( theme music playing )
Here comes the captain!
All right, lay into it!
Keep workin', there!
Molder?
Turned down?
The warden just got the word from the governor.
There isn't much point in my diggin' today,
if they're gonna hang me tomorrow.
Captain didn't say nothin' about that.
You better keep at it.
Sorry.
This is it, Molder.
You said this would be it.
Yes, Dog, this is it.
When?
Now. Pass the word.
Molder says now. I don't know.
Molder's got nothin' to lose anymore,
but some of us are gonna be killed for sure.
Some of us won't.
Yeah, but... which of us?
You back out now, you're gonna get killed for sure.
All right. All right, Dog.
All right.
Ronnie...now.
What's going on?
Throw 'em away, boys.
We're through diggin'.
You know what this means, men.
Solitary on bread and water.
We know what it means.
All right. You asked for it.
Let's march 'em back.
Line up! Close in!
Keep away from them tools!
Get him!
No sense wasting shells.
He won't get back to the prison till nightfall.
They'll be lookin' for us come suppertime anyway.
Molder, me now.
I reckon you fellas never heard
about a man called Kipling.
But I'll tell you what he said.
He said, "He travels faster who travels alone."
You mean you're gonna leave us here like this?
No, I'll just take a little head start.
Molder, take me with you!
You're gonna need clothes and money
and things that take killin'.
You ain't no good at that. I am.
MOLDER: Stand still!
Give me the keys.
Here they are, boys.
Let's go.
Good idea the mayor had--
this "city limits" sign.
Why?
Otherwise, people might think we were just a town.
Daddy, what's the difference between a town and a city?
A sign.
Terrible thing--
October, and no teacher for you kids yet.
Awful.
What's it say, Mrs. Carter?
Sometimes it's better not being able to read, Mr. Torson.
A bunch of convicts escaped from a state prison.
"Late dispatches confirmed rumors
"circulated in Medicine Bow yesterday
"that 11 convicts escaped from the state prison at Laramie
"early Thursday morning,
"led by Dan Molder, former Casper attorney,
"condemned to the gallows for the murder of his wife.
"Molder's last-ditch appeal for a reprieve
"had been rejected by the governor
"just three days prior the escape,
"which culminated two years of clever legal maneuvers
in which the attorney sought a loophole in the law."
Looks like he finally found one.
You send any of them fellas to jail, Judge?
There weren't any state prisons in the territory in my day.
We let 'em cool off in the nearest jail.
Unless it was horse stealing or worse...
you couldn't try those cases in town.
Always someone around with a rope or a gun
to find the defendant guilty
and pass sentence before it got to court.
Seems to me like things were a lot better in those days.
That was two kegs of roofing nails...
A drum of kerosene and half a dozen ax handles.
Make you a good price on some one-inch rope.
Got a thousand-odd feet back at the warehouse.
We're all stocked up. Sorry.
Regular price, four cents a foot.
Shiloh Ranch is my biggest customer.
I'll let you fellas have it for three cents a foot,
if you take the lot.
Can't use any more right now, Mr. Lemmiker.
Tell you the truth, all I want for myself
is 2 1/2 cents.
You can keep the other half-cent as a commission.
I'm not a rope salesman. I'm a ranch foreman.
No offense intended. They all do it.
A thousand feet at half a cent a foot
adds up to five shiny silver dollars for your pocket.
Also adds up to cheatin' Judge Garth, don't it?
Now, hold on. He's still gettin' a bargain at three cents a foot.
You're askin' the wrong man, Mr. Lemmiker.
The Virginian's got scruples.
What's "scruples", Pa?
I hope you're not askin' the wrong man, son.
Get on with your work.
You all that honest, or you just holding out
for more than half a cent a foot?
I don't know. I think the Virginian's smart.
Maybe Judge Garth put Lemmiker up to it...
to test him.
I just don't like to do my thieving
in the presence of witnesses.
My mother always said-- "Big ears, big mouth."
Steve, you're all the time wondering
about the Virginian's past.
You just learned something mighty important.
What?
He had a mother.
Morning, Molly. Morning, Judge.
Is this what you people call a scoop?
Hardly. The rumor was hit two days ago.
And it's still drawing a crowd.
They make me sick.
Bloodshed is the only thing that gets a rise out of my readers.
Think we'll ever get civilized out here?
Oh, I don't know. A few years back,
this story wouldn't have raised an eyebrow.
Now it's something to shout about.
Nevertheless, I still wish they had wider interests.
Here come three citizens who do.
