( theme song )
Yes?
Is Bradford in?
I'm sorry, Mr. Bradford is gone for the day,
and the office is closed.
What about Willson?
Is Mr. Willson expecting you?
Is he in?
Mr. Willson is busy right now. May I help you?
My business is with him.
Now look here!
Just a minute! I'll tell Mr. Willson.
There's no need to announce me.
( door closes )
Why, Judge Garth...
how are you, sir?
Good to see you again.
What brings you all the way to San Francisco?
You.
Well, that is a pleasant surprise,
except you couldn't have picked a worse time to talk business,
Judge, I'm trying to catch a train.
Pick out the papers I have to take with me.
I'll tell you, there's no end to the paperwork
that a business man has to put up with these days.
You know, you're the luckiest man alive,
with only cattle, coyotes, and cowboys to keep track of.
No.
You're the luckiest man alive...
that I don't kill you here and now.
That's quite a favor.
Consider it so.
I don't understand.
I know what you and your partner did.
Now do you understand?
I know!
I never thought you or your partner were capable of anything like this.
You didn't come here just to hand down an opinion, Judge.
If it takes the rest of my life,
every penny I've got...
I'll run the two of you out of business.
Thanks for the warning.
I mean what I say!
I wouldn't go any farther. ( gun cocks )
And I'd turn around...
unless you want it in the back.
I don't know what's in your mind, Judge,
but I didn't come up from where I did
and wind up half-owner of a 20-million-dollar company
by standing by and let someone else dig my grave.
Here's a warning for you.
Fair exchange.
Go back to Wyoming, Judge.
Now.
Let's not hear anymore wild talk about trying to ruin me.
I'll go back...
when I'm through with you.
Just to let you know.
And the next time, I won't miss on purpose.
Why you...
( gunshot )
Lock him up.
Who's the officer in charge?
What do you wanna see him about?
I'd like to talk to him.
What about?
I killed a man.
( inaudible whisper )
This is Lt. Kenner, Mister...
Uh, Garth.
Henry Garth.
Now what's all this about?
I want to report...
I killed a man.
Go on.
Well, that's all.
We had an argument over a business matter.
He pulled a gun, was gonna...
Anyway, the gun went off.
I had no intention of...
Now who was the man that you killed in self-defense?
Willson.
Railroad man.
Paul J. Willson?
Yeah.
Mr. Garth.
Isn't this where you said you left the body?
Right here.
Then you only wounded Willson.
I killed him.
Well, if you did, what happened to the body?
I don't know.
The shot was point blank.
He was hit in the heart.
You also said that he took a shot at you
and that the bullet smashed a lamp.
This one here on the desk?
That's not the same lamp.
Where was that shot fired from?
Over there.
Where? Over here behind the chair?
Yeah.
Well, fired from over here and smashing that lamp
would mean that the bullet hit the window.
See if there are any holes.
Not one.
The window must have been open.
Mr. Garth, don't you remember?
No, but...
Mr. Garth, I don't know what's going on here.
Neither do I, but...
I'm telling you the truth.
The body was here when I left the room.
The gun was on the floor.
All these papers were scattered all about.
Now somebody's replaced everything, including the lamp.
Somebody's changed everything back!
What reason would anyone have to remove the body?
Or to cover any sign of a struggle, Mr. Garth?
I don't know....
but I'm not imagining this.
This really happened.
I'm sure it's all very real in your mind,
but can you prove that you were even here?
As a matter of fact, I can.
You have a witness?
One...
but that should be enough.
( bell ringing )
Good evening.
I'm George Mitchell. I understand you wanted to see me.
Oh, yes, that's right.
Then would you mind telling me what this is all about?
The officer you sent to bring me here was most uncommunicative.
I'll let Mr. Garth explain.
I think you know Mr. Garth.
Can't say I've had the pleasure.
How do you do, sir?
You do remember me, don't you?
No, sir.
Well, it was only two hours ago.
You must have me confused with someone else.
You did work for Willson, didn't you?
I still do, for the firm of Bradford and Willson.
Well, don't you remember? I came to the office.
Never saw you before in my life, sir.
I don't know what's behind this, why you're lying.
I'm not lying.
Well, you know I went into his office.
You even tried to stop me!
I'm sorry, sir, but you couldn't have been with Mr. Willson.
He had no visitors this evening.
You quite sure of that?
Positive.
