS: HE SHOOTS , SMOKE AND FIRE BLASTING FROM HIS
GUN. WE WATCH HIM FOR A LONG MOMENT
BEFORE:
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: INSTEAD
OF LYING ON THE GROUND, SHOT THROUGH WITH WATERS’ BULLET, HE IS STILL STANDING,
RIFLE STILL POINTED AT THE OTHER MAN, BUT UNFIRED.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON ADELINE: SHE IS
SPRAWLED ON THE GROUND, BLOOD SPLATTERING HER CHEST, THE KNIFE STILL CLUTCHED
IN HER HAND.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE STARES
AT HER, THEN LOOKS BACK AT WATERS.
MEDIUM SHOT: WATERS SHRUGS, THEN REPLACES HIS GUN AND
STRAIGHTENS.
WATERS: And
second – I have not come for revenge, but for rescue. You see, I am merely the emissary sent by the
good citizens of
MATT:
(looks from Adeline to Waters and back before settling on Waters) Why?
WATERS: I
owed you.
MATT: (ironically)
That’s what I figured.
That’s why I’m surprised. (He
sways slightly, his eyes squeezing shut.)
WATERS:
(steps forward quickly to grasp Matt’s arm and try to steady him) I’ll explain
later. Right now, I think we need to get
you to a doctor.
MATT: (managing
to straighten) I’m fine –
WATERS: Uh
huh.
MATT:
(nodding toward Adeline’s body) We have to – bury her.
WATERS:
(lifting a brow) She wanted to kill you.
MATT:
Doesn’t matter. (looks
up, squinting) Didn’t you, too?
WATERS: No,
Marshal. Not anymore. (He smiles ruefully.) Oh, at first I hated you, all right – swore
revenge as soon as I could. But in prison
I discovered that without my arm I had to use my brain, and I found out I was
pretty good at it. When I got out, I did
a little investing – not enough to get rich, but enough to be comfortable. After that I took a job as a Confidence Man
with the railroad. When the Pinkertons were looking for men, they decided my –
experience – might be beneficial to them.
MATT:
(surprised) You’re a Pinkerton man?
WATERS:
Ironic, isn’t it?
MATT: And
somehow you’ve brought money from Dodge.
They raised thirty-thousand dollars? (His tone tells us he doesn’t
believe this, still.)
WATERS:
They raised twenty-thousand. An outside
agency contributed the remaining money necessary.
MATT:
(wary) Outside agency?
WATERS:
Nothing illegal, I assure you. (laughs) On the contrary. You have some important friends, Marshal.
MATT:
(suspiciously) The U.S. Government doesn’t pay ransom, Mister Waters.
WATERS:
(smiles enigmatically) Yes, I’ve heard that.
MATT SWAYS AGAIN AND STARTS TO
FALL. WATERS GRABS HIS ARM.
WATERS:
Now, you really do need that doctor.
MATT: Really,
I’m all right –
HIS STRENGTH FINALLY GIVES OUT, AND
HE SINKS TO HIS KNEES, THEN PITCHES FACE-FIRST TO THE GROUND. ALARMED, WATERS TURNS HIM OVER. WE SEE RELIEF ON HIS FACE AS HE REALIZES THE
MARSHAL HAS MERELY PASSED OUT.
WATERS: (a
strange smile that reflects admiration and appreciation on his face) Yes, you
really are all right, Marshal.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
EPILOGUE
EXTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT (DAY): THE
DILLON HOUSE.
MATT AND KITTY PULL UP IN A WAGON. KITTY HAS THE REINS FOR THE TWO HORSES. WHEN MATT GETS DOWN, WE SEE THAT HE IS STILL
MOVING SLOWLY. A WHITE BANDAGE IS
WRAPPED AROUND HIS HEAD. HIS HAIR
SPRINGS UP OVER IT. HE STARTS TO REACH
UP TO HELP KITTY DOWN, BUT SHE SHOOS AWAY HIS OFFER AND CLIMBS DOWN BY HERSELF.
KITTY:
Don’t even think about it, Cowboy. Doc
said you are supposed to be in bed.
MATT:
(leering effectively despite the paleness of his cheeks) I seem to remember a
promise you made about that.
KITTY:
What?
MATT: If I
went to bed, you’d –
KITTY:
(slapping gently at his arm) Oh, you, really.
MATT:
Really. You’re not going back on your
promise, are you?
KITTY: You
broke your promise, too.
MATT: What?
KITTY: (her
expression sadder) When you left you said you’d return promptly. You weren’t very prompt, Matthew Dillon.
MATT:
(chagrined and sad that he caused her pain again) Kitty, I –
KITTY:
(seeing how he’s taking her comment) No. I’m sorry.
Don’t add that guilt to those broad shoulders, Cowboy. The world’s heavy enough resting there as it
is.
MATT:
(presses his lips together)
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: THE CHILDREN
SWING OPEN THE DOOR AND RUSH OUT TO GREET THEIR FATHER.
CHILDREN:
(talking all at once) Daddy! Daddy’s
home! We were worried!
KITTY: Be
careful. Your Daddy’s still recovering.
MATT: I’m
all right.
EMILY: We
missed you, Daddy. (She lifts her arms
for him to pick her up.)
KITTY:
Emily, Daddy can’t –
MATT: I
missed you too, Emily. All of you.
