Joe Dakota Page #5

Gives us all a chance

to catch up on things.

Myrna's inside.

Hello, folks.

Oh, Frank!

Has anybody seen him yet, today?

Who?

Him, you know.

No, not a sign.

If I don't watch that boy,

he'll hand his hand in your candy jar.

Don't you worry, we'll count the pieces.

Missed you at breakfast

this morning, Jody.

I wasn't hungry.

Honey, I hate to see

you get like this again.

You were so much better.

Was I?

I suppose there's that

fella coming into town,

asking about the Indian,

made you start thinking about it again.

Is that it?

Something like that.

I know it's no use to

say, don't think about it.

But at least we made

sure nothing like that

will ever happen here again.

Did the oil well have

anything to do with it, Dad?

What do you mean by that?

Did you hang Joe Dakota

to get the oil on his farm?

Jody, that's a terrible thing to say.

You shouldn't even have

thoughts like that.

What kind of people do you think we are?

That's what I'd like to know.

Jody, I don't think there's one person

that knew there was oil on that farm

the night Joe Dakota was hanged.

I didn't know it.

The two things just

aren't connected at all.

Where'd you ever get such an idea?

From him, that's what he said.

You mean you talked to him again?

I went out there this morning.

Jody, that was dangerous and stupid.

Don't you care what happens to you?

I had to talk to him.

Then you told him what

happened to the Indian.

Yes.

I just don't understand you.

What made you do a thing like that?

I guess because I

had to talk to somebody

about what happened,

because I feel like it's my fault he died.

And if he's related to

him, or even just a friend,

I could try to explain.

Because it just didn't seem right

that he was looking for Joe Dakota,

and nobody was gonna tell him he was dead.

You're the last person to

go telling a story like that

to a stranger.

If there's nothing wrong,

I don't see why it makes any difference.

You have a responsibility, Jody, to me,

and to the others.

Because of what we had to do.

I didn't ask you to do it.

I didn't want him to be killed.

Neither did anyone else.

Dakota had to be punished.

We did it because it was our job.

I don't know what I'm

gonna say to the others.

They were helping me protect my family.

And it turns out, my

family isn't very grateful.

Jody, go to your room.

Stay there 'til I tell you to come out.

(ominous orchestral music)

("Flower of San Antone"

ballad harmonica music)

What's he trying to do?

I don't know.

(somber orchestral music)

(dramatic orchestral chords)

Doesn't have to mean anything.

Maybe he was just fishing,

hoping we'd give something away.

Did you see the cross

hanging from the saddle?

I'm a'wonder what he's gonna do with that?

He knows, all right, he's

goin' out to mark the grave,

that's where he's goin'.

Yeah, it looks like

that's where he's goin'.

We can find out, easy enough.

(somber orchestral music)

(stone rapping)

("Flower of San Antone"

ballad harmonica music)

I know who you are.

You do?

That's a cavalry pistol belt, isn't it?

Yes.

I should have known before.

But I thought you were

lying about your name.

So I didn't believe anything you said.

Well, that makes us even,

I didn't believe you, either.

There was only one person Joe Dakota

would have asked for help.

Only one man he ever called his friend.

That's who you are, isn't it.

His captain.

That's right, Jody.

I wonder why he never said your name.

Probably because he

was using it, himself.

But why?

Well, he put my name on his land deed.

The only reason I can figure is because

my name is the only one

he knew how to write.

I didn't think he could write at all.

He couldn't, really.

But he could write, Joe Dakota.

I taught him.

Then that's how you knew

Cal's paper was no good.

[Joe] That's why the story

you told me didn't make sense.

But now that I know who you are,

you've just got to believe me.

[Joe] Well, that's a

pretty big order, Jody.

Either they hanged the

old man to get the oil

for themselves, or...

They didn't even know the oil was there.

[Joe] Then for some reason,

they did it to cover up for Cal.

No, they did it for me.

Well, that's the part I can't believe.

I didn't make up the story, it's true.

You have to believe me.

Maybe there's a way I can believe you

and not believe your story.

[Jody] What do you mean?

It's like that paper of Cal's.

You and I know that it's no good.

But as long as the people believe in it,

they'll believe anything he tells them.

And what can I do to convince

you I'm telling the truth.

Tell me what happened that

night, Jody, everything.

Little details, anything

that comes into your mind.

All right.

[Joe] Was it dark here?

Very dark.

Well, where did it happen?

Right outside, there.

My father didn't like for

me to go out to see Joe

after dark, sometimes I did anyway.

When I was almost to the

door, somebody grabbed me.

(screaming)

I couldn't see him at first.

He held me so tightly, I

couldn't even turn my head.

I remember his breath was hot on my neck.

I could smell the wine he'd been drinking.

And I remember his face

was rough against my cheek.

When I fought to get away,

he hit me so hard that

everything went black.

When I came to, I saw Joe standing there.

I could see him clearly.

It was Joe Dakota, bending over me,

reaching out for me with his hands.

(screaming)

Jody, you said that his face

was rough against your cheek.

What did you mean?

It hurt.

Scratched.

His whiskers, I guess.

His whiskers, Jody?

Joe, when he was bending down,

reaching out for me, he

was only trying to help me.

Wasn't he.

Yeah.

(suspenseful orchestral music)

(hissing and rattling)

(horse whinnies)

Hey, that's Cal.

What's the matter?

[Myrna] He found out about the Indian.

He hung this on our sign.

Who told him?

Nobody.

We don't even see him until

he come in town with the rope.

[Cal] Well, somebody must have told him!

Jody, Jody did it.

Jody, why would she do that?

[Frank] Some strange reason of her own.

Where is she?

[Frank] She's in her room.

(crowd murmuring)

Tom, I'm beginning to wonder

if something didn't go wrong

and Cal isn't telling us about it.

So am I, he sure seems

awful worried about something.

Cal, nobody likes what's

been happening here today.

[Cal] (laughs) Oh, you

mean about the noose?

Not only that, he's make a wooden cross

and put it on the Indian's grave.

Today he ride down the middle of town,

with a cross and a rope

hanging from his saddle

for everybody to see.

Just like he's trying to be the conscience

for the whole town.

Conscience, we've got

nothing to feel guilty about.

You said that yourself, Frank.

I know I said it, Cal.

I hope we haven't...

[Cal] You hope!

Say, what's the matter

with all of you people?

A man comes riding in, goes

through a lot of hocus pocus

about a cross and a noose,

you all start to fall apart.

Well, you know he did

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