The Sea of Grass Page #7

AS I SAID BEFORE, JIM.

THEY'RE GOOD MEN.

THEY'RE REAL GOOD MEN.

WELL, BOYS, I'M AFRAID

WE'RE NOT GOING TO FIGHT,

UNLESS SOMEBODY FEELS

DIFFERENT ABOUT IT.

SO, I GUESS WE'LL JUST GO ON HOME.

MAYBE ONE OF THESE DAYS

WE'LL BE SORRY WE DID.

THEY CAN KEEP THE NESTOR FROM

BEING BLOWN AWAY

BUT ONLY:

GOD CAN HELP THE PRAIRIE.

NOW, UM, UH, LET ME UNDERSTAND

THIS CLEARLY, MR. CRANE.

UH, YOU BELIEVE THAT I MAY BE

ABLE TO GAIN CUSTODY OF MY SON

BUT TO DO THIS, I MUS ESTABLISH IN THE COUR UNDER OATH THE IDENTITY OF HIS FATHER?

IN ORDER TO HAVE HIM

LEGALLY, IT'S THE ONLY WAY.

AND-AND IT IS ALSO YOUR OPINION

THAT IF I DO PROVE MY RIGHT TO HIM

I MAY FORFEIT MY RIGH TO MY DAUGHTER?

I'M AFRAID THAT'S

THE SIZE OF IT, LUTIE.

YOU WOULD, IN THE EYES

OF THE COURT, FOREVER PROVE

YOUR UNFITNESS TO HAVE HER.

BUT WITH LUCK,

YOU COULD HAVE BROCK.

YES, WITH LUCK, I'D

SUCCEED IN BRANDING ONE,

SEPARATING THEM:

FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

I'M SORRY, LUTIE.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS?

ARE YOU GOING TO STAY

IN ST. LOUIS, MY DEAR?

WELL, I DON'T KNOW,

MR. CRANE.

SINCE MY FATHER DIED

I DON'T SEEM TO BELONG

HERE ANYMORE, EITHER.

GOOD-BYE. THANK YOU

VERY MUCH.

WRITE TO ME, DOC.

LET ME KNOW ABOUT MY BABIES.

HOW THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO.

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ME PLEASE.

LOVE, LUTIE.

YOU ARE MISSED, LUTIE.

IT'S LIKE SOMEBODY BLEW OU A LIGHT, AND IT'S A LITTLE

DARKER FOR ALL OF US.

JIM HAD THE CHILDREN IN

THE OTHER DAY FOR ME TO LOOK OVER.

AND THEY'RE HEALTHY

AS GOATS.

YOU WOULDN'T KNOW

SALT FORK, LUTIE.

THE TOWN'S JAM-PACKED EVERY DAY.

STOREKEEPERS ARE TRUCKING

TO THE HOMESTEADERS, NOW.

HARDLY EVER SEE A CATTLEMAN

ANYMORE, UNLESS IT'S

WHEN THEY COME IN TO FIGH AND LOSE ONE OF THE

LAWSUITS THAT'S ALWAYS BEING

SLAPPED ON THEM BY FARMERS.

THE COURT THEREFORE

FIXES DAMAGES.

FOR THE FULL MARKET VALUE

OF THE MATURED CROP.

CHAMBERLAIN WAS HEARD

TO SAY THAT GOD WAS

ON THE SIDE OF THE HOMESTEADERS.

I DON'T KNOW AS I COULD SPEAK

FOR HIM BUT I'VE GOT TO

ADMIT THAT THE CROPS ARE GOOD.

THE HEADS ON THE WHEAT ARE

SO HEAVY, THEY'LL

KNOCK A MAN'S HEAD OFF.

AND THE CORN CAN SWALLOW UP

A HORSE AND RIDER.

THIS IS RICH LAND, ALL RIGHT.

AND THE SODBUSTERS ARE

REAPING ITS FIRST FLOWER.

MAYBE THAT WHAT GOD

ORDERED, I DON'T KNOW.

YOU ASK ABOUT JIM.

WELL, HE NEVER SAYS MUCH

BUT HIS BACK'S A LITTLE STRAIGHTER

AND HIS HEAD'S A

LITTLE HIGHER THAN EVER.

SARAH BETH FOLLOWS HER FATHER AROUND

LIKE SHE WAS A LONESOME PUP.

I GOT TO ADMIT THAT JIM TREATS

HER ABOUT LIKE SHE WAS A PUP.

NOT THAT HE ISN'T GOOD TO HER.

I GUESS IT'S THIS WAY.

SARAH BETH GIVES ALL TO JIM.

AND HE GIVES IT ALL

TO BROCK.

AND BROCK... WELL, BROCK'S LIKE

HE ALWAYS WAS-

TEMPER LIKE A BUZZ SAW

AND A SMILE LIKE A FEATHERED ANGEL.

OH DOC, I AM LONELY,

BUT I KNOW I SHOULD STAY AWAY, AND

I WILL JUST AS LONG AS I CAN.

JUST AS LONG AS I CAN.

DOC!

LUTIE! OH!

OH!

I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU.

RIG IS RIGHT OVER HERE.

IT'S ALL CHANGED.

YES...

TELL ME, LUTIE, WHY DID YOU REALLY COME?

JUST TO SEE THE CHILDREN?

THAT MOSTLY. IT'S BEEN

PRETTY BAD, DOC.

WHERE'S JIM?

WAITING AT THE HOTEL.

WAITING?

TO TAKE THE CHILDREN HOME

AFTER YOU'VE SEEN THEM.

OH. DID HE MIND

ABOUT MY SEEING THEM?

HE DIDN'T SAY ONE WAY

OR THE OTHER.

DOC... WHAT ABOUT JIM?

WHERE I'M CONCERNED, I MEAN? TELL ME.

HONEY, IT'S PRETTY HARD TO SAY.

HE'S JUST NEVER MENTIONED

YOUR NAME ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT, MRS. SMITH.

DOC... THEY DON'T KNOW ME.

THEY'RE VERY YOUNG.

IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS,

LUTIE. YOU CAN'T EXPECT IT.

NO, I DON'T EXPECT IT.

I ONLY HOPED.

DO YOU REMEMBER? I SAID I'D BRING

A DOUBLE PRESENT FOR BOTH OF YOU?

DO YOU REMEMBER, SARAH BETH?

NO.

BUT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE A PRESENT,

WOULDN'T YOU?

YES.

THEN YOU WAIT. AND LOOK A WHAT I HAVE IN MY BAG.

NOW, YOU LOOK IN THE BAG.

SAW HER OFF GETTING OFF THE TRAIN

AS BIG AS LIFE.

WENT RIGHT OVER TO DOC REID'S.

YOU MUST LEAVE:

AT ONCE, BRICE.

DO YOU REALIZE I'VE NEVER EVEN

TOUCHED HIM BEFORE.

NEVER BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH TO LOOK

INTO HIS EYES. HE'S A FINE BOY.

YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE.

BROCK.

JIM.

COME ON, KIDS.

TIME TO GO NOW.

I'M SORRY, LUTIE.

I SHOULDN'T HAVE

COME BACK.

I'VE BROUGHT EVERYTHING

TO LIFE AGAIN.

AND THE CHILDREN, BRICE,

THEY DON'T KNOW ME.

I'M NOT SURE THEY EVEN

LIKE ME.

THEY WERE JUST WAITING

FOR THE TIME TO GO HOME.

THEY DON'T NEED ME. THEY DON' NEED ANYTHING FROM ME.

LISTEN TO ME, LUTIE.

YOU AND I, WE COULD

GET BROCK. HE'S OURS.

LET BREWTON HAVE

SARAH BETH.

WE COULD TAKE BROCK AWAY

HE BELONGS WITH YOU AND ME.

WE CAN GET AS FAR AWAY FROM HERE

AS TRAINS COULD CARRY US.

THIS IS OUR LAS CHANCE, LUTIE.

THE LAST CHANCE:

FOR THE 3 OF US.

I CAN'T GO AWAY WITH YOU, BRICE.

I CAN'T HAVE BROCK.

AND I CAN'T HAVE SARAH BETH.

SO I'M GOING TO GO,

BUT I'LL GO ALONE.

AND YOU'VE GO NOTHING FOR ME.

NOT ENOUGH, BRICE.

NOT ENOUGH FOR THAT.

COME ON IN.

DOC?

GLAD MACK GO YOU HERE, JIM.

HAVEN'T BEEN SEEING

VERY MUCH OF YOU LATELY.

I HAVEN'T BEEN

LOOKING FOR YOU.

SO I NOTICED.

I USED TO LOVE YOU

LIKE THE SON I NEVER HAD.

NOT ANYMORE.

YOU KNOW WHY?

MAYBE YOU BETTER

NOT TALK ABOUT IT NOW, DOC.

I GOT TO. I'LL TELL

YOU WHY-LUTIE.

I CAN SAY IT NOW-LUTIE.

YOU WOULDN'T LET ANYBODY

SPEAK HER NAME, WOULD YOU, JIM?

BUT YOU GOT TO HUMOR ME.

LAST WISH, YOU KNOW.

ALL LUTIE NEEDED WAS...

WAS A LITTLE HELP... FROM YOU.

SHE HAD BETTER COMING

THAN SHE GOT.

SHE NEVER FORGOT HER CHILDREN.

SHE WAS ALL RIGHT.

AND YOU SENT HER

AWAY TWICE. YOUR FAULT.

THAT'S RIGHT. YOURS.

PEOPLE DON'T TELL YOU THA MUCH, DO THEY, JIM?

JIM.

JIM!

DO YOU HEAR ME?

YES, DOC, I HEAR YOU.

YOU'LL-YOU'LL NEVER CHANGE.

YOU'VE STILL GOT THAT SAME

LOOK IN YOUR EYES.

YOU'LL NEVER CHANGE.

THE DOC... OUT OF HIS HEAD,

I GUESS, JIM.

NO. HE WAS RIGHT.

JUST RIGHT.

HE'S GONE GENTLEMEN.

COLONEL BREWTON,

I HAVE NO IDEA.

ARE YOU SURE?

VERY SURE.

I WONDER HOW SHE'S

FIXED FOR MONEY.

MR. CAMERON LEF VERY LITTLE.

I SEE.

I MIGHT ADD ONE THING.

IF I DID KNOW WHERE YOUR WIFE WAS

YOU ARE THE LAST ONE I WOULD TELL.

WHY DON'T YOU

LEAVE HER ALONE NOW?

BROCK! BROCK!

WAIT A MINUTE, SISTER

LET THEM-LET THEM FINISH!

JEFF! JEFF! BROCK'S FIGHTING AGAIN!

JEFF!

BROCK! STOP THAT FIGHTING!

HEY, ED, I'M BETTING ON THE

CHAMBERLAIN KID!

WHAT'S THAT YOU SAID?

YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID.

I'M BETTING ON THE CHAMBERLAIN KID.

YOU WANT TO COVER MY BET?

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE,

JEFF?

WHAT WAS SAID:

HERE, BILL?

IF ANYBODY'S GO ANYTHING TO SAY

NOW'S THE TIME

TO SAY IT.

COME ON, BROCK.

DON'T WORRY, LUTIE.

I'LL KEEP ON

WRITING TO YOU.

I KNOW YOU'VE TURNED TO ME

ONLY BECAUSE DOC REID IS GONE.

AND THAT YOU WAN NOTHING FROM ME

BUT NEWS OF YOUR CHILDREN.

IN THIS LETTER, I'M SENDING

YOU A LIKENESS OF SARA BETH AND BROCK.

I OBTAINED IT BY DEVIOUS METHODS

FROM THE LOCAL:

PHOTOGRAPHER.

YOU ASK:

ABOUT BREWTON, LUTIE.

I KNOW VERY LITTLE

ABOUT HIM.

HE SELDOM COMES TO TOWN,

EXCEPT TO DO SOME BUYING

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