The Tall T

Pa! Pa!

Yeah, I see him.

Jeff! Jeff!

- Morning, Mr. Brennan!

- Morning, Jeff!

Pa thought you was somebody else!

But I knew it was you. Soon as I seen

the claybank, I knew it was you.

- You got young eyes, Jeff.

- You headed for Contention?

Any water in that well of yours, I am.

This animal of mine ain't had a drop

since Sasabe Creek.

- Can I water him for you? Can I?

- Lf you like.

- Good morning, Pat!

- Good morning, Hank!

Mr. Brennan's going to Contention.

- Are you expecting company, Hank?

- Been a station man too long, I guess.

Getting so I cock a hammer

for near no reason at all.

Now mind you, don't let him drink

too much of that, Jeff, warm like he is.

You know I'm going to walk him first, Pa.

You've got a fine boy there, Hank,

he knows his stock.

He'll make a first-rate station man one day.

Not if I can help it, he won't.

Ain't a fit life being stuck off

in the middle of nowhere.

All the time by yourself knowing

nobody but stage drivers and shotguns.

Ain't no fit life at all.

- I always thought you were happy at it.

- Well... Thanks. I was.

When Jeff's mother was alive, I was.

Alone, it's different. My retire time

comes up next fall and I'm going to take it.

Man shouldn't ought to be stuck off by

hisself in this kind of country, Pat.

It ain't natural.

You wouldn't be half-meaning me

by that, would you, Hank?

Well, come to think of it, I guess I do.

It ain't right, your working that spread

of yours all alone.

I can't afford to hire

hands. Not yet, anyway.

Still a lot of building to do,

fences to run and such.

But if I get too lonely, Hank,

I can always talk to my stock.

Well, when they start talking back to you,

just remember what I told you.

I figure one bucket's enough, Mr. Brennan.

That ought to hold him, Jeff. Well, I

better get going before that sun goes high.

- What takes you to Contention, Pat?

- Hope to get me a seed bull.

That is, if Tenvoorde

will part with him at my price.

Tenvoorde! You still trying to do

business with that old goat?

- I'm still trying. Thanks for the water.

- Sure!

Mr. Brennan!

- Could you wait just a minute, please?

- Sure, son.

If it ain't too much trouble,

I'd sure wish you'd buy me

some striped candy.

Jeff, Mr. Brennan ain't got time

for that kind of foolishness.

Sure he does. Any special flavor, son?

I'd be mighty proud of cherry.

Cherry it is.

- See you!

- Good luck!

Pa, what's it like in Contention?

There's people there, Jeff. Lots of people.

Excuse me!

- Morning, Patrick!

- Rintoon!

I'm pointing toward the saloon.

Care to join me?

Like to, can't. Kind of short on time.

Well, it looks to me

like a big land owner like you

ought to be able to do as he pleases.

Not quite. But I can't say as I mind it.

- Hey, Pat. Why'd you buy up on the Sasabe?

- No exact reason.

One day it just come to me.

Figured it was time I had something

of my own. It ain't much. Just a start.

You know,

that Sasabe Creek country is wild.

- No more than working for Tenvoorde.

- Well, he did ride you a little rough.

And I never could figure that out.

But you know,

to the back of you, he'd always brag

and he'd say

you was the best ramrod he ever had.

I was the only one who would stay with him.

No, it was a lot more than that.

He thought a lot of you.

He thought a great deal of you.

I never did notice.

You still driving for Hatch & Hodges?

Well, ain't no choice.

The only stage line left in the territory.

You know, they're laying tracks over yonder

faster than a nervous hen.

They're going to be in Bisbee,

them rails, in about a month.

I heard that.

Yeah, they building them

a depot down there.

I was sitting down there

talking to a fella the other day.

He says it won't be long,

you'll get on one of them trains

and just go lunkedy-plunk all the way to

Tucson without even stopping once.

Why, it'll be coming in here in Contention

before long.

When that day comes,

you can hire on at my place, Ed.

Well, I'll take you up on that.

Come on, join me in that drink.

Nothing I'd rather, but being a man of

property, there's things I gotta do.

- Well, what's more important than a drink?

- Well, for one thing, cherry striped candy.

See you, Ed.

- Candy?

- Rintoon!

Morning, Willard! Ma'am.

I understand you'll be driving

our stage this afternoon.

Well, I'll be driving one, but I didn't know

it was going to be yours.

I... That is, Mrs. Mims and I have hired

the coach to take us to Bisbee.

You going to have a whole Concord

for yourself?

Why don't you wait for the regular run?

It'll be by here at...

- Mrs. Mims?

- Doretta and I were married this morning.

We'll be ready to leave promptly at 3:00.

I trust you'll notify

Hatch & Hodges to that effect.

- And see to loading our luggage.

- You're trusting the wrong man.

I ain't doing no loading

and I ain't keeping up no schedule.

You can just trot yourself right down to

the company store and ask the dispatcher.

- You took yourself a fine woman.

- Rintoon,

when I pay for a coach,

I expect the service that goes with it.

You ain't half right, Willard,

seeing that you ain't the one that's paying.

I figured you'd want to keep

the few customers you got, Rintoon.

I can do without his

kind, if it was up to me.

Who is he, anyway?

Old man Gateway's son-in-law,

as of this morning.

Married into the richest copper claim

in this territory.

Then she must be Doretta Gateway.

Yep. She was scheduled to be an old maid

till Willard come along.

- She's plain as adobe wall.

- But not too plain for Willard, huh?

Nothing plain about

old man Gateway's holdings.

Folks say that he's worth just the other

side of one half-million dollars.

That's too much money, Ed.

Too much for one man to worry about.

It ain't for Willard.

He's a bookkeeper. Or he was.

They all say he'll probably make him

a full partner with the old man

- since he took Doretta off his hands.

- You know, she didn't look so bad to me.

You've been down on the Sasabe Creek

too long, Patrick.

That man made me so mad,

I almost forgot where I was going.

Come on and let me buy that drink for you.

Some other time, Ed. I gotta see Tenvoorde.

Well, suit yourself.

- Mighty sweet of you to take him a present.

- See you!

Come on, get ahold of him!

Get both those ropes.

Just grab him.

I couldn't have done that better myself.

Oh, you dropped your candy.

Thought that hitch post would hold him.

Well, now that explains it, don't it?

He wouldn't

know about horses, Mr. Tenvoorde.

They say he's got mostly goats

at his new place.

Now, I didn't know that.

They're holding them

a goat-roping at Gotebo next month.

You should ought to enter.

- That your new ramrod?

- Yep!

All mouth, ain't he?

Jace is just filling in till my old top hand

comes back.

- You figure he will?

- Oh, I think so.

Soon as he gets shed of

some of them fancy ideas he's got

- about owning his own place.

- Seems we've been over these words before.

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