It would've been worth my job to permit anyone to see him,
after the office closed.
May I know how this concerns Mr. Willson, if not myself?
He claims he killed him.
Killed Mr. Willson?
In his office.
( chuckles ) But that's impossible.
Why is it impossible?
Because I put Mr. Willson on the train over an hour ago,
along with Mr. Chase, one of our engineers.
They were going to New York.
From there, on to Europe on a survey.
What train was that?
The 8:40.
Which means he's been on that train now 85 minutes.
Yes.
So he could hardly have killed Mr. Willson two hours ago.
Uh-huh. Well, uh, you may go, Mr. Mitchell. Thank you.
( door closes )
Well, you have to admit, it does look peculiar, Mr. Garth--
insisting that you killed a man.
Usually, it's the other way around, you know.
The guilty profess their innocence,
even when all the evidence is against them.
He never put Willson on that train...
unless it was in a coffin.
Why don't you wire ahead, see who's lying.
Exactly what I'm doing.
I'm gonna have a sheriff board that train
at the first town where they stop.
( whistle blows )
( door opens )
That's right. Willson is on that train
with Mr. Chase, his chief engineer,
and their credentials are in order.
But they can't be!
You're a long way from home, Mr. Garth, and all alone,
according to what you tell me.
If you like, I'll send someone back with you.
You think I'm insane.
Not at all...
but under pressure.
It's no disgrace.
I don't know who's behind all this or why,
but I know what happened
from the minute I went into Willson's office until the time I left,
and if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna run it down.
Tom, who is it?
Well, for the love of me...
it's Henry Garth.
Kitty.
Well, where are your things, Henry?
Tom, get his things.
Could I get you something to drink, Henry?
Here, try this new chair on for size.
( sighs )
Now... what's wrong?
Anything I can do to help?
Tom, as U.S. Marshal,
your jurisdiction extends beyond San Francisco?
Well, I can reach out, yes.
I killed a man tonight...
and yet the police tell me he's alive...
on a train right now headed for New York.
Then you've only wounded him.
I killed him.
Shot him in the heart.
You don't believe me.
( sighs )
It's so incredible.
You could begin at the beginning.
The beginning...
that would be seven months ago...
when Willson-- that's the man I killed--
and his partner Bradford
first came to Medicine Bow...
along with a woman who knew these men
but pretended not to.
( men yelping )
But, Daddy!
Nothing more to talk about.
( sighs ) I can't believe it.
I can't believe that you'd do such a thing!
What's so terrible about it?
To send me away from home.
You're only going as far as Boston.
Boston?! Do you know where that is?
Yes, the last I heard,
it was up in New England somewhere in the state of Massachusetts.
Yep, you know, I think it's still there.
( sighs ) Well, what would I do there in a finishing school?
Learn manners, for one thing!
And what's wrong with my manners?
Well... to begin with, you raise your voice to your father.
( no audio )
What? Now louder, I can't--
Who's raising whose voice now?
( chuckles )
Listen, I've made up my mind.
You've got to go to school in Boston.
This is no place for a young lady to grow up.
Well, I love Shiloh. What's wrong with it?
It'll still be here when you get back...
with an education.
Education my foot.
You show me one good book
that teaches me how to ride a horse
or crack a whip at a round up or anything that really counts.
Honey, there's more to learning
than you can get from a lot of cowhands.
I've sent the tuition off a year in advance.
You'll leave on the 25th.
I won't go. You can't make me.
Judge, you got company,
and I ain't had no notice.
So if you aim to invite them to supper, by gumption,
you're just gonna have to wait
till I get the extra vittles cooked.
Who's here, Alex?
It's two gents from San Francisco.
Oh, yes, yes.
Have them come in.
You invitin' them to supper or not?
No, I doubt it, Alex.
Like as much, you'll change your mind.
It ain't as simple as throwin' an extra bean in the pot.
Hello, Judge. Good to see you, sir.
You look well.
All things considered-- that what you mean?
J., I want you to meet the one man
I told you was worth a trip to the wilds of Wyoming.
Judge Garth, my partner Paul Willson.
Call me J.-- my middle initial-- all my friends do.
Probably want something to drink after your trip from the station.
No, thank you. Yes.
Frankly though, it did seem endless.
You know, Judge, what you need is a spur line to your front door.
We could gallop for a week they told us
and still have far to go just to see half of Shiloh.
