"ROUGHSHOD" Screenplay by Hugo Butler & Geoffrey Homes Story by Peter Viertel EXT. DESERT - DAWN FULL SHOT. The sun, spinning up from behind the dark rim of eastern hills, is bleaching the cloudless, morning sky. This is volcanic country, barren, desolate, forbidding. There is no sign of life, no sound. Then on a distant hill, a man appears, to be followed by two others. They walk steadily forward. DISSOLVE EXT. NARROW CANYON - DAWN MED. SHOT. A dry watercourse threads its way through the cut in the treeless hills. The sun is not high enough as yet to drive night from the canyon. A man appears around a bend; another and still another. They are McCall, Peters and Lednov, clad in prison clothes, hatless, their heads closely cropped. As Lednov's face comes into a closeup, DISSOLVE EXT. HILL - DAWN LONG SHOT - DOWN ANGLE. A narrow valley lies below. Through it runs a cottonwood-bordered stream. Smoke curls up out of the trees. Horses graze in a small meadow near the creek. From O.O. comes the SOUND of heavy boots crunching across the dry, eroded earth. The three men file past camera to stop in the immediate F.g. and look down into the valley. They exchange glances and start down. DISSOLVE EXT. FORSTER CAMP - DAWN MED. SHOT - ANGLED THROUGH willows. A bearded man, Cal Forster, and two young fellows in their late teens squat beside a campfire eating breakfast. O.s. there is the SOUND of movement. Lednov moves cautiously into the scene. He has a revolver in his hand. Forster turns toward camera and fear comes into his expression. Lednov fires. Forster crumples near the fire. The two boys jump to their feet and reach for rifles. Lednov fires again and again. McCall and Peters come into the scene, both firing revolvers. DISSOLVE EXT. FORSTER CAMP - DAWN MED SHOT - ANGLED ACROSS campfire. On the fire smoulders the prison clothes the convicts had worn. Smoke spirals up. In the B.B. Lednov, Peters and McCall, now wearing the clothes of the three Forsters, saddle the horses. CAMERA PANS AROUND and ANGLES DOWN. The bodies of Forster and his sons, now clad in underwear are sprawled by the fire. Forster's arm lies close to the smouldering clothing. DISSOLVE EXT. CREEK - DAWN MED. LONG SHOT. Smoke climbs above the trees. Into the clearing ride the three convicts, to cross it and move westward. They disappear over the hill. A dust cloud marks their passage. CAMERA HOLDS ON the scene and over the shot comes the MAIN TITLE CARD: ROUGHSHOD EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY LONG SHOT. A buckboard drawn by two horses comes along the road. Graham, a middle-aged rancher, is driving. As the horses trot forward and dust rises above the road, the NEXT TITLE CARD is shown. DISSOLVE EXT. CREEK - DAY LONG SHOT - DOWN ANGLE. Graham's buckboard moves down the road toward the clearing, as the TITLE CARDS follow and change. When the buckboard reaches the creek, the LAST TITLE CARD is ended. EXT. MEADOW - DAY MED. SHOT. Graham drives the horses through the creek and into the meadow. Through the trees the Forster camp can be seen. Graham glances over, then suddenly pulls on the reins. As the horses stop, he twists the reins around the whip stock, grabs his rifle from under the seat, leaps out and hurries forward toward the camp. EXT. FORSTER CAMP - DAY MED. SHOT. Graham hurries through the trees to stop in horror near the dead men. Then very slowly he moves forward to the smouldering fire. Stooping he lifts Forster's arm away from the fire, then picks up one of the prison coats and looks at it. DISSOLVE EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY MED. LONG SHOT. The surrounding hills are covered with scrub pinon pine and mesquite. Graham's buckboard, moving slowly up a hill, passes camera, which PANS WITH it. In the bed, covered by a tarp, are the three bodies. The narrow, one-way road climbs easily up the gentle hill. Beyond, a dust cloud rises. As Graham's buckboard nears the crest, a surrey appears and starts down. Graham pulls his team into the bank, trying to make room for the surrey. MED. SHOT There are four women in the two-seated surrey, which is heavily loaded with trunks, hatboxes, etc. Mary Wells, the loveliest of the four, is driving. She is more poised, more self-assured than the others. Her clothes, though a trifle showy, are attractive. She wears a large spectacular hat. Helen Carter, showier, harder and more cynical, sits beside her. In the seat behind are Marcia Paine, placid, younger looking than her years, and Elaine Ross, a striking blonde with a pale haunted face. Elaine is obviously ill. Mary is riding the brake and holding the team back. ANOTHER ANGLE SHOOTING PAST Graham. GRAHAM (annoyed) What in thunderation -- (calling) Wait a minute -- stop -- He jerks on the reins and tries to make room for the surrey. A steep bank is on camera left. On camera right, the road drops off into a gulley. As the surrey comes up Mary reins the team in. The women all look frightened. Graham, trying to force his team to pull the vehicle up the bank, is too occupied to recognize the women at once. Having made just enough room for the surrey, he turns and looks at the women. GRAHAM All right -- (then surprised) What are you girls doin' way out here? Mary looks ahead at the narrow road and the canyon to her left. MARY Until you came along we were going to Sonora. GRAHAM What do you know about that. Did you sell your place? MARY (dryly) Not exactly. They decided gambling and dancing were bad for people. (pointing) Can I make it? GRAHAM Depends on how good you drive. HELEN She's a little out of practice. Graham jumps over the wheel. MED. CLOSE ON SURREY Graham reaches the surrey. GRAHAM (cheerfully) Slide over. HELEN (getting up) I'm slidin' all the way over. She climbs out. Marcia looks at the narrow space ahead. MARCIA (rising) So am I. Come on Elaine. Elaine leans back against the cushions and shakes her head. ELAINE (flat) What's the difference if we fall in the canyon. MARCIA Don't talk like that. Helen is out on the road now. Mary has moved over and Graham picks up the reins. Marcia gives up and jumps out. GRAHAM Nothin' to it -- He releases the brake. GRAHAM -- once you know how. Trouble is, never was a woman knew how to handle a team. Shouldn't let 'em loose on the roads. No disrespect meant, Miss Wells. Mary isn't listening. She is looking at the road. Elaine closes her eyes. Helen and Marcia scurry back out of the way. GRAHAM Get up. Adroitly he drives the surrey past. ANOTHER ANGLE featuring buckboard. Helen and Marcia start along the road past the buckboard. Helen stops and looks at its cargo in horror. She grabs Marcia's arm. The girls look at each other and hurry after the surrey which has stopped below the buckboard. MED. SHOT on surrey. Graham jumps out. GRAHAM There you are. Now take it easy and you'll be all right. MARY Thank you, Mr. Graham. Helen and Marcia hurry up. Marcia motions back. MARCIA (aghast) There's -- dead men -- in your wagon! GRAHAM That's right. You had me so busy I forgot -- (worried) Come to think of it you better turn around and drive right back to Aspen. The women exchange glances. Elaine is sitting up, her eyes open. GRAHAM They were murdered. I found the bodies on Alder Crick, northeast of here. Like I said if I was you, I'd go back, because the men who killed them might be on this road. ELAINE (bitterly) Back to what? GRAHAM Why, back to Aspen, where you came from. As Mary speaks, Helen pushes Marcia into the surrey and climbs up beside Mary. MARY Aspen doesn't want us Mr. Graham. They threw us out. GRAHAM (distressed) They shouldn't have done that. MARY We tried to point that out. But there were some pretty nosey citizens who wouldn't listen to reason. They said Aspen had outgrown us. It's all right to play poker in your own home but not in a saloon. GRAHAM (sadly) I knew something would happen when they started puttin' up fences and passin' laws. Mary unwraps the reins from the whipstock. MARY Goodbye and thanks. GRAHAM I don't like to see you go. Mary releases the brake and the surrey starts rolling forward. GRAHAM But that's the way it is. The live ones go out and the dead ones come in. The surrey starts down the hill. Graham looks after it, then turns to go back to the buckboard, CAMERA PANNING WITH him. DISSOLVE EXT. ASPEN - DAY - (MATTE SHOT) The town lies in a lush green valley. It is surrounded by