They're not interested in looking at the paper.
Just the publisher.
We're ready to roll, Judge.
Morning. Morning.
MOLLLY: Morning.
I suppose Betsy wants to ride back to Shiloh with you.
Yes, sir. She's still over at the store
trying to talk Lemmiker into stocking up on some diamond engagement rings.
I think it's shameful the way you lead that child on.
How do you put up with it, Judge?
Doesn't strike me as being any more shameful
than the way you lead these fellas on.
Yeah.
The Judge is right, Miss Molly.
When are you gonna choose between us?
Mr. Trampas, talk is cheap,
and I haven't heard any mention
of a diamond engagement ring, either.
( chuckles )
Judge, can you spare your foreman for two or three days?
Why?
I'd be obliged
if you'd get sworn in to fill in for me here.
Me and my deputies have been ordered south
with more than a hundred other lawmen.
We're gonna bottle up the trails and head off those convicts.
What convicts? Read all about it.
SHERIFF: I'd feel better knowing I left a good man in charge.
I reckon Shiloh can do without the Virginian for a few days.
I don't know, Judge.
Thanks, Judge. It's Saturday,
and things have a way of gettin' out of hand Saturday nights.
In the newspaper business, that's what we call an understatement.
No offense, Judge, but your Shiloh cowpokes--
Well, I figure their foreman would be the best man
to keep a lid on 'em.
Wait a minute, now.
Saturday night in town is the only night we got
where he doesn't ride herd on us.
I get any deputies?
Anyone you want. Pays a dollar a day.
I'll take these two.
Why us?
I figure you boys will be the biggest troublemakers in town tonight.
Who, us?
I think the Virginian shows a real flare for crime prevention.
Molly, I think you'd better come out to Shiloh
for dinner tonight.
Wouldn't want you boys distracted
from your official duties here.
Thank you, Judge.
Frankly, I wouldn't feel safe in town.
Miss Molly, you'd be as safe in town tonight
as my own mother.
Miss Molly, you just learned
a piece of valuable information about the Virginian.
What?
He's got a mother.
Come on, I'm buyin'.
We took an oath today, remember?
I got sworn in to something,
but I didn't swear off anything.
How many of these boys are wearin' their Colts?
With those convicts on the loose, I don't blame 'em.
Wait a minute. You start takin' a man's gun away from him,
you're askin' for trouble.
I didn't say anything about taking 'em away.
See how many of these boys you can get
to hand over their hardware peaceably.
I'll make the rounds.
Wait a minute-- WOMAN: Trampas.
Heard about you being the law here tonight.
Now, you wouldn't arrest me, would you, Trampas?
Not if you behave.
( laughs ) I'll see you in jail.
You know...I think I'd better stick around
and give Steve a hand.
You're goin' down to the depot.
Gotta be a deputy on hand when the train comes through.
Come on.
Careful crossin' the tracks.
You're supposed to be on your feet when we take off the mail.
What for? To protect it.
The heck with it.
No one's writin' me.
Turn up your collar. It's chilly.
Doesn't look very promising, Sarah, does it?
Beggars can't be choosers.
A friend from Casper said they were quite desperate here.
I can well believe it.
It seems so unfair to you, Sarah--
wilderness like this.
I'm your wife, Arthur.
Young man?
You!
Will you see to our trunk?
We--We beg your pardon.
We didn't know.
He's some sort of police officer.
Are there any porters here?
Porters?
Someone to see to our baggage.
Uh, no, ma'am. No.
We have a trunk in the baggage car. It's quite heavy.
Perhaps you'd be good enough to help us with it.
Heh. A dime.
I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm not allowed to take bribes.
( people chattering )
( laughter )
Kind of layin' down on the job, aren't you, Deputy?
I had my arms full of Colts.
Who was it?
Circle J boys.
Excuse me, folks.
SARAH: You can't just leave us standing here.
I think there's going to be some kind of trouble, Sarah.
We'd better move on.
Arthur, you'll injure yourself.
Young man!
You are to take us to a hotel.
Well, there it is, ma'am.
It's the only hotel in town.
I thought you was with me!
WOMAN: Trampas!
Who's your lady friend?
Are there no responsible citizens in this town?
Not on a Saturday night, lady.
Mr. Lilley and I couldn't possibly stay at a place like that.
In that case,
I recommend Shiloh Ranch.
It's a fine old boarding house
about 15 miles out of town.
They don't have-- ( clears throat )
I'll be glad to drive you out there myself
in the sheriff's rig.
