Warlock Page #4

Come and tromp me, Fitz.

Come here.

Come here.

- This ain't your pudding, marshal.

- Come here.

You've done McQuown's work tonight,

Blaisdell.

If you've anything to say,

say it, or go home.

All of you, go home.

And while you're doing it,

think how being in a lynch mob

is a low a thing as a man can do.

Thank you, marshal.

Thank you kindly.

I have to thank you.

It was my job.

There's a man.

Why don't you bring his boots and

we'll kiss them like he wants?

Like you all do.

Bring us his boots!

He just saved your life,

Billy.

I wonder why.

Mr. Richardson, you'll see that

any witnesses against him

get to the trial.

A lot of good that'll do,

sheriff.

If you thought that, why didn't

you let the mob have him?

We don't do things that way

in Warlock.

Oh, we don't?

I hear you get paid 400 a month,

Mr. Blaisdell.

You and Morgan

are quite a team.

I hear you have silk sheets

from China.

I get a hundred a month

for being legal sheriff.

Plus rheumatism

from sleeping cold nights.

Mr. Blaisdell,

I've read a lot about you.

The way I figure, you operate outside

the law, same as those cowboys.

What law?

When do you come down here?

Why aren't we supplied

with enough deputies?

Job's open. You can have

all the deputies you want.

Well, you want the job, Buck?

For what? 40 dollars a month

and a free pine box.

How about you?

You want to try doing it legal

for once?

Sorry, sheriff. The principle

appeals to me, but the pay doesn't.

Any man here ready to be deputy?

Or is everyone in Warlock

chicken-livered?

Or too greedy?

You want law in this town,

I offer you law.

Just don't come whining to me

when there's trouble.

And watch yourselves, hiring outside

gunmen who make a living by killing.

Anybody?

All right, then.

- I'll take the job.

- You, Johnny Gannon?

If you think I can do it.

Sure you can do it, Johnny.

Sure you can.

Come inside.

Keller, you can't do this.

- Why can't I?

- He's one of them.

I've known Johnny Gannon

all his life.

He seems to have been

a good boy.

Maybe a little wild,

but you can't condemn a man for that.

Further, you can't condemn a man

for his brother or friends.

What's more, he volunteered

when no one else did.

So I'm making him

the new deputy of Warlock.

And he'll be there

till I remove him.

Or he's carried out.

You know you're putting him up

against Blaisdell?

Against any law breakers.

You understand that,

don't you, Johnny?

- I understand.

- Fine.

Adis, gentlemen.

Looks like law's coming back

to Warlock.

But for how long, Judge?

Miss Dollar,

I just saw you coming up here.

- You're the new deputy?

- Yes, my name's John Gannon.

I thought I might ask you

a few questions.

Those boys were let off, you know.

Acquitted.

Isn't that what everyone expected?

Yes, ma'am, but I'd like to know

who killed your Mr. Nicholson.

He wasn't mine.

You said there was a third man,

a shot came from behind some rocks.

So it did. But what's the difference?

They got off.

Yes, ma'am,

but I'd still like to know.

Of course, your brother was

one of them. They're your friends.

I'm not one of them, Miss Dollar.

Suppose I tell you I know

who killed him, what would you do?

I'd go after him.

Do you know?

No, there's very little I know.

I'm a woman, I only feel things.

You're a deputy and you want

answers to questions.

- I tell you it doesn't matter.

- It does matter.

The citizen's committee

is meeting right now.

And those men from San Pablo

will be posted out of town.

- By Clay Blaisdell?

- Yes. And if they didn't do it...

Your brother's just a boy,

isn't he?

He's nineteen.

No, he's not a boy.

But that's not really

why I care.

- No?

- No, ma'am.

I'm the deputy sheriff,

and if Clay Blaisdell goes after him,

I believe it's my job

to keep the law.

- You'd go against Blaisdell?

- If I have to.

I'm not a boy either,

Miss Dollar.

Mr. Gannon...

I'm sorry.

I've rented a house.

I rented it off Mr. Petrix and...

some boys are dropping

my trunks round this afternoon.

I wonder if you'd help me

move in?

Sure.

I'd like to help.

- Around five.

- All right.

- I'll try and cook supper for us.

- Fine.

You don't have to look

so worried.

I can cook.

- Good evening.

- Good evening.

I thought you'd come

dressed for work.

You said work and supper,

so I wasn't sure.

- So I did. Come in.

- Thanks.

It's a nice place.

There'll be no supper

till all the work's done.

All right.

What would you like me to do first?

You can start by putting

those trunks in my bedroom.

Yes, ma'am.

That smells mighty good,

Miss Dollar.

- Corn bread, meat and greens.

- Fine.

Guess there's not many men

in Warlock

eating home cooked food tonight.

- Keep working, deputy.

- Yes, ma'am.

Mighty good.

You didn't finish your greens,

Mr. Gannon.

- My mother used to say that.

- It's a thing women say.

- Where is she?

- She's dead, Miss Dollar.

Lily. Just Lily.

She died about nineteen years ago

in Nebraska.

- And you father?

- The Apaches killed him.

That was in the early days

out here.

And Blaisdell's going to kill

your brother and the others.

- If they come into town.

- You know they'll come in.

You knew Blaisdell back in

Port James, didn't you?

Long before Port James.

I knew Morgan.

If you knew Morgan,

you knew Blaisdell.

He dealt faro for Morgan.

People knew him as a killer

right from the start.

He was a colonel in the army

at 21.

He never quit being a colonel.

All he knows is killing.

What sort of man

is this McQuown?

Worse than he ought to be

and getting worse all the time.

- I used to think highly of him.

- But you left,

and your brother stayed on.

That's right.

I left.

- Why?

- Oh, a lot of reasons.

What reasons?

I never told anybody this before,

but...

About 10 months ago, some Mexicans

were supposed to have been massacred

by Apaches

in Rattlesnake Canyon,

at least, everybody said

it was Apaches.

But it wasn't?

No... No it wasn't.

You see, we'd rustled more than

a thousand head at Haciendo Puerto

across the border, but those

Mexicans trailed us back here.

So one night, a bunch of us stripped,

smeared ourselves with mud

and boxed them up

in Rattlesnake Canyon.

We killed them all.

I don't know,

it was kind of like a dream.

I'll never forget laying there,

sweating, covered with mud, waiting.

It was so quiet

and then, they came.

Abe gave the signal,

we all started to fire.

It was just awful.

I don't think they got off

a single shot.

All around me, Abe and the rest

were screaming like Apaches

firing into the canyon till

there wasn't anybody left to shoot.

I say it was like a dream,

but it wasn't, it was real.

It happened that way.

- Good afternoon, Miss Jessie.

- I was just out riding...

on my way to Medusa Mine

and I heard the shots.

I had no idea it was you.

- My, it's hot today.

- Yes, ma'am, it certainly is.

- Not as hot as yesterday though.

- No, not nearly.

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