Quite a place you carved out of the wilderness--an empire.
And I've come by it all honestly.
Meaning?
Now, J., I'm sure--
You know our reputation.
That's why you came to us in the first place.
Oh, yes.
There wasn't a company that came more highly recommended,
one less likely to turn out to be a bunch of pirates.
No one's ever questioned our honesty.
Except you.
And in my last letter to you, I made it quite clear why.
Yes, clear enough to sue you for libel
if you made those accusations public.
You can bet I will...
unless I get some action.
Now, now, Judge.
We've come all the way from San Francisco
to lay our cards on the table
and show you that you've nothing to worry about.
Now there's only one thing I want--
To get from the north of Wyoming to the south
on a railroad you were paid to build a year ago!
But everything's on schedule.
You haven't lifted a shovel.
Building a railroad takes time and a lot of preparation.
You've seen our reports--
lawyers we've hired to get land clearances,
the number of surveying crews out along the right-of-way.
Oh, yes, I've seen your reports.
I've sent them to a firm in your state capitol--
a firm with a reputation above reproach!
Here are their reports.
You haven't a single surveyor or a lawyer at work.
Guerin and Brand. This firm's services don't come cheap.
But, Judge, just what did you expect to get
from that little extra expense?
I want to see that railroad built
not because I put so much money into it,
but because I talked my friends into putting up even more
because Wyoming needs that north/south route.
I'm gonna see that we get it.
And you will. That's what we're trying to make you understand.
I understand you're doing nothing,
but we're gonna change all that.
And how are you going to do that, Judge?
By making you live up to every word of that contract.
But we are, to the letter.
Open starting date--
that means we can get going whenever we feel the time is right.
Remember? You signed it.
Oh, yes.
I know open starting date is standard practice in such contracts,
but it's also standard practice not to abuse it.
And we're not.
We're merely exercising our judgment
as to the best time to start spending the money entrusted to our care.
You're gonna start the minute you get back.
Judge, some friendly advice--
Leave us alone and we'll do the same for you.
What does that mean?
It means stop pushing us.
Otherwise, it could be years before we lay one tie.
You've got one month to start showing tangible results.
After that, I really start to push.
Now, gentlemen... is there anything more to discuss?
Uh-- No.
We didn't intend to take advantage of your hospitality, Judge.
Good day, sir.
I guess you know what I'm thinking.
I don't wanna discuss it.
I don't like it anymore than you do,
but is there another way?
I don't think there's any choice.
No, I really didn't think there would be.
Good morning.
Oh, good morning, ma'am.
I'd like to place an ad- ver- tisement in your newspaper.
You mean adver- tise- ment.
I think Webster would accept ei- ther.
You mean "ei- ther."
I must sound terribly foreign to you.
( chuckles ) Well, for these parts, Miss, uh...
Mrs. Wallace.
I think I'd like it in a box on the front page.
Cost you double, and it's not worth it.
Our readers don't skip a word, including the obituaries.
Yes, but I'd like to make certain
that it attracts the attention of all of your subscribers.
One thing-- I'm not promising anything.
Promise to keep an open mind.
It's wide open.
Far as a crack, I'll bet.
Well, here it is.
What's the matter?
There, I finished praying that you'll like her.
An old battle-ax, no doubt.
Whether I like her or not is beside the point if she doesn't qualify.
Well, aren't you gonna knock?
I thought I heard voices.
Did you want to see me?
Um, Mrs. Wallace?
Yes?
Well, I'm Betsy, Betsy Garth.
Hello, Betsy.
And this is my father, Judge Garth.
How do you do?
You're beautiful, Mrs. Wallace.
I'm no such thing. Won't you come in?
Thank you.
Please, sit down.
Thank you.
I'm sorry I can't offer you any refreshment.
Oh, that's quite all right. We're perfectly refreshed, aren't we, Daddy?
I--I mean just seeing you.
Well, he was sure you'd look like an old relic or something,
and I had the most awful time convincing him
that you were the nicest, kindest, sweetest, smartest,
and prettiest school teacher in Medicine Bow.
Well, that remains to be seen.
Well, you are the prettiest. Isn't she, Daddy?
Well, that's quite evident.
Thank you.
I assume you've came in response to my advertisement.
Oh, the minute I saw it, I just couldn't let Daddy be.
Can you imagine being sent away to Boston
when you can go to finishing school right here in Medicine Bow?