Old Judge Garth will make it comfortable for you at Shiloh.
And the rates are mighty reasonable.
Uh, right over there.
Very well.
Will you bring our baggage along, please?
What do you want to tell them a thing like that for?
( laughing )
I wish I'd brought a magazine along
to show you the pictures.
They're called kiss-curls,
and they go all the way around to--
Oh, I'm sorry.
No, go right ahead. My main reason in asking you here
is to expose Betsy to the female influence,
which, unfortunately, has--
Daddy! What a perfectly awful thing to say.
You're supposed to tell Molly you're glad she's here
because she's beautiful and charming and things like that.
Oh? Well, that just proves my point.
I don't know how to talk to a girl.
Neither does anyone else around here.
The Virginian does.
I'd like to see him help you with those-- those--
Kiss-curls.
Ki--There are just some words
that don't fit into a man's mouth.
( both laugh )
( door opens )
Maybe it's the escaped convicts.
Excuse me.
At least it's clean.
And quiet.
Good evening. We'd like to see your accommodations.
My what?
We wish to arrange for room and board here temporarily.
Temporarily?
Are you Judge Garth?
JUDGE: Yes.
This is Shiloh Ranch? You are the proprietor?
I am the proprietor.
We were told that you could put us up.
Just who are you?
I don't think I like your tone.
JUDGE: Well, I know I don't like yours.
Whoever you are or wherever you're from,
out here we knock before we enter a man's home.
This is not a public house?
This is not.
This is--or was, until you came in--
a very private one.
Sarah, I--
I feel we are the victims of a practical joke.
We understood lodgings were available here.
We are sorry to have troubled you. Come on.
JUDGE: Just a minute.
Who sent you?
One of the hooligans in town.
A deputy sheriff, judging from his badge.
I believe he was called, uh...Trampas.
Oh.
Well, I regret this. Perhaps--
You needn't waste your sympathy on us.
We may appear ridiculous at the moment,
thanks to your perverted local sense of humor.
Though I must say it is well-suited
to the uncouth, uncivilized behavior we've witnessed here.
Sarah, this gentleman had nothing to do--
My husband happens to be a very distinguished man.
We came to your town because we had heard he was needed.
But it's quite apparent his services will not be appreciated here.
Services? Are you a minister of the Gospel, sir?
Mr. Lilley is a teacher.
He was, until recently, headmaster of Chrichton Hall,
the finest preparatory school in Vermont.
He holds degrees from Oxford and Harvard.
Oxford is a university in England,
and Harvard is a university in Boston.
A teacher!
Well...Mister, uh, Lilley, is it?
You are most welcome here.
Make no mistake about that.
Ha ha!
They still won't get us far,
but they're better than walking.
At least we get out of these stripes.
Of course, Mr. Lilley, you understand
I have no official position in the community.
Which means that when the Judge wants something done,
it gets done.
I'll say.
JUDGE: I think the town will approve of you, Mr. Lilley.
And when you've met some of the more respectable citizens
at church tomorrow morning,
I think you will approve of the town.
But if they'd been content to go so long without opening a school--
Oh, no, we haven't been content, Mrs. Lilley.
We've had no alternative. We began looking for another teacher
the moment the last one left.
But education for minors
is compulsory in this state, is it not?
Yes, but people here are also hard to compel.
Many children help support the family.
However, I can assure you you'll have a classroom,
and you'll be able to make some extra money on the side with private tutoring.
I can use a little education myself.
( laughs ) Oh, my dear sir,
you flatter me.
After all, your own degree in law--
No, you flatter me, Mr. Lilley.
I have no degree, no formal education.
Then your title--
Oh, I was a judge, all right.
And I did preside in a courtroom.
But in my day, a knowledge of law
wasn't as important as a sense of justice.
Looks like he's more my size than he is yours.
He's got a couple of things fit me just fine.
You're a smart man, Molder.
I learned a lot from you.
Especially about traveling fastest
when you travel alone.
Not me, Dog. Kipling.
You going to kill me?
That's right.
( cocks gun )
Then you'll be needing this map.
A lot of towns to go through before you get to Canada.
Burnville, Larsen...
Medicine Bow.
You don't need me, Dog.
You got it all figured out by now.
How to get through those towns, that is.
Presuming you find 'em.
I've been guiding us north by the stars, Dog.
I guess you picked up that little trick by now.
I don't think you're gonna kill me, Dog.
I don't think I have to worry about that at all.
Till we get to Canada.
Chrichton Hall-- it burned down?
