The Quick Gun

'I know this land.

'It's rich land.

'Plenty of good water

and fields knee-deep in grass.

'A place where a steer can get

its belly full

'and a man doesn't have

to worry about tomorrow.

'I'm coming home.

'Another 35 miles, 40 maybe,

'I'll see the town of Shelby,

blistering out there in the hot sun.

'Just the way it was when I had

to leave it two years ago.

'Just two years.

'It feels like 20.

'I remember

what I had to leave behind

'and sometimes it feels like 100

'and I remember the men

I've had to kill.'

Hold it, bud.

You know there ain't nothing better

than a dead gunslinger.

- Cagle?

You hear that, Donovan?

Clint knows who it is

without even looking.

You come and stand guard this way,

old Spangler must be

somewhere around.

Big as life.

What's he doing in Montana?

Now, it could be

he'd like to ask you that question.

Hey!

Hey, Spang. Well, by gravy,

ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

If it ain't the devil himself.

Clint Cooper.

Ha-ha-ha. Hiya, Clint boy.

Good to see you, Spang.

I caught him coming up

on the high trail,

so I thought I'd better bring him in.

You thought right, Cagle.

You wouldn't want an old friend

to go riding by

without giving him an invite,

would you?

Come on, boy.

Yes, say talk of the devil.

I was saying to the boys

just yesterday,

I bet you my old friend Clint Cooper

would give plenty

to be with us right now.

Coffee, boy.

You're a long way from Missouri,

aren't you?

Longer than a horse's tail,

that's for sure.

Here, have some meat. No, thanks.

You still wearing them

tied down. Sit.

They make me a living. A living?

Oh, boy, don't you never learn?

I'm alive, I eat.

One of these days,

that gun of yours will be so fast

that you'll lose your appetite

real sudden.

We used to be a good team, Spang.

Yeah, best hired guns

in the business. Ha-ha.

Ah, but a fella's got

to look to the future.

Now you take me,

I've got 15 men working for me.

Any time we need money, vittles,

liquor, women, we just go get them.

And a there ain't a sheriff

west of Mississippi can stop us.

Ha-ha-ha.

How about it, boy?

You want to join up

with your old friend?

Something important get you

to Montana?

Maybe something important

brought us both to Montana.

My reason's personal.

Dang, if you ain't the closest mouth

I ever chinned with.

Just how personal do you think a

bank full of gold and greenbacks is?

It must be busting at the seams

to bring you all this way.

Juicy as a fat cat.

Them cattle bars come in

and just loaded her with cash

from buying herds

after the cattle drive. Ha.

And if you hadn't heard that money

was here ready to be took,

you wouldn't be here,

would you, Clint?

I told you, I have other reasons.

Sure, you told me, boy.

Only I wouldn't want the two of us

trying for that same bank.

You could guarantee it

by riding with me.

What I have to do,

I can't use any help.

Even if the money's in Shelby?

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

And it ain't only the money, we're

taking the whole town, all of it.

There ain't enough men

in Shelby to stop us.

Just think of it, boy, we could burn

that place to the ground

if we wanted to.

You'd ought to like that,

considering how you

and that town feel about each other.

Ha-ha-ha-ha. Make 'em sorry they

ever heard of Clint Cooper, eh, boy?

When I go to Shelby,

I'm going alone.

You think you're going to get

that money without me,

well, you're wrong, boy.

I don't like to kill friends,

Clint, but...

Makes us even, Spang.

I'm kind of against dying.

No, that's much more reasonable.

Never heard a man

not to change his mind.

Nope.

Never.

Ah!

SPANGLER SPLUTTERS

I'll catch up with you, boy.

You'll have to stay alive to do it,

so tell 'em that.

Let him get to his horse, boys.

SPANGLER COUGHS:

Hey.

HE SPLUTTERS:

Grab hold of this rope, Spang.

Now walk me to the door.

Thanks, Spang.

Get that double-crossing gunner.

Get him before he gets to Shelby.

Ya! Ya!

GUNSHO GUNSHO 'There it is,

the town I was born in.

'And I'm going to find out if it

still wishes I'd never been born.'

See you on Sunday, Mrs McCredie.

Rick, what's that murderer

doing back here?

He won't be here long.

Scotty.

You'd better get out there.

Clint Cooper's back.

And Rick Morrison saw him.

Scotty. Clint.

Let's have it.

Can't argue with the law.

GENERAL CHATTER:

Inside.

If you wanted to commit suicide,

you could've found a lot easier way.

You're one of the few people around

who ever cared whether I did or not.

Clint, there hasn't been a shooting

in Shelby since you left.

Who gets the medal? You or the town?

All right, I know how you feel.

But when you rode out of here

two years ago,

they thought your guns

were gone for good.

When I rode back here today,

I could've used that

on Rick Morrison,

but I didn't.

Now that should tell you

where I stand.

I'm not the one

you have to convince.

Do you think for one minute

that Tom Morrison's forgotten

that you killed his two sons?

It was them or me,

you know it and this town knows it.

And they know this. Your guns got

too fast and too sudden.

And from what I hear

about your reputation,

they've got a lot faster and a lot

suddener in the last two years.

Scotty, sounds to me

like you're letting some

of this town's hate rub off on you.

I've got a job to do.

Friendship or not,

I can't let a gunslinger stay here.

You might just have

to put up with it.

My father's dead now, Scotty.

I aim to claim the ranch.

And start another battle

with the Morrisons?

No deal, Clint.

Now water your horse and get out.

I don't want any trouble here.

You're going to get it,

whether you want it or not.

Jud Spangler will be raiding Shelby

before the day's over.

Spangler?

He knows most of the men are away

on a cattle drive

and the bank's full

of cattle buying money.

You seem to have an awful lot

of information.

He wanted me with him.

Soon as he finds the two dead men

I left at Big Rock Canyon,

he'll be coming.

Big Rock.

If they ride their horses

into the ground,

they could be here by sundown.

Most likely night,

depends on how long it takes them

to find the two deadmans.

There's something

I don't understand.

Knowing how you feel

about this town,

you still came here to warn us.

Finding out how the town

still feels about me,

I should've saved myself the ride.

BELL RINGS:

School's letting out.

I have those kids to worry about.

I could use every gun hand

I could get.

You asking me to stay, now, Scotty?

I didn't hear you making any offer.

That's right, I didn't.

If I do say,

it'll be for my own reasons.

You mean Helen?

She's over at the schoolhouse.

Thanks.

Clint, don't mention Spangler.

I, er,

I don't want a panic in this town.

EXCITED CHATTER:

CHATTER STOPS:

You took a long time, Sheriff. When

are you getting Cooper out of here?

When I have to answer to you,

I'll turn in my badge.

Sheriff, we'd like to know.

You'll know when I'm ready,

this doesn't concern any of you.

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