Logic would appear to be on your side. Let's hope your father is.
If you'd like to look at the curriculum, you'll find that social graces--
Oh, you don't have to sell me, Mrs. Wallace.
Have you had any other applicants?
Frankly no, but my ad appeared only just this morning.
Well, I wouldn't count on too much of a response.
Oh, I have every reason to be optimistic.
Actually, there are no girls' schools anywhere near here
and many ranches.
Not many. There's a few.
But I've investigated.
Do you know there are over 50 families living in this area,
including the town, and almost all have daughters?
Yes, but there's a great difference in their ages.
Well, I've taught in more than one little red schoolhouse.
I'm quite prepared for an assortment.
Hmm.
But are the people here prepared for you?
I don't know what you mean.
Well, there's more than a little prejudice here
about sending their daughters
to what they call a "fancy school."
Attitudes can be changed.
Oh, absolutely, and they will be.
But out here, things take longer than I think you realize.
I didn't expect anything to be easy in this country.
Why are you trying to discourage me?
Oh, I'm not trying to discourage you.
I just want you to know what to expect.
But there is a position waiting for you.
Oh!
Well, he means you can live on our ranch and teach me.
Well, you do, don't you?
Yes.
Oh, that'd be wonderful!
That's why I came today. I knew you wouldn't get far with that ad.
Oh, I have no intention of being a governess.
Mrs. Wallace, please.
You can name your own salary.
Well, money isn't the only consideration.
I had my heart set on a school of my own.
And you'll have it too.
With Betsy as your first pupil,
people around here will sit up and take notice,
and you'll get more offers and when you have enough,
you can open your school.
I don't know.
Betsy is of an age when she needs some feminine influence
as well as a good education.
That's why I was thinking of sending her off
to finishing school where she can get both,
but if you can stay at home...
I have no other children.
I shall have to let you know.
Whoa.
( whistles )
Welcome, ma'am, whoever you are.
And whoever you are, thank you.
Oh, is this a wedding ring I see on your finger?
Yes.
For real or for protection?
It was very real.
Was?
The man who put it there died.
Eh, I could cut out my tongue for that.
Please don't do that,
at least not until you tell me if Judge Garth is in.
Uh, no, ma'am, he's out.
But he sure is comin'.
Howdy.
Hi!
Listen, Betsy, I wanted to--
Oh!
Oh, I knew you'd come!
A long-lost sister?
Aunt? Niece?
Who?
She's my teacher.
Yes, Trampas, that's the way they grow them these days.
Oh, come on!
Well, that's two helpings to your one.
You aren't even half caught up.
Frankly, this is much more than I customarily have for breakfast.
Excuse me, I'm late.
Where are you going, dear?
To see Trampas. He promised to help me get my new pony shod.
Every girls' school in Boston starts promptly at eight.
We can do no less, can we?
We'll even do better than Boston.
It is now one minute before eight.
If you can deliver your message and return in time.
Oh, well, I won't be long. I promise.
In Boston, one second places you among the tardy,
and tardiness is regarded as a lack of self-discipline.
Well, I guess it can wait.
Well, if you'll excuse me...
Good luck to you on your schooling,
and, um, good luck to you.
( clock chiming )
Any well-bred young lady in polite society today
must be versed in the art of music.
Now let's see what you can do.
**
( both chuckle )
Well, Judge, I guess it's a choice of mendin' the fences
or fixin' that road up on the hill
or fixin' that hole in the bunk house roof.
**
Or, uh, maybe fixin' that piano.
It sounds stuck to me.
You know how many years I've been waiting to hear that?
That?
Yes, that...
**
ever since Betsy's fingers were strong enough to strike a key.
No matter what I could do, I could never get here near that piano.
And now listen to her.
**
Sweetest music I ever heard.
( chuckles )
Well, you go back to mendin' the fences.
You can forget the road.
Right, Judge.
**
( door closes )
**
Oh, well, the curtsey should be very low and graceful.
Yes, all right.
It's very difficult to do without a man.
Well, hello!
Mornin'.
Won't you come in?
I never needed a second invitation from a pretty lady.
Well, good.
Hey, where were you yesterday?
Thought you wanted to try out your new pony?
Well, I would have been late for class.
What she learnin'?
Music. Now it's Terps or something.
Terpsichore--the dance.
Oh, Terpsichore, huh?