DESPITE KITTY’S INSTRUCTIONS, HE
BENDS TO PICK UP THE CHILD, LIFTING HER INTO HIS ARMS WITH ONLY A BRIEF WINCE
TO SHOW THE STRAIN.
KITTY:
Matt, Doc said you shouldn’t –
MATT WINKS AT HER AND WALKS AWAY,
CARRYING EMILY TOWARD A LARGE CHAIR BY THE FIREPLACE. BETH ANN, BOBBY, AND TRAMP
FOLLOW.
BOBBY: I
brought in the wood, Daddy. Just like
you.
MATT: Well,
that’s fine, Bobby. Just
fine.
BOBBY:
‘Stead of five pieces, I gots only one.
MATT: I betcha did a great job with that one, though, huh?
BOBBY:
(brightening) I sure did!
KITTY:
Let’s let your Daddy rest, now. Come
help me fix supper.
BETH ANN:
We’ve already got it almost ready, Mama.
You sit with Daddy. (She tugs at
her brother and sister.) Come on, you
two.
THEY MOVE INTO THE KITCHEN
AREA. MATT SINKS INTO THE CHAIR.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MATT AND KITTY. KITTY WATCHES THEM, LOVE IN HER
EXPRESSION. MATT LOOKS UP AT HER WITH A
SIMILAR EXPRESSION. THEN HE CATCHES HER
EYE AND RAISES HIS EYEBROWS, PATTING HIS LAP.
SHE SHAKES HER HEAD, BUT HE REPEATS THE INVITATION, AND FINALLY SHE
RELENTS, EASING ONTO HIS LAP. AFTER A
MOMENT, SHE LAYS HER HEAD AGAINST HIS SHOULDER AND PLACES A HAND OVER HIS
CHEST.
KITTY:
(whispering) I was so afraid, Cowboy. I
thought maybe this was it, this was –
MATT:
(brushing his lips over her forehead) Shh. It wasn’t.
KITTY: (She
reaches up and entwines her arms around his neck.) But –
MATT LEANS DOWN TO KISS HER SOFTLY,
LINGERING FOR SEVERAL SECONDS BEFORE HE PULLS BACK. SHE SMILES AT HIM, AN EXPRESSION OF
GRATITUDE, BUT STILL WITH SOME SADNESS.
MATT:
Kitty, don’t take this wrong – I’m grateful to the folks in town – but how on
earth did you raise thirty-thousand dollars?
KITTY: Just
twenty-thousand. Waters put in the other
ten.
MATT: You
put up the
KITTY: Both
Sam and I did.
MATT: You
shouldn’t have –
KITTY:
Well, why on earth not? What did that
matter if you were – (She chokes on the words and cannot finish them. Matt pulls her against him.)
MATT:
Twenty-thousand. At least everybody got
their money back. I don’t know how I can
thank them.
KITTY:
Matt, you’ve been doing that for twenty years.
THEY SIT QUIETLY FOR A FEW
MINUTES. WE HEAR SOUNDS OF CHILDREN
TRYING TO WORK QUIETLY, BUT NOT SUCCEEDING.
MATT AND KITTY SMILE AT EACH OTHER.
KITTY: What
does Waters do, Matt?
He must have a good job to be able to hand over ten-thousand dollars for
a perfect stranger.
MATT: I’m
not exactly a perfect stranger.
KITTY:
(sitting up with curiosity) I thought something like that. Who is he?
MATT: He was a bank robber.
KITTY:
What? Matt, that money wasn’t –
MATT:
(laughing) No, no. That was a long time
ago. You remember the Barker
Brothers? He was in with them for a
time. My bullet took his arm.
KITTY: Oh,
no! He wasn’t doing this to get to you?
MATT:
No. I thought so at first, but strangely
enough he was doing it to – to thank me.
KITTY:
Thank you?
MATT: For
helping him turn himself around. Losing his arm gave him another chance. He’s a Pinkerton man, now.
KITTY:
(shocked) Pinkerton? Well. Still, where’d he get that kind of money?
MATT: I’m
pretty sure we’ll never know.
KITTY: But
you look like you do know.
MATT: You
know the U.S. Government doesn’t pay ransom.
KITTY: I
know. I couldn’t believe that after all
these years, after all you’ve done, they’d just leave you – (She stops
suddenly, comprehension in her eyes. A smile crosses her face, and she places a
hand over his heart.) Oh, Matt.
MATT:
Waters said I had important friends. I
don’t suppose anyone’s more important in the
KITTY: Even
after you turned him down for the job in
MATT: Even
after.
BETH ANN:
Mama, Daddy! Supper’s ready.
KITTY: You
hungry, Matt?
MATT:
(leering) I sure am.
KITTY: I
mean for food.
MATT: (feigning
disappointment) Oh.
KITTY:
(leaning over to kiss him) But maybe, if you’re very good later and go to bed
like I said –
MATT: Oh,
I’ll be good later. I’ll be very good.
KITTY SHAKES HER HEAD, BUT WE SEE
THE JOY AND ANTICIPATION IN HER EYES.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: THEY STAND AND
WALK TOWARD THE KITCHEN, GREETING THE DELIGHTED CHILDREN AS THEY SIT AT THE
TABLE. THE FAMILY SETTLES FOR SUPPER,
THE TALK HAPPY AND WARM.
CUT TO EXTERIOR LONG SHOT: THE
DILLON HOUSE.
DISSOLVE TO CREDITS
FADE TO BLACK: END OF EPISODE
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