Dead Man's Burden Page #2

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for something.

[Horse Snorting]

Be obliged if I

could water my horses.

Been riding hard this last day.

(Noise)

Wrong way?

(Noise)

Got business with

the McCurrys.

Ain't you heard?

Joe McCurry is dead.

I heard, I heard

about James and Billy.

Dead too.

Dead? No they ain't.

See for yourself.

(Noise)

Stranger?

All of them.

If you want to water

your horses, be on your way.

It's fine by me.

(Silence)

(Noise)

Why is he asking

about my family?

Stay inside, he'll

be gone soon.

Maybe you ask him

how he knows Billy.

[Background Music]

Thank you kindly.

I was wondering-- Martha?

(Music)

1 Oh, how'd you do

so much growing?

It's Wade, your brother.

Best ride on out of

here right now, mister.

It's been a while, I know.

But it's me, sure as a gun.

Wade is dead.

Killed by a horse 10 years

past on his way to war.

(Music)

You still got that

scar from the fever?

One right inside your arm?

The trip is supposed

to take four days,

but I had to ride six straight

on account of the weather.

they never would have

tried to bleed you.

(Music)

Wade.

I ain't dead little sunshine.

(Music)

(Gasps)

(Music)

And then, Wade here

comes bursting through,

half his face white with

cream the other smooth

as a baby's bottom, and me I'm

standing there covered in mud

and dirt sobbing like

the little girl I was.

It must have taken

you a good hour

to wipe all that dirt off of me.

And that the last

time you saw each other?

I'm looking at her now.

That night Wade

left for the war.

(Noise)

Any youngins?

This ain't no place

to raise a child.

(Noise)

Sure is a fine

piece of land though.

Found it with fresh

eyes I'd imagine.

And how come it is, this

is the first years you're

seeing it?

Heck.

It's a fair question.

(Noise)

What's that?

It's a letter.

Would you ever imagine

your baby sister be reading

and writing?

(Noise)

This is from Pa.

(Noise)

"Wade, it is with much worry

that I seek myself to pen you."

How'd this get so burnt?

It's legible.

(Noise)

"Things do not

stand well between us.

I make no apologies and

I write you now only

because I see nowhere else.

You were always the responsible

one and I beseech you now

to be responsible

for the family."

When did you get this?

Two weeks past.

(Noise)

Joe has been in

the ground a month.

Yeah?

(Noise)

"We've been living for

these past years on a homestead

and I beseech you

watch over the family

for if you're reading these

words then I am killed."

What are you aiming

to do here, mister?

(Noise)

No, no, no.

It's all right.

It's all right.

Who sent it?

(Noise)

I reckoned you did.

(Noise)

Are you taking leave of me?

(Noise)

It wasn't my intent

to cause you pain.

(Noise)

How did he die?

He was thrown by a horse.

(Noise)

Something bothering you?

You can tell me.

It's strange is all.

Seems how we thought you dead.

(Noise)

Why you reckon Joe

wrote me that letter?

I think I'd rather know

what it is you're wanting.

(Noise)

I'd prefer not to

sleep in Joe's room

if that's all right with you.

(Noise)

I do believe we could

do something about that.

(Noise)

He should be gone.

We'll speak on

it in the morning.

We'll speak on it now.

We will do no such

thing, Heck Kirkland.

We'll say nothing on it

'til you've regained your

moral character.

(Footsteps)

[Inaudible Remark]

Don't I know it?

(Noise)

Wade will kill you if he

finds out what you've done.

He's my brother.

Joe was your father.

He's in a better place now.

(Noise)

Wade raised me more

than Pa ever did.

I ought to run him off.

What if I don't want that?

(Noise)

You put it to him?

There ain't nothing that keeps a

man away for coming on 10 years.

Of course, there's a reason.

Maybe I ought to

find out what it is.

Maybe while you're

thinking on it,

you got to ask yourself why the

father declared his son dead.

(Noise)

You're going to shoot?

Where is your [inaudible]?

Martha believes I'll make

a better husband without it.

Best not argue then.

Pinfire ain't it?

Federal I took it off

of claimed he got it

from Jeb Stuart's [inaudible].

I reckon he didn't

part with it easily.

No man would.

Good talk.

(Noise)

Where you've been

these last years?

I ain't one for

repeating myself.

Being a Deputy in Cheyenne.

I'm a farmer now.

That still don't explain why

you ain't never come through.

Maybe you ought to ask Joe.

But I guess you missed

your opportunity for that.

You do anything

that's going to hurt her,

there won't be no

conversation next time.

You stole the words

right on my mouth.

(Noise)

It's your responsibility.

Got that talking too as well?

This day I don't

know if we deserved it

or if [inaudible] just

plain enjoyed giving it.

I don't mean to

be out of line,

but isn't this your

husband's responsibility?

Look at where we live.

There's more chores

than people around here.

How did you two

start courting?

I wouldn't exactly

call it courting.

Heck turned up looking for work

at Three Penny Hank's place

and found his way over here.

Three Penny Hank?

He's just a fool whoremonger.

Heck is a good man.

He would never do me no harm.

A man who carries

a gun like that,

he has a certain kind of past.

(Footsteps)

(Noise)

(Footsteps)

Help me with something?

(Noise)

Who'd you bury in my stead?

Nobody.

I got good news this week.

Wade is alive and well.

Guess you probably knew that.

but right now he's standing

right here next to me.

He's been living up in the

Wyoming Territory where he used

to be a Deputy Sheriff.

He's not married

yet but not for lack

of interest in women, I'm sure.

And I'm hoping that

he'd be staying here

with me and Heck for a spell.

Is there anything

you'd like to say?

Howdy? Would have been nice

to see you all, alive I mean.

(Noise)

(Noise & Music)

[Inaudible].

Gently.

Sorry.

It's all right.

We never got any bodies

back from the war.

Not for you, not for James,

not for Billy.

Ma is actually buried here.

As is Pa. Of course.

(Noise)

(Music)

How'd she pass?

She got weak after the war.

Doc said he didn't know

why but it was on account

of losing her boys,

sure is the day is long.

Pa, he moved us out here

thinking maybe a fresh start

might help.

In this place, the killers life.

James signed on soon

after Pa told us you died.

All the boys in town did, whole

town was so proud, mightily so.

None came back, not a one.

And more left, this

time Billy signed on.

He lost a leg at Chickamauga.

(Music)

Billy died of infection

on his journey home.

There's something wrong with

the way they healed his leg.

Every boy between the age of 13

and 34 out of Old Grandridge,

Texas gave their life

fighting them damn federals.

Except you.

(Music)

I fought.

(Music)

Not with the First Texas.

(Noise)

I was injured early on.

When I was fit for

duty, I was reorganized

into convalescence regiment.

Was it bad?

I ended up in a hospital,

if you want to call it that.

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