The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Page #6

l have the buckboard out here.

l'll be waiting for you

if you need me.

Go, Rance. Go now, while you can.

Nora and Hallie

can finish the dishes.

Go. Please go.

l owe you for

three days' room and board.

l want to square my account. l want

to square my account before l go.

And those in England now asleep

shall think themselves accursed.

They were not here whilst any lives

that fought with us

on St Crispin's Day.

But when the blast, the blast of war,

blows in our ears and we summon up...

Liberty Valance. And his vermidons!

Liberty Valance taking liberties

with the liberty of the press?

- Had your supper yet, Peabody?

- My supper?

No. That's a splendid idea.

- You can start by eating this.

- That's a poor joke, Liberty.

Eat it!

Eat it!

He's dead.

Mr Peabody.

Rance? Rance Stoddard?

- Mr Peabody.

- Let's get him up.

- Where's Doc Willoughby?

- Still in the saloon.

Go get him.

Rance? Rance!

l sure told that Liberty Valance

about the freedom of the press.

Marshal?

Marshal...

you tell Liberty Valance

l'll be outside.

- Pompey!

- Miss Hallie?

- Where's Mr Tom?

- Down the road.

Get him!

Rance is out front with a gun!

Yes, ma'am.

You've heard of Gettysburg. 240...

Doc, Mr Peabody's awful hurt.

He needs you at his office.

What's wrong?

Somebody have an accident?

So that's it. Another one of your

accidents, Valance?

l'm waiting for the day

when they'll call me for you.

Paid in advance.

$10 into the cans.

Liberty, what you did to Mr Peabody,

ain't that enough?

Ain't that enough what, Mr Marshal?

You all know that Rance Stoddard

couldn't shoot the hat off his head

with a gun in his hand.

You mean, he's got a gun in his hand?

l'm calling you, Valance.

Kings and threes.

Good hand,

but not good enough.

An ace is an ace. Thank you.

lf you gun him down,

it'll just be pure murder.

Well, Mr Professor,

l thought you left town.

Why are you out here?

l'm waiting for Liberty Valance.

Why doesn't he come out?

Well, that's none of our business.

You heard him say he had a gun,

right?

- l didn't say that!

- That ain't murder.

That's a clean-cut case of

self-defence.

You heard him call me out,

didn't you?

Now get out of my way.

Hashslinger, are you out here?

l'd say that was Liberty Valance

there now. Wouldn't you?

- Yes, l would.

- We be seeing you, Mr Stoddard.

Come closer where l can see you.

Get out of that shadow, dude.

You got two hands, Hashslinger.

Pick it up!

All right, dude...

this time, right between the eyes.

Liberty?

Liberty? Liberty!

Hey, Doc! Doc!

Liberty!

lt's Liberty! He's hurt!

lt's Liberty!

- Whisky, quick.

- Here, sir.

Dead.

Rance, if it had been you

instead of Valance, l would...

Oh, no, Hallie. Hallie...

l can't help it.

This feels so guilty.

l didn't want you to run away.

l wanted you to stay.

He might... l'm sorry.

- Forgive me.

- Hallie.

Hallie, please don't.

Hallie.

l'm sorry l got here too late,

Hallie.

You got yourself

out of that fix real handy.

l'll be around.

- Tom! Liberty...

- l know.

He wasn't going to kill him,

just nick him a little.

He was just gonna make a pass.

You saw that!

- That lawyer shot him in cold blood!

- Now, that ain't the way.

lt was murder! Pure murder!

And l say if the marshal

don't put Stoddard in jail,

we ought to

take care of him ourselves!

- l say we ought to hang him!

- That's right! Hang him!

Give him a rope! Let him swing!

Can't a man get a drink

around this town in peace?

- No one's bothering you, Doniphon.

- You are!

Marshal!

Why are you paid? Drag this scum out.

You heard him.

Kaintuck and Highpockets,

- l deputise you to give a hand.

- Hand me that bung st... That's it.

Tell those ranchers north of the

Picketwire that hired you

that me, Link Appleyard,

run you out of town,

and l'll do it again

if you ever come back!

- Now look, Pompey, you know l...

- Who says he can't?

- Pour yourself a drink, Pompey.

- l don't drink no drams, Mr Tom.

l said take a drink.

No. We got a mare in foal and horses

to feed and water. Come on home.

Home...

Home sweet home.

You're right, Pompey.

We got plenty to do at home.

Well, what are they

paying you guys for? Play!

Be merry! Sing!

Leave me be!

Mr Tom!

The horses, Pompey. The horses.

Hello! How are you?

- You made it on your own feet!

- Yeah! Thanks to Doc Willoughby.

- Here. Let me pin this on you.

- That's him.

- Well, this must be Ransom Stoddard.

- Rance, this is Handy Strong.

How do you do, sir?

lt's quite a city here.

lt's not much according

to your eastern standards,

but that railroad station there

leads straight to Washington.

Come on, Rance.

Order! Order!

Order! Order!

Order! Order! Quiet!

Order! Quiet!

The roll call having been completed

and the delegates

recognised and seated,

this session

of the territorial convention

is hereby declared open.

Order!

Order!

Mr Chairman.

The chair recognises the Honourable

Major Cassius Starbuckle...

soldier, jurist, and statesman.

Mr Chairman, fellow delegates...

ladies...

and gentlemen,

l came here

with a carefully prepared speech,

but this is no time for oratory.

Let me speak to you from the heart.

l come before you

to place in nomination

the name of a man

more qualified than any other

to represent you in Washington.

You ill-advised.

You poorly counselled.

Fly not in the face

of heaven's handiwork.

Join with us in supporting the man

who for five terms in Congress

has kept this great territory

inviolate.

l nominate

for the territorial delegate

to the Congress of the United States

the Right Honourable

Custis Buck Langhorne.

Order! Order!

Now that you got your rope on him,

hang the horse thief!

Order! Order!

This is a convention,

not a rodeo, Langhorne!

Mr Chairman! Mr Chairman!

The chair recognises

its old friend...

that distinguished member

of the fourth estate...

founder, owner, publisher and editor

of the ''Shinbone Star''...

Mr Dutton Peabody, Esquire.

Thank you, Mr Chairman,

for those kind words,

but tell them the whole truth...

founder, owner, editor

and l also sweep out the place.

Fellow delegates, like all of you,

l've listened in awe and admiration

to the magnificent oratory

of the Honourable

Major Cassius Starbuckle...

the cattlemen's mouthpiece.

The lowing herd is still with us.

But, seriously,

under the spell of his eloquence,

l could see once again

the vast herd of buffalo

and savage redskin

roaming our beautiful territory

with no law to trammel them

except the law of survival,

the law of the tomahawk

and the bow and arrow.

And then, with

the westward march of our nation,

came the pioneer and the buffalo

hunter, the adventurous and the bold.

The boldest of these

were the cattlemen,

who seized the wide-open range

for their own personal domain,

and their law

was the law of the hired gun.

But now, today have come

the railroads and the people.

The steady, hard-working citizens,

the homesteader, the shopkeeper,

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