( chuckles )
And one, two, three.
One, two, three. One, two, three.
Around, two, three. One, two, three.
Now bow at the waist while your partner curtsies.
No, no. No, no, Mr. Trampas.
Down, very low at the waist. That's very good.
And your hand here, there. Just a bit lower.
Yes, that's fine. That's very good, Mr. Trampas.
( chuckles )
Judge.
( laughs )
( clears throat )
Excuse me, ma'am, I've got work to do.
No, no, I'll pass it on to the Virginian.
Oh, he wouldn't take kindly to that, not the Virginian...
or nobody.
I suppose you could use a dancing partner.
Quite.
I'll go get you a volunteer.
Nah, you'll do fine.
You won't find anyone better at dancing chores, Mrs. Wallace.
Feel free to call him anytime, find him most obliging.
Thank you very much.
( clears throat )
( chuckles )
Well, I mustn't hold up the march of culture.
( chuckles )
All I need is for this to get around.
( laughs ) You look silly bowing to me!
All right now, come on. Down very low.
This low? That's right. That's very good.
That low, yes.
All right, now let's try it once more.
Yes, all right. Now and...
And one, two, three. One, two, three.
Why didn't you ride your pony?
( horses approaching )
When do I ever get to go outside?
Mrs. Wallace, must I?
Indeed you must.
No young lady can consider herself truly cultivated
without an intimate knowledge of the beauty of verse.
Now we shall start by scanning the meter of each line.
Of all the literary arts,
poetry requires the most concentration.
Most concentration.
It requires you shutting out the world and all of its tawdriness.
Is something wrong, Mrs. Wallace?
Wrong?
Well, you didn't sound like yourself.
Well, I wasn't aware of it.
Now let's start by reading that poem aloud, very slowly.
"If though must love me, let it be for not,
"except for love's sake only.
"Do not say 'I love her for her smile, her look,
"her way of speaking gently,'
"for a trick of thought that falls in well with mine
"and sure is brought a sense of pleasant ease on such a day,
"for these things in themselves, beloved, may be changed or change for thee,
"and love so wrought may be unwrought so.
"Neither love me for thine own, dear, pity's wiping my cheeks dry.
"A creature might forget to weep who wore thy comfort long
"and lose thy love thereby, but love me for love's sake,
"that ever more thou mayith love on,
through love is eternity."
What's the matter?
Well, it's 4:00 and school's out,
and I've got a million things to do!
I've gotta get my pony shod, take care of that new litter of pups.
( chuckles )
Mrs. Wallace.
Good afternoon.
Well, it's been quite a week.
Yes, Betsy's given me no problem at all.
Was there any mail for me?
No, I'm sorry.
Mrs. Wallace...
I want you to know how much I appreciate you're coming here.
No reason to feel obliged.
You pay me well-- much more than I deserve.
Besides, Betsy's reward enough.
Well, I know how she feels about you.
Thank you for telling me.
Then we'll see you at supper.
I'd rather have supper in my room, if you don't mind.
You won't be eating with us?
No.
Please don't ask me to explain.
( knock at door )
Yes?
Well, hope you're starved.
You should have let Alex bring it up.
Oh, that old cowhand? He'd only spill everything.
Well, thank you.
Why Daddy let's old bandy legs keep house, I'll never know.
It's because he realizes how old people feel about being put out to pasture,
totally disregarded.
Um, how do you feel, Mrs. Wallace?
I'm well, thank you. Why do you ask?
Well, the only time I ever have food in my room
is when I'm too sick to come down.
Someday you'll understand how one feels when one simply must be alone,
the importance of solitude.
I understand.
Daddy told me about your sick friend, and I hope he gets better.
It happens to be a woman.
( chuckles ) Will Daddy ever be happy to hear that!
Well, I mean that it's a woman you're worried about and not a man.
Well, not exactly happy, I mean, but just glad that
you're not worried about a man because Daddy likes you.
Oh, he'll never say anything, but...
well, I can tell by the way he looks at you.
Betsy! Your supper's getting cold!
And let Mrs. Wallace have hers!
Oh, coming Daddy!
Excuse me.
( door closes )
You wanna see me, Judge?
I wanna get this out on the first train west.
If you ride hard, you can make the 6:15.
6:15--I could walk and beat that one...
all the way to Sacramento.
Hey, how 'bout that, Judge? I always wanted to see California.
