The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Page #2

make a deal...

Who's the others?

The contract with you

is for the coal.

Who is the others?

Well, there's several

other people, but mainly...

How long have you had that?

You ain't

answered me yet.

When did this arm begin to show that color?

Three days ago now,

I think.

Get me some

warm water, quick.

It ain't bad, is it?

Bad?

It's gangrenous infection.

The flesh,

it's rotting, it's dying.

You ain't no doctor.

You wanna live,

don't you?

Why didn't you get this man to a doctor? Did.

There it be. Snake brew.

You fool.

He'll die if something isn't done.

Am I dying, Judd?

Sure.

Better start making

the pine box, I guess.

That's just what you will be

doing if something isn't done.

Now listen to me.

Once an infection like

this sets in, it kills.

The only possible cure is

to cut it out, and then pray.

Now do you understand?

No. No.

They don't understand.

They don't understand nothing

but shooting and killing.

That's all they understand.

Melissa.

I been begging you to get a

doctor, but no, you got to plan.

You got to scheme, you got to

figure out how to kill. All of you.

Your crops could rot

and your cattle starve.

And you wouldn't care as long as

you was back of a squirrel rifle,

and here was a Falin

at the other end of it.

Now it's getting back at you. He's dying.

You heard him say it.

My Davie's dying.

Melissa.

Here.

I'm sorry,

I didn't know...

Here.

Get me a cloth,

a tourniquet.

Something to tighten around his

arm and shut off the circulation.

Get me some small knives,

the sharpest you've got.

Get that fire going. Heat the

knives till they're white-hot.

Keep that down and help me steady his arm.

This is going to hurt.

We have no anesthetic.

Something to put you to sleep, I mean.

Better stouting up the corn

liquor with a little pepper.

Looks like

I'm gonna need it.

Ain't got no money,

nowhere to spend it

Ain't got no wife,

too independent

Ain't got no mule

to ride around

It's just because I'm

the poorest man in town

Poor me

Poor me

I wonder when I'm

gonna end this misery

I made up that

last line myself.

Yeah? That's what

it sounded like.

Thinking maybe you might have

a job for me, so I moseyed up.

Well, mosey down,

and the quicker the better.

What you got your back up for, mister?

Go on, get on.

They're talking

down in town as to how

your boss saved

Dave Tolliver's life.

That so?

Yes, the idiot.

Two minutes

after he'd met him,

he's carving his initials

in the fellow's arm.

And does it get him anything? It does not.

The whole thing's a washout.

No coal, no railroad.

And as for this Judd Tolliver, he's

just an ungrateful chunk of dry rot.

They didn't ask him,

did they?

Ask him what?

To save Dave's life.

Of course they didn't,

you walking phonograph.

But what's that

got to do with it?

We ones

is funny people.

Mmm. Elderberries.

Elderberries?

Okay, partner, here's

where I get off the train.

Ain't I gonna

see you no more?

Well, I don't know.

Not unless your dad

changes his mind.

Now, don't you think

you'd better run along home?

First, could I put my arms around you?

Can you?

I'll say you can.

Say, you won't forget

your lesson, will you?

Uh-uh.

Book learning

is good for people

because it makes them build

what's inside of them.

Swell.

Some day I'm gonna build a

automobile, I'm gonna build a plane...

Whoa! Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

And all those things

you told me about.

Well, if you're

gonna do all that,

you'd better go home

and start studying.

Bye.

Goodbye.

Come on, Tuffy,

grab the coal car.

There you go.

Well?

Pappy wants to see you.

He saw me,

I'm sorry to say.

He changed his mind.

You mean

he'll sign the agreement?

Oh, boy. Oh, boy.

Wait a minute.

This isn't a gag, is it?

A what?

Skip it.

I'll take a chance.

This way. It's shorter.

Love is everywhere

Its music fills the air

You gonna

talk to me now?

Not a chance. Not even if your

father signed 40 contracts.

I'm just as stubborn

as you are, young lady.

And not word you get out of

me until you've apologized.

I didn't do nothing.

You didn't do nothing?

What do you call nothing?

You were going to spit in my

eyes. You stomped on my foot.

And when I tried to teach Buddie

his ABCs, you laughed at me.

And you call that

nothing?

Oh, my!

What a nice pretty.

Where'd you get it?

It's just a...

Can I have it?

Why...

I can?

Well, ain't that sweet?

What do you say

to apologize?

Just say, "Mr. Hale, I regret

exceedingly my unfortunate error."

Them's hard words.

All right.

Say it your own way.

I regret.

You regret what?

I'm apologizing.

All right. What do

you wanna talk about?

Don't make no difference.

All right.

Let's talk about you.

I'd like that.

Well, some day very soon now,

your father will have money,

and you'll be

married to Dave.

And what a lucky girl

you are.

And all this

around here will be...

Well, maybe over there

will be a big house

and with a lawn

way down to here, and...

Did you ever see

a grasshopper real close?

Have him spit in my eye?

Not me.

You see that little yellow spot on its leg?

Well, if you touch it,

you know what will happen?

No. I give up. What?

Its leg will pop off.

You little savage.

Am I?

Yes, you are. And when I

see Dave, I'm gonna tell him.

Let's walk. It's a mite near a mile here.

A mile?

I thought you said

this was a shortcut.

Did I?

"Its successors

and assigns forever,

"all mines, veins,

seams and beds of coal

"and all other minerals

whatsoever already found

"or which may

hereafter be found

"upon or under all that certain

tract, piece or parcel of land

"situate, lying

and being in the..."

Slow down, man.

Them squirrel tracks and chicken

scratches don't mean nothing to me.

You trying to tell me

and Judd your coal

won't be disruptious

to our corn?

Is that what

you're trying to tell us?

That's right.

And we get quite

a toting of money?

$5,000 in 30 days and a percentage

of the company's earnings.

What's that percentage?

It's like pigs, Pappy. You get one

out of six for taking care of them.

Oh! Figures sensible.

Mr. Hale, is this the kind of

steam shovel you told me about?

Yes, but you look

in the back, Buddie,

and you'll find

a great big one.

I'll give...

Dave says it's sensible.

I guess it's sensible.

But there's

one thing eating me.

What's that,

Mr. Tolliver?

Is there no other way

for you to build

your railroad

up to our place,

except across the Falins?

But it won't be the Falins. The

company will own the property.

Yeah, but it were

the Falins.

They walked on it. They

drove the sheep across it.

The spring water

down by the Knuckle,

they put their

poisonous faces in it.

It's got the

Falins' smell on it.

And me ones will make money going on it? No.

No. There ain't

gonna be a Tolliver...

It ain't gonna stop you from

shooting the dirty swine, is it?

The land was here long afore

they come. It's tetched with God.

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