Bordertown Page #3

Except as a defendant.

I implied in court that

you were not a good lawyer.

I say now that you're no lawyer at all.

If you knew any law, which you don't,

You'd still be mentally unfit to practice.

You ain't bawling me out because

I smacked that big windbag.

You don't want a guy like me who

comes from where I do to get a break.

It isn't where you come from, Ramirez.

It isn't a question of nationality or creed.

It's you. You're a ruffian at heart-

Brutal, cheap, bad-Tempered,

And you'd be that in

any country in the world.

Unable to hold your own

In a match of professional intelligence,

You resort to brute force.

Is that all?

That's all, except that

As a result of your stupid performance today,

I think that your legal

career is just about ended.

You're trying to throw a scare into me, huh?

Not at all. I'm merely trying to inform you

That Mr. Manville happens to be

On the grievance committee

of the bar association.

Why, you- You

don't think he'd-

He'd try and get me

disbarred, do you, your honor?

I'm not a mind reader, Ramirez.

All I know is that if I were an attorney

Opposed to you

And had won my case because you

had prepared your case badly,

And after the trial, you had assaulted me,

I certainly would do everything in my power

To have you disbarred.

But, uh, that

- The grievance committee

Will ask your opinion

before they do anything,

Won't they, your honor?

Undoubtedly. I'll have

to tell them the truth.

Well, I-I admit I

sort of lost my temper-

The kindest thing I can do

Is be brutally frank with you, Ramirez.

In my humble opinion, you

are not a proper person

To practice law in this community.

But, judge, listen, please.

All I did was lose my temper.

It won't happen again, I...

I studied for five years.

I worked day and night like a dog.

Please, give me another chance.

Not-Not so

much for-

You see, my mother, she-

She will-

Please, judge.

Don't you understand?

I'm sorry, Ramirez.

Disbarred, huh?

Sure. Disbarred,

You think that's the way to face her?

Well, I had to do something

to keep from thinking.

I'm sorry for you, Johnny.

Really sorry.

Well, I guess I made a pretty slick job

Of messing up my career.

To find oneself

- That is to find real contentment.

You'll understand this, my son,

When you're older

- As old as I am.

But I'm not old!

Forgive me, padre,

But life is just starting for me.

I have a right to get ahead.

Perhaps you seek to get ahead

In the wrong direction.

You mean trying to be a lawyer.

I mean putting gain and glory

And false ambition

Above peace of spirit,

Trying to scale impossible heights

And forgetting the pleasant valley below.

I know, padre.

In a nice way, you're telling

me to go back washing cars

Or digging ditches

Or being a farm laborer.

Surely there is no disgrace

In such occupations.

Many have found happiness in them.

Our fathers were of the soil.

They were good men.

And you're a good man, padre, a good man,

But I'm only a man-

Not even a gentleman, but a man-

And I'm going to take

what I want from the world.

Patience, my son. Patience.

I've used patience!

For five years I was patient-

Starving, working, studying,

Trying to make a gentleman of myself.

For what?

So those white little mugs who call

themselves gentlemen and aristocrats

Could make a fool out of me-

Break me, bar me out of court?

You may get another chance.

You bet you I will,

But I'll make the chance myself.

I'm going to climb.

I'm going to get power, money!

You seem so eager for money.

Why?

I'll tell you.

I lost my first law case

Because the other fellow had

$30,000 worth of education,

And I had a

five-And-Ten-Cent one.

They laughed at me in court

Because I didn't have

money enough to pay my fine.

And he thought he could insult me,

Treat me like a servant,

Not because he was a gentleman and I wasn't,

But because his old man had

a million-Dollar bankroll.

Don't you see, padre?

Money is what made the difference,

And I'm going to get money.

Juanito, please...

don't go away.

It is the best thing for me, mamacita.

Don't try to stop me.

Here is your home.

Here is all the people who know you

And love you.

The people who love me are poor-

Dirt, like I am.

They can't give me what I need, mamacita,

And I won't be dirt anymore.

I'm getting out of this town.

Juanito mio.

Please, why?

I don't understand.

A guy's entitled to anything he can grab.

I have found that out,

And I'm for grabbing from now on.

Good-Bye, mamacita.

I will write you as soon as I can.

Juanito!

Good-Bye.

Juanito!

Good-Bye, mama.

Juanito! Juanito!

Hijo mio. Juanito.

Hop in, buddy. Where you going?

Where you going?

Way south.

Well, that's just where I'm going-Way south.

O.K., kid.

Boy, that cleans me.

Give me another stack of whites, Joe.

Sorry, sir.

Mr. Ramirez told me not

to sell you any more chips.

Listen, I'm not taking any

orders from Johnny Ramirez.

I am!

What do you want?

Say, a guy wants to pay with a check.

Is Mr. Ramirez in there?

Yeah. He's in there with the boss.

I would not bother him now if I was you.

Whatever made you think that

I wanted to sell this place?

It was sort of our idea.

You see, we thought we'd get together

And form a little company, you know,

To kind of take care of

all the gambling in town.

Something like a syndicate.

So we decide, seeing you're a right guy,

To give you a run for your money-

35 grand.

That's smart dough, Charlie.

Ha ha ha! No sale, boys.

Why, the slipper's worth

three times that much.

Sure. Tonight, Charlie,

But a month from now, you won't

be able to get 10 gs for it.

Boys, I think I heard the boss say no.

You aren't going to let

your strong-Arm manager

Talk for you, are you, Roark?

You heard him.

Sorry, boys.

On your way out,

Stop at the bar, and I'll buy you a drink.

What's the matter, Roark?

Can't you run your own business anymore?

That's the way I run my business, boys.

I always surround myself with smart fellas.

Keen, ain't he?

What did he do to get himself in?

Well, I'll tell you.

A little less than a year ago,

He blew in here

looking down-And-Out

And also looking for a job.

He run into Butch Andrews.

You remember Butch

- Used to be my bouncer?

Sure.

Plenty tough, too.

So Butch says to him,

"Just what kind of a job do you want,

You panhandling

so-And-So?"

And Johnny says, "your job

will do, you big windbag. "

He says that to Butch Andrews?

And Butch was more surprised than you are.

He let a roar out of him like a lion,

And he started after Johnny,

And that's the last thing

Butch remembers, I guess,

Until he come to about an hour later,

Out of a job and with a busted beezer.

Ha ha ha!

So you hired Johnny

because he flattened Butch.

Well, I like a winner, don't you?

Come on, let's get those drinks.

Give me $20 worth of chips.

I can lick any three men in this place.

It's lucky I feel good, and I want to fight

Because, boy, when I want

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