Wait another minute, and you'll have every chance to see it on your own time.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Right away, sir!
Yes, sir!
( door closes )
It's wrong. I know it is!
( sighs )
All right, let's try it again.
Conjugate the verb "to be" in French.
( sighs ) It's no use.
I've been at it for hours, and it just won't stick in my head!
Please sit down.
( sighs )
Perseverance is the best exercise of character.
Well, I know of better ways,
like staying out on the trail all day
or riding all night looking for strays.
I guess you wouldn't know about that, would you, Mrs. Wallace?
That is not what your father employed me to teach you.
Why do I have to be taught anything?
Why can't I just grow up and be left alone?
That privilege, if it is one, belongs only to the animals.
But French? In the middle of Wyoming?
A cultured young lady must be able to speak fluently in another language.
Now when you take your proper place in society,
it will be expected of you.
But I have my place here, and the cowhands I know
don't give a hoot about "le" or "la" or any of the rest of it.
And yet they are very proud of you, as I am.
In the past few weeks, you've--
Weeks! Oh, it seems like years!
I don't know what I'm doing most of the time!
You've gotten my head swollen like a balloon
with music and Terps-- why, I can't even say it.
Then first, the Minuet, and then the Gavot- te.
Gavotte.
Oh, those classics. That old Greek Homer.
Why, he's even worse than Shakespeare, and that's bad enough!
Boy, those Englishmen that talk like that must have been crazy!
Oh, I bet.
And all that stuff about social decorum-- why can't I wear jeans?
We've been through all that before.
( sighs ) Oh, sure.
"At no time must a young lady depart from her proper garb,
"for any occasion, because society is a severe judge
when a young lady exercises bad taste."
If I taught you that much, I have hope for the future.
But what does it matter what people say
or how they say it or what they think of you?
Then what does matter?
What they feel about each other.
The way I thought it would be between us,
I thought we'd be friends.
But we are.
Oh, how can you say that when we never even talk anymore.
I--I mean really talk, like a sister or...
or a mother.
Maybe you don't even care.
But I do.
I don't believe you!
( door opens and closes )
May I join you?
If you wish.
I, uh, couldn't sleep either.
It's a great night.
Not unusual, though, as you know.
Yes, I heard you come down those stairs night after night...
quietly,
so as not to let anyone know you were going out.
Does that seem strange to you?
No.
I can understand you're wanting more
of a feeling of peace than you can find indoors.
If you understand that much...
It's what I don't understand that won't let me sleep.
Now I don't wanna intrude on your privacy, but...
Privacy? You have a right to talk to me about Betsy whenever you wish.
I assume that's why you're here.
No, it isn't.
Something's troubling you,
and I wanted to ask if there was anything I--
something I might do.
Maybe I shouldn't ask.
There's nothing troubling me.
I think there is.
Began after the first week you came to Shiloh.
Something went wrong.
Nothing went wrong.
You put a wall between yourself and Betsy, between us too.
Oh, you have a right to do that, I guess.
But I'm assuming the equal right to...
to ask why.
It's something that doesn't concern you.
Doesn't concern me?
And for the first time in years,
I have said even this much.
We could never mean anything to each other.
I want you to know that.
All right.
But knowing it isn't enough.
I'd like to understand it.
You don't even know me.
I know you've been married before
and that the man you loved died.
You said as much to Trampas.
And that there isn't anyone else...
so you said to Betsy.
I've come to know you as a human being.
What else do I have to know?
I would never marry again.
You can't live with the dead.
You can't abandon them either.
They live in our memories.
We'd been married seven years when it happened.
Death came in so deceptive a guise...
on a splendid bridge that my husband had designed to cross a wild river.
I was there. I saw it happen.
Builder had not followed the specifications.
The bridge collapsed...
carrying the only man I'd ever loved into the river with it.
Judge.
Ma'am.
Uh, Alex said you were out here.
Uh, Anyway, I was in town when this special delivery came in.
Sacramento.
Postmaster figured I could ride harder than he could.
**
* Da da da da da *
( door closes )
* Da da da da
**
That will do.
I have a dreadful headache.
I'm sorry, I guess my piano playing hasn't helped any.
No. Actually, I woke up with it this morning.
I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call off the remainder of today's studies though.
The whole day?
Yes.
When these headaches come on, they invariably last.
Well, is there anything I can do?