It was in the telegraph dispatches a few months ago.
Several students were killed.
That was Chrichton Hall, wasn't it?
Yes, Miss Wood. That was Chrichton Hall.
We've come out west to forget it.
Oh, I am sorry.
In the newspaper office, we call everything a story.
We sometimes forget they're not stories at all,
but real events that happened to real people.
I'm sure.
If you will excuse us, Judge, we'll take advantage
of the hospitality you offered.
It's been a very long day for us.
Of course. Betsy, will you show Mr. and Mrs. Lilley
to the guest room?
Your Honor, I--
I think I'd better be getting back to town.
I'll have one of the hands ride with you.
You weren't much help, you know.
I'm sorry.
You're very anxious for Mr. Lilley to stay on, aren't you?
I've always maintained I was gonna send Betsy east to school,
that she could get a good education right here in Wyoming.
Mr. Lilley seems to be just the man for the job.
Yes, but Mr. Lilley won't only be Betsy's teacher.
He'll be the whole town's teacher.
Haven't your editorials been deploring the lack of one
for some time?
You know, it's hard to follow a woman's reasoning.
You're forever digging your spur into my social conscience.
And the minute I get public-spirited,
you haul back on the reins.
Well, it's just that I'm not sure about Mr. Lilley, is all.
I take back what I said
about it being hard to follow a woman's reasoning.
It's easy if you just remember it's a woman.
The trouble with you is you're judging Mr. Lilley as a man,
not a teacher.
You win.
But then, tell me-- what do you think of Mrs. Lilley?
( laughs )
She's isn't gonna be the teacher--he is.
Wha-- Evening, Miss Molly.
Evening, Judge.
Well, what are you doing here?
Orders from the Virginian.
I'm going to see Miss Molly back to town.
The Virginian asked you to come for me?
Well, not exactly in those words--no, ma'am.
He just said I was to lend the arm of the law
to anyone who looked like they needed it.
And I figure a pretty woman riding home at this time of the night needs it.
What, with escaped convicts and all.
Just you be sure I don't have to rassle
with the arm of the law on the way.
And another thing. Yes, sir?
That'll be $5 deducted from your salary at the end of this month.
What for?
One night's accommodations for your guests...
here at the boarding house.
Good night, Molly.
Good night, Judge.
( tolling )
Arthur Lilley-- doing the work of a janitor.
Well, we shall have to teach the parents
to send their children to school on time...
without any summons from me.
Judging from the parents we met yesterday,
that seems highly unlikely.
( chuckles )
Don't think about it, Arthur.
Sarah, I think it might be wise
if we were to tell these people
why I really left Chrichton Hall.
You saw their faces in church yesterday.
Do they look like the kind of people who would understand
the motives of a man like you?
Cowardice is not hard to understand.
Self-preservation.
( horse carriage approaching )
Well, brought you your first pupil.
Good morning.
Not under duress, I hope.
Oh. No, this is just a little housewarming gift.
Very thoughtful of you, I'm sure.
But what that place really needs are the bare essentials
of civilized housekeeping.
Mrs. Lilley, the people that you met yesterday
have organized a collection drive.
I'm sure you'll both be quite comfortable in a day or two.
Hey, Wilma!
Excuse me.
Well, they seem to be showing up for it.
And excuse me, too, please.
I have some books in the house
which I think may be useful
until I can determine what the town should order.
You go ahead. Molly and I will help corral them for you.
Thank you.
There's one of the reasons I felt it'd be a good idea
for you to come out and introduce Mr. Lilley to his class.
Aw, cut it out! Come on!
Maybe we'll have a talk with young Luke.
Oh. Excuse me. Be right back.
Hey, Luke, cut it out!
Ha ha!
Luke.
Luke!
I want to talk to you.
( knock on door ) Come in.
Oh. Excuse me, Mr. Lilley.
Just thought I'd leave this here.
Judge...
I've never even touched a gun.
No? I'll send one of my hands down
to show you how to use it.
I would prefer not to learn, if you don't mind.
Well, Mr. Lilley, I don't want to be an alarmist,
but a gun in the house is still basic in these parts.
You know, mountain lion, bear, rattlers.
Escaped convicts? Oh.
Mrs. Lilley, I assure you--
We've heard the talk, Judge.
We really appreciate your thoughtfulness,
but I could never bring myself to use a gun in any extremity.
I can't even bear the sight of one.
Well...
suppose we put it out of sight.
Then, in case you need it...
it'll be here.
And remember, Luke, we've had a hard time
getting a teacher this year.
