Pursued Page #3

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It's a pleasure to treat a man who takes

so little interest in today's occasion.

See, personally, I too have

small interests in a doggone hero.

We think a great deal

of Jeb out at the ranch.

Too bad they don't have a brass

band for a good cattle tally.

Understand you've been

doing a fine job out there.

I don't believe I know your name, sir.

It's the same as yours

- Callum. I'm the prosecutor at Santa Fe.

- We're kin, you know.

- Then I'm glad to make your acquaintance.

Listen to that.

The ladies deprecate killing, but

my, how they admire a war hero.

Jeb, you know, comes by

his instincts naturally.

- He inherited them.

- Is that so?

I don't believe I ever talked to

anyone who knew Jeb Rand's kinfolk.

Sometime, take a little ride for

yourself up into glorietta township...

And see what the records have

to say about a family named Rand.

Good luck.

"For this meritorious

and exceptional action,

"I now award you the medal of honor...

Of the United States of america. "

Good to see you, ma.

My, you're looking fine.

- Hello, Thor.

- Hello, Jeb.

- Welcome home, Jeb.

- Thank you, Adam.

Glad to be home. Come on. Ride up here

with me. Let's get on out to the ranch.

Once you're sleepin' in your own bed

and eatin' at your own table, Jeb,

Maybe you'll forget all about the killin'

and shootin' the general talked so much about.

Don't have to forget it, ma.

Never think about it.

Giddap!

I was savin' this for thanksgiving.

I guess we're havin' a

kind of thanksgiving anyway.

- Thank you.

- Welcome to my son, Jeb.

Thank you, ma.

To you, Jeb, and you must drink to me.

It would be fittin'

to have some music.

Remember, boys? "the

Londonderry air. "

Why, you used to sing it.

Once more, I'll awaken

the sweetness of

thy slumbering strain

in tears our last

farewell was taken

and now in tears

we meet again

yet, even then

while peace was singing

her halcyon song

o'er land and sea

though joy and hope

to others bring ye

she only brought

new tears

to thee

Yes, Jeb, you'll find

changes, and good ones too.

We got four new sections of the

richest fillery you ever saw.

I guess any kind of cattle talk's boresome

after you've been away from it for a while.

Like a fellow said to me today:

"They don't play brass

bands for cattlemen. "

Speaking of cattle, Jeb, you're

entitled to read this tally.

You'll find all the operations in

here written down, clear and legal.

I don't have to read, Ad.

I can trust your tally.

Well, it's there for you to see.

I've got your share all marked off.

I call it the Rand share.

Sit down, Ad. Won't you

have some more coffee?

No, thanks.

Well, it's been a big day. One

day's the same as another to me.

I gotta be in the saddle at sunup.

- Good night, ma.

- Good night, son.

- Good night.

- Good night, Adam.

I'll finish up. You

go along. No, you-

Well, all right. I'm all tuckered out.

- Good night, Jeb.

- Good night, ma.

All these trips to town tire me out.

Jeb?

You know somethin'?

- What?

- There's a moon out.

Wait till I get my shawl.

Jeb?

Jeb, sweetheart, is something wrong?

Thor, we ought to go away.

- We will.

- I mean right now, tonight.

Let's hitch up a horse

and not tell anyone.

We'll wake up a preacher over

in town and make him marry us.

You know I'll marry you.

What are we waiting for?

I want you to come court me.

I know that seems silly when

we grew up together, but...

I want to pretend we didn't.

That's why you've got

to come sparkin' me.

Do you mind? You can get

dressed up real fashionable.

So will I. I'll have two

chairs out in the gallery.

I'll bring out some lemonade.

We'll sit there and talk.

You can ask me if I'll let

you smoke, and I'll say yes.

I'll have a piece of sewing.

What'll we talk about?

Oh, sort of parlor talk.

The words will be like stitches that

sew and pull on our lives together.

After a while, you can hold my hand.

You're not supposed to kiss

me till you bought a ring.

Oh, Jeb, can you understand?

Can you see it in my way?

Thor, I've never belonged here.

I don't know why. I always have

a feeling something's after me.

It's a bad feeling I can't explain.

Lots of times I'm happy,

but it's still there.

Thor, I've gotta be with you.

We've got to have a chance. Let's

get away before something happens.

Please, sweetheart.

We're gonna get married, Jeb.

We're not gonna spend the rest

of our lives doing crazy things...

Because you think

something's gonna happen.

We're not gonna run away at night

like a couple of stagecoach robbers.

I love you, Jeb.

But if we're gonna get married,

can't it be the way I say?

Please, sweetheart?

I only hope it turns out that way.

After that, I had to be

alone and think things out.

We hadn't really quarreled,

and yet somehow we had.

It seemed as if we couldn't

understand each other anymore.

One day, I rode up into butte country.

Came straight to this place,

just as if I'd known the way.

There was something in my

life as ruined as that house.

That house was myself.

I'd seen it a million times before-

The fireplace,

The trap door.

Out back, there was some cattle bones.

And then as I walked around the

side, I came on some unmarked graves.

All of the sudden, I couldn't breathe.

If that house was me, what part

of me was buried in those graves?

Some folks has me beat.

When there's work to be done,

That's the time they decide to go

ridin' all over the countryside.

Honey, I was worried about you.

We didn't know where you were.

I'm sorry. I just took a little ride.

How long since you've

had something to eat?

- I don't know, but I'm not hungry.

- I'll fix you some coffee.

That'll be fine. Right

now I wanna see ma.

You got no more sense than a duck.

Well, I had sense enough to come home.

Why, Thor was fit to be

tied worrying over you.

I was sort of worried myself.

I got halfway lost. I strayed

away up in that rimrock country,

Up bear paw butte way.

Bear paw butte? Now, what

crazy thing made you do that?

You and Thor have a nip up?

Thor had nothing to do with my going.

I wanna ask you something, ma.

I've been wondering about

that old ranch up there.

A goat couldn't live in that range.

A burro would starve.

People lived there once though.

You know the ranch I mean?

I just remembered.

Seems to me there was...

Someplace up there long ago.

Seems to me I've been there before.

Ma Callum, does that

ranch have to do with me?

Don't ask me questions, Jeb.

Did I come from there as a boy?

Is that where you took me

from all those years ago?

Is that why I remember it?

I told you not to look

backward. Look ahead.

I obeyed you. I've

lived like you said.

All my life, I've known I

didn't really belong here.

I couldn't love. I couldn't

return your kindness.

Is there something the matter with me?

I wanna understand, ma.

You've gotta tell me.

There's nothing the

matter with you, Jeb.

That ranch might mean more

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