Fort Worth Page #6

Tell the truth,

I felt sorry for her.

Her kind have their day,

but it sure ends fast.

She's got claws, though.

She got to me

when she talked about

the dollar marks in my eyes.

Oh, don't you believe it.

I took a quick look

at my bankbook.

That was reassuring enough.

Any dollar marks

I've got are red ink.

That'll change.

The railroad comes through,

Blair's packing plant

starts humming,

and you'll be fat as a goose.

If that's meant

for a compliment,

you've got a lot to learn.

Don't keep yourself

such a stranger, Ned.

It gets lonesome out there.

Blair will keep you company.

Blair's not on my visiting list.

But you just said...

I said that to you.

You don't think for one minute

I'm not gonna make him squirm.

Maybe his clover crop

ain't as thick as I figured.

By the way, where is he?

Far as I know, still in Dallas.

Dallas?

What for?

Ah, don't worry.

It's not another Amy.

He's arguing

the railroad through.

If he does that, I'll

forgive him awful fast.

Come out any time, Ned.

Don't wait for the invitation.

I won't.

I can't pass up the kind

of local news you handle.

Good morning, Flora.

How are you, Blair?

You're beginning to look

more like a lovesick

bull every day.

What's the matter?

Won't Flora moo when you bellow?

Don't swing on the gate, sonny.

You might get

a bellyful of horns.

You may as well

get yourself reconciled.

I'm the one she's gonna marry.

Why? Because

she spoke to you?

I heard her say hello

to a yapping dog

out on the trail.

Oh, I guess I can savvy

an insult when I hear one.

I don't have to have

a barn fall on me.

But that's no way

to treat a fellow

that's bringing you

some bang-up news.

You won your argument

with the railroad.

No. I lost it

hands down.

Clevenger's men

shot up the train.

There ain't nobody

can take a hint

faster than railroaders.

That's hard news, Blair.

Fort Worth will die without...

[DOOR OPENS]

LUTHER:

Mr. Lunsford?

Yeah, son?

I owe you an apology,

Mr. Lunsford.

Well, that's

a manly thing to say.

What for?

Well, I've been

distrustful of you.

But that meeting over at

the hotel proved me wrong.

I told you I had

some real hot news.

What meeting?

The Panthers Club.

We're going to get the railroad.

They're gonna get their own

free labor to lay track.

And Mr. Walter and the other

deputies will protect 'em

against Clevenger...

o-or anybody else.

But it was Mr. Lunsford here

who got 'em up to it.

I'm proud of 'em.

You should be too, Ned.

You created them, kind of.

They're big now.

Better than 200

good grizzly boys.

I gotta set type.

They got the muscles maybe,

but it takes cash to pay

for feed and materials.

Here's another item

for Luther to set.

"Mr. Blair Lunsford

has announced

"that on Tuesday next,

"he will ship $50,000

in gold by train to Eagle Ford

"to defray all cost

of construction

of the railroad."

Gold sounds better.

So Ben was right.

You've been crying poor

and buying up options

for 10 cents on the dollar.

And all the time

you had a big kitty

buried in Dallas.

By japes, boy, you've got it.

That fine old Southern honor,

that good old integrity.

I told you I pin

one skunk act on you,

I'd print you out of the state.

This is the hole in the fence

I've been waiting for.

Well, don't jump through

that hole too soon, son.

You might tear your britches.

There won't be a nickel

on that train.

What you holding

in that head of yours?

We've got to get rid of

the threat of Clevenger,

haven't we?

Well, he and his boys

oughta be pretty hungry by now.

That item in your paper

ought to make

sure-fire bait.

You've set yourself

a pretty good rattrap.

And we'll load the train

with Panther cats

just to make sure.

No.

We don't want

any noise around here.

Gabe's got big ears.

You and me...

we'll be the express guides.

I'll make the arrangements

in Dallas.

The railroad company,

they won't be so tough to handle

once we bury Clevenger.

And he'll strike a blow any time

to keep work from starting.

And the money.

Talk about incentive.

Then you're with me.

You'll print it.

I'm already writing

his obituary.

[]

[WHISTLE BLOWING]

Figured Clevenger's

gang would show

when we hit open country.

Yeah, after all the trouble

I went through at the railroad

to promote this trap.

It cost a king's ransom

to hire a short-handed

train crew.

Thought you were broke.

Since Clevenger

stayed out of this,

I'm worse off than that.

What if he hadn't?

You were supposed to line up

some good gun hands in Dallas.

I'll look for a full load

instead of those empty coaches.

Why?

We got nothing to protect

but some mail-order goods

for the farmers.

Two bits will get you four

if we don't pass that coach.

[WHISTLE BLOWING]

Still looking for a soft touch?

I only hope Clevenger ain't.

That's why we're here.

Be a horse on me

if he passed up the train

and held up that stagecoach.

I wouldn't give him

pocket money.

You call $100,000 pocket money?

[GUN C*CKS] What the...?

What tune you singing now?

Little by little,

I'm movin' all my cash

to the bank at Fort Worth.

I can't put it off

any longer, son.

Not even on your threat

to print me out of

the governorship.

Serves me right.

I should've known Ben

was the only man to trust.

You had fair warning.

Money sure polluted you.

You used to believe

in a fair draw.

Made kind of a nice

setup for me, didn't it?

You were number one,

and Gabe was second.

And I figured he'd plug you

if I gotta fire the shot myself.

Seems like my luck

is running out.

The higher I stack the chips,

the worse it goes.

Even staked your life on it.

If a man wants to hit

the jackpot, Ned,

he's gotta take chances.

Oh, if I get killed,

of course, I'd regret it.

But Fort Worth would build

a whopping-big pigeon roost

of a monument to old Blair.

You'll get buzzards.

Not from you.

Move back.

Keep your hands

away from those guns.

I'm givin' you

one straight choice.

And I'm offerin' to

make you rich too.

You ride with me,

and I'll take care of you.

Big.

Well, what's your answer?

Insane.

You're stark-crazy

insane.

They said that

about a lot of men.

Columbus, Washington...

old Sam Houston.

He was insane too,

with his dream of Texas...

till he made it come true.

Now me.

Suit yourself.

I'm insane too...

till I'm sittin' in the saddle,

and Fort Worth

is queen of the prairie.

And no two-for-a-penny

newspaper

is gonna stop me...

[DOOR OPENS]

It's Britt and Lunsford.

[GUNSHOT]

Let 'em burn. They're

better than the money.

[]

We've gotta stop

the train now...

Don't slow down till

we get to the water tower.

Express car's afire.

Gabe said not to move in

with the horses

till they pass the water tower.

What he said ain't

what he'll be sayin' now.

We gotta get him

and the boys off of there.

Let's go.

Hyah!

[]

[GUNSHOTS]

[COUGHS]

Come on.

Let's get out of here.

[GUNSHOTS]

[CLICKS]

[GUNS CLATTERS

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