1922

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1

[woman speaking indistinctly]

[Wilfred] To whom it may concern.

My name is Wilfred Leland James,

and this is my confession.

The issue that led to my crime

and damnation...

was 100 acres of good land

in Hemingford Home, Nebraska...

willed to my wife,

Arlette Christina Winters James.

Following the death of her father.

It was much my intention to add her 100

to our 80-acre freehold farm,

as it was to someday

pass it all on to my boy,

Henry Freeman James,

and to his thereafter.

- Now, you can still find reverse?

- Yes, sir.

Show me.

- The middle one.

- All right. All right, you're ready.

Maybe not for Omaha just yet or...

Even Lincoln, but... you take her slow...

in Hemingford Home

and you ought to be just fine.

All right? What'd I say?

Uh...

- Slow.

- Slow.

[Wilfred]

In 1922, a man's pride was a man's land.

And so was his son.

[Henry grunts]

Mm.

It's not too sour.

Not too sweet.

[Wilfred] Nope.

It's just right.

[Arlette chuckles]

[Wilfred] My wife...

who never did take to the farming life,

wished to cash in her new land.

She wanted us to leave all this behind.

So, what do you propose we do

with all this money and no land?

We could move.

To Omaha.

Or even St. Louis.

[Wilfred chuckles, then sniffs]

Cities are for fools.

[Henry] Ma, I agree with Pa.

I don't wanna live in Omaha or any city.

We can talk about this after supper.

[Wilfred] If we can't agree,

you should go on to your mother's.

[Arlette] And leave you

my father's land, I suppose?

That'll never happen, Wilf.

Well...

then...

you let me buy that land from you.

How are you gonna do that?

It'd have to be over a period of time.

Eight years.

[scoffs]

Perhaps ten, but I'll pay you, Arlette.

I'll pay you every cent.

A little money coming in

is worse than none.

Farringtons will buy it outright.

Their idea of top dollar

is apt to be far more generous than yours.

Anyway, I've had an idea of my own.

[sighs]

We sell the 100 acres and the farm

to the Farrington combine.

They'd buy it all just to get that close

to the railway line.

And then...

we split the money.

Divorce.

We both know that's what you want.

And, uh...

who, uh...?

Which one of us would the boy go with?

Me.

Of course.

A boy of 14 needs to be with his mother.

Now, that ain't fair on him, Arlette.

Now, you taking him away

from everything he knows.

- You would do that?

- Fair? Fair?

Life is rarely fair, Wilf.

Especially out here.

Hmm.

All right, I need a little...

[sighs]

Just give me a little time

to think that all over.

As a husband, I thought of going

to the law on the matter.

And yet something held me back.

It was not fear of neighbors chatter

or country gossip.

No, it was something else.

I had come to hate her.

That was what held me back.

[bucket clanging]

[bucket clanging]

Goddamn it, Wilf.

You scared the life out of me.

What?

I've decided

that you won't be selling them 100 acres.

Oh, have you?

Not without a fight.

The Farringtons

will bring the fight to you, Wilf.

Right to you. And I'll happi...

[bucket clanging]

[Wilfred]

And I believe that there's another man...

inside of every man.

A stranger.

A conniving man.

Henry?

What you doing down here, bo...?

Shannon.

Mr. James.

Why don't you head on home, girl?

I need a word with Henry.

Yes, sir.

See you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow.

What do you want, Pa?

[Wilfred] That spring Henry

had grown sweet

on the Cotterie girl from next door.

I've been meaning to pluck these

for a while now.

Henry, they're...

They're beautiful.

Heh.

Let's find a vase.

[Wilfred] And the conniving man thought

he might use this to his advantage.

Shannon wouldn't be

in your life anymore.

Of course, neither would I.

[Henry] Papa, what are we gonna do?

[Wilfred] Well...

Sometimes the only thing to do...

is... to take the thing

that you must have.

No...

Even if somebody get hurt.

Even if someone dies.

Papa?

Well...

If she was gone...

well, everything would be the way it was.

And all the arguments, that would cease.

We could live here peacefully.

[sighs]

I've offered her everything I can

to make her go, and she won't go.

There's only one thing I can do.

That... we can do.

[Arlette] Henry!

Give your mama a kiss.

What's wrong with you?

Nothing, Ma.

I'm fine.

Can I have some beer?

You can finish that off.

But no more of this tomorrow.

Nor the day after, mind.

Well, a murdered man or a woman

dies not on God's time

but on man's.

And if she is cut short

before atoning for sin,

well...

all errors must be forgiven.

But what about us, Pa?

[Wilfred grunts]

Wouldn't we go to hell?

How can you say so

when you see heaven all around us?

Yet she means to drive us away from it.

And think.

If she does go to Omaha... Well...

she'll be digging her an even deeper pit

in Sheol.

If she takes you...

you'll become a city boy.

Yeah. Just forget all this and...

and start learning city ways.

Begin digging your own pit.

[Arlette] Eat or starve, Henry.

The choice is yours.

[scoffs]

And you, you just sit there.

[Henry] Leave off.

- What did you say?

- [Henry] I said...

leave off, so we can be a family again.

[sniffs]

The lawyer assures me the land is mine...

to do with as I wish.

And I'm gonna sell.

Now, you can sit here

and smell roasting hogs,

cook your own dinner, make your own bed.

But you, my son,

are coming with me to Omaha.

I am gonna open a dress shop.

That's my idea of fair.

[Arlette stomping]

[Arlette] Don't fool with me, Wilf.

I'm not now. Henry and I have had

many conversations about this.

He wants to go.

Least try it on for size.

And I thought I might look for work

as a mechanic.

Cars and trucks, but...

Farm machinery mostly. You know.

If I can keep that old Farmall running,

hell...

[chuckles]

I guess I can keep anything running.

You're not fooling?

And Henry talked you into this?

Yeah. He convinced me...

it'd be better to...

take a chance at being happy in town

than to stay out here on my own

in, uh, what would be...

sure misery.

Whoo!

- The boy talks sense and the man listens?

- [laughing]

At long last.

Hallelujah.

[Wilfred]

Either that or a hit in the head.

[Arlette laughing]

That's not too bad. No.

[Arlette] Henry, come out here!

Let's celebrate.

[jazz music playing on record player]

- Henry.

- Stop.

Finally we're all together.

- My men see sense.

- All right. Stop.

Oh!

Shoot.

If you're good, Wilf,

you can suck it out of the cloth later on.

Oh, no need to be so prissy.

I've seen you with Shannon Cotterie.

Pretty face and a nice little figure.

Mm.

If you're not getting a touch of that,

you're a fool.

Just be careful. Fourteen's not too young

to marry out here in the middle.

[Arlette clicking]

Oh. Yes, ma'am.

[chuckles]

Here's to Shannon Cotterie

and her future bubbies,

and if my son don't know the color

of her nipples, he's a slowpoke.

Make sure when you're laying down

with her in the corn

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