Lust for Gold Page #4

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Boy, you really struck it rich.

I'll bet that ore is worth more

than Parsons said.

- That gold has got...

- He got $5,000...

Pete.

Pete, where are you?

Get off my bed.

How many times must I tell you to stay

out of my room, unless you're invited?

I've got a right to lie on your bed.

I'm your husband.

Come into the other room.

I want to talk to you.

Talk to me in here.

Julia!

That's right, Pete. Come in.

All right. What do you want?

Sit down.

A man named Jacob Walz

has just arrived in town.

- I want to meet him.

- Why?

He's discovered gold.

What do you want to meet him for?

I've got a right to know.

Really?

Well, I have a right to some things, too.

Like being sick and tired

of running a bakery.

- Wait a minute.

- You've had four years to get me out of here.

- I've had bad luck. I'm doing the best I can.

- Yes, you've done very well.

Have you been able to keep a job?

Have you replaced our savings...

you so cleverly invested in grazing land

no animal could live on? Have you, Pete?

- That wasn't my fault. I got swindled.

- No, I got swindled.

So now, you're going to bring

that man here.

- No, I won't, Julia.

- Yes, you will.

There's still that unsolved murder

in Milwaukee.

- All right.

- Good.

Of course, he's not to know

that I'm married to you.

- But you are married to me.

- Yes, but he's not to know.

You understand, Pete?

- What do you want of him?

- I'm not sure yet.

But I am sure I'm not going to stay here

and dry up...

like the other women in this filthy town.

I'll get a job driving the stage to Tucson

or mining up in Gold Field.

Yes. He's at Luke's Saloon now.

Buy him drinks or whatever he wants.

Just see that I meet him, Pete.

Pete?

There's some money on the floor.

He's been here close to eight hours.

How long can he go on?

- Come on, Walz. Tell us where the...

- No!

Very good,

how about buying you a drink, mister?

I buy my own drinks.

I could buy the whole place if I wanted to.

Where'd you strike it rich, Dutchie?

Come on, tell us.

- You want to hear about the mine? - Is

there much of this high-grade ore, Walz?

That? That's nothing.

Why, that's just some of the loose stuff

I picked up on the outside of the mine.

You mean on the outside?

On the inside of the mine,

there's a vein of gold as thick as...

- as thick as her waist.

- Where is it? Come on, tell us.

All right, I'll tell you.

From the mine,

you can see the old military trail.

- Yeah?

- Then, it is in Superstition?

But from the trail, you can't see the mine.

You've been teasing and horsing us around

all night, Walz.

Now, you tell us where you struck it rich

or shut up.

- Put up or shut up.

- That's telling him.

- It's about time somebody told him off.

- The blowhard.

- Maybe I'll file a claim.

- What?

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

You'd know right where to look.

That'd make it easy for you.

Well, come on up and try to find it.

And I'll be waiting for you.

I'll give you a real welcome.

That's telling them, Walz.

How about buying you a drink?

He told you before,

he can buy his own drinks. Come on, honey.

Are you really a Dutchman, honey?

I bet Elsie you was a German. Was I right?

What, honey?

Bring me a drink.

Had enough of that Dutchman tonight.

I bet you get awful lonesome

up in the mountains all alone.

It ain't natural for a man

to be by himself all the time, honey.

When you go back to your mine,

maybe you ought to take a little company.

Maybe like taking Lucille with you?

You're just like the rest. All you want

is my gold. That's all any of you want!

I don't want none of your gold, mister.

Not tonight.

- Get out of my place!

- You dirty...

Stop it, Lucille. You heard me, get out.

All right. You won't let me stay in...

and I won't let you come out.

He's bluffing.

Relax, boss, another half minute,

he'll fall on his face.

Get out of here, you drunken...

Take it easy.

Come on, Jim. Let's get him.

- Where'd he get to?

- Where'd he go?

- He disappeared, Julia.

- Not so loud, Pete.

- I tried to bring him home.

- He's inside now.

Unconscious, passed out here on the street.

Now, please don't come back

until I send for you.

- Julia.

- Please.

Good night, Pete.

Well, at last. Good morning.

How do you feel now?

Here's some coffee. Fresh roll.

You may wash up in there.

- How'd I get here?

- You were lying in the doorway of my shop.

- You were quite sick.

- I was drunk last night.

- Either way, I still couldn't leave you there.

- Why?

- Why?

- Yeah.

Because I felt sorry for you.

What other reasons are there?

- How much do I owe you?

- Owe me?

- Yeah, here.

- Why, nothing.

Very glad you're feeling better now.

My name is Jacob Walz.

I'm glad to know you, Mr. Walz.

I'm Julia Thomas.

- You do not know who I am?

- No, should I?

Everybody in town's talking about me.

- Why?

- I found a bonanza.

- What?

- Gold.

I found the richest gold mine in the world.

That's nice.

Would you like some more coffee?

- You have no interest?

- Should I have?

Mr. Walz, I don't know anything

about gold mines.

I just know about baking,

and trying to run my little shop.

Now, if you'll excuse me,

I do have to get the baking done.

You don't even want to know

where my mine is.

I wouldn't know a gold mine

if I fell into one.

- I'm very much obliged to you.

- You're welcome.

May I call upon you sometime?

- Well, I...

- This evening?

All right, if you wish.

Excuse me.

- Good morning, Mrs. Butler.

- How much are them?

- 20 cents a dozen.

- That's outrageous.

- And them?

- The same.

You ought to be ashamed

charging such prices.

- But they're the lowest in town.

- Ever since that gold strike...

everybody's charging four times what things

is worth, and you ain't no different.

Criminals, all of you.

Give me half a dozen of them.

- Very well.

- The freshest ones, mind you.

- All this stuff's been sold.

- What?

- It belongs to me.

- Why, you can't do...

- And you get out.

- You can't talk to...

- You get out!

- I won't stand it!

You get out and you stay out!

Herr Walz, you shouldn't have done that.

She was one of my best customers.

You let people talk to you that way?

When a woman has to support herself...

it's necessary to endure

many unpleasant things.

I buy everything.

- Really, there's nothing...

- It's for sale?

- Yes, but...

- All right, I buy everything.

You wrap it up. I take it with me.

- Everything?

- Here.

- Hey, you like cookies?

- Yes, sir.

Here.

- All of them?

- Yeah.

Good evening.

- Gum drops.

- Thank you. How nice.

Won't you come in?

Please. Won't you sit down?

I'm much obliged to you

for taking me in last night.

It was nothing at all.

I'm much obliged to you.

- Why?

- For the biggest day's business I've had...

since I came to Phoenix. I've sold out.

- Would you like to see the album?

- Yes, I would.

This is my mother, my father.

He died when I was seven.

That was after they came from Germany.

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