Gunsmoke (1955) s02e08 Episode Script

ANNOUNCER: Starring James Arness as Matt Dillon.
The men buried here, most of 'em are in a coffin of some sort.
And we even know who they are.
But out there on the prairie, a lot of men die or get killed, and they're left for the birds to pick.
And they have no more identity than if they'd never even been born.
It's a pretty empty finish.
Nobody knowing who you are or where you came from.
But my job's with those still alive.
Those who still have names and faces.
Matt Dillon, U.
S.
Marshal.
Oh, good afternoon, ma'am.
Mrs.
, uh- Miss Tibbs, isn't it? Miss Tibbs? Well, I'm, uh- I'm Doc Adams from Dodge City, Miss Tibbs.
I'm- I just delivered a fine new baby girl to Mrs.
Cletty down at the crossing.
And her husband mentioned that you folks moved in here last month.
And, uh- Well, I thought I'd come by and get acquainted with you, and let you know there's a doctor around.
We'll come to Dodge we need a doctor.
Oh, well, yes.
But like Miss Cletty, you can send for me too, you know.
I ain't about to have a baby.
Well, there's There's other things that can happen.
If they do, we'll send for you.
Well, now, I don't want you to think that I'm out here drumming up business.
I- I got patients.
I got more of 'em than I got time for.
Then you better take care of 'em.
I don't mean no offense, I'm busy right now.
I can't ask you in.
Well, that's all right.
I- I just wanted to come by and say hello to you.
Thought I'd- Thought I'd say hello to your husband too, if he isn't busy.
He's out in the field somewhere.
Thank you for stopping by.
Let him in, Flory! Let him in, you hear?! Don't mind Flory.
She don't stand still much for doctors.
I can take care of you without no help.
Without no help at all.
Well, yes, but I Well, I think I better have a look at him.
What's, uh- What's the trouble, Mr.
Tibbs? My leg.
I cut it two days ago chopping wood.
Well, let's see now.
Uh- Would you open the door there? Or- Or just draw those curtains, Mrs.
, uh, Tibbs.
I need some light here.
Please, Mrs.
Tibbs! I can't see- It's too dark here.
Uh, fine, thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah, that's a lot better.
Mm.
Is is bad? Well, it's sure not very good, I'll tell you that.
It's all festered and needs cleaning.
I knowed it was gettin' worse.
I can't hardly stand to move it at all now.
Yes, well, I'll- I'll clean that up for you, Mr.
Tibbs, but I think you ought to come in to Dodge City so I can kind of keep an eye on this.
'Cause if that infection gets any worse, you're Well, you're liable to lose this leg.
I reckon you're right, Doc.
I'll come too.
No.
You're awful tired.
You need sleep.
You just stay here and rest, Flory.
I'll come set with you till you sleep.
I guess we'd better stay here, Doc.
You do the best you can for now.
Flory will take care of me when you leave.
You just tell her what to do.
You tell me.
Well, all right then.
You start a fire and get some hot water goin'.
I'll go out and get my bag.
I'll take good care of you.
Doc? No, Che- No! Get that- I don't want that.
Get it away from me.
Well, you can taste it a little.
Ta- I don't have to taste it, Che- I can smell it.
Oh, all right.
I knowed you wouldn't want any of it.
Mr.
Dillon, would you-? No, no.
No, thanks, Chester.
Not that stuff.
Well, they told me at the store that it was a special kind of cheese.
It's a- It's a German cheese is what it is.
It's something that's real rare.
Rare.
I'll say it's rare.
Take it away, will you, Chester? Well, they told me that you have to kind of get used to it.
Chester, please.
Now, Doc Yeah.
what makes you so sure that this man Tibbs was holding a gun under his blanket? Well, of course I'm sure.
I told you I saw it.
And that wound on his leg- That wasn't caused by any axe chopping wood like he said it was.
She knifed him.
And she's waiting for a chance to finish him off.
Now, what makes you so sure it was her? He's scared to death of her.
Written all over his face.
You- You ought to see him.
Well, maybe I'd better see him.
I think you ought to go out and see him because- Well, I did everything I could, but I didn't wanna start quarreling with him.
No telling what would have happened.
Maybe you ought to start carrying a gun, Doc.
Gun? No, sir.
Not me.
I got enough trouble patching up after people who carry guns.
Hm.
Well, you got a point there.
Wanna take a little ride, Chester? You mean, all the way out to there at-? You don't have to go.
Oh.
No, no, no.
No, I'm I'll go.
I mean Only I don't know.
I- Don't smell so bad to me.
