The Tall T Page #3

- Do you know who she is?

- No, who?

- She's old man Gateway's daughter.

- So?

So, he just owns the richest copper mine

in the territory.

Well, don't you see?

You've got the daughter of a millionaire.

His only daughter!

What do you suppose

he'd pay to get her back?

- I don't know, what?

- Anything you ask.

Look, here you sit

waiting for a two-bit holdup

and you've got a gold mine

right in your hands.

- How do I know she's his daughter?

- You must have talked to the driver.

Didn't he tell you?

- Well?

- He told me.

You wouldn't be lying

to stay out of the well, would you?

Of course he's not. Look,

it's only 20 miles back to Contention.

- I could take a note to Mr. Gateway and...

- And we'd never see you again.

Would I save my own skin

and leave my wife here?

I think you would.

Well,

then there's no use even talking about it.

You and you, over there

and sit on that bench.

Billy.

Pick up the guns.

Get the horses.

Mister!

Put old man Gateway's name on that,

and where to find him.

- Lf I give it to him myself...

- You're not going to give it to him yourself.

You're going to stop on the main road

to Contention, one mile this side,

and you're going to give that note to

somebody passing in.

It tells old man Gateway that

you've got something important

to tell him about his daughter.

He's to come alone.

When he gets there, you tell him the story.

If he says no,

he doesn't see his daughter again.

If he says yes, he's to bring 50,000

in U.S. Scrip

to a place up back on the Sasabe.

And he comes alone.

- Lf he doesn't have that much cash on hand?

- That's his problem.

Why can't I go right to him and tell him?

Billy Jack's going along to bring you back,

and I don't want him any place

he can get cornered.

When Mr. Gateway comes out with the

money, then you'll let us go. Is that it?

Yeah, that's it.

Billy Jack!

- When do we leave?

- Now.

Could I say goodbye to my wife?

She's going to worry about me.

We'll say goodbye for you.

That boy puts his wife on a stake

and then wants to kiss her goodbye.

You figure me that one.

What I can't figure

is why you only asked for 50,000.

- I'm not greedy.

- We don't have a need for this one, Frank.

You unhitch two of them mules.

I'll worry about him.

We might as well do it now as later.

- We're taking him with us.

- What for?

'Cause I say so.

That be good enough reason?

Come on, Frank. We could run him down the

well and both take a bust at him. Come on!

Just unhitch them mules.

- I'd like to bury that man before we go.

- Put him in the well.

- That ain't no fit place.

- What's your name?

- Brennan.

- Well, Brennan, don't push your luck.

He goes in the well.

Lady, you're going to have to step up

on this mule just like your friend.

We've got no more horses.

Hold!

Chink, you put that man to chopping

some wood and then take care of the stock.

I'm going to find this lady

something to cook.

Hey, lady, come over here and sit down.

We can't build a fire without cutting wood.

Take it.

Lady, settle down someplace.

Ain't you going to eat? Well?

I'm not hungry.

- You?

- Coffee's all.

Well, pour him some.

What have you done with my husband?

You know, you cook good.

A woman should cook good.

I have a right to know.

I suppose you do.

Chink, you tell this lady here

where her husband is.

Contention. Billy Jack took him there

to see your old man.

My father?

Talk has it he owns the richest copper stake

in this territory.

- Having you here kind of makes us partners.

- I don't understand.

Your daddy's gonna have to pay

to get you safe back.

- And if he doesn't?

- He'd better.

I ain't never shot me a woman before,

have I, Frank?

Chink, you shut up and eat.

My husband is all right, then?

Billy Jack will fetch him here

in the morning.

- I see.

- Do you?

Come dark,

you and him stay the night in there.

And me being either one of you,

I wouldn't come anywhere near that door.

- That plain, Brennan?

- Yeah.

That's good. That's good.

- Mr. Brennan.

- Yes, ma'am.

They must have known all the time about

our being on the way to Bisbee.

How else would they know

who my father is?

They were probably in Contention and

they heard my husband charter the coach.

- That's likely the way it was.

- Just wait till my father hears about this.

He'll have every man in the territory

out here.

I hope he doesn't do that.

He's not going to let

these men get away with this.

He's got no choice.

If they form men to ride this way...

Well, they've killed

and they'll kill again if they have to.

- I'm sorry you getting involved in this.

- It hadn't been my day.

You have a place near here, haven't you?

Yes, ma'am. On the Sasabe.

They'll be worried about you, won't they?

At my place? No, ma'am. I'm alone.

Mrs. Mims,

you'd better try and got some sleep.

- Mr. Brennan.

- Yes, ma'am.

My husband, he was rude to you.

I'm sure he didn't mean to be.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Go have a look.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee.

Have a seat. Over there.

That wasn't a head I seen poking out that

door last night, was it?

- Lf it was, why didn't you shoot at it?

- I about did.

Lucky thing it disappeared, whatever it was.

- The lady, is she still asleep?

- Yeah.

Too bad about her.

Guess she's one of the plainest females

I ever seen. Her hair, the way it is.

And she could do something about her

clothes to let you know she's a woman.

It's no wonder she come off with

a low-grade husband like she did.

- He ain't much.

- You got a wife up on your place, Brennan?

No.

You should have.

Ain't right for a man to be alone.

- They say that.

- Well, I ought to know.

Billy Jack and Chink, I don't like them.

Sometimes I get the feeling

they ain't even along.

Always talking the same words.

Women, drinking and the such.

I ain't narrow-thinking,

but a man gets tired of that all the time.

A man gets awful tired of that.

- You cook good coffee.

- Brennan.

Talk.

- What about?

- Your place. What's it like?

- It's not much. Not yet, anyway.

- You got stock on it?

- Some.

- Work the ground?

I plan to. Yeah.

I'm gonna have me a place someday. I've

thought about it. I've thought about it a lot.

A man should have something of his own,

something to belong to. To be proud of.

- You figure you'll get it this way?

- Sometimes you don't have a choice.

Don't you?

- Now look, Brennan...

- Frank!

Here they come.

Grab the horses, Billy Jack.

- Well, it's all set.

- What did he say?

He said he'd bring out the money.

Is that right, Billy Jack?

Did he say he'd bring out the money?

That's what he said.

- You expect any funny business?

- Nope!

He can scare up that much money, can he?

He said he could, but it'd

take him most of the day to do it.

- Means he'd be out sometime tomorrow.

- That's right.

You give him the directions, Billy?

Like you said, right at the mouth of

the barranco chock-full of willow.

- Do you think he can find it?

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