Life Begins at Forty Page #2

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Hey, uh, maybe you're right, Kenesaw.

Ah, but even so,

it's too late now.

I-I'm too old a dog

to learn new tricks.

What could I do at my age?

Lots of things.

You can get yourself

some fancy britches...

go out and court some widow

that's just itchin'...

to help some old man

spend his money.

Well, uh, do you think

that would be fair to my children?

- You started from scratch, didn't ya?

- Yes.

Well, then you wanna give them

just as good a chance as you had.

You don't wanna dump

all that money in their laps...

and spoil all their ambition.

Make lapdogs out of'em.

Well, uh,

you may be right, Kenesaw.

But I don't know.

Say, would it be all right...

about that widow business?

Who knows? Who cares?

I've heard that, uh...

you can have a lot of fun

with a widow.

Well, I'll be on my way.

So long, Kenesaw.

So long.

Hi, Colonel, old boy.

Oh, hello. Hello, Colonel.

Come right on in.

- Hello, Mr. Clark.

- How are ya?

Say, I was just talkin'

about you not 10 minutes ago.

Well, I hope your estimate of myself...

was not too caustic, Mr. Editor.

Oh, no, no, no.

I was, uh...

just talkin' about that speech you made

up at the state bankers' convention.

- Uh-huh.

- Great stuff. You can't, uh-

You can't go wrong defendin'

the American Constitution.

We've got to get back

to first principles, Mr. Clark.

Well, that's great- great stuff.

Hop on the bandwagon

with the founding fathers.

Yeah.

I, uh-

I brought you over

a small item for the press.

I thought perhaps the community

might be interested-

In knowing that you

had offered yourself for reelection...

as head of our school board.

- Yes, that's right.

- Well, what about the annual outing?

There's nothing that the voters

like better than a free meal.

Well, uh, I'm arranging that.

However, this time...

I'm goin' to encourage one

of our leading industries- hog raising.

In other words,

I propose a hog show...

to select the winner

for the county fair.

- Oh, hogs, huh? Mmm.

- Mm-hmm.

Sure, I'll see that hogs

gets on the front page.

Yes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. -

- Yes, well, good day, Mr. Clark. Good day.

- Good day.

- Here are the subscriptions.

- What's all this mess you got here?

Well, the lady said

you'd have to take these...

on account of they haven't

got any change in the house.

You can't take these down to the bank

and pay off that mortgage.

Hey! Catch 'em!

Don't let 'em get away!

Hey, where's the other one?

Where'd he go?

- He was headin' over here.

- Chick, chick! Chick, chick, chick!

Chick, chick! Chickie!

Chick, chick! Chick, chick!

Hello.

Is that you, Lee Austin?

Come out of there.

What are you fixin' to do,

get yourself in some more trouble?

- You oughta know what I'm gonna do.

- Well, here.

- Forget it, whatever it was.

- But l-

Now, listen. You come on home with me

and get somethin' to eat.

Let's talk this thing over.

Come on.

Son, if you wanna make

good batter cakes...

you got to have

your batter just right.

You must always stir

from left to right.

That's what makes it just as light

as a feather on a baby goose.

Now, if you stir from right to left,

that's where those heavy babies come from.

Then you-

Then you toss 'em just so.

Not too much. Just-Just flip, easy-like,

and meet 'em comin' down.

Don't ever meet 'em goin' up.

That's what spoils their disposition, see?

Now, that's what you call technique.

Yes, sir. There's mighty few men

and no women at all can do that.

Here. Now, get yourself

some butter on those...

and, uh, then just smother 'em...

till they practically drown

in that good molasses.

And the deliciousness

will just ooze out of'em.

And from then on,

they'll do their own advertisin'.

Drink coffee?

You don't understand

about tonight.

I didn't ask you

any questions at all.

I was gonna make him

tell the truth, or kill him.

A couple of first-class funerals

would do this town a lot of good...

but shootin' people's

not the way to initiate it.

You know what he did to me.

Well, I wouldn't be

too hard on the colonel.

No. It did look kind of suspicious.

You was workin' in the bank,

and all that money disappeared.

- And you can't say you didnt get a fair trial.

- But I tell ya, I wasn't guilty!

Then you got nothin'

to worry about, son.

That's a laugh.

I've been in jail. I'm branded as a convict.

My whole life is ruined.

Your life is ruined.

What do you know about Life?

You haven't started to Live yet.

Every minute I was in there,

I thought of only one thing-

to get him and that lying son of his.

You didn't deny bein'

in the bank that night.

I tell you, I was framed!

All right, now, come on.

Quiet down.

Sit down and eat your cakes there

before they get cold. Come on.

Why didn't they question Joe?

He worked in the bank same as I did.

Why don't you stick around here

and see how people act?

You know, there ain't nothin'

that'll upset a guilty conscience...

like an innocent man's presence.

I've got a fine chance proving it.

Oh, who knows? Maybe

some new evidence will pop up.

But what could I do?

Who'd give me a job?

Ain't a finer business in the world

than the printin' business.

Kind of lonesome here.

Got lots of room.

Whoo-hoo!

Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo!

Come on in.

We had some strawberry shortcake for supper,

and Miss Ida thought you might like-

Oh, uh, I hope

I'm not interrupting anything.

Nobody but yourself.

Here. Meet-

This is, uh-This is my helper,

Lee Austin.

- You remember him.

- Oh, yes.

That is, uh,

I've heard of him.

- Hello.

- Hello.

Don't be afraid of her, Lee. She's, uh-

She's just a schoolteacher.

Just come here from out of town

about the time that you left.

Her name's Del Anderson.

Folks say that she's not so popular

with these town girls.

Say, did you ever- Did you ever eat

one of my batter cakes?

- Why, yes, of course.

- Well, you're gonna eat one now.

Wait a minute. Sit right here

where there's clean plates.

Come on. Hustle around here

and help fix up-Wait on her there now.

I've got to run over

to Miss Ida's.

They tell me she's been

feedin' that jaybird just to spite me.

- Well, I can't stay but a minute.

- I'll be right back.

Let me get you some coffee.

I'm really not very hungry.

Well, it's risky business.

You know how the folks

in this town talk.

Ida, you and I are old enough,

we don't have to care what they say.

Speak for yourself, Kenesaw Clark.

I never did like the way them Abercrombies

stirred up sentiment.

Lee- I knew his folks...

before they died.

Awful fine people. Never was a finer man

ever lived than Lee's father.

Mmm.

I know, but after three years,

you'd a-think...

something would have turned up

if he was innocent.

After they sent him to jail, why,

folks figured the case was settled.

Well, I don't see any good

in reopening it now.

Well, maybe not.

Ain't no harm, though,

in nosin' around...

seein' what we can find out.

Besides, that's what

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