So I want you to sit quietly
and to listen to Mr. Lilley.
Yes, Miss Wood. Heh heh!
Well, what did he have to say?
I did all the talking.
I told him the trouble he gave the last teacher
was not to be tolerated this time.
Good.
And I warmed him this teacher was a man
instead of a woman.
Considering how you feel about Mr. Lilley,
that was a bold bluff.
Well, let's hope Luke doesn't call it.
( children shouting )
Your Honor, I think it'd be a good idea
if you preceded Daniel into the lion's den.
( all shouting )
Hey!
( children laugh )
The old courtroom look I haven't used in years.
Never fails.
Amazing.
My, they seem a well-behaved lot.
( clears throat )
Good morning, children.
ALL: Good morning, teacher.
I am Mr. Lilley,
your new teacher.
And together, we are going to learn.
( clears throat )
I wonder who's gonna learn the most--
the class or the teacher.
Everything's under control.
No reason why it can't stay that way.
No reason at all... except that you left.
Now, as we determine the proficiency of each student
at reading and writing--
that is to say, when I'm able to find out
how well each one of you can read and write--
( children laughing )
( laughter stops )
I don't think I have your full attention.
Uhh!
Aaah!
( laughing )
Shut up.
Shut up, all of you!
Don't touch it.
It's only a water snake, Mr. Lilley.
Hey, that's my snake!
BETSY: Well, I'm throwing it out.
You?
You put that in my chair?
You...insolent, stupid--
What did you say?
Aah!
Is it terribly painful?
No.
You can't go back to that class.
I have to.
I'll talk to Judge Garth.
If he was eager for you to stay on her,
he must protect you.
I can't ask him to sit in the classroom with me.
Well, I can. Sarah, please--
Who are you?
My name is Lilley. This is my wife.
We know who you are. We mean you no harm.
Yeah.
My husband is only the schoolteacher.
Schoolteacher, eh?
Who's in the school? Nobody.
I asked him.
The children have all gone home.
When do they come back?
Not until I ring the bell.
Ain't a gun in the place, Molder.
DOG: What kind of a hole is this?
There ain't nothin' here--
no grub, no coffee, no whiskey.
Where do you got everything?
We've only just moved in.
We haven't had a chance to--
Relax, Dog.
We're going to get everything we want.
Delivered right here to the door.
How are we gonna do that?
We're going to ring a bell.
( tolling )
( laughs )
How are things going?
Just fine.
My husband will do whatever you ask.
You have nothing to fear from him.
Before we make our next move,
let's get a couple of things straight.
Dog...what do you think is going to happen
when this town finds out we've got their children?
They're gonna bust wide open.
Exactly what we don't want them to do.
We want them helpful.
They'll be helpful. They got no choice.
When their kids get hurt,
people don't stop and think.
If there's anything we learned in prison,
we ought to have learned that when men have nothing to lose,
they go wild.
It's only when a man has a great deal to lose
that he can be dealt with.
That's why we've got to be careful
not to push this town too far.
Just far enough.
Sure, Molder. Anything you say.
You got me this far. All the rest got caught.
Anything you say goes.
And when we get to the school,
hands off those kids.
If just one of those kids yells for his ma or pa,
it'll stampede every ma and pa in town.
Then, no matter how many of them get hurt,
we're finished.
We'll send our schoolmarm into town,
have him tell the folks just how nice we're treatin' their brats.
And the folks in town are gonna do everything they can
to be just as nice to us.
They're inside now.
All of them.
Don't cry, Mary Ann. They won't hurt us.
And after they let us go, my father and the Virginian
will put 'em back in jail.
Who's the Virginian?
BETSY: He's the foreman for my father.
And he's the sheriff while our regular sheriff is away.
And who is your father?
Judge Garth.
A judge, eh?
( crying )
All right!
We don't need all of you anyway.
You can go home.
You, too. You two over there.
You two kids go. You, over there, go on.
You in the green, go on.
You there, fella, go on.
The fellas in the back.
Both of you fellas on the other side over there.
Go on.
Not you.
You stay put.
The rest of you, get over there.
And keep your mouths shut.
You tell that town they've got two hours
to deliver these supplies.
And I want you back right away with the food, understand?
Yes.
Keep your eye on those kids, Dog.
In case anybody from town gets within gun range of here...
you know what to do.
And, uh...
we'll be waiting for you.
Me, Dog, the children...
and your wife.
You stood there, ringin' the bell for our kids,
knowin' those killers was waitin' for them?
