The Naked Spur Page #4

Here, i'll do it.

Lay still!

You don't have to.

I'll do it!

You sat up with me?

Yeah.

Why?

Somebody had to.

You was raving so,

no one could sleep.

Why should you care?

I don't. I'd have

done it for a dog, if he was suffering.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

You said i was raving.

What about?

Nothing

that made sense.

You thought

i was your girl.

You kept calling me mary.

You were really

out of your head.

We ain't nothing alike,

mary and me.

At least that's what

ben says.

Ben's just like all

the rest of them.

He never even

met her.

Well, he knows

what she did!

What she did's

her business.

She had no business

selling your ranch!

All right,

you're different.

You would have

done it different.

Let's let it go.

How do you mean,

i'm different?

I mean

you got a man.

At least

you stick to him.

He's not my man!

Well, you're

with him, ain't you?

Not like you mean!

All right.

Forget it.

What are you doing

with ben, anyway?

You expect to run

and hide forever?

Ben was taking me

to california.

He was going to

start new.

Start new at what?

Ranching, maybe.

He knows a lot about cattle.

Yeah.

Other people's cattle.

Did you ever think

for a minute

that ben had the temper

to settle on the land,

to clear it,

to build on it,

to bring in the cattle

and nurse them through

the winter

and round up strays,

brand calves?

Starting new?

The only thing

ben will start is trouble.

He's wild, sure,

like my father

used to be.

But they didn't do

1 of the 10 things people blamed them for!

He's mean,

he was born mean,

and you know he

was born mean.

He's treated me

decent!

Well, that's more

than he's done for most people.

I've never seen him

hurt no one except in a fair fight.

Sure, i know, sure.

And who are you

to talk?

You didn't track him

all this way just because he's mean!

Never said i did.

There's a lot

of outlaws riding free, with no one after them.

Ben could have killed

a dozen men,

and you wouldn't have

looked twice...

if it wasn't for

the reward!

Where have you been?

How's the leg?

Here you are.

Breakfast in bed.

What's this?

You better eat it

before we tell you.

I made a map

of the trail ahead. Here, take a look.

I know the way.

Hey, look.

Here's this

pony back ridge

marked along

this stretch of trees.

You follow these

mountains right down to the big river,

and we'll meet

on the other side.

Meet who?

What he means,

all of you go on ahead,

and i use this map

to catch up with you later.

That's right,

isn't it?

It's the only smart way.

Riding alone, he can make up time

it would take us

days to cover,

and the rain's coming.

Well, jesse,

what do you think?

I'm thinking if

something goes wrong

and you don't

meet up with us,

i stand to gain from it

as much as roy here.

That's

a dirty idea!

I ain't much proud of it,

but it's the truth.

Won't be that way with me

is all i can promise.

As soon as we

get across,

we wait for you

on the other side.

You got jesse's word

on it, and mine.

Here. This is yours.

Come on, let's get

the horses ready.

I'm riding with you.

What are you you

trying to do,

kill yourself?

I ain't gonna

cheat you.

You know,

your trouble is

you just think of

one thing at a time.

If this is his plan

to get rid of me,

who's next?

Just think

that over!

You better let roy

ride drag.

You ain't fit.

You know, howie,

i ain't been

tied up like this

since i was

knee-high to spit,

about the time pa sold

our place in missouri

and started us out

for texas.

I didn't want to go,

so i run off.

He caught me,

tied me up,

and thrown me in the wagon.

That was

a hard winter.

Ma caught the fever

and died on the way.

Pa didn't amount to much

after that.

Got gunned down

in a saloon

before we ever saw texas.

After that, i met up with

some wild young fellas.

You might say

i come to no good.

[Horse whinnies]

Look out!

Come on,

you buzzard bait!

Move!

[Snoring]

Is it time yet?

Pretty near.

I can't sleep anyway.

[Horse whinnying]

Might be a cat

poking around.

I'll go and see.

[Thunder]

I'd better see

what's at

the other end.

Now, this ain't bad.

We could all do with

some of jesse's coffee.

Hey, roy.

Wet cords

are shrinking.

How about it?

I'm not going out

in this weather.

Easy there, girlie.

You'll have it all

down on us.

Runs back

about 30 yards.

Funnels down

to another opening

about big enough

for a cat to crawl through...

or him.

Hey, lina, honey.

This weather's

creeping into my bones.

Can you do me?

I wonder if you

really need this

or if you just like

to be rubbed.

Same thing.

A man needs

what he likes.

Poor old howie.

That bad leg's

just about got him wore out.

Might not be too sharp

on his watch tonight.

Shouldn't

have to stand one, the way he is.

Better for us.

This might be

our chance.

He's come around

on his feeling for you.

If you was to sit up

with him tonight

and tell him the things

a man likes to know, you know?

Only be a minute

before i'd be out of that hole in back.

But if kemp

finds out...

finds out what?

I'll be long gone.

You're not going

to let me down,

are you, honey?

No, ben. Only...

only what?

He's got no feeling

for me.

No?

All he cares about

is the reward.

Well, you're right,

honey.

You're better off

out of it.

I guess

my only hope is

that he'll drop off,

at least long enough

for me to...

pick up a rock

and smash his head in.

I don't want to,

but time's running out.

I can help you,

ben...

the way

you said.

You sure?

Yeah.

It'll be all right,

honey.

It'll be all right.

Now, you get

some coffee, huh?

[Snoring]

What's the matter?

Nothing. Restless.

[Rain pattering musically

on dishes]

Stuff's been out

long enough.

It can't hurt it.

It's all right.

It's, uh,

making music.

There's a sour one

someplace.

Roy's.

Without that,

it sounds better

than some fiddlers

i've heard.

Is dancing

hard to learn?

Nope. Not the way

i do it.

Do you like it?

Yeah.

Used to.

Sometimes

i just like

to sit outside

by a window

and listen to

the music.

Like now.

Did you ever see

mexican dancing?

What are you gonna do

when you get back to abilene?

Help ben if i can.

Don't you

want anything for yourself?

Used to think of

going to california.

Why california?

Someplace new.

Nobody caring

who you are

or where

you come from.

A place you could

belong to.

A... house.

Maybe even neighbors.

I had neighbors,

you know.

Tom webster

and his missis

lived right across

the river.

Had four sons,

each one of them

skinnier than the other.

Always coming over

to lend a hand.

Didn't give you

much chance

to get lonesome.

Well, the house...

the house

ain't much,

but it's just prime

cattle country.

And the fella that

owns the ranch now,

he's willing

to sell.

Maybe you'd...

like to take

a look at it

after i buy it back.

With the money

you get for ben?

That's something else.

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