Pursued Page #2

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Colts or anything else.

Everything we have

or ever will have...

Belongs to you three from this day on.

- You mean, everything has to be that way?

- Yes, Adam.

Have you any objection to that?

Not for Thor and me,

but I have for outsiders.

There are no outsiders here.

You three are together.

You yourselves...

Are the best and finest

thing there is. A family.

You promise not to forget that?

I mean all three of you.

All right. Thor, stop scratching.

Go in the house and get some coal

oil, put it on those chiggers.

Adam, you find the sheep scissors.

I'm gonna cut yours

and Jeb's hair tonight.

Jeb, we've always called

you by your right name, Rand.

Would you like to

use our name instead?

If you don't mind, I'd like

to use my own name. Jeb Rand.

All right, Jeb.

You know how it was after that.

Ma's idea worked like she

wanted it, pretty near.

Anyhow, we seemed more like a family.

We were close, the four of us.

That lasted for a long time.

It lasted until that

day I rode into town.

Detail, halt!

Right face!

About face!

Order arms!

- Hey, what's all the shoutin' and drum beatin' about?

- Ain't you heard?

The territory's fightin' Spain, and it looks

like we're gonna have a real shootin' war too.

- Hi, Jeb.

- Good morning, doctor.

Hello, Prentice. That's quite some

excitement you've got around here.

Sure is. Gotta beat them spaniards.

Sure wish I could fight,

but dad won't let me.

Meanin' I won't lie about

his age so he can join.

I fought in one war. He don't

know what he's stayin' out of.

Here's your mail, Jeb. Thanks, bam.

That dress and petticoat

Thor sent for came in.

Hope it's what she wanted.

I've been keeping it for her.

She'll be obliged to you.

I'll tell her I saw you.

How's my credit, Bam?

I need some tobacco.

Never heard anything wrong with

the credit on the Callum ranch.

Thanks.

- Mr. Rand?

- Yes.

I heard him mention the Callum ranch.

I'm, uh, State Provost, down

here to supervise recruiting.

Every outfit around about

here is sending in a quota.

One man apiece to fight the spaniards.

I was sort of interested to see if

anyone was coming in from your ranch.

Oh, I guess this is what you

mean, sir. It came a little late.

Some of the outfits are sending

in every danged rider they've got.

Except the aged and unfit.

We'll let you know tomorrow which one it's gonna be

- me or my brother Adam.

- Is that soon enough?

- I guess so,

Unless you'd like the pleasure

of riding home tonight...

And telling the folks

you've just joined up.

Fill this out and sign it and

hand it in when you report.

If I'm the one that reports.

If not, Adam will have to do it.

Give me two. The provost

seems bound and determined...

To get you into this war.

It sort of appeared

that way to me too.

Who is that fella

anyway? What's his name?

Heck, I figured you knew him.

Ain't he some kind of kin

of yours? No kin of mine.

I have no kin. His name's

Callum, just the same.

There's a whole slew of 'em up north.

Halt! Order arms!

The recruits are ready to be

sworn in. Is that right, boys?

All right. Raise your right hands.

Repeat after me. I, a citizen of

the United States, do solemnly swear-

"I, a citizen of the United

States, do solemnly swear...

That I will bear true faith and

allegiance to the United States of america.

That I will bear true faith and allegiance

to the United States of america. "

- Is that package for me?

- Yes.

- The dry goods you ordered.

- Oh, good.

- Maybe it's my dress.

- Hey, Adam?

Hello? When you finish up

there, come on in the house.

I got some business to talk

over with you. All right.

What is it?

"... As a soldier in

the volunteer army...

"of the United States of america for a

period of two years, unless sooner discharged

The first company's

leaving in the morning.

I told him we'd let him

know by then. It's not fair.

Why can't they get soldiers from the big

ranches, where there have plenty of riders?

Can't be helped, sis. Them

spaniards has to be beat.

I won't let either of you go. I'll ride into

town and explain we need both of you here.

You can only keep one

of us at home, sis.

- But you can help pick which one it's gonna be.

- That's a job I don't want.

Should we tell ma,

or decide without her?

Decide for ourselves, I say.

Tell her after.

Well, Ad, what do you say?

How are we gonna settle it?

I'm agreeable to anything you suggest.

All right, I'll draw numbers with

you, run you a race or cut cards.

That would be your way of deciding it.

- This isn't a game. It's serious.

- I'm serious.

- How about a toss? That's the quickest.

- That's fine with me.

- Then let me toss it.

- Flip it high.

If it's tails, Ad goes.

Heads, it's Jeb.

It's heads. Jeb, you're the one.

It was a fair toss.

So be it.

Well, there's no use

stalling around any longer.

- Adam, will you cut out a horse for me?

- Sure.

I'll get going tonight. I

better go to ma now and tell her.

Don't let anything happen to you, Jeb.

I couldn't stand that. If

anything happened to you-

Nothing's gonna happen, ma.

I'll come back.

Why, sure, I know you will.

One of you had to go.

Perhaps it's best this way.

Good-bye, Jeb.

Good-bye, ma.

- Good-bye,

Jeb. - So long.

Come home, Jeb.

Until I do, maybe you'd

like this for a keepsake.

I guess it sort of

slipped out of your hand.

Right through the window too.

It didn't slip. I threw it.

I don't blame you. You wanted to keep

Adam here, so you lied about the toss.

I wanted to lie, but I didn't.

If I had, it would've

been to keep you here,

Not Adam.

You felt that way too?

The same way I felt.

I was supposed to be your sister.

That's how it's been

ever since we were kids.

Only I stopped being your sister,

And you've never been my brother.

But I had to go on

every day pretending,

Watching you all day,

letting you touch me,

And at night going in my room,

Lying there, thinking about you.

I wish I had lied.

I wish I had cheated about

the toss and kept you here.

- Wait for me.

- You know I will.

I'll leave him at the ace high livery

stable. Pick him up in the morning.

- So long. Give them spaniards heck for me.

- I'll do that.

Come on!

Feel any better?

- I feel all right.

- Well, I don't know whether you were lucky or not.

You were sure dreaming something.

I've heard a lot of

fever chatter in my time.

Don't bother with it much when it's

concerned with war, but yours was different.

Seemed to come from way back

somewhere when you were a kid.

- What'd I say?

- Something about boots and flashes of light.

Somebody hurt or killed.

- Does that mean anything to you?

- I don't know.

But you gotta tell me what I said,

doc. Every word. I wanna know.

Don't upset yourself.

Your fever's gone,

And the nightmare is with

it wherever they came from.

That leg is gonna get you home.

Home?

The stage is in!

No, no. The provost

wants to pay for it.

Oh, thank you, sir, for the treat.

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