High Noon Page #4

What have we been paying for

all this time?

We're not peace officers,

and this ain't our job!

I've been saying right along,

we ought to have more deputies.

If we did, we wouldn't be facing this now.

Just a minute, just a minute!

Everybody, quiet!

Keep it orderly.

You had your hand up.

I can't believe I've heard

some of the things said here.

You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

We paid this man,

and he was the best marshal we ever had.

It ain't his trouble, it's ours.

If we don't do what's right,

we're gonna have more trouble.

There ain't but one thing to do,

and you all know what that is.

- Go ahead, Kibbee.

- This thing has been handled wrong.

Those three killers

walking the streets bold as brass...

Why didn't you put them in jail

where they ought to be?

Then we'd only have Miller to worry about.

I haven't anything to arrest them for.

They haven't done anything.

There's no law against them

sitting on a bench at the depot.

I can't listen to any more of this.

What's the matter with you people?

Remember when a decent woman

couldn't walk down the street in broad daylight?

When this wasn't a fit place

to bring up a child?

How can you sit and talk, and talk,

and talk like this?

What are we getting so excited about?

How do we know Miller's on that train?

We can be pretty sure he's on it.

Time's getting short.

- Parson, you got anything to say?

- I don't know.

The commandment says

''thou shalt not kill''

but we hire men to do it for us.

The right and the wrong

seem pretty clear here,

but if I should tell my people

to go out and kill,

and maybe get themselves killed, I'm sorry,

I don't know what to say. I'm sorry.

All right, I'll say this.

What this town owes Will Kane, it can never

pay with money. Don't forget it.

He's the best marshal we've ever had,

and maybe the best we'll ever have.

So if Miller comes back here today,

it's our problem, not his.

It's our problem

because this is our town.

We made it with our own hands,

out of nothing.

If we want to keep it decent

we gotta think mighty clear today.

We gotta have the courage to do what is right,

no matter how hard it is.

All right! There's gonna be fighting

when Kane and Miller meet.

And somebody's going to get hurt,

that's for sure.

Now... People up north

are thinking about this town.

Thinking about sending money down here,

to put up stores and factories.

It would mean a lot to this town, an awful lot,

but if they'll read about shooting in the streets,

what are they going to think?

I'll tell you. They'll think

this is just another wide-open town,

and everything we worked for

will be wiped out.

In one day, this town

will be sat back five years,

and I don't think we can let that happen.

Mind you, you all know

how I feel about this man.

He's a mighty brave man, a good man.

He didn't have to come back today.

And for his sake, and a sake of this town,

I wish he hadn't.

Because if he's not here when Miller comes,

my hunch is,

there won't be any trouble, not one bit.

Tomorrow we'll have a new marshal

and if we offer him our services,

I think we can handle anything

that comes along.

To me that makes sense.

To me that's the only way out of this.

Will, I think you better go

while there's still time.

It's better for you and...it's better for us.

Thanks.

Why don't you put that thing away?

- Bang, bang, bang!

- You're dead, Kane.

I just sent the kid to find you.

Didn't he come?

He was here.

You've been my friend all my life.

You got me this job.

You made them send for me.

Ever since I was a kid

I wanted to be like you, Mart.

- You've been a law man all your life.

- Yeah, all my life. It's a great life.

You risk your skin catching killers,

and the juries turn them loose,

so they can come back

and shoot at you again.

If you're honest,

you're poor your whole life.

In the end you wind up dying all alone

on some dirty street.

For what?

For nothing. For a tin star.

The judge's left town, Harvey's quit,

and I'm having trouble getting deputies.

It figures. It's all happened too sudden.

People got to talk themselves into law and order

before they do anything.

Maybe because down deep they don't care.

They just don't care.

What'll I do, Mart?

I was hopin' you wouldn't come back

- You know why I came back

- But not to commit suicide.

Sometimes... Sometimes

prison changes a man.

Not him. This is all planned,

that's why they're all here.

Get out, Will! Get out.

Will you come down

to that depot with me?

No.

You know how I feel about you,

but I ain't goin' with you.

Seems like a man with busted knuckles

didn't need arthritis, don't it?

No, I couldn't do nothin' for you.

You'd get yourself killed

worryin' about me.

It's too one-sided like it is.

- So long, Martin.

- So long.

It's all for nothin', Will.

It's all for nothin'.

Excuse me, what is

Mrs Ramirez's room number?

- Three.

- Thank you.

Come in.

- Yes?

- Mrs Ramirez? I'm Mrs Kane.

I know.

- May I come in?

- If you like.

- Sit down, Mrs Kane.

- No, thank you.

- What do you want?

- Please...

I'm afraid that if I sat down,

I wouldn't be able to get up again.

- Why?

- It wasn't easy for me to come here.

- Why?

- Look, Mrs Ramirez...

Will and I were married an hour ago.

We were ready to leave...

...then this thing happened

and he wouldn't go.

I did everything. I pleaded, I threatened,

I just couldn't reach him.

- And now?

- That man downstairs, the clerk..

He said things about you and Will

I've tried to understand

why he wouldn't go with me,

and it's got to be because of you.

- What do you want from me?

- Let him go.

He still has a chance. Let him go.

- I can't help you.

- Please.

He isn't staying for me.

I haven't spoken to him for a year,

until today.

- I'm leaving on the same train you are.

- Then why is he staying?

If you don't know,

I can't explain it to you.

Thank you anyway.

You've been very kind.

What kind of woman are you?

How can you leave him like this?

Does the sound of guns

frighten you that much?

No, Mrs Ramirez. I've heard guns.

My father and my brother

were killed by guns.

They were on the right side, but that

didn't help them when the shooting started..

My brother was 19. I watched him die.

That's when I became a Quaker.

I don't care who's right or who's wrong.

There's got to be some better way

for people to live.

Will knows how I feel about it.

Just a minute.

Are you going to wait for the train downstairs?

- Yes.

- Why don't you wait here?

I've got no use for Kane,

but he's got guts.

You're mighty broadminded, Joe.

I always figured you had guts, but

I never gave you credit for brains until now.

What does that mean?

It takes a smart man

to know when to back away.

If I can't pick my company when I drink,

I ain't coming in here anymore.

Okay... All right

The boy with a tin star.

Put a saddle on him, Kane.

Go on, saddle him up.

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