meadowland and shaded by cottonwoods, alders and aspen. In the F.g. Graham's buckboard moves fast down hill. DISSOLVE OUT EXT. ASPEN STREET - DAY DISSOLVE IN FULL SHOT. In the F.g. a smallish crowd, mostly men and children idle in the street in front of Mary Wells' Gambling and Dance Hall. The wooden sidewalk is cluttered with those articles belonging to the women that were too bulky to get into the surrey. Several women stand on the porch supervising the locking up of the place and the removal of the sign of Mary Wells' name on it. Graham's buckboard rounds a corner at a fast trot. He slows the team to let the people get out of the way. MED. SHOT ON BUCKBOARD The team has slowed to a walk. The people give their attention to the buckboard. A boy clambers up over the tailboard, sees the cargo and jumps off with a frightened yell. The crowd turns from the dance hall and follows the buckboard leaving the women and their pious male assistants on the porch. EXT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY MED. FULL SHOT - ANGLED to include blacksmith shop across the street. Far down the street comes Graham's buckboard followed by the small crowd. The sheriff's office is a one- story wooden structure. Next to it is the general store. In front of the blacksmith shop stands a wagon with one wheel off. In the corral alongside are eleven blooded mares. Clay Phillips, his brother Steve and the blacksmith are inside the shop. Clay's saddle horse is tethered to the hitching rail beside two harnessed work horses. INT. BLACKSMITH SHOP - DAY ANGLED to include sheriff's office. The blacksmith, Sam Ellis, an elderly bent man in a leather apron stands at the forge in which he is heating the rim from the big wheel which lies on the table nearby. Clay, a long-legged wrangler in clean but faded work clothes stands near the forge pumping the bellows and watching his brother, a freckled kid of sixteen trying to roll a cigarette. Steve has progressed to the most difficult step, that of licking and sealing the paper. Clay reaches over and takes it from him. He puts the skinny cylinder in his mouth and Steve lights it for him. The first third of the cigarette burns with one quick flare. STEVE How does she draw? CLAY A little hot. Sam lifts the rim to the wheel. SAM You want to get out of here before noon, maybe you should lend me a hand. Clay, the cigarette dangling from his lips, moves over to the table, picks up a hammer and helps Sam hammer the rim on the wheel. Steve stands watching. CLAY Rate you're goin', we'll be here until winter. Together they lift the wheel and plunge it into the tub of water. Steam rises to fill the blackened shed. SAM (amiably grumbling) Account of you, I miss out on the only excitement Aspen's had for months. CLAY You're too old to watch such goin's on. STEVE And I'm too young. Clay and Sam spin the wheel in the tub. CLAY That's right. STEVE I don't see no sense to makin' people leave town if they don't want to leave. SAM I don't either -- when people are that good-lookin'. Maybe that's why -- they were too good-lookin'. (philosophically) But there'll be others along to take their place after a while when this quiets down. And everything will be fine until some busybody starts stirring up trouble. CLAY (mildly) Don't you ever run down? SAM (to Steve) Some people just have to run other people's lives. Now take Clay. You want to amble up the street and see the fun and what does he say? CLAY (good-natured) You stick to your blacksmithin' and let me take care of Steve. From O.s. comes the SOUND of the approaching buckboard and crowd. Steve hears the noise and moves to the front of the shed. EXT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY MED. FULL SHOT - Steve's angle. Graham pulls his buckboard up, jumps out and hurries into the sheriff's office. Some kids run up to stand on the porch chattering excitedly. Members of the crowd straggle up. INT. BLACKSMITH SHOP - DAY ANGLED PAST Steve. Clay comes up to stand beside Steve. Sam joins them. Steve looks up at Clay hopefully. CLAY We'll both take a look. Anything's better than listenin' to Sam. (to Sam) Don't forget to shoe the mule. Clay and Steve exit. Sam looks after them, shrugs disgustedly and goes back to the wheel. EXT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY MED. SHOT - featuring buckboard. The crowd around the wagon stands in shocked silence looking at the bodies under the tarp. Clay and steve come up, glance in the buckboard and then at each other. Clay speaks to a man near him. CLAY Who are they? MAN Don't know. Graham brought 'em in. The sheriff calls from O.s. GARDNER'S VOICE Clay, come up here a minute. ANOTHER ANGLE FEATURING PORCH Sheriff Gardner, who has seen Clay through the window, comes out of his office on to the porch followed by Jeb Graham and a young deputy. In his hand Gardner holds the burned prison jacket. Clay goes up the steps to the porch. Steve follows to the foot of the steps to stand watching. The crowd around the wagon gives its attention to the men on the porch. MED. SHOT Gardner is neatly dressed with his star hidden under his coat. His deputy wears jeans, shirt, and leather jacket. CLAY Hello Graham -- Joe -- Mr. Gardner. GARDNER Graham's got something to tell you might interest you. GRAHAM (motioning toward wagon) Cal Forster and his sons. Somebody killed 'em. He pauses to let that sink in. GRAHAM You know that cottonwood grove on Alder Crick? They must have been eatin' breakfast the way it looked, sittin' by the fire eatin' breakfast and when I got there nothin' but them lyin' dead in their underdrawers. No horses or guns or grub. CLAY (shocked) Forster never did anyone any harm. (puzzled) But what's that got to do with me? I came into town from the south. Gardner holds out the burned jacket. GARDNER This was smoulderin' on the fire. Clay moves over to glance down at the jacket. CLAY I still don't see. From his pocket, Gardner takes several communications, thumbs through them and passes one over. It is a telegram, of the period. GARDNER I got it day before yesterday. Clay reads it. INSERT TELEGRAM OF THE PERIOD: SHERIFF GARDNER: ASPEN, NEV. BE ADVISED OF ESCAPE OF LEDNOV, PETERS AND McCALL CONVICTED MURDERERS SERVING LIFE TERMS. BELIEVED HEADED FOR CALIFORNIA. L.B. GROVE, WARDEN STATE PENITENTIARY NORTON, NEV. BACK TO SCENE. Clay hands the telegram back. GARDNER Now are you interested? Clay nods. GARDNER You should be. Maybe Lednov heard about that Sonora ranch of yours. CLAY Maybe he did. GARDNER We're going to look for him. Want to come along? CLAY I've got eleven horses to get over the mountains before snow catches me and covers the feed. GARDNER (dryly) And that's more important than finding Lednov? CLAY Like you said, maybe he knows where my ranch is. If he does, he'll be waiting on the porch. He turns toward the steps. GARDNER (with irony) I'll drop the sheriff in Sonora a line to sort of look around for him. Clay speaks over his shoulder as he goes down. CLAY Thanks. ANOTHER ANGLE As Clay starts away, Steve follows him. Clay doesn't cross to the blacksmith shop. He goes along the sidewalk toward the general store. Steve hurries to catch up with him. EXT. STREET - DAY MOVING SHOT. Clay, deep in thought, seems unaware of his brother at his side. STEVE Who's Lednov? CLAY A man I used to know. They walk in silence to the General store and Clay goes up the steps and across the porch. Steve follows close behind. FULL SHOT The store is a typical general store of the period, selling everything from buggies to baby clothes. In one corner is the postoffice. The storekeeper, Hayes, is unpacking a case of canned goods, stacking the cans on the shelf. Clay, followed by Steve, enters. Hayes glances over. MED. SHOT Clay crosses to the shelf where the rifle and shotgun shells are kept and takes down a half dozen boxes of 30 30 cartridges. HAYES Forget somethin', Clay? CLAY Shells. How much for six boxes? HAYES Six times six bits. But wait until I finish this. Besides Clay, Steve is inspecting a rack of guns. STEVE You might tell a fellow things, 'specially if the fellow's your brother, seems to me. CLAY Like what? Steve picks up a rifle, puts it to his shoulder and squints along the barrel. STEVE Like why you're buyin' a whole slew of 30 30 shells all of a sudden. CLAY I don't want to run short. STEVE You never said this Lednov's name