The Outsider Page #3

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Girl:
hello, Benjo.

Levi.

This is my little brother,

Mr. Gault.

You're apt to catch yourself

a fly.

Good to meet you

My older brothers

and my father --

Brace yourself.

What are you thinking, Rebecca,

Bringing him here?

He's here to witness

the preaching.

[ scoffs ]

And you just now sounded

like a sick hog, our Samuel.

He's an outsider.

He does not belong here.

It's not

a forbidden thing,

And Ive hired him

to work my farm for summer.

Father.

[ grunts ]

Well, I must go.

We women sit separate from the men.

[ murmuring ]

[ singing hymn ]

[ all singing ]

[ man singing solo ]

When a man say, "I love god,"

And he hateth his brother,

Then he is a liar.

For this commandment

hath he given us,

That he who loveth god

Love his brother also.

Here you are, my Ben.

Something just for pretty.

That's what you used to say to me

When you'd bring me flowers.

We had us a nice crop

of fat lambs,

And the bone pile's been small.

You would've been so proud

of Benjo.

It's hard sometimes.

[ yelling ]

Benjo!

Benjo!

Move, Benjo!

Look out!

Everyone, quickly!

Into the barn!

No!

Hurry now.

Hurry.

He's all right.

Take your boy.

Go on back to the barn.

Look.

Stay inside.

You know

I like the sound of it.

Woodrow Wharton --

The man who shot

Johnny Gault.

More like...

Woodrow Wharton --

The coward who shot an unarmed man.

That ain't the way Ill tell it.

No.

A coward and a liar.

You know, you're beginning

to rile me, boy.

[ neighs ]

In spite of what you people

have done,

I figure it would pain

These kind folk

To see me

blow your sorry head off.

On the other hand...

It wouldn't bother

me one bit.

[ rifle shot ]

[ horse neighing ]

[ fires rifle ]

Enjoy your walk, Woodrow.

Benjo:
Johnny!

You're a good man.

Outsiders sought to take

my grandson from me.

You, an outsider, gave him back.

This time,

But it ain't over.

Seems to me you should sell out

and move on.

They that trust in the lord

shall be as Mount Zion

Which cannot be removed.

Woe to them

that are at ease in Zion

And to them that are secure

in the mountain.

If you can't be removed

One way,

Like as not,

You'll be removed another.

God's will be done.

Rebecca, Abraham..

Levi, Samuel.

You make jokes

and deny the power of god,

But you would be dead.

if the horse had not spooked

That was god's doing.

Well, sure enough.

It must've been a miracle.

Come inside, everyone.

Boy,

You're going to get me

in trouble.

What happened back there..

With your father?

I promised that,

come shearing season,

I would marry,

and you would be gone.

After Im done with the Doc,

I'm going to go find a horse.

Want to help me pick one out?

A horse?

You're the one that promised

I was going to be gone.

I ain't walking.

How about if I buy us

horse traders

a couple sarsaparillas?

Yeah.

You better wait out here,

Or your ma will have

both our hides.

Two sarsaparillas.

Enjoy your walk, Woodrow?

Aah!

Mister, you are looking to get dead.

Next time,

I will accommodate you.

Looks like Ill need another.

Ma'am --

Benjo, I told you,

I don't want to hear it.

But, ma'am --

It wasn't Johnnys fault.

He just went in to get us

a couple of sarsaparillas.

And then those men came in --

The ones who killed Doc.

Johnny.

Johnny?

It's a beautiful morning.

The sky is so big.

I should be moving on.

You promised to stay

through summer.

[ birds chirping ]

Do you hear that,

Johnny?

The music

the earth makes.

Do you hear that?

I hear all the sounds

in my head,

And it comes together...

Into music.

And I know it's wicked, but --

You can never be wicked.

What do you want, Rebecca?

You ask too much

Johnny?

Johnny?

Johnny?

Where is he?

Johnny?

Johnny!

Johnny:
you kick me again

And I will leave you here

to die, I swear!

Hell of a --

Lascivious...

Daughter of a mischievous b*tch!

You deserve to drown.

You gonna come down

and wallow in the mud

With the rest

of us sinners

Or cling

to your high ground?

I believe Ill cling.

Grab the other side there

and help me, Benjo.

That was such fun!

You got me all wet

Benjo:
I did not.

Now you're all wet.

But you're not..

Yet.

Ha ha!

[ both laughing ]

[ owl hoots ]

Johnny...

When I was about Benjo's age,

I lived in an orphanage

near Fort McKavett

Down in Texas.

Every year, come spring,

-

They'd get us all spruced up -

A bath, clean clothes,

a real haircut --

Take us down to the church

We all thought it was

so somebody could adopt us

So we're all thinking,

"pick me, pick me, pick me."

Of course,

What those kind folks were really doing

Was just renting us out as cheap labor.

Then one year, a hog farmer named Cowper

Did pick me,

And he put me right to work.

If I did

the smallest thing wrong

He beat the living hell out of me.

So the first chance I got, I ran away.

But he got the dogs after me,

And he dragged me back

He chained me up

to a post in the barn

Next to the scalding box

Right underneath

the big carcass hook

And then he hauled

up a live hog

Right there over my head,

And he took out

his curved skinning knife

And he stuck that hog

And he left it there,

squealing and bleeding

While he read to me

from the scriptures.

And it took that hog

A considerable time to die.

Well, then old Cowper, he gutted it,

Told me he'd do the same thing to me

If I ever ran away again

After that, when I wasn't working

He kept me shackled.

Took me...

Two years to weaken a link in that chain.

But one night, I finally got loose,

And I snuck into his house

And I stood over him

in his bed,

And I said to him, nice as could be,

"Pardon me, Mr. Cowper,"

And when he opened his eyes --

No. You let me finish

Let me finish.

When he opened his eyes,

I ran a pitchfork

right through his neck

And Ive been running and

killing ever since

And I am good at it.

I got eyes

in the back of my head

I don't trust nobody.

I don't belong anywhere.

I don't deserve god's forgiveness.

And, uh...

No.

I don't deserve you.

Just let me go, Rebecca.

Just let me leave.

Johnny.

Mose and Benjo, they came up

to take the herd early.

I know.

I asked them to.

Why'd you do that?

Rebecca.

[ Rebecca gasps ]

Samuel,

He has already brought your

sister down to his level.

Do you want

to sink that low?

Rebecca?

I cannot give up my family and my god.

It's too much to ask.

What'll they do to you?

They'll make me go on my knees

Before the church and confess my sins.

I will beg to be absolved

And I will vow never to sin in

that way again,

And it will nevermore

be spoken of by any of us...

And you will leave here,

never to return.

Well, that's what they want.

What do you want?

It doesn't matter

what I want.

Yes, it does, Rebecca.

That's all that matters.

That's not true.

Marry me.

A plain woman

must marry plain.

Why?

Why can't you do what you want?

I can't.

I had another brother, Johnny,

And he had strayed from the plain way

He was placed under the ban.

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