No, thank you.
What will you do with your day?
Don't worry about me.
Everybody's workin' at the stone ridge.
They could use some help.
You'll get to spend some time with your father too.
No, he had to go to Medicine Bow.
Mrs. Wallace, I'm sorry for what I said yesterday.
Oh, that's quite all right.
No, I should have been horse-whipped,
but I'll make it up to you. You'll see.
I'll study real hard, and I'll watch my manners like a hawk.
Oh, you're wonderful!
I'll stop by and see you when I get back,
but don't expect me before sundown.
( door opens and closes )
Come on. Hiya.
( papers ruffling )
Betsy told you that?
Once I got her calmed down
and could make sense out of all her cryin'.
Well, why didn't she come to me?
Because she couldn't face you with it, Judge.
I promised I'd do it for her.
Well, what is this nonsense you've been telling the Virginian?
Nonsense?
Accusing Mrs. Wallace of--
But it's true! I saw her!
I saw her in here looking through your papers!
You realize what you're saying?
Do you think I'm lying?
Tell her I wanna see her.
I can't understand what would make Betsy say such a thing--
to come into your study and go through your desk.
Why, I've never even been in this room.
But I saw you!
What earthly reason would I have?
( crying ) How can you lie like that?
She is your child...
so naturally, your first loyalty is to her.
But children are sometimes vindictive,
for reasons known only to themselves.
( sobbing )
( banging )
( sobbing )
What are you doing?
( sobbing ) "A person must have ideals," she says,
and then she lies!
Oh, stop that.
Oh, what good are books
if the person who makes you read them can't even live up to--
Oh, that's enough!
( sobbing )
Are you sure it couldn't have been someone else?
Were you really close enough to see?
I was close enough.
I mean, the blinds were down, you could have been mistaken.
Oh, I wish I were. I only wish I were.
( sobbing )
Oh, I loved her too, Daddy.
( sobbing )
The roan isn't in there, Judge.
Hey, what's happening? I came down for breakfast and nobody's there.
Mrs. Wallace is gone.
She took off some time during the night.
What train did Mrs. Wallace take?
Well, Judge, seein' there was only one train passed through this morning,
it's right easy to recollect what ticket I sold where to who.
Well, where'd she go?
The end of the line-- San Francisco.
I wonder if you could help me.
Say the word.
I, uh, I was supposed to meet a friend of mine
on the 10:00 A.M. limited and, uh, missed it,
and I don't have her address.
Maybe you might remember. She's a woman in her mid-30s,
rather pretty, slender, probably wearin' a blue coat.
I had a passenger off that train--
pretty, tall, but not too tall,
skinny, but not too skinny,
didn't talk much, but sounded like a lady.
Well, remember where you took her?
Sure do.
Who is it?
Garth.
I have nothing to say to you.
I didn't get a chance to say good-bye,
you left in the middle of the night.
I thought it best under the circumstances.
To steal off?
To avoid any further scenes such as I had to endure.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm occupied.
So am I...
trying to fit the pieces together.
Please.
And they won't fit...
like going from a place like this
to a cow patch called Medicine Bow.
I see no reason why I have to justify my choice.
How did you happen to pick what amounts to a whistle-stop
to open a finishing school?
I was ill-advised. Is that a crime?
Going to all that trouble of running an ad,
putting out bait for me to bite,
and I did.
You knew I had a daughter of school age.
I was planning to send her away
because there was no qualified teacher around.
That was no secret in Medicine Bow...
but how did it cross a couple of state lines and end up here?
Oh, it was cleverly planned.
Expensively executed.
Since I am no longer in your employ,
I see no reason why I should submit to this.
You wanted that job so you could wangle your way into my home...
and then into my confidence,
to say the least.
Any illusion you may have had was none of my doing.
And Betsy? What about her?
Making her love and respect you--
what about that illusion?
Please. Please, go.
Becoming a trusted member of the family.
For what? To find out what was happening?
To search through my papers.
Why? What did you expect to find?
I told you, Betsy lied.
I know my daughter. She wasn't lying. You were.
What were you looking for?!
Since you refuse to leave,
I shall have to call the superintendent.
Ah, no, not until I find out! Let me go!
Bradford and you?
What about that story...
about the man you loved,
long past death?
I told you that because I thought you were falling in love with me.
I knew you wouldn't understand.
Oh, I understand...
now.