before, that I can remember. CLAY No call to. That jail looked pretty solid to me. (pointing to rifle) How's she feel? STEVE Nice. He pulls the hammer back and snaps the trigger. Hayes comes across and takes the gun from him. HAYES You know bettern' to do that, Steve. Unless you're figurin' on buyin' it. CLAY One he's got, more his size. STEVE But it's leaded up and anyway a 22's no good for real huntin'. You shoot a man with a 22 and where are you? CLAY The thing to do is stick to rabbits. He hands Hayes some money for the shells. Hayes crosses to another part of the store to get change. Clay and Steve, who has picked up the rifle again, move over to the counter. ANOTHER ANGLE STEVE What was he in jail for? CLAY You sure worry that bone. He killed a fellow. STEVE In a fight? CLAY The other fellow wasn't even lookin'. STEVE This is an awful nice gun. (sighting it) Certainly come in handy when there's men around who shoot people that aren't lookin'. Clay grins. Hayes comes up with the change. Clay takes out some bills and gives them to the storekeeper. CLAY (points to rifle) I may as well buy it for him. Otherwise he'll be crying all the way over the hill. Steve's expression shows his gratitude and delight. He covers up with banter. STEVE You must be plenty worried about Lednov sneakin' up on us. (hopefully) Think he will? CLAY Yes. STEVE At the ranch maybe? CLAY Maybe at the ranch. Maybe sooner than that. STEVE (annoyed) Do you have to be so close-mouthed? I'm your brother. And I'm ridin' with you. Remember? CLAY (smiling) All right. I'll tell you. He puts one of the boxes of shells on the end of the counter. MED. CLOSE - DOWN ANGLE CLAY Let's say this is the penitentiary. He reaches down into one of the barrels in front of the counter. The barrels are filled with beans, nails, dried apples, hardtack, etc. Clay takes a handful of beans and makes a trail ending in a little pile. CLAY Here's Alder Crick. He puts another box of shells on the other side of the counter. CLAY And here we are in Aspen. He runs a trail of beans away from "Aspen" toward the end of the counter. He runs another trail from "Alder Crick" to cross the Aspen trail. He puts another box of shells on the far end of the counter. CLAY That's Sonora. He reaches down without looking and brings up a hardtack. CLAY motioning) Lednov gets out of jail and comes along here to Alder Crick. Then goes along here toward the Sonora road. Clay drops the hardtack back from where the bean trails cross. CLAY That's Lednov! (tracing) We come along here. STEVE (pointing) And meet him there. CLAY Unless the sheriff gets too close and he holes up. He holds out his hand and Hayes hands him his change. CLAY So let's go. Steve tucks his gun under his arm. As he passes the counter, he picks up the hardtack and starts eating it. EXT. GENERAL STORE MED. SHOT - ANGLED TOWARD Sheriff's office. Up the street men are gathering around the sheriff's office. Some are mounted. Some are tightening their cinches. Clay and Steve come out of the store to look up the street. Steve munches the hardtack. STEVE (motioning) Sure a lot of guys lookin' for Lednov. CLAY Yeah -- and Lednov's only lookin' for one man. Me. STEVE Why? CLAY He doesn't like me. What you eatin'? STEVE Lednov. He glances at the remaining piece of hardtack and then pitches it away. STEVE I don't like him. Clay laughs. As they start up the street, the sheriff mounts his horse and, followed by his men, rides forward. DISSOLVE EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY CLOSE SHOT. A woman's hat lies on the rocky earth. It is a big, elaborate affair. O.s. there is the SOUND of hoofbeats, the SQUEAL of a wagon brake and the JANGLE of harness. CAMERA PULLS BACK and ANGLE WIDENS to reveal Clay's wagon coming down a very steep hill. Steve is driving, holding tightly to the reins and riding the brake. Seeing the hat, he yells to Clay. STEVE Another one, Clay. Clay rides over and, swinging down, picks it up. MED. SHOT ANGLED DOWN hill. The road twists tortuously down. Near the bottom it swings sharply at right angles into a dry wash. The banks shut out further view of the road. Near where the road turns a trunk lies at the side. It has broken open and some of the contents are spilled out in the dust. Clay rides to it, reins in his horse and looks down. Steve, with difficulty, pulls the mules to a stop alongside. ANOTHER ANGLE featuring trunk and wagon. Clay swings out of his saddle, starts tossing the clothes back in the trunk. Steve jumps down. STEVE They sure must have been travelin'. This keeps up we can start a store. CLAY Things get tough next winter, you'll have somethin' to wear. Steve holds up a petticoat close to his body and grins. STEVE I'd look good doin' the ploughin' in this. Clay takes it from him, puts it in the trunk and shuts the lid. Steve helps him hoist the trunk into the wagon bed. Steve gets back in the seat. Just as Clay is about to mount, he stops and picks up a small folding daguerrotype case delicately ornamented. He lifts his eyebrow, tucks the case into his pocket, then mounts and starts ahead around the bend. MED. LONG SHOT Clay's ANGLE. Ahead, off the road in the wash is the surrey that passed Graham's buckboard at the fork. Clay spurs his horse forward. MED. SHOT on surrey. The back wheel is broken and the bed of the surrey rests on the ground. The horses have been taken from the traces and stand dejectedly in the hot sun. A blanket is spread in the scant shade thrown by the surrey. On it lies Elaine and, sitting beside her, is Marcia. A damp cloth is spread across Elaine's forehead. A water bag hangs from the surrey. Elaine's head is pillowed on a dainty satin cushion. Helen and Mary have risen at Clay's approach and now stand by the road. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay gallops forward to pull up near the surrey. In the b.g. Steve drives the wagon around the bend. Clay dismounts. MED. GROUP SHOT Clay drops his reins and hurries up. CLAY Anybody hurt? MARY No. We came down the hill a little fast and... (rueful) ...the wheel broke. (hopefully) Can you fix it for us? Clay bends over Elaine. CLAY What's the matter with her? MARY (dryly) Too much excitement. How about the surrey. Can you fix it? Clay turns from Elaine and gives his attention to the surrey. ANOTHER ANGLE on rear of surrey. In the B.g. Steve pulls the wagon to a stop, jumps off, and comes running over. STEVE Jimininy. You sure were lucky, just bustin' a wheel. Helen moves toward Clay. She miles without humor. HELEN (rubbing thigh) You think that'sall we busted -- You should see... Clay stops her with a look, goes around, and kicks the unbroken back wheel. The spokes rattle. CLAY This must have been in the family a long time. MARY (dryly) It was a gift from the citizens of Aspen. I'm Mary Wells. She looks at him to see if the name registers. MARY And this is Helen Carter. CLAY I'm Clay Phillips. (motioning) My brother Steve. Steve tugs at his battered hat. STEVE (shy) Pleased to meet you, ma'am. (brightly) We found your trunk. Were you doin' the driven'? MARY I was at first. Then I was hanging on. (to Clay) Are you going far? CLAY Yes, ma'am. MARY As far as -- Sonora? CLAY Just about. Mary and Helen exchange glances. MARY We're going to Sonora, too, so that solves everything. Clay takes the makings from his pocket, starts to roll a cigarette. MARY We can ride in your wagon. Steve looks at Clay hopefully. He likes the prospect of having these lovely women along. MARY We wouldn't think of asking you to take us for nothing. Clay finishes the cigarette, starts to put the makings back. Mary holds out her hand. Clay gives her the makings. Mary speaks as she casually rolls a cigarette. MARY There's only four of us. Clay motions to the remuda that grazes in the b.g. CLAY I've got eleven horses. STEVE (proudly) Morgan blood. The beat in Nevada. Clay and me have a place on the Toulomne River. We're going to raise horses like these. Mary has finished rolling her cigarette. She passes the bag to Helen, who starts rolling one. MARY They won't be riding in the wagon. CLAY (dryly) Did you ever try taking a bunch of horses over Sonora Pass? It's quite a job. MARY You can't leave us here. CLAY Course I can't. I'll give you a lift to the first ranch. Helen has finished her cigarette. She passes the makings to Steve. He hesitates, looks at his brother and, when