Matt! If that man's dead when you get there, it's not because of that leg, I'll tell you that.
She's pretendin' she don't see us.
Well, I didn't expect to be very welcome here.
Wait till she finds out you're the marshal.
I'm not gonna tell her.
Not right off, anyway.
Hello.
We're looking for a drink of water.
Creek's over yonder.
What's the matter with the pump? Water's better in the creek.
All right, we'll use the creek.
But first I'd like to talk to your husband.
My husband? What about? Just want to get acquainted.
He ain't here.
All right, we'll get a drink.
And we'll come back and wait for him.
No.
Who you talkin' to, Flory? Nobody.
Now, you stay quiet.
He's feeling poorly.
I don't want nobody botherin' him.
We won't bother him.
You stay out of there.
Maybe I'd better wait outside.
Please leave us alone.
Hello.
Come in, come in.
I knowed I heard somebody.
Your wife here says you're sick.
I said for you to leave him alone.
I said not to be troubling him.
I'm just trying to be neighborly, ma'am.
If he's sick, maybe there's something I can do for him.
Did you say you're a neighbor, mister? Well, my partner and I are gonna stake out a homestead here somewhere as soon as we can find a good piece of land.
Soon as you get it staked out, you come back.
Everything will be fine then.
Flory don't be that way.
Heh.
Me being sick and her having to do all the chores makes her kind of edgy.
And being up at nights, that's what's worst on her.
I ain't complainin'.
I know you ain't, Flory.
But I can tell.
Did you say you wanna help, mister? Anything I can do.
Would you be willing to sit up with me tonight? No! You need rest, Flory.
You see, I got sort of a fever, mister, and when I get tossing in my sleep, I throw the blankets off, and all like that.
You don't look to me like you've been gettin' any sleep at all, mister.
He's been sleepin'.
Flory Well, will you do it, mister? Would you sit up with me? No! No, he ain't gonna sit up with you.
And why not? I don't mind.
'Cause I ain't gonna sleep in here with no stranger, that's why.
Mm-hm.
Well, I didn't think she would.
It's all right, I'll sleep on the ground outside.
If you don't mind.
We do mind.
Flory, you ain't acting like a wife.
You ain't actin' like a wife at all.
You can stay, mister.
Thanks.
Oh, mister, wait a minute.
Uh I was wondering if maybe tomorrow, if you'd be willin' I-I think I ought to go into Dodge and see the doc.
Well, we could use the wagon.
I can't ride.
No, you don't.
Shut up.
Well? We'll take you in, mister.
Be glad to.
Are you really gonna drive him back to Dodge tomorrow, Mr.
Dillon? Well, we'd better, Chester.
Looks to me like Doc was right.
She stuck a knife in him.
Now, she's trying to finish him off.
Well, if he's got a six-gun under that blanket of his, why don't he shoot her? I don't know.
Who'd take care of him? Feed him? He's, uh, bad enough off as it is now, and he can't even walk.
Well, he can't last much longer, him trying to stay awake in there to keep an eye on her.
This has gone on long enough.
I'm goin' in there and tell him who I am, and I'm gonna put him on that wagon right now.
We should be back in Dodge by midnight.
Where's your wife, Tibbs? She went out back.
Go get her, will you, Chester? Yes, sir.
Tibbs I'm taking you into Dodge right now.
You are? Oh, that will be fine.
No.
Flory.
You wanna tell me what's been goin' on here? What do you mean? I'm not a homesteader, Tibbs.
I'm a U.
S.
Marshal.
What? And I'm taking you in to Dodge right now, Flory or no Flory.
You need rest and you need care for that leg.
You can tell me what's been going on later.
There's no story.
I just got myself hurt a little, that's all.
You gotta try and understand Flory.
She doesn't mean half she says.
She just gets all riled up about nothing.
You know how women are.
No, I don't.
What are you trying to say? Well, that I'm just fine right here.
Flory's a good nurse, marshal.
You telling me you don't wanna go into Dodge now? Oh, I'll be up and about in a day or two.
Don't you worry about me.
Now, wait a minute, Tibbs- Mr.
Dillon! Get your hands up.
Turn around.
Now, take his gun and put it on the ground.
She was listenin' outside the window, Mr.
Dillon.
You're making a big mistake, Flory.
I won't have you nor nobody else meddlin' around where you don't belong.
And you don't belong here, marshal.
Now, get on your horses! Come on.
Throw your rifles on the ground and get out of here.
I'm gonna be settin' right by that door.
First thing I see or hear gets a load of buckshot.
Now, let me tell you something.
We're not gonna be far away.