I know why he sent you to Shiloh,
what you were supposed to find out.
You were supposed to keep close watch over me, weren't you?
To listen! To go through my mail!
Weren't you?!
Please.
I went to Bradford's home. He wasn't there.
Then I went to the office, and Willson was there
just getting ready to leave, and the rest you know,
except when I came back with the police,
the corpse was gone.
Everything was put back in place
just the way it was before I killed him.
The police won't believe it happened, but...
I know it did.
I know it.
Judge, who would want to hide all the evidence,
cover up what might be thought of as a crime for you?
That's what I keep asking myself--
who would wanna do this and why?
All I know is it happened.
Judge, do you realize
most of what you've been telling me is about a woman?
Well, she's tied in with it...
hand-in-hand with Bradford and Willson.
It's the woman you're upset about.
She's what you've been telling me about,
but where's the connection?
I don't know.
All I'm trying to do is piece the things together in my mind.
Have you?
I mean, sorted the pieces out in your mind?
No. No.
I don't know.
She must have felt guilty about what she'd done.
She knew I was going after Bradford.
She followed me.
She followed me to the office...
and she must have heard the shot that killed Willson.
And when I went to get the police...
she must have used Mitchell.
She got Mitchell to remove the body,
clean everything up.
Mitchell.
That's why he said he never saw me.
It was all part of her plan to protect me
because she didn't know I killed Willson in self-defense.
She thought I committed a murder.
Do you really think that makes sense?
Well, it's the only thing that--
it's the only thing that does!
It has to be her!
Well now, why don't you sleep on it tonight,
and we'll see how everything looks in the morning.
You still don't believe me, do you?
Well, I'd be a poor friend if I told you I do.
I think--
Where are you going this time of night?
And I counted on you!
I counted on you, and you let me down!
For the first time since we met when I really needed you!
The way you handled it, you came near blasting my whole life!
And what do you think you did to my life
when you asked me to go into a man's house, to use...
( knock at door )
Who is it?
I wanna talk to you.
No, we have nothing to say to each other.
Please, open the door.
You were there, weren't you?
You followed me.
Followed you?
I've got to have the truth.
Did you try to hide what I did
because you thought I killed Willson in cold blood?
You killed Paul Willson?
You didn't know?
What did you mean about my trying to hide it?
I thought I killed Willson in a struggle for his gun but...
when the police and I returned,
it was as if nothing had happened--
no body, no... no signs of a struggle.
Maybe the police were right. Maybe it didn't happen.
Maybe when I learned about you and Bradford...
after what you meant to me.
I never thought the day would come when I question my own sanity,
but if I don't know the real from the unreal, it--
No, no, no, you're not losing your mind, it did happen,
and somebody did try to hide it.
Shut up.
Let her finish.
What you did to me was bad enough,
but you only degraded me and made me feel cheap.
Now you're willing to let a man feel he's losing his sanity.
When it was you who-- That's enough!
There was a time when I couldn't bear to see you hurt,
when I would come running.
Well, why did he do this? Why?
Certainly not to make me think I was losing my mind!
No, it had nothing to do with you.
Well, what then?!
For the same reason he couldn't free himself of his wife to marry me.
You say another word and you'll regret it the rest of your life.
His company, presumably worth millions,
is on the verge of bankruptcy.
A divorce would have meant opening the books in court.
Now do you understand?
Of course.
If your partners dies, the company goes into probate.
The books are thrown open. The creditors swarm in.
You had to keep his death a secret
so that you could stay solvent.
Yes, and then Mitchell must have called you,
and the two of you covered it up, eh?
Why you...
( thud )
I'm going to the police.
You better get dressed, I can't leave you here with him.
( whistle blows )
( chuckles )
Ah! MM.
Well, how's my girl?
Never better. And how's my Daddy?
I can't complain.
Never saw you look so chipper.
Well, why shouldn't I be?
Mrs. Wallace said that a big writer once wrote
that "everything happens for the best
in this best of all possible worlds,"
and she told me never forget it, so I'm not forgetting it.
And don't forget all the other things she taught you.
Like what I saw her do?
Betsy, I wouldn't judge her too harshly.
I think you can give her the benefit of the doubt.
I wish I could believe that.
Well, you did find her there.
Oh, yes, I found her.
And in spite of what you saw her do,
I think she's worth every bit of affection you had for her.
Then I do too.
( theme song )