he sees Clay is occupied with Mary, starts rolling one. MARY What good is it going to do us to go to some ranch? CLAY (amiably) You can stay here if you like. MARY We have to get to Sonora. There are jobs waiting for us there. We'll pay you for your trouble. CLAY I'm not running a stage line, ma'am, and I can't take a chance on losing the horses. Steve finishes his cigarette. Again he hesitates, then not wanting to seem young in front of these women he takes a bold step and lights it. Clay reaches over and takes it from him. Mary watches the byplay. CLAY When you're old enough to smoke, I'll tell you. (kind) Get the horses started on ahead, will you, Steve? Steve, embarrassed and hurt, turns quickly away. Helen looks after the boy. HELEN Afraid it will stop him growin'? CLAY (turning) Let's get your stuff in the wagon. Like I said, I'll take you to the first ranch. I wish I could carry you all the way, but I can't. It's a tough trip and women would be in the way. MARY (dryly) Our kind of women? CLAY (ignores that) You'll have to drive -- except down hill. He lifts some things out of the surrey and carries them toward the wagon. HELEN Maybe you're going about this all wrong. Why not try telling him we'll do the cookin' and mendin' and washin' for him. That usually works. (then shocked at the thought) Yeah, but suppose he took us up on it. Where would we be? MARY Maybe in Sonora. She starts around the surrey. Helen follows. Clay bends over Elaine. CLAY What's the matter with her? MARY (dryly) Too much excitement. Or maybe it's just the heat. How about the surrey. Can you fix it? As Clay turns from Elaine, Marcia joins the other two, their attention on Clay and the surrey. Left alone, Elaine is suddenly alert and no longer sick. She glances around, then unobserved slides out from under the shade of the surrey. ANOTHER ANGLE on rear of surrey. In the B.g. Steve pulls the wagon to a stop, jumps off, and comes running over. Elaine stands for a moment, searching the ground with her eyes. STEVE Jiminy. You sure were lucky, just bustin' a wheel. Helen moves toward Clay. She smiles without humor. With this new diversion, Elaine, still unnoticed, starts away -- back toward where they dropped the trunk. HELEN (rubbing thigh) You think that's all we busted -- You should see... MARY (sees Elaine) Now where's she goin'? -- ELAINE (half-turns without stopping) I -- lost something. CLAY It wouldn't happen to be this... Elaine stops now and turns as Clay takes the folding daguerrotype case from his pocket. Elaine, her eyes wide and frightened, starts back as Mary takes the case from Clay and opens it. MARY Who's the old folks? ELAINE (frantic) Give it to me! She jerks the case from Mary's hands, snaps it shut, and stands staring at Mary with a strange mixture of fright, anger and hysteria. Mary glances around as if to say what- did-I-do? To cover the embarrassed silence, Clay kicks the unbroken back wheel. The spokes rattle. CLAY This must have been in the family a long time. Elaine glances at him as though he had insulted her, turns and starts toward the blanket again. MARY (dryly) It was a gift from the citizens of Aspen. I'm Mary Wells. She looks at him to see if the name registers. At the surrey side, Elaine is abruptly weak again. She leans against it for support. Mareia moves to her as she slides back down on the blanket, clutching the case. MARY And this is Helen Carter. CLAY I'm Clay Phillips. (motioning) My brother Steve. Steve tugs at his battered hat. STEVE (shy) Pleased to meet you, ma'am. (brightly) We found your trunk. Were you doin' the drivin'? ANOTHER ANGLE Mary and Helen come around the end of the surrey to where Elaine lies. Mary bends beside the sick girl and lifts the cloth from the girl's forehead. MARY Come on, Honeybunch. We're changing trains. The sick girl sits up. She looks around her dully. MARY A nice, kind wrangler is letting us ride in his wagon... Assisted by Mary, Elaine gets to her feet. Mary puts her arm around her. MARY ...as far as the first ranch. From then on -- Elaine stops. She looks fearfully up at Helen. ELAINE What ranch? MARY What's the difference? She tries to lead the girl toward the wagon. ELAINE (fierce) Ask him what ranch -- MARY There's plenty of time for that. (sharp) Come on, now. You've got to lie down out of this sun. Stop worrying. I'll find out what ranch after a while. She pulls the girl with her toward the wagon. MED. SHOT on wagon. Clay, in the wagon bed, is stowing his gear in the back. Mary, supporting Elaine, reaches the wagon. Seeing the girls, Clay reaches down and gently lifts Elaine up. Mary climbs in beside him. MED. CLOSE wagon bed. Clay has unrolled a bedroll under the seat where there is a little shade. CLAY (kind) Stretch out under the seat, Miss. ELAINE (desperate) Which ranch? CLAY How's that? MARY She's worried about where you're taking us. As she speaks, Mary helps the girl down under the seat, then rises to face Clay. MARY (dryly) So am I. CLAY It's a nice place owned by an old couple named Wyatt. CLOSE SHOT Elaine as she hears the name. She is shocked. CLAY'S VOICE They'll take you in until you can make other arrangements. TWO SHOT Clay and Mary. Clay vaults out of the wagon, CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS, he looks up. CLAY So both of you stop worrying. He turns away and hurries back to the surrey. DISSOLVE EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY FULL SHOT. Dust rises over the road as the cavalcade moves forward. Clay, rifle across his lap, rides in front. The wagon, with Mary driving and Helen beside her on the seat, follows. The two horses that pulled the surrey are tied to the tail gate. Then comes the remuda with Steve bringing up the rear. CLOSE SHOT Marcia and Elaine. PROCESS. Marcia sits in the bed of the wagon looking back. Elaine lies under the seat. CLOSE SHOT Steve. Steve proudly carries his new rifle across his lap. He whistles happily as he scans the desert country hopefully for the enemy. EXT. CAMP SITE - LATE AFTERNOON FULL SHOT. Long shadows of the hills lie on the grassy meadow along the stream that is bordered by cottonwoods and willows. A knoll overlooks the camp site. The caravan can be seen as it halts in the lush grass a few yards from the stream. The girls sit lifelessly on the wagon; they seem too tired to dismount. Then, finally, Marcia helps Elaine to climb stiffly down. With the exception of Mary they all let themselves down in the grass. Mary walks to the head of the team and starts fumbling with the harness. Steve comes into the scene, dismounts quickly and pulls the saddle off his horse. The remuda has fanned out, the horses moving toward the water. Steve crosses to Mary and takes over the job of unbuckling the harness. Mary smiles gratefully and rubs her hand across her face. CLAY'S VOICE Steve, see the horses don't drink too much -- Steve straightens, looks towards the horses and moves off. He speaks to Mary over his shoulder. STEVE Leave that unharnessing for me, Ma'am. Mary smiles after him, then moves across the grass, CAMERA DOLLYING AHEAD of her. She sinks to her knees in the patch of sand by the stream and leans down and puts her face under the water. Then, sitting up, she wipes the water and dust from her face with a handkerchief. Clay rides up from behind, dismounts, scoops up some water from the river in the brim of his hat and drinks it. For a second he watches Mary. CLAY There's a place down a ways, where you and the girls can wash some of that dust off. Mary's manner is business-like. She and the girls are along for the ride. She wants no favors -- wants to do her part. MARY Thanks. And isn't there something we can do about supper -- or making the beds? CLAY (half-smile) Steve and me, we use a saddle for a pillow and roll up in a tarp. MARY (curt) But you eat, don't you? CLAY Mostly, we open a can of beans and boil some coffee. MARY Where do you keep the can opener? CLAY In the grub box. (softening) Toward morning the dew gets kind of heavy so maybe you better fix up a bed under the wagon. Spread some bunch grass under the tarp and the ground won't be so hard. He turns and leads his horse back to the wagon, stands there unsaddling it. Mary rises. MARY Marcia -- all of you. Come on. She starts downstream. MED. SHOT ANGLED PAST wagon. Clay tosses the saddle into the wagon bed, slaps his mare on the