Dodge City Page #7

Sewing buttons on for

some man, I suppose.

Buttons come off.

Someone's gotta sew them on.

That's a fine career

for an intelligent woman.

- Here are your tax notices, Wade.

- Thanks.

There will be wailing and gnashing

of teeth when these go out.

Abbie, I know this isn't in your line...

but as long as you

insisted on the job...

will you stop calling them

"cows in the stockyard"?

They're steers. Steers.

I don't see any difference.

"A rise is expected this season

in the price of longhorn cows. "

Never mind. I'll

correct this copy myself.

"Longhorn cows. " I

must be running along.

By the way, may I let

you into a little secret?

What?

You've got a smudge of ink on your nose.

Goodbye. Goodbye, Joe.

Goodbye, Wade...

I'm sorry. Abbie.

Is this showing proper

respect for the law?

I never saw the law

fall on its face before.

I didn't fall on my face.

There's an old saying

in the British Army:

"The law must always save its

face in front of the natives. "

And what if the natives

object to its face?

We just put them across our knee...

and spank them soundly.

You're not suggesting that I'm a native?

No. The only real native

of Kansas is the buffalo.

He's got a very hard head,

a very uncertain temper...

and a very lonely future.

Apart from that, there's hardly

any comparison between you.

- Goodbye, Joe.

- Goodbye, Wade.

Goodbye.

I like that fella.

"Cows in the stockyard. "

Of course, I ain't a man

who believes in taxes.

But I can see they're a necessary evil.

Somebody's gotta pay for schools

and churches and such things.

Especially now that the

town's getting so darn big.

Yes, sir.

They do say there's nothing

certain except taxes and death.

Get up, Hatton.

What for?

A couple of the boys are waiting

outside to have a little talk with you.

I see.

You know, I'm really

surprised at Surrett.

I thought he had more intelligence than

to send you here on a silly deal like this.

- You haven't got a chance...

- Shut up and get out of that chair quick.

About 10 days for this customer. Five

to cool off and five to think it over.

You bet. I'll take

care of it personally.

Come on, sonny boy.

I'll buy you some candy.

- What were you saying about taxes?

- What taxes?

I don't remember. Shall

I trim your mustache?

No, thanks. I think I can manage.

See that big herd of buffalo grazing

away so peacefully down there?

The trouble with the buffalo is they

had things too easy at the start.

It works the other way around,

too. Take us, for example.

We had such a bad beginning.

We'll have a wonderful future.

That's typical Irish

logic:
totally unconnected.

You think so?

It may be Irish, but it's not

unconnected, and I can prove it.

Thirty years ago, my father met

my mother at the Londonderry fair.

He'd come down to sell some prize

pigs. Big, fat, lovely pigs they were.

Mother was down there after winning

the grand prize for her roses.

Roses of Sharon, enormous, big things, as

big as your face and nearly as beautiful.

I don't suppose there were ever roses

like that in the whole of Ireland.

What must happen? The very

last day of the fair...

Father's pigs get out and eat up every

single one of Mother's prize roses.

Root, stem, flower and all.

Did any two people ever get

off to a worse start than that?

Look at them now: six big lusty

sons, a score or so of prize pigs...

and the most beautiful rose

garden in the whole of Antrim.

I envy you people who have

kissed the Blarney Stone.

You do?

It's cold on the lips.

I think we'd better be getting back.

I'm afraid it'll be

dark before we get there.

- Are you sure it's the dark you're

afraid of? -What do you mean?

- Maybe you're afraid I might kiss you.

- You wouldn't dare.

I wish I were as sure

of that as you are.

May I?

Thank you.

You know, I was just thinking...

the buffalo wouldn't be so badly off if

the buffalo didn't have a one-track mind.

But then the buffalo wouldn't

be a buffalo, would it?

I suppose not.

You wouldn't be you unless you

thought you might like that kiss.

- You seem very sure of my reactions.

- Oh, no.

That's something you can never be

sure about until you've tried it.

Can you?

Good morning, Abbie.

Good morning, Mrs. Cole. How are you?

So-so.

Won't you come in and sit down?

There. Is there anything

I can do for you?

Yes, I'd like to run this

advertisement in your paper.

That is, if it doesn't

cost too much money.

Our advertising rates are very

low. I'm sure we'll be able to.

You want to sell your house?

No, I don't want to. I have to, Abbie.

Let's get a new lead line

on this church bazaar story.

How do, Mrs. Cole? How are you today?

- Good morning, Joe.

- How much will you charge on this?

One, two, three, four...

You're selling your house?

You're not leaving town, are you?

No, I just... Joe, I

can't afford to keep it up.

I can't even begin to meet

the taxes on it these days.

I can't understand that.

Matt always made good money.

Just the day he died...

he collected $15,000

from Surrett. Didn't he?

That's what I thought, too, but

I've never seen a penny of it.

Well, what have you done about it?

I've spoken to Jeff Surrett

about it several times...

but he'll never give

me a straight answer.

It looks to me like Mrs. Cole needs

help, and we might be able to help her.

Yeah, it does look that way.

Mrs. Cole, would you mind if

we kind of looked into this?

Mind? I'd consider

it a very great favor.

There are a lot of accounts in this

town to be settled. Now, let's see.

How's the best way to tackle this?

There you are. The entry, the

date, and the figures. $15,000.

What Matt Cole did with his money

after that is his business, not mine.

He had $10 on his body when he was

found. He never left the saloon.

I make it a point not to discuss

the affairs of my customers.

But as long as you force my

hand, I'll give you the facts.

Matt Cole lost that

$15,000 playing roulette.

Playing roulette? I'd like

you to remember that, Abbie.

Don't worry, I'll remember.

As a matter of fact, we'll all remember it.

He never went near those roulette tables.

He went straight to the bar

and Yancey killed him there.

- According to who?

- You'll find that out in court.

If you've got such a clear case,

why don't you arrest me now?

I think we'll wait a few days.

I want to talk to a few more people...

before we start giving you board

and room at the state's expense.

You're bluffing, Hatton.

You're holding a pair of

deuces. You're bluffing.

Am I?

Munger killed Orth because he

spoiled a cattle deal for you.

Yancey killed Cole because he tried

to collect $15,000 you owed him.

And more citizens in this town have been

killed trying to do business with you.

That's what the three of us

are going to prove in court.

We'll see if the jury

thinks we're bluffing.

Take that book, Joe. I

want to look at it again.

I can hardly wait to

start writing this story.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is going

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