The Tall T Page #4

- I made him say it twice every turn.

- How'd he take it?

- How do you think he took it?

Mister, I'm asking you.

Well, of course he was mad. But there

wasn't anything he could do about it.

He's a reasonable man. I think you

made yourself a pretty good deal.

Yeah. Now do you want to stay out here

or go back in?

What?

You don't hear so good.

You mean, you'd let me go?

Mister, we don't need you anymore.

Billy, get him his horse.

I could go back now and lead

old man Gateway back here in the morning.

- Sure you could.

- My wife, she's all right?

Still asleep.

Listen, you know

I'd rather stay here with her,

but if it means getting

old man Gateway out here faster,

- then I think I'd better go.

- I know what you mean.

- Don't you want to see your wife?

- Well,

the quicker I get traveling, the better.

She'll understand.

- We'll see you tomorrow then?

- About the same time.

Yeah.

- All right to get going?

- Sure.

- Now?

- Sure.

Bust him, Chink.

Get rid of him, Billy.

What do you suppose

is the matter with her?

Hey, lady, don't you realize

what you just got out of?

- She didn't know he did it.

- No, I don't guess she would, at that.

Lady, don't you know

that boy was selling you?

This whole thing was his idea

to save his own skin.

He was ready to leave you again just now.

Then I got awful sick of him,

way down deep inside.

That was some boy you was married to

who would do a thing like that.

Look, what he did was wrong,

but you going along with it,

then shooting him down, that was all right?

If you can't see the difference,

I ain't going to explain it to you.

How many does that make?

- He was the seventh.

- When do you figure on eight and nine?

Tomorrow before we leave,

you can count on it.

- Lf your boss gives the word.

- Don't worry about that.

I figure I can count on mine in the back.

You can count on getting yours in the front.

I'd kind of like to watch your face.

But you can make a run for it right now

if you'd like to make it interesting.

Better than just standing there

and getting it.

- I'll wait till tomorrow.

- Suit yourself.

- I... I'm sorry, Mrs. Mims.

- Why didn't you tell me?

- Why didn't you tell me that he was...

- It wouldn't have helped.

He could have been doing it for all of us.

Yes, ma'am.

- But you don't believe that, do you?

- You knew your husband better than I did.

Terrible things have happened

these past two days,

yet all I can do is think of myself.

All I can do is look at myself and feel very

foolish! And do you know why?

Because I know now

that he never cared for me!

That he married me for his own interests!

I saw him killed just now and I

couldn't even feel sorry for him.

All I could do was think that he didn't

love me! That he didn't care...

Now you listen to me, Mrs. Mims.

Your husband married you for your money.

You know it and I know it.

But you're alive and he's dead

and that makes the difference.

You can cry and moon about being

a fool until they shoot you tomorrow,

or you can start thinking about saving

your skin. But I'll tell you this.

It'll take both of us

working together to stay alive.

- They said they'd let us go.

- You think they'd do that?

They've killed four people

in less than two days.

And the only reason they've kept me around

this long is because they thought

they might've needed me in case something

went wrong in Contention.

No, Mrs. Mims, we've got until your father

gets here tomorrow, that's all.

I don't care what happens to me.

Well, I care about me.

I'm not going to be shot in the belly

because you feel sorry for yourself.

They're going to kill us, Mrs. Mims.

Think about that for a while.

- Well, what can I do?

- I don't know.

We've got to keep our eyes open,

watch every move they make.

And when our chance comes,

we've got to take it.

I'm scared.

So am I.

Hey, that's a big buck, Chink.

He was in a full run, I hit him smack

in the middle, near tore him in two.

Billy Jack, you get Brennan to dress down

enough for supper. You do the cooking.

That's woman's work!

I said you'll do the cooking,

I'm not going to have burnt meat

'cause that lady's

in a state over her husband.

You want I should take a plate in

to the woman, Frank?

Eat.

You'd never know she was around,

would you? Quiet like she is.

Them's the kind you gotta watch, Billy.

I had me a quiet woman once.

Outside she was as calm as Sunday,

but inside, wild as mountain scenery.

Gotta ride out that way again one day.

- Where's that, Chink?

- Sonora Town.

Hey, I was there once.

Once? You mean you've never been back?

What for?

- How old are you, Billy?

- I don't know. Young mostly. Why?

Just happens there's over 10 head of

female to every man in Sonora. That's why!

- Who said?

- I said. Ought to know.

I guess I romanced over half of them.

Been there yet,

if I haven't pulled a leg muscle.

I was bucking horses across the line

and selling 'em tame up in Bisbee.

You never told me that, Chink.

You never asked me. Course a good amount

of 'em are nothing but hurrah gals.

But the way I look at it, a woman's a woman.

Ain't that right, Frank?

- Lf you say so.

- See?

Hey, Chink, when that fellow gets here

with the money,

what say we both swing down that way,

toward Sonora.

I swear you're getting older all the time,

Billy. Ain't he, Frank?

Yeah. All the time.

You're quite a hand at that.

Suppose you're wondering

how come we keep you around.

- Am I?

- Plain face truth is I like you, Brennan.

- There ain't many men I can say that about.

- Many say it about you?

There was then when they did.

Yeah, time was I was looked on with

a fair amount of respect where I come from.

- Where's that?

- Wyoming.

You're a long way from home.

I have to be. Why there's them would see me

hang if I was to ride there again.

Strange, the law wanting to do me that way.

Me, I never tripped a hammer

on a man in my life.

I leave that to young guns like them two

over there. Look at 'em.

Billy Jack, no folks, no schooling.

Been fighting and cheating his way

since he was first able to walk. And Chink,

the same. Shot his first man dead

when he was 12. His old man.

Caught him beating his mother

with a broken tequila bottle.

Nothing but animals.

You run with them.

Well, I can't help the way they are.

Nobody can help their kind.

Nobody tries.

Well, I sure don't know

why I like you, Brennan.

You talk back, you act proud

when you should be bowing down.

I sure don't know why.

But I'll tell you this.

Your hill's gonna get higher to climb

come tomorrow morning.

When that money gets here, Billy Jack and

Chink'll be all for killing you and the lady.

- And you?

- Like you say, I run with 'em.

Mr. Brennan.

I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning.

I hoped you'd understand.

Maybe I do, better than you think.

But right now, you need a way to stay

alive more than you need sympathy.

I can't help the way I feel.

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