The Gunfighter Page #5

- Where's Mark?

- He had to go out.

He'll be along in a few minutes.

All right, get your gun.

We'll have a drink at the bar.

Thank you, Mr Ringo.

Is that clock right?

Not more than five or

ten minutes out either way.

- Mind if I ask you a question?

- Not if you don't mind if I don't answer it.

Who would you say

was the toughest man you ever saw?

I'll tell you the second toughest.

Bucky Harris.

- You ever tangle with him?

- Of course not. Bucky was my friend.

Take it you don't want me

to ask you again who was the first toughest.

Looks like your business is on the outside.

That don't worry me none. Wait till tomorrow.

- After I'm gone, huh?

- This place'll be famous. It'll be like a shrine.

I'll probably have to put on

two more bartenders.

Maybe I ought to charge you a fee.

You name it, Jimmie, and it's yours.

- Are you serious?

- Why not? You done it.

- All right, I'll take it.

- It's a deal. Who's gonna collect for you?

I'll let you know before I leave.

- Where you going?

- I can't stand waiting. I'll take a look around.

All right, but I gotta stay with you.

- How much do you get paid for this job?

- 60 a month. Why?

- It ain't enough.

- What happened?

There's a fella with a gun

in one of them windows across the street.

If I hadn't seen the sun flash on it,

you might've got it.

- Which window?

- Stay away from the door.

- You wait here.

- But you ain't supposed to leave here.

I gotta get the gun away from that fella.

He'll mess up this whole business.

- Who do you reckon it is?

- I don't know. But I ought to go after him.

- Why don't you?

- Mark said stay here.

I ain't got orders

covering a situation like this.

Anyway, he's still in there.

Jerry, please. Won't you give it up, please?

Nothing is going to bring Roy back

and that's all we're thinking about.

Go outside and take a look.

If you want to find out who's getting ready

to shoot through that door, look yourself.

- You're the man in charge of peace.

- Peace, the man says.

- You better get out of here.

- It's my life too, Jerry.

Go over to Ella Mae's and stay there.

Keep your mouth shut.

All right.

Don't move. Drop that gun.

Drop it.

Put your hands up.

Kick it away from you.

Further away.

Now stand up.

Now, turn around.

Let's see what you look like.

I ought to blow your head off,

laying for me like that.

- Can I put my hands down?

- Sure. Just don't try anything funny.

- What's the idea?

- My name is Marlowe. You don't remember?

- No.

- You don't remember Roy Marlowe?

Come on, keep talking.

What are you getting at?

Roy Marlowe was my son. You killed him.

I never killed any Roy Marlowe.

I never even heard of him.

You killed him all right,

but you don't even remember it.

You're crazy to think I wouldn't remember it.

Are you sure?

You're not safe running around loose.

You've gotta be locked up. Come on.

Open it.

Now, move ahead of me.

Back stairs.

To the marshal's office.

You think I ought to go across there?

- Mark told you to stay here, didn't he?

- Thank you.

It looks like we've gotta

serve ourselves today. Come on.

- Where is he?

- He ought to be here.

I am Mrs August Pennyfeather.

- How do you do, Mrs Pennyfeather?

- We are here to see Marshal Mark Strett.

He ain't here now, ma'am.

I don't know just where he is.

We will wait.

Yes, ma'am, do.

Won't you have a chair?

Who are you? A deputy?

No. Just a friend.

He wouldn't be over there

arresting that murderer, would he?

- No, ma'am, I don't think he is.

- Doesn't he intend to?

That I couldn't say, ma'am.

I ain't sure just what he's gonna do about it.

He'd better be making up

his mind pretty soon.

This is not Deadwood or Tombstone.

This is a law-abiding community.

We want no murderers running through our

streets, shooting our women and children.

He ain't exactly running through the streets.

- He's a murderer, isn't he?

- Is he?

- What else, pray tell, after all those killings?

- I mean, maybe he don't think he is.

- Then he must be a fool too.

- I'm just guessing,

but maybe he figures

it was either him or them.

What do you mean?

I mean, maybe there was

some misunderstandings,

and it was either him or them

that was gonna get killed.

50 misunderstandings in a row?

Not 50, ma'am. Nowheres near it.

It was a lot nearer 15 than 50,

and I can tell you that for a fact.

What are you trying to do? Take up for him?

No, ma'am. No indeed, not me.

Don't you think something

should be done about him?

Absolutely. He ought to be arrested

or run out of town, or something.

He ought to be hung.

Yes, ma'am. There's a lot to be said

for that point of view too.

- Good morning, ladies.

- Good morning, Marshal.

- You're late.

- Late?

Yes, ma'am. I figured

you'd be around long before now.

- What do you intend to do about the man?

- Nothing, ma'am.

You're going to allow him to sit in that saloon

as he pleases, demoralising the whole town?

The trouble ain't been him demoralising

the town. It's the town demoralising him.

Some fellajust tried to demoralise him

with a Winchester. Is that what you mean?

We are here simply to remind you that it is

your sworn duty to keep peace in Cayenne.

That's right. And that's what I am aiming

to do to the best of my ability.

Moreover, we, the ladies of Cayenne,

regard it an outrage that this man Ringo,

a notorious murderer,

should be received practically with honour

and allowed to sit in state

in our finest saloon.

So now we demand, Mr Marshal,

that you do something about it immediately.

Such as what, ma'am?

Either arrest him or chase him out of town.

- What do you think?

- He's planning to leave anyway, ain't he?

That's the way I understand it.

What do you figure would happen

if I tried to chase him out?

I don't think you could do it

and keep the peace at the same time.

- That's what I thought.

- Can't you arrest him?

- He's done nothing here to be arrested for.

- Isn't he wanted?

- Not by me, ma'am.

- I'm just a stranger here myself, ma'am.

If you was to ask me,

I'd say hold off for another hour.

Don't do anything that might make trouble

until, say, half past ten.

If he ain't gone by then,

let the marshal go to work on him.

- Shoot him down like a dog.

- Exactly, ma'am.

That sounds very sensible.

What do you say, ladies?

Then that's the way we'll have it.

Thank you very much.

- That's a very reasonable, intelligent idea.

- Don't thank me. Thank Mr Ringo.

But of course.

Thank you very much, Mr Ringo.

Mr Ringo?!

Ladies! Ladies, please!

- I saw Molly. She said she'd talk to Peggy.

- I know. She's down there now.

- I'd better get back to the Palace.

- Where's Marlowe?

- Who?

- The fella in the window.

I arrested him for you. He's back there.

Are you gonna let him out?

Not until you leave town.

Wait a minute. I'm going with you.

I forgot something, Mark.

- Where was your boy killed?

- You don't know?

What would I be asking you for if I knew?

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