I'm sorry.
When I go back, I'll do anything you want.
I would've gone back last time.
Only they wouldn't let me.
Last time, Mr. Lilley?
At Chrichton Hall.
It wasn't much of a fire at first.
But...
I ran.
And because I ran, there was a panic.
And some of my children didn't get out.
And you turned our children over to this--
Mrs. Barnes, they have the Judge's daughter, too.
Excuse me.
But if you give these men what they ask for,
I'm sure they'll let the children go.
You're sure.
They let the smaller ones go, didn't they?
Mr. Lilley, smaller children don't travel well.
They asked for four horses, not two.
They take my boy, Lilley, I'm going to kill you.
Is that rifle still behind that sofa?
Yes, sir.
They asked your wife to cook for 'em?
I'm supposed to bring the food back now.
Steve...
take Mr. Lilley to the sheriff's office.
He's to teach him to use a Winchester at close range.
You go on and get this food for 'em.
Mr. Lilley?
You got us into this, Judge.
I'm not so sure I'm willing to see you get us out.
Your own cowpokes have to take orders from you. We don't.
I've got a plan, Mr. Barnes.
If you've got a plan, I'll listen to you.
Can't you understand? Mr. Lilley is the only man
who can get back inside that schoolhouse.
My husband and I will go along with you, Judge.
Mrs. Lilley can get that gun inside the schoolroom.
And we'll be waiting down by the house.
When Mr. Lilley starts shooting, we'll make our move.
We're gonna be risking our lives on a coward's gun-hand?
We'll be risking our lives to save our children.
Isn't this what we've condemned Mr. Lilley for not doing?
Where are you going?
There's an apple tree out there. I'm hungry.
And while you're out there pickin' off apples,
somebody's just liable to pick you off.
Not as long as you're in here with the kids.
Might even be somebody out there
that's dumber than you are... who'd forget that.
Come on. We'll leave when the schoolmarm gets back.
Maybe he ain't comin' back.
He'll be back.
Why should he? These ain't his kids.
That's his wife, isn't it?
If she was yours, would you come back?
He'll be back, Mrs. Lilley.
Oh, thank you.
Come and sit down.
Don't try that again, little lady.
You get the idea, Mr. Lilley?
Well...the idea is obvious.
But the ability...
All right, let's try it once more.
Now, I'm Molder.
You grab the gun,
and you open up as fast as you can.
Mr. Lilley, you're not gonna have time to draw a bead.
You're gonna have to grab that gun
and fire from the hip, just like that.
But with all the children in the room,
I thought I had better aim.
You'd better be standing close enough to Molder,
so you can't hit anything else but him.
Point blank. Bang!
Except you're gonna be loaded.
Perhaps I'd better try it now with a loaded gun.
You can't do that, Mr. Lilley.
Molder would hear the shot, figure something was up,
and then what?
It's the same thing when the gun is loaded.
Except for the noise and the kick.
And the fact that it can kill a man.
Here's the food they asked for.
Where is everybody?
They've gone off to get their guns.
I want to go back to the school with Mr. Lilley.
What?
Well, they might let a woman in.
I reckon they would let you in. And then what?
Well, I could be of some help to him,
and of some comfort to the children.
You're not going.
Now, look, you can't keep me from covering a story.
What's happening up at that school is news.
Yeah, but that's not why you want to go up there.
Miss Molly, if I can keep myself from going up there,
I can keep you from going up there, if I have to lock you up.
He's right, Molly.
I want to thank you for the second time today.
MOLLY: Second time?
The first time was out there
for not saying "I told you so" about Mr. Lilley.
I don't know now, Judge.
He could've simply run away.
But it took a kind of courage to face those parents.
I'm counting on his having a kind of courage.
He can pull a trigger. Good.
You'll have to persuade your wife
to take the rifle out of the house, into the school...
under her cape.
You look as though you had some doubts
about whether he could pull the trigger or not.
I'm sure he doubts if I can do it...
when the weapon is pointed at a human being.
Well, can you, Mr. Lilley?
I don't know.
Molder won't be an easy man to get the drop on.
It's only fair to warn you that the only chance you'll have
will be a fighting chance.
A mighty slim one at that.
I understand. The shots I fire
will merely be a signal for you to attack.
You really don't expect me to survive.
We'll make our move as fast as we can.
It's possible that you may only have one of them to deal with.
I got this from Doc Spence.
It's deadly and very fast.
Get it in their coffee.
If you're lucky, you may not have to use the gun at all.
Get it cooked and get it back here fast.