And if anything happens to your husband, you're gonna answer for it.
Well, I couldn't help it, Mr.
Dillon.
She's come around the side of that hut.
I didn't even see that shotgun till it was too late.
It's all right, Chester.
Well, what are we gonna do? Well, there's nothing we can do till tonight, late.
We'll come back then.
I figure she's too tired to stay awake another night.
Yeah, looks kind of nice out here, ain't it, Mr.
Dillon? Yeah.
Looks like a long wait on an empty stomach.
Mm, looks like it.
Heh.
It's too bad that you don't like this kind of cheese.
Oh, not that stuff again.
It'd be a lot better though, if you'd have thought to brung a blanket or two.
Hm.
You're gettin' soft, Chester.
Yeah.
It's that city life that does it.
I mean, you know, eatin' three square meals a day, sleepin' in a bed, washin' kind of regular, havin' a beer every once in a while.
That kind of life will ruin you.
I love it though.
You ever think of going into the hotel business? Yeah, I have.
I thought of it.
Well? I never seem to think of it when I was in town though.
It's always sometime when I was laying around in the dirt somewheres.
Well, at least nobody could ever accuse you of looking ahead, Chester.
Well, I'm looking ahead right now, Mr.
Dillon.
You know, it's gonna be sunup before long, and we're gonna go back there, and that woman's a-gonna come a-roaring out of that cabin at us with that shotgun a-blazin'.
Yeah.
Well, that sure would be a bad way to start the day, wouldn't it? Yeah, I can't think of nothin' worse, especially on an empty stomach.
Well, let's go take a try at it anyway.
She's gotta be asleep by this time.
You know, I was just thinkin' though.
What if that husband of hers went to sleep before she did? Well, we'll know that soon enough.
She's asleep.
You're too late, marshal.
He died during the night.
I'll take a look at him.
What for? Got him all wrapped up in his blanket, ready for burying.
Go dig a grave if you wanna be so much help.
After I've looked at him.
Got no respect for the dead, marshal.
It's the living that bothers me right now.
You're no better than a coyote.
You don't have to look if you're so skittery.
Go ahead.
I don't care.
What did you use, Flory? A knife.
He was your husband.
Why'd you murder him? My husband.
He wasn't my husband.
He was a stranger named George Bassett.
That was his name, marshal.
We never seen him before.
He rode by here one day started trouble over me.
Ben, my husband, pulled a knife.
This man shot him.
I swore I'd kill him for it.
And I did.
Why didn't you tell me this before? Have you take him into town and hang him? I had to kill him myself.
It was a promise I made my husband while he was dyin'.
We'll have to arrest you, Flory.
Nothing you can do to me for this.
You murdered a man.
You're wrong, marshal.
You just admitted it.
I ain't gonna do no more talkin' about it.
We'll go to Dodge.
But I won't be in jail very long.
Now, take him out of here and bury him.
Take him far away and bury him deep.
I'll just sit here and wait till you're finished.
Come on, Chester.
Let's get a couple of shovels.
There you are, Mrs.
Stevens.
Oh, here's one for you, marshal.
Thanks, Bob.
Well.
Good morning, Chester.
Oh.
Oh-ho.
Good morning, Mr.
Dillon.
How's Flory? Oh, well- Well, she still ain't said a word yet.
Go get her, will you? What for? Well, she was right.
I can't keep her in jail.
Oh, why? Go get her.
All right.
You can come out now, Flory.
Are you turning me loose? Well, no, I ain't.
It's, uh, Marshal Dillon.
Well, it's about time.
Hello, Flory.
Ain't much of a jail you got here.
It's not strong enough to hold you.
Course it ain't.
This man you killed you said you'd never seen him before.
I never had.
You said his name was Bassett? That's right.
George Bassett.
What else do you know about him? Well, he was wanted.
He was wanted? Dead or alive.
This came in the mail this morning.
How'd you know he was wanted? Said so.
He did? That's hard to believe.
He told me when he was bothering me.
Before he killed my husband.
He said, "One more wouldn't matter.
" I guess he planned to kill me too.
Only he hadn't figured on getting cut up.
He needed me after that.
Why didn't you tell me this a long time ago? Didn't think you'd believe me.
And you're right.
I probably wouldn't have.
I'd never heard of Mr.
Bassett before.
Well, you heard of him now.
Yeah.
You'll have some reward money comin'.
Marshal? What? You say it.
Say what? Please.
You don't want the money.
You wouldn't take it.
Thank you, marshal, for saying it right.
I feel some cleaner for that.
Wellgoodbye.
Goodbye, Flory.