The Gunfighter Page #3

Here he comes!

Never do that again, Alice. Never!

I know what I'm doing

and I'm gonna do it.

Confound that boy.

Archie? Say, any of you fellas seen Archie?

Yeah, Mac. He just went

to the store a minute ago.

Archie. Archie!

- Here I am, Mac.

- See when Mr Ringo's horse will be ready.

- And hurry up, Archie.

- All right, Mac.

- Mac, Ringo don't look so tough to me.

- Then go in there and take a punch at him.

For what? I ain't got nothing against the man.

Here's the marshal. He'll shoot Ringo.

He can't. He don't even carry a gun.

Why aren't you kids in school?

Nothing doing, Jimmie. She says

she's sorry but that's all there is to it.

- Did you say it was important?

- I told her what I told you,

and offered to fix it up for her on the quiet

if she wanted to see you.

- What else?

- What else what?

Are you sure you didn't talk against me?

Who's asking the dumb questions now?

Didn't she give no explanation at all?

What explanation could she give

that you don't already know?

If I could only talk to her

forjust a few minutes.

How does she look, Mark?

Just about the same, I guess.

A little older butjust as pretty.

- Did you see my boy?

- No. He's on the loose today.

- What do you mean?

- Do you hear those boys on the street?

Yeah.

He's one of them.

Which one, Mark?

Well, I...

I don't see him right now.

If that ain't a fine way to bring up a kid,

hanging around a saloon!

- Ain't you got a school in this town?

- Yep.

We've got a school here.

You broke it up, partner.

They all come down to see Jimmie Ringo.

The big gun. The great hero.

Does my... Does my kid

think I'm kind of a hero?

Nope. As a matter of fact,

I understand he's a Wyatt Earp man.

- Earp? You ought to have taught him better.

- Me? Where was you all this time?

I beg your pardon, both of you gentlemen,

for interrupting you,

but this is a serious situation for me, Marshal.

What is it?

The truth of the matter, sir,

is that Wes Fuller is burning my house down.

- What's he doing that for?

- Well...

he just felt like it, Marshal. That's the only

excuse in the worid he's got. Just felt like it.

- Drunk?

- He certainly don't act altogether cold sober.

We'll go and see what we can do.

Wait outside.

Yes, sir.

And thank you too, sir, Mr Ringo. It ain't

like me to interrupt two gentlemen like you.

- Go on out, I said.

- Yes, sir.

- Are you moving on now?

- I guess so.

- Sorry it had to be like this, Jimmie.

- It's not your fault.

Watch yourself, partner.

If I write to you, will you give her a message?

- You bet.

- Thanks, Mark.

- I'll be seeing you, Jimmie.

- I hope so. But don't lay no money on it.

I'll be seeing you, all right.

- How much, Mac?

- No charge. It's an honour to have you.

Thanks.

Here he comes!

Don't grab this from your wife.

It's an honour and a pleasure,

Jimmie. Yes, sir.

We're old-timers, you know, you and me.

Jimmie!

Molly.

- I didn't know you were here.

- You must be about the only one in town.

- I work late so I sleep late.

- Work where?

- Here.

- What do you mean?

I'm a singer.

You've heard of singers, haven't you?

Want to buy me a little drink?

Sure, kid. Sure. But why?

Gotta live, haven't you?

But where's Bucky?

- Didn't you hear?

- Hear what?

Buck was killed six months ago in Abilene.

No, I didn't hear.

I'm sorry, Molly. Who did it?

I don't know. He was found in an alley,

shot through the back of the head.

Didn't he...

Didn't he leave you anything?

A horse and a saddle,

two guns and fifteen dollars.

I never heard a word about it, Molly.

Have you seen Peg?

Nope.

- Do you?

- Whenever I can.

Doesn't do a schoolteacher any good

to be seen with a barroom singer, you know.

Come on over here for a minute.

There's something I want to ask you.

Peggy wouldn't see me. Is it somebody else?

- You ought to know better than that.

- I don't. It's been a long time.

- There'll never be anybody else for Peg.

- Anybody else tried?

Of course. Pretty girl like that.

Young squirt named

Hunt Bromley got after her.

Boy, you should have heard her tell him off.

- What did he do to her?

- Nothing.

Nothing, really. Just a barroom loafer trying

to move in on a woman without a husband.

You know the kind.

- Do you see Jimmie too?

- Whenever I see her.

- What kind of a boy is he?

- He's a good kid. Peg takes good care of him.

- What is he? Big or little?

- Big. About right for eight.

Eight and a half.

- Look, do you want me to talk to Peg?

- Mark already talked to her. She said no.

Let me talk to her.

Are you in some kind of a hurry?

- If there's a chance, I'll stick around.

- You stay right here. I'll get her for you.

- Don't take too long. I'm behind schedule.

- I won't be long.

Hiya, Hunt.

Deal me out.

Deal me back in again.

- I'll bet two bits.

- That finishes me.

I don't want no more of it.

- Your deal, Joe.

- Sit in for a couple of hands, Johnny?

With cards I made?

I wouldn't want to do that.

What do they mean,

playing cards on a day like this?

- Looks like any other day to me.

- You mean you ain't heard?

- Heard what?

- You ain't heard who's in town?

Do you have to put your foot on my chair?

We ain't been out of here since Tuesday.

- Who is it?

- Jimmie Ringo.

- Jimmie Ringo?

- Uh-huh.

What is Jimmie Ringo doing in Cayenne?

- Sitting right up there at the Palace Bar.

- Now?

- Yeah. We just left him there.

- What does he look like?

He don't look much different

from a lot of other fellas.

He looks mighty average

to be such a big man.

- About as big as they come, I guess.

- How many hands has he got?

I never counted them.

He's got two hands, just like anybody else.

And somebody's gonna make a big name

for himself by proving that's all he's got.

A big name, right on his tombstone.

It's gotta come sooner or later.

You don't expect him to go on forever.

So far as I'm concerned, he can.

Do you reckon he's still up there?

Wait. You're good,

but maybe you ain't that good.

- How do you know I ain't?

- If you ain't, can I have your saddle?

Very funny.

What I mean, Hunt, you ain't ever

really killed anybody like he has.

What do you know? You don't know

everything I've done or every place I've been.

But you ain't ever been

any place but Abilene, have you?

Come on, let's go up and take a look

at this big, important man.

- I ain't finished cutting your hair yet.

- I'll come back.

He ain't too sociable.

Might not like people looking at him.

- He can get used to it. What about it, lke?

- I got a wife and a couple of kids, Hunt.

I'd better not either.

I got a mother who's my sole support.

Suit yourself, yellow-bellies.

He never was much fun

to have around, anyway.

Rye.

- Jimmie!

- You're Jimmie Walsh, ain't you?

- Ain't that your ma calling you?

- Jimmie, come here right this minute.

- Just a minute, Ma.

- If you don't come here, I'll skin you alive.

Aw, shucks! Tell me which one gets killed,

will you? But, Ma, the other fellas will see it.

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