We'll hurry.
Schoolmarm?
You have any trouble in town?
Are we getting what we want?
Yes, they were loading the wagon when I left.
They told me to tell you that they'll do anything you want.
As long as they're not harmed.
All right, get moving.
Now she's with him.
What's to keep him from runnin' away?
The whole town, that's what.
How could they have let us go?
They're not watching us. They don't expect us to leave.
That's right. Not even they expect us to leave.
What do you mean?
Start the meal. We don't have much time.
I don't want one of them coming down here
to see what's keeping us.
What are you going to do with that?
I'm going to use it, with your help.
Have you gone mad?
When we bring the food in--
Mm-hmm.
I want you to take off your cape...
thus...
and lay it on my desk.
So.
They'll kill you.
They'll kill us both.
Very possibly.
Don't you understand? We can escape now.
Those children are hostages.
Arthur, you're a teacher-- a brilliant one.
If you're so concerned about the children,
what about all the others who need you?
Is that what you're concerned about?
I'm only trying to save you.
I believe that.
You have always urged me to run away.
A coward needs to be protected.
What?
This is a lethal poison.
You understand me?
You want me--
We have no choice, Sarah.
I am not going to gamble those children's lives...
to save ours.
Stay put.
You--serve it up.
I wouldn't have thought that you'd be interested in poetry.
I've had some schooling.
That's right. You were a lawyer, weren't you?
The only kind of poetry I've seen for the past few years
is the kind that's written on prison walls.
Nothing like this.
Have you ever seen that kind of poetry, schoolmarm?
No.
Sarah?
What's the matter?
My wife isn't well.
Here.
Drink it.
There is nothing in the cup but coffee.
I told you, my wife isn't feeling very well.
This has all been too much for her.
Here, I'll drink it-- Oh! It's hot!
Aaah!
( gunshot )
You killed her.
( crying )
There's somebody out there.
MOLDER: Who's out there?
I don't know. The parents, I suppose.
What are they waiting for?
Their children.
You wouldn't understand that.
That would take some spark of human feeling.
What do you and those law-abiding hypocrites outside
know about human feeling?
You're the people who build prisons, aren't you?
It was a prison that made that half-wit the killer that he is.
You expect me to worry about what happened to one woman
or what might happen to a half a dozen kids?
You ever read the poems in those books of yours, schoolmarm?
There's one in there by Robert Burns.
Something about "man's inhumanity to man".
"Man's inhumanity to man...
makes countless thousands mourn."
DOG: Hey, Molder.
What is it?
What you said before--
about me being a half-wit.
I don't like that.
Shut up.
She was tryin' to get away, wasn't she?
Just because she was a woman
doesn't mean she wasn't figurin' to cross us some way.
Killin' a woman don't make me a half-wit.
You got sent up for killin' a woman.
I said, shut up.
What do you want?
I would like to go out to her.
She's dead, in case you've got any doubts.
I just can't let her lie there.
We'll be out of here just as soon as the supplies arrive.
Human feelings, eh, schoolmarm?
Or maybe you've got something up your sleeve.
Thanks to that half-wit,
I still don't know about the coffee.
Are you afraid of me, Mr. Molder?
All right, schoolmarm.
We'll give your wife a decent burial.
You say the parents of these kids are waiting outside?
Her father, too? Probably.
The Judge, eh?
We'll let the Judge bury your wife.
We'll sentence a judge to a little hard labor.
And he'll be wondering if a death sentence
is hanging over his head all the time he's digging.
Just like it was for me in prison, schoolmarm.
Pick and shovel work.
All the time, they were getting ready to execute me.
That's what you'd call poetic justice, isn't it?
While you get the Judge,
we'll get some supper.
Dig in.
Hold it.
You try it first.
I say we rush 'em now and take our chances.
Our chances? And our children?
We haven't run out of time yet. Steve?
Let's give 'em what they asked for.
You get the supply wagon and the horses.
Wait a minute. You're beginning to sound
like that yellow-bellied schoolteacher.
Judge, it's a long way from here to Canada.
There's a lot of people in between, and more up there.
I'm just wondering if we've got the right
to turn those killers loose on 'em.
The way the sheriff left it, it's my responsibility.
What I want to know is...
if I decide not to give 'em those horses
and supplies they asked for,
where do you stand?
Betsy's up there.
There's one of 'em dead center in the window.
I could pick him off easy.
The one that's left will still have the hostages.
He knows he's through if he hurts those kids.
I figure he's bluffing. Maybe.