rump. She trots off. Climbing up on the wheel, he gets the grub box under the seat and lifts it down. Steve comes from out of scene and starts unharnessing the team. STEVE (trying to be casual) Where'd they go? CLAY Swimming. Clay comes past him, carrying the grub box. He puts it down near where some stones make a crude firebox. STEVE It's sort of nice having company along. Not so lonesome. Clay squats by the stones and starts building a fire. CLAY When you get the team watered, rustle up some wood. He fans the small flame with his hat. Steve leads the mules down toward the stream. MED. SHOT ANGLED PAST Clay. In the B.g. Steve stands by the stream, letting the team drink. O.s. the women can be heard laughing and splashing. Steve gives all his attention to what is going on downstream. Clay puts wood on the fire, opens the grub box. He sees Steve, takes the coffee pot out of the box and heads for the stream. MED. LONG SHOT ANGLED PAST Steve downstream. Behind the willows the girls are bathing. However they are too far away to be seen clearly and the willows make a fairly effective screen. Clay walks upstream and fills the coffee pot, then comes back to stand for a moment beside Steve. Steve, who hadn't seen Clay until now, suddenly gets very busy giving all his attention to the mules. STEVE (to mules) You boys have had enough. He jerks them from the water and leads them away. Clay frowns after him, then goes back to the wagon. MED. SHOT on wagon and fire. As Clay passes the wagon, he reaches into the bed and gets a couple of strips of scrap iron. These he carries to the fire. He puts the iron strips across the blaze, sets the coffee pot on, feeds the fire with some more wood, then going back to the wagon, he takes his rifle out, throws a shell into the chamber and starts off up the knoll. DISSOLVE EXT. KNOLL - NIGHT MED. SHOT. It is a moonlight night. Clay squats on his heels, smoking. The rifle lies across his knees. Below can be seen the campfire, and the shadowy forms of the girls as with Steve's help they make up a bed under the wagon and cook the evening meal. Clay suddenly reacts as O.s. a horse whinnies. Standing he looks off into the darkness. LONG SHOT ANGLED PAST Clay. In the moonlight the trail stretches back over rolling hills. Faintly can be heard the SOUND of hoofbeats. Below, where the remuda grazes, a horse whinnies again. Clay moves down toward the camp. MED. SHOT the camp. As Clay approaches. Steve squats by the fire. He has spread out a tarp in the circle of firelight and Mary is setting the tin plates, cups, etc., out. Elaine, a blanket around her, sits near the fire. She looks tired and ill. Marcia and Helen are struggling with bed-making under the wagon. HELEN'S VOICE And I'm the girl who used to complain to my mother about helping with the wash. Steve and Mary look up as Clay strides up. Clay starts kicking dirt over the fire. CLAY Get your rifle. Steve jumps up and hurries to the wagon. Clay continues kicking dirt over the fire. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT - (MOONLIGHT) LONG SHOT - ANGLES PAST horseman. The horseman, who has been approaching from the east, tops a rise and looks off at the camp. He is a shadowy figure in the palo dark. For a moment, as the fire still blazes, figures are visible in the camp. Then the fire goes out. The horseman dismounts, pulling his rifle from his scabbard. Moving to his horse's head he puts a hand on the animal's nostrils. He looks toward the camp for a moment then starts cautiously along the road. EXT. ROAD - NIGHT - (MOONLIGHT) MED. SHOT - ANGLED THROUGH willows PAST Clay and Steve. The brothers have taken up a post overlooking the road. The horseman walks cautiously toward them. He stops, listening. Then he drops his reins and comes forward stealthily. The horse stands. MED. CLOSE SHOT Clay and Steve. Steve, finger on trigger gives Clay a questioning glance. Clay shakes his head. CLAY (calling) Hold it. ANOTHER ANGLE on road. The man, now seen clearly for the first time, stops. He is Jim Clayton, a man in his twenties, chunky, round-faced, stolid and not too imaginative. He wears the well-worn jeans and blue shirt of the farmer. Clay and Steve come out of the willows toward him. Both have their rifles ready. CLAY Drop your gun. Clayton hesitates, then lets his rifle butt drop to the road. CLAYTON (mildly) Drop yours. I'm gunshy. CLAY Then don't come sneakin' around a man's camp. CLAYTON A fellow sees a fire go out all of a sudden, he don't take chances. My name's Clayton and I'm looking for someone. Clay and Steve lower their rifles. CLAYTON I found their surrey -- CLAY So did I. They were in it. CLAYTON She's a friend -- took off this morning sort of sudden while I wasn't around. Clay moves closer and extends his hand. They shake. CLAY (very cordial) I'm glad you came along. (introducing) My brother, Steve. I'm Phillips. Steve shakes Jim's hand. CLAY I gave the girls a lift. Didn't know what else to do with them. Get your horse and come on. Clayton turns back toward his horse. Clay and Steve wait for him. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT - (MOONLIGHT) MED. SHOT - ANGLED BACK ALONG the trail. Mary and Helen, tense and worried, stand at the edge of the camp, looking off. Marcia is with Elaine under the wagon. From o.s. comes the SOUND of men's voices. Clay, Steve and Clayton, leading his horse, come into view. CLOSE SHOT ON WAGON Marcia kneeling on the tarp by Elaine, is staring ahead. Suddenly her face lights up. She springs to her feet. MARCIA'S ANGLE Clay, Steve and Jim are now close to Mary. CLAY (genial) Here's a man says he's looking for you girls. CLAYTON Hello, Miss Wells. Hearing his voice, Marcia runs toward them. GROUP SHOT Marcia throws herself into Jim's arms. MARCIA Jim. MED. CLOSE Clayton kisses her. CLAYTON I was roundin' up some stock. That's why I didn't come sooner. Marcia hugs him. In the B.g. Clay goes over to the fire, kicks the dirt off the embers and piles on wood. The fire flares up. CLAYTON What do you mean running off without a word. TWO SHOT Mary and Helen. MARCIA'S VOICE I didn't know who to tell, it all happened so sudden, those people comin' and throwin' us out on the street. JIM'S VOICE Don't you think about it, darlin'. Don't you think about anythin' but us. HELEN (quietly) Looks like we lose a good piano player. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS as Marcia and Jim come forward. The fire now burns briskly. Clay rejoins the group. MARCIA (happily) Jim came after me, Mary. MARY (dryly) I see he did. HELEN With a milk pail in one hand and a marriage license in the other. MARY (sharp) Why didn't you say you wanted to get married back in Aspen. I told the man in Sonora there were four of us. If only three show up, he might call the whole deal off. We've got to stick together. Like we've always done. MARCIA I've got a chance to get married. MARY (quickly) That's what I'm gettin' at. It never works. Don't forget we were thrown out of Aspen. MARCIA Jim doesn't care, do you, Jim? Mary speaks before Jim can answer. MARY But Jim isn't the only one you're marrying. He has folks and friends. What are they going to say? And how're they going to feel? I tell you, it won't work. The joy goes out of Marcia's expression. She looks up at Jim, her eyes begging him to tell her it will work. Jim, a naturally shy man, loses his tongue momentarily. Clay jumps into the breach. CLAY Of course it'll work. You can get another girl to fill out the act. MARY (ignoring him) And look at it this way. How about Jim -- it puts him in a sort of tough spot. JIM I know what I'm doing. My folks got nothin' to do with it -- MARY You've talked this over with them? JIM They know about Marcia. MARY (quickly) And they don't like the idea! CLAY Suppose they don't. This is his problem. He's over twenty-one. He wants to marry Marcia and Marcia wants to marry him so let 'em alone. Mary turns on Clay. TWO SHOT Clay and Mary. The others in the b.g. MARY If you were in his shoes would you take one of us home? CLAY I'm not in his shoes, so leave me out of it. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS as he turns back to the fire, embarrassed by the spot he's in, and throws wood on it, Mary watching him. Steve comes over to Mary. STEVE (friendly) I would! Clay swings around and comes back. CLAY (hurriedly; smiles) Steve maybe you better get some wood for the fire. MARY Would you, Mr. Phillips? CLAY (to Steve) Go on, there's a good boy. Clay gives Steve a gentle push. Steve exits. MARY (bitter) Don't you want him to hear your answer? Well, I know what it is. For the other fellow it's all right -- but not you. All you want is to get rid of one of us. JIM Wait a minute. Jim, his arm around Marcia, moves closer. Helen is in the B.g., watching. JIM No need of you two arguin' about this. We know what we want to do, and nothin' either of you says makes any difference. We want to go home -- tonight. (to Clay) Will you sell me one of your horses? CLAY I'm sorry. I can't do that. I went a long way to get those horses. JIM All right, we'll ride double. Come on, Marcia. Taking her arm he leads her to where the horse stands at the edge of the camp. ANOTHER ANGLE featuring Marcia and Jim. In the B.g. Mary comes after them. MARY No need to do that, Marcia. Jim and Marcia turn. MARY We've got two horses and they're four of us. So half of one of 'em is yours. (smiling) The other half's a wedding present. Marcia comes over to hug Mary. As Marcia and Jim leave, Mary moves to Clay. MARY Big-hearted fella. Can't see young love thwarted -- especially if it makes one less girl to worry about. That's all you really want, isn't it. DISSOLVE EXT. CAMP SITE - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Mary stands in the moonlight by the wagon, looking out across the meadow. Below, near the creek, the horses graze. There is the soft jangle of a bell as the bell mare moves her head. Clay comes walking up from the creek, rifle in hand. He passes without noticing Mary. Mary turns. REVERSE SHOT Mary in close F.g. The campfire burns low. Steve lies on his stomach close to it. Clay stops beside him to glance down, then moves on to sit on a rock above the fire. Mary starts toward the fire. MED. CLOSE Steve. Open in front of him is a copy of Leslie's Weekly, a woman's journal: pictures of baby basinettes, whale-bone corsets, fancy oil lamps, etc. Mary comes into scene to stand above him, looking down. Steve glances up and smiles. MARY Is that your kind of reading, Steve? STEVE I can't read, Ma'am. I just look at the pictures. MED. SHOT ANGLED DOWN PAST Clay. MARY You can't read? She glances up where Clay sits. MARY Your brother's always looked after you, hasn't he? STEVE Since I can remember, Ma'am. MARY But he just never troubled to have you get any schooling? CLOSE SHOT Clay. He listens, perturbed. MED. SHOT Mary and Steve. STEVE It wasn't Clay's fault. We've been moving around most all the time -- mebbe when we get the ranch and stay in one place I can learn my letters then -- MARY Don't you even know your letters? CLOSE SHOT Clay. He winces at! STEVE'S VOICE No, Ma'am. MED. SHOT Mary, Steve and Clay. Behind them, Clay rises and comes down nearer the fire. MARY Would you like to learn them? STEVE I sure would. MARY Maybe I could start you out. STEVE That'd be swell. (shyly) You know, you're an awful lot different than I thought you'd be. She gives him a quick look of inquiry. STEVE You're so nice. MARY Did someone say I wasn't nice? STEVE Oh no. Nobody said nothing to me. Only I got the idea that -- well Clay and me used to be walking through town and there was your place and through the window I could see you dancing, but Clay always took me over to the other side of the street. CLAY (interrupting) Time to go to bed, Steve. Steve looks up, then rises reluctantly. STEVE Good night, Miss Wells. MARY Good night, Steve. Steve exits. Mary looks after him, then up at Clay. MARY (soft) There's a nice boy. CLAY Yeah. MARY (sharp) That why you always took him on the other side of the street? Clay kicks loose embers into the fire. MARY (sharper) Maybe I don't make the grade in some ways, but I know enough to teach a kid his letters. Clay turns from the fire to stand above her. CLAY (quiet) He doesn't know his letters, no -- but he knows the names of animals... he knows what roots to eat when you're clear out of food... He knows the difference between a possum and a coon just by lookin' at the tracks... more than most trappers know... and he can tell whether she'll rain or shine tomorrow by smelling the air tonight. There's a lot of things he doesn't know, I hope he'll never learn. He pauses, looking down. MARY Like what? CLAY (turning away) Like sticking his nose into other people's business. Clay moves out of the circle of firelight to stop and pick up his rifle, tarp and blanket, then climbs the knoll. Mary stares into the fire, then rising she starts toward the wagon. EXT. KNOLL - NIGHT - MOONLIGHT MED. SHOT. Clay reaches the top of the knoll and stands looking off. Below him the campfire burns low. Mary reaches the wagon. EXT. WAGON - MOONLIGHT - NIGHT MED. SHOT ANGLED PAST Mary TOWARD Clay. Mary stops, looking up. A match flares as Clay lights a cigarette. O.s. there is the SOUND of the bell mare's bell, the SOUND of horses moving restlessly. Mary turns, looks under the wagon. MED. CLOSE DOWN ANGLE Elaine is gone. Helen is asleep. Mary drops to her knees on the tarp and shakes Helen in wakefulness. MARY Where's Elaine? Helen sits up and looks over at Elaine's side of the bed. HELEN She was here a while ago. Mary straightens, moves down past the wagon, CAMERA PANNING WITH her. She calls softly. MARY (softly) Elaine! MED. CLOSE Clay. He looks down toward the wagon as Mary calls Elaine's name again, this time louder. MARY'S VOICE Elaine. (then) Clay -- Elaine's gone. Clay frowns, pitches his cigarette away and starts down toward the wagon. MED. CLOSE Steve. He is sitting up, pulling on his boots. From under the bedclothes he takes his rifle and starts toward the wagon. MED. SHOT wagon. Clay stands with Mary at the wagon as Steve comes up. Helen is sitting up in bed, a comforter pulled around her. HELEN She can't have gone far. I wasn't asleep long. CLAY What would she run off for? MARY (excited) Because she's sick. She starts away into the darkness. CLAY (sharp) Stay here. One woman wanderin' off's enough. Mary turns back. STEVE Don't you worry, Miss Wells. We'll find her. Clay picks up his saddle and bridle. CLAY (to Mary) Build the fire up and stick close to it. Come on, Steve. He starts down toward the meadow. Steve follows. Helen scrambles out from under the wagon. EXT. CREEK - NIGHT - MOONLIGHT Clay stops by the creek. Behind him the fire smoulders near the wagon. Mary's shadowy figure can be seen climbing the knoll where Clay's bedroll is. Helen is near the fire. CLAY (annoyed) Look around. She can't have gone far. Steve nods and splashes across the creek to follow the road leading west. Clay starts toward the meadow where the horses graze. EXT. ROAD - NIGHT - (MOONLIGHT) MED. SHOT. Steve moves slowly along the road away from camp. He is scanning the dust for Elaine's footprints. EXT. KNOLL - NIGHT - (MOONLIGHT) LONG SHOT - ANGLED PAST Mary. Mary stands on the knoll looking off. Far below, in the meadow, Clay saddles his horse. MARY (calling) Elaine -- Elaine -- Elaine. EXT. MEADOW - NIGHT - MOONLIGHT MED. SHOT. Clay swings into the saddle, and rides east. O.s. Mary calls: MARY'S VOICE Elaine -- Elaine. As the call echoes across the hills. DISSOLVE EXT. DESERT - NIGHT - (MOONLIGHT) MED. SHOT. This is rough country, the rocky hills covered sparsely with scrub pinon pine and brush. Steve stands on a rise. He looks around for a moment, then turning starts back down the slope. Suddenly he stops and listens, as from O.s. comes the SOUND of distant sobbing. CLOSE SHOT Steve. He listens, trying to locate the sound then he hurries down into a dry wash. EXT. WASH Steve crashes through the brush into the wash, to stop beside Elaine who sits with her head buried in her arms, sobbing. MED. CLOSE Steve and Elaine. Steve drops on his knees beside her. Elaine doesn't look up. Steve shakes her. STEVE Ma'am -- you shouldn't have run off like that. Why I was just about to give up lookin'. Come on, now. Elaine doesn't move. STEVE You can't stay here. There's snakes and it's cold and you'll just get sicker. ELAINE I don't care. STEVE Suppose that Lednov was to have found you, instead of me. Why you wouldn't have had a chance. ELAINE (sharp) I said I didn't care. STEVE What's botherin' you, anyway? He pulls her up. STEVE Runnin' off and worryin' people. Makin' it tougher on Clay than it is already. ELAINE (hysterical) Don't ask me because I won't tell you! I won't tell anybody! Go away! STEVE Don't act so -- crazy. ELAINE (dully) I'm sorry. Let's go. STEVE (relieved) That's a good girl. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS as he tucks her arm in the crook of his own and starts up the other side of the wash. ANOTHER ANGLE Steve, holding Elaine's arm, scrambles up the bank and through the brush. STEVE That's it. Watch out where you're steppin' -- He stops and looks off. Faintly O.s. is heard the SOUND of hoofbeats. STEVE That oughta be -- (then sharp) Down. He shoves the girl down. LONG SHOT their ANGLE. Over a hill comes a horseman to be followed by another and then a third. CLOSE SHOT Steve and Elaine. STEVE Lednov -- Excitedly he swings the rifle to his shoulder and fires. EXT. DESERT - NIGHT - MOONLIGHT FULL SHOT - Clay reins his horse in and turns to look off in the direction from which the shot came. Faintly o.s. another shot echoes across the hills, then another and another. Clay spurs his horse and gallops off. EXT. HILLTOP - NIGHT - MOONLIGHT Clay gallops up the hill to rein his horse in suddenly. MED. LONG SHOT his ANGLE. Riding toward him are several horsemen. The horses move at a walk. One carries a double burden. Steve walks along behind. Clay spurs his horse and rides down toward them. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay, in the B.g., comes down the hill. The horsemen, seven of them, with Sheriff Gardner in the lead, followed by a deputy, carrying Elaine in front of him, file past camera. Steve, hands in his pockets, walks dejectedly in the dust cloud kicked up by the horses. MED. SHOT featuring Clay and Gardner. Clay reins in his horse beside Gardner, who also stops. The others rein in. Steve stops a short distance away. GARDNER Want to take her off our hands? Clay rides closer. The deputy rides forward and lifts Elaine into his arms. Clay settles her in front of him. CLAY Who shot who? GARDNER Nobody. The light was bad. There are two rifles in his saddle holster. He pulls Steve's out, hands it over. GARDNER Steve's! Clay shoves it in his saddle holster. GARDNER What's she doin' runnin' around the country at night. CLAY I wouldn't know. Did you ask her? GARDNER All I can get out of her is she don't care about livin'. CLAY Look of things, she doesn't. GARDNER Yeah. Keep a closer eye on her -- (motioning to Steve) And him. Shootin' going on, we'll never find Lednov. He wheels his horse and rides off, followed by the others Clay watches him go. Reluctantly Steve moves slowly up to stand near Clay. STEVE There was only three of them at first. I guess I lost my head. CLAY (dryly) How'd you happen to miss? STEVE They were quite a ways off and the wind was blowin'. I didn't have them to aim. CLAY Good thing you didn't. He reins his horse around. STEVE Clay -- Clay looks back. STEVE A man can't help gettin' excited once in a while. CLAY That's right, Steve. STEVE Can I have my gun back? CLAY Sure. You'll find it under the wagon seat. Like I said before, a twenty- two's more your size. FADE OUT EXT. TRAIL - DAY FADE IN EXTREME LONG SHOT. West are the Sierras and clouds are piled in untidy heaps on the range. The dusty trail runs through rolling country. Pinon pine and brush clothe the slopes. The wagon and horses are the moving center of a white cloud of dust. FULL SHOT Clay's party. Clay rides in the lead. The wagon follows and Steve is riding beside the wagon. Behind is the remuda, and the horses are straying off the road in search of grass. MED. SHOT wagon - (MOVING). Featuring Steve and Mary. Elaine lies under the seat and Helen sits beside her. Steve is reciting the alphabet to a simple melody usually sung by children of six or seven. STEVE (stumbles embarrassedly) Gee, I can't. MARY Why not? You went farther than that last time. STEVE I'm too old for it, Miss Wells... That's for little kids. MARY Don't be silly... Nobody's too old to learn. STEVE (resolutely) Okay. A-B-C -- D-E-F -- G-H-I -- CLOSE SHOT Clay. He turns in his saddle where he rides ahead of the team. He notices Steve riding at Mary's side and reins in his horse. CLAY (mildly) Oh, Steve! MED. SHOT Steve and Mary. Steve stops his letters. looks off. The wagon moves up to Clay and stops. CLAY Get back to the horses. They're straggling. MARY He's learning his letters. CLAY Yeah. While the horses wander all over the country. Steve hesitates hoping he'll change his mind. CLAY (sternly) Do like I said. Steve wheels his horse and rides back. Mary looks over at Clay. MARY (dryly) Learnin' to read has nothing to do with the right or the wrong side of the street. CLAY (motioning) Are the horses stragglin' or aren't they? MARY (after a backward glance) They're stragglin'. CLAY His letters will keep. He wheels his horse and rides after Steve. ANOTHER ANGLE Steve is driving the horses back into the road. Clay rides up to help him. The horses fall in behind the wagon. Steve takes up his position in the rear. Clay rides over beside him. MED. SHOT CLAY AND STEVE. (MOVING) CLAY Steve -- I want you to learn to read. I meant to teach you but I never seemed to find time. I figured when we got settled on the ranch we'd get around to it. They ride in silence for a moment. CLAY It's all right with me if she teaches you, but I don't want you forgettin' your job. STEVE (flat) I won't again. ANOTHER ANGLE One of the horses strays out of line and Clay rides out and gets the animal back in the road. Then he returns to Steve. TWO SHOT - (MOVING) CLAY This isn't like other trips we've taken. For one thing, we've got a wagonload of women. For another there's a guy wanderin' around hopin' to put a bullet in my back. Steve looks over at his brother and finds a wry grin. STEVE Okeh, I was wrong. But you can't expect a fellow who never saw Lednov and never heard his name until a while ago to do too much worryin'. You've been sorta close mouthed about him. CLAY I guess I have. You were pretty little when they locked him up. I don't suppose you even remember that time I was gone two months. STEVE Sure I remember. You went to Mexico lookin' for cattle. CLAY (nods; then, after a moment) You remember Jeff Rawson? -- We used to go fishing and hunting with him when you were so high. STEVE (offended) Sure I do. Went off down to Mexico or something... CLAY That's what I told you then. Only he didn't. Lednov killed him. STEVE Oh... that's the time you went away. CLAY (nods) I caught up with Lednov in Nogales. He didn't like the idea of comin' back across the border but he came. I turned him over to the sheriff and -- that's the story. STEVE (looking off) Maybe you shoulda killed him. CLAY Maybe I should. But I was never much on killin'. Anyway, he moved too quick and I just got him through the shoulder. (glances off) Looks pretty peaceful up ahead. STEVE Yeah, it does. CLAY But you never can tell. Why don't you get that new rifle out of the wagon? Steve smiles warmly at him. CLAY And while you're there you might as well find out what comes after K. DISSOLVE EXTREME LONG SHOT Cavalcade. It moves through dry barren hills. Far off, the Sierras rise against the sky Thunder heads are piled in untidy heaps on the range. DISSOLVE OUT EFFECT SHOT DISSOLVE IN sky. Dark rain clouds blown by a high wind. SOUND of thunder. FULL SHOT rain -- the caravan. Clay leads it through a rain that has filled the ruts in the trail, soaked the horses to glistening black -- and obscures all view of the country through which they are passing. SOUND of rain falling is loud. Clay and Steve both wear slickers, gleaming from their shoulders to the rumps of their horses. Mary, a tarp around her shoulders, drives. Elaine and Helen huddle under a tarpaulin in the wagon bed. MED. CLOSE SHOT rain -- DOWN ANGLE -- wagon moving. Elaine sits up and, in her delirium, throws off the tarp. Helen tries to pull her down. HELEN (crying out) Elaine -- stop it -- CLOSE SHOT rain -- Clay. He wheels his horse at the SOUND of Helen's voice and rides back through the rain toward the wagon. MED. CLOSE SHOT rain -- wagon. Mary pulls on the reins and the mules stop. Twisting them around the whip-stock, she swings back into the wagon bed. She looks up at Clay. MARY She should be in bed where it's dry. In her anxiety, her tone is accusing. Clay drops the reins, climbs into the wagon and bends down beside Elaine. He puts his hand on her forehead. MED. CLOSE rain - DOWN ANGLE - featuring Clay and Mary. CLAY (dryly) Yes, Ma'am, she should... He starts fixing the tarp so it gives more protection to the sick girl. CLAY But the nearest shelter's the Wyatt ranch and that's maybe five hours away. MARY Can we get a doctor at that ranch? CLAY (straightening) No, Ma'am, we can't. We can get a roof and a fire and maybe Mrs. Wyatt knows something about taking care of sick people. ANOTHER ANGLE rain. Clay vaults out of the wagon and mounts his horse. Mary rises and climbs back into the seat. She lashes the mules with the reins. The wagon jolts forward. MED. CLOSE SHOT rain - ANGLED ACROSS seat - (MOVING). Clay rides alongside. Then, without a word, he strips off his slicker, tosses it on the seat and rides off. Mary looks after him, then at the slicker. She hesitates, not wanting to take favors from him. Then she pulls the slicker around her. Taking the whip, she hits the mules. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS and CAMERA HOLDS. The team breaks into a trot. The cavalcade moves away from camera through drenching rain. DISSOLVE EXT. WYATT RANCH - DAY LONG SHOT - ANGLED THROUGH gate in barbed wire fence. The ranch is nestled in a valley at the base of the Sierras. Green meadowland surrounds the farm buildings which consist of a cabin, barn and sheds, all in good repair and white- washed, as are the corral fences and the picket fence around the house, which stands in a clump of trees. The wind has pushed the clouds back over the hills, but far off there is still thunder. The gate in front f.g. is of barbed wire. It is closed. On the fence post a board is tacked. Neatly lettered on the board is the name: ED WYATT From o.s. comes the SOUND of horses moving restlessly and the creaking of saddle leather, as a man swings out of the saddle. Footsteps approach. A man's head and shoulders, back to camera, comes into scene. He unloops the strand of bailing wire and lets the gate fall open, then turns and we see his face. He is Lednov. His cheek and jowls have a dark growth of beard. He wears a black leather jacket and a wrangler's grey hat. The clothes Forster was wearing. As he moves back to his horse, CAMERA PULLS BACK and PANS AROUND. His companions, McCall and Peters, also wear black leather jackets, sombre, dusty pants and hats. They are mounted on matched roans. The horses are winded, lathered and dirty. It is obvious they have ridden hard. Lednov strides forward and as he reaches for the reins the horse shies away. Brutally he jerks on the reins. The horse rears. He snatches his hat from his head and whacks the horse across the nose. McCall rides over and grabs the reins. Lednov scrambles into the saddle. MED. SHOT ANGLED TOWARD gate. Lednov rides forward through the gate. His horse is limping badly. The others follow. They do not stop to put the gate back up. DISSOLVE EXT. TRAIL - DAY LONG SHOT. Clay's cavalcade moves forward along the trail. There are cloud patches overhead and faintly in the back country thunder rumbles. The mules pull the jolting wagons forward in a slow trot. Clay rides ahead. Steve and the remuda follow. DISSOLVE EXT. WYATT RANCH - DAY FULL SHOT. Lednov, McCall and Peters ride into the yard and up to the horses' trough. The horses plunge their muzzles deep into the trough. As the men dismount, Wyatt, a sinewy little man, hurries from the direction of the barn. MED. SHOT at horse trough. Wyatt, smiling his pleasure, comes up as the three men dismount. WYATT (happily) My name's Wyatt. Certainly glad you boys dropped in. He extends his hand to Lednov. Lednov ignores it. The three men are looking around them. Two work horses, fat and elderly, amble across the corral to nuzzle the roans through the fence. LEDNOV Those the only horses you got? Wyatt is a little taken aback by Lednov's manner. WYATT Why, yes. They're all I need... LEDNOV Mine's gone lame. Take a look at him. Wyatt frowns up at Lednov, angered by the order. LEDNOV Go on, we haven't got all day. McCall and Peters move closer to Wyatt, who glances around worriedly. Realizing he better do as he's told, he goes to the roan and rubs his ears. WYATT Whoa, boy. Let's have a look. Bending, he lifts the horse's hoof. Lednov, McCall and Peters watch him. He drops the hoof, straightens. WYATT He dropped a shoe. You shouldn't be ridin' him. LEDNOV Put on another one. WYATT That won't help the stone bruise. You ain't been around horses much, looks like. LEDNOV Will you quit gabbin' and do what you're told. Wyatt hesitates. Lednov steps toward him. WYATT (frightened, bewildered) All right, but it won't do much good. He picks up the roan's reins and starts leading him into the corral. Lednov, with a jerk of his thumb, indicates that McCall is to go with him. McCall follows. Lednov and Peters turn toward the house. ANOTHER ANGLE As Lednov and Peters start for the house, Mrs. Wyatt, a woman of about fifty, small, plump, browned from the sun and hard from work, comes out on the porch. She has taken off her apron and holds it in her hand. She smiles at the two men. MED. SHOT ANGLED PAST Mrs. Wyatt. She starts down the steps as Lednov and Peters come up. MRS. WYATT I was up to my elbows in flour when you boys rode up, that's why I din't come out sooner. I hope Ed asked you to stay the night? LEDNOV All we want's supper. At his tone, the welcoming smile leaves her face. She looks from one to the other. Lednov pushes past her up the steps and into the house. Mrs. Wyatt follows him with her glance. McCall motions. MCCALL We're in a hurry. DISSOLVE EXT. TRAIL LONG SHOT. In the f.g. the cavalcade moves along the trail. Now the Sierras back of the Wyatt ranch are much closer. The sun has set but it is still light. DISSOLVE EXT. RANCH HOUSE - DAY MED. SHOT. Peters sprawls on the ground, smoking. He looks up as Wyatt and McCall cross from the direction of the barn. PETERS Take care of that horse? WYATT (gruffly) Yeah. The best I could. Wyatt goes on past and hurries up the steps. INT. RANCH HOUSE ANGLED PAST Wyatt. This is the main room of the house -- a living room and kitchen combined: wood-stove against one wall, a sink with a pump against another, a fireplace, some simple furniture and, hanging from one of the rough walls, a concertina. Through an open doorway can be seen the Wyatt's bedroom. Another door, closed, leads into the second bedroom. The house has a warm, well-scrubbed look. Wyatt enters. Mrs. Wyatt, stoking the stove, turns. She glances nervously in the direction of the bedroom. Wyatt shifts his glance to the fireplace -- there is no gun hanging from the hooks above the mantel. Lednov appears in the doorway of the bedroom. WYATT What are you doin' -- LEDNOV Lookin' around. He crosses to the fireplace. He is carrying Wyatt's rifle, gun belt and six gun. LEDNOV These all the shells you got? Wyatt has had as much of this as he can stand. He starts angrily across the room. WYATT Put my guns down and get out of here -- MRS. WYATT Ed -- no, Ed. She crosses to him and stands in his way. Wyatt pushes past her and grabs for the guns. Lednov gives him a swipe with the back of his hand, knocking him away easily. LEDNOV Your old woman's got sense -- you listen to her. Mrs. Wyatt helps Ed to his feet. She puts an arm around him. LEDNOV I asked you -- these all the shells you got? MRS. WYATT (quickly) They's a box in the cupboard over the sink. Lednov crosses to the cupboard and opens it. Finding the box of shells, he slips it in his pocket. LEDNOV (to Ed) Get on about your chores. (to Mrs. Wyatt) And hurry that grub up. Wyatt and his wife look at each other. Then meekly they obey. DISSOLVE OUT EXT. HILLTOP - NIGHT DISSOLVE IN MED. SHOT. Here the trail starts down into the valley. From o.s. comes the SOUND of the cavalcade approaching. Clay rides into the scene and stops on the hilltop to glance ahead. LONG SHOT Clay's ANGLE. A light can be seen ahead in the valley. REVERSE ANGLE Clay turns and rides back toward the wagon. The mules have slowed to a walk in the climb up the hill. MED. CLOSE SHOT on wagon - (MOVING). Clay rides up alongside. Mary is hunched forward on the seat. CLAY Only a little ways now -- maybe a mile. He glances down into the wagon bed where Helen is sitting by Elaine. CLAY How's she makin' out? HELEN (dryly) If she feels worse than I do, she's dyin'. Clay rides back toward the rear. CLAY (calling) Steve -- STