The Searchers Page #12

The speech impresses everyone but Laurie, who probably

hasn't heard a word of it.

LAURIE:

Ma!...Martie's drawers is a sight!

Ain't fit for rags!..Would it be

all right if we gave him some of

Brad's things?

There is just the briefest hesitation...

MRS. JORGENSEN

Why...'course it would! They're in

the chest...

And she leads the way briskly, with Laurie following, to

a big chest at the far end of the room.

JORGENSEN:

(rising excitedly)

By golly, the letter...In the chest,

mama...It came for you, Ethan...

last winter...

Ethan and Jorgensen cross together to where Mrs. Jorgensen

is raising the top of a huge dower chest. She extracts

a letter, wrapped in oilskin against moths.

JORGENSEN:

(continuing)

Joab Wilkes of the Rangers brought

it...

Ethan takes the letter and studies it very carefully

before venturing to open it. Jorgensen is quite

curious, but trying not to seem nosy. The women remain

at the chest -- pulling out various folded garments,

etc. Finally Ethan carefully opens it and takes

out a letter -- dirty as to paper, crudely printed in

pencil and with a horseshoe nail pinning a two-inch

square snip of calico to the bottom of the sheet. He

reads the letter with the habitual difficulty of a man

unused to words and then he turns the letter, removes

the nail and looks at the snip of cloth.

ETHAN:

(quietly)

Mrs. Jorgensen...

She comes to him, her arms piled with clothing; and

Laurie a step behind her, holding up a new pair of long-

handled underwear -- measuring it with her eyes for

holes, etc.

ETHAN:

Will you look at this?

He holds out the snip of calico.

MRS. JORGENSEN

Why it's just a snip of calico...

ETHAN:

You ever see it before...like mebbe

on a dress Debbie wore?

MRS. JORGENSEN

Yes!..Yes, I remember!..Have they

found her, Ethan?

ETHAN:

No...not yet...

He takes the calico snip, places it within the letter

and carefully pockets it. He looks broodingly into the

fire.

ETHAN:

(continuing)

...not yet...

Laurie's face is troubled as she turns from him and heads

for the grandmother room, carrying the armful of clothes.

111INT. THE SPARE BEDROOM - FULL SHOT - NIGHT

Martin is sitting sulkily on a cot, wrapped in a blanket.

He glares up as Laurie enters. His feet are in his

boots.

MARTIN:

Might at least have left me my

pants!

LAURIE:

Shush!...Time for bed anyway...

(putting clothes

near him)

Likely these'll need some takin'

in...Oh, Martie, you're that gaunted!

...Ma's havin' a turkey for dinner

tomorrow and...

JORGENSEN'S VOICE

(calling)

Laurie!..Come...come!

Ethan opens the door, enters.

LAURIE:

Yes, Pa!..Good night, Martie...

good night, Mr. Edwards...

She wants to kiss Martie but is shy in Ethan's presence

and hurries out.

MARTIN:

Good night...Laurie...

ETHAN:

Good night...

Martin stoops to remove his boots. Ethan studies him

and looks thoughtfully after the girl and at Martin.

He takes the letter out of his pocket -- as though he

meant to read it -- and then he puts it back decisively.

He starts to undress. Martin lies back on his bunk.

ETHAN:

Jorgensen's been runnin' his cattle

with my own...

MARTIN:

(staring)

YOUR cattle?...DEBBIE'S cattle!

Ethan returns the stare without any change of expression.

ETHAN:

He's agreed to take you on and

share the increase from my herd

while I'm gone...I'll be pushin'

on tomorrow...

MARTIN:

I ain't stayin'...I set out lookin'

for Debbie...I aim to keep on...

ETHAN:

Why?

MARTIN:

Because she's my...my...

ETHAN:

She's your nothin'...She's no kin

to you at all!

MARTIN:

I always felt like she was...Her

folks takin' me in, raisin' me

like one of their own...

ETHAN:

That don't make 'em kin...

MARTIN:

All right...I ain't got no kin...

I'm goin' to keep lookin' that's

all.

ETHAN:

How? You got any horses, or money

to buy 'em...You ain't even got

money to buy cartridges...Jorgensen's

offering you a good livin' here...

Martin throws himself back, turns his face to the wall.

Ethan looks soberly at him -- and is sorry for the

brutality of his words.

ETHAN:

Martin...I want you to know some-

thin'...

MARTIN:

(turning -- mad as

hell)

Yeah...you want me to know I ain't got

no kin -- no money -- no horses --

nothing but a dead man's clothes

to wear!..You tole me that already...

Now shut your head!

ETHAN:

Good night.

DISSOLVE TO:

112EXT. THE JORGENSEN HOME - WIDE ANGLE - DAWN LIGHT

It is a still scene, with the first light of day in the

sky, a thin plume of smoke rising from the chimney.

113INT. THE JORGENSEN KEEPING ROOM - MED. CLOSE SHOT - LAURIE -

DAWN LIGHT:

She is in a robe made of an Indian blanket, belted snugly

around her waist. She wears moccasins for slippers. Her

flannel nightgown is high at the collar and almost trails

the floor. She is at the stove, frying bacon and eggs; a

coffee pot is on the boil. Beyond her the door to the

grandmother room opens and Martin comes in -- dressed in

Brad's clothes. His eyes whip around the room. Laurie

doesn't turn as he slowly approaches.

LAURIE:

(quietly)

Ethan rode on...an hour ago.

The starch goes out of him. He walks heavily to the table

and sits, slumped. She looks at him compassionately.

LAURIE:

I don't know what you can do about

finding Debbie that he can't...

He just shakes his head, not looking at her. She lifts the

food from the skillet onto a plate and sets it before him.

LAURIE:

He'll find her now, Martie...Please

believe me...I know.

He shakes his head. She crosses to the stove for the

coffee pot.

MARTIN:

That's what scares me -- him findin'

her.

Now it is her turn to stare.

MARTIN:

Laurie, I've seen his eyes when he

so much as hears the word 'Comanche'

...I've seen him take his knife an'

...never mind...But he's a man can

go crazy wild...It might come on him

when it was the worst thing could be

...What I counted on, I hoped to be

there to stop him, if such thing

come.

Laurie has poured his coffee. Now he sips it. She sits

at the table with him.

LAURIE:

(slowly)

I hoped I could hold you here...But

I guess I knew...So I stole this

for you...

She takes Ethan's letter from her breast and hands it to

him. He takes it, puzzled, and slowly reads it aloud.

MARTIN:

'I bought a small size dress off a

Injun...If this here is a piece of

yr chiles dress bring reward. I

know where they gone...Jerem

Futterman.'

Martin is on his feet.

MARTIN:

(excited)

Futterman!...He's got a little

tradin' post on the South Fork o'

the Brazos...Laurie, I just got

to get me a good horse! Think

yer pa would...

LAURIE:

Finish your breakfast...

MARTIN:

I gotta catch up with him, Laurie!

LAURIE:

(almost in tears --

but angry)

Go on then! Pa's in the barn

saddlin' the Fort Worth stud...

an' you can take the light gelding

with the blaze...

MARTIN:

But that's Sweet-face -- your own

good horse.

Laurie goes to the front door and throws it wide.

LAURIE:

(hysterically)

Take it and welcome...but don't

count on finding me here when you

get back...I've been dallying around

this god-forsaken wind-scour almost

two long years waitin' for you...I

ain't cut out to be an old maid!

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