But it's not a bluff I'd want to call.
The schoolteacher's coming down.
Judge Garth?
They've ordered me to stay in sight.
They want you to come out.
What for?
To bury my wife.
They're trigger-happy now, Judge.
You can't go. They'll gun you down for sure
after you've finished.
That's true, Judge. Molder said as much.
But he was sure I would come, wasn't he?
Because of my daughter?
Judge, that rifle is still in my wife's cape,
and they don't know it.
Molder's guarding the front window.
He'd be the only one to see you.
If you can bring yourself to trust me,
I think I can distract him long enough for you to get the gun.
How?
With a poem.
A poem?
When I have Molder's full attention,
when I'm certain that his eyes are not on you,
I'll step up next to him at the window.
That's when you must get the gun--when you see me at the window.
It's too big a risk, Judge. You can't take it.
Wouldn't you?
I'd like to get my books, if you don't mind.
I have no interest in 'em.
All right, let's go. Where?
As close as we can get, just in case Molder doesn't like poetry.
You take the back, you take the side, I'll back up the Judge.
Just a minute. Before, you said you didn't want to take the risk.
That's just the point. If the Judge does get Molder,
one of us had better be sure to get the other one
before he has a chance to take it out on those kids.
Here's one that I think might interest you.
Yeah?
Yes. It was sent to me
by a colleague of mine from Oxford.
It's by an English writer.
What makes you think that might interest me?
Well, it--
it concerns penal servitude.
It's about a man who killed his wife
and died on the gallows.
That was your crime and your sentence. Was it not?
What are you getting at?
Well, it really doesn't condemn the prisoner
as much as the prison.
Maybe that judge out to read it.
It's entitled The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
It's by Oscar Wilde.
It was inspired by his own prison term.
There are some passages in it that are really quite moving,
if you'd care to look at it.
You read it to me.
All right.
"And at every drifting cloud that went
"With sails of silver by.
"I walked, with other souls in pain,
"Within another ring, And was wondering
"if the man had done A great or little thing,
"When a voice behind me whispered low,
"That fella's got to swing.
"Dear Christ! the very prison walls
"Suddenly seemed to reel,
"And the sky above my head became
"Like a casque of scorching steel;
"And though I was a soul in pain,
"My pain I did not feel.
"I only knew what haunted thought
"Quickened his step, and why
"He looked upon the garish day
"With such a wistful eye.
"The man had killed the thing he loves,
And so he had to die."
"Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
"By each let this be heard,
"Some do it with a bitter look,
"Some with a flattering word,
"The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword."
"Some kill their love when they are young,
"And some when they are old;
"Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
"Some with the hands of Gold:
"The kindest use a knife...
"...because The dead so soon grow cold.
"Some love too little, some too long,
"Some sell, and others buy;
"Some do the deed with many tears,
"And some without a sigh:
"For each man kills the thing he loves...
"...Yet each man does not die.
"He does not die a death of shame
"On a day of dark disgrace,
"Nor have a noose about his neck,
"Nor a cloth upon his face,
"Nor drop feet foremost through the floor
"Into an empty space.
"I know not whether Laws be right,
"Or whether Laws be wrong;
"All that we know who lie in gaol
"Is that the wall is strong;
"And that each day is like a year,
"A year whose days are long.
"This too I know-- and wise it were
"If each could know the same--
"That every prison that men build
"Is built with bricks of shame,
"And bound with bars lest Christ should see
"How men their brothers maim.
"With bars they blur the gracious moon,
"And blind the goodly sun:
"And they do well to hide their Hell,
"For in it things are done
"That Son of God nor son of Man
"Ever should look upon!
"The vilest deeds like poison weeds
"Bloom well in prison-air:
"It is only what is good in Man
That wastes and withers there..."
"...every stone we turn by day
"Becomes one's heart by night.
"With midnight always in one's heart,
"And twilight in one's cell,
"We turn the crank, or tear the rope,
"Each in his separate Hell,
"And the silence is more awful far
"Than the sound of a brazen bell.
"And never a human voice comes near
"To speak a gentle word:
"And the eye that watches through the door
"Is pitiless and hard:
"And by all forgot, we rot and rot
"In soul and body marred.
"And thus we rust Life's iron chain
"Degraded and alone:
"And some men curse, and some men weep,
And some men make no moan..."
Oh, Daddy.
Doctor Spence will be here in a minute.
I'll never be able to ring that bell tomorrow.
LUKE: Mr. Lilley?
I could come and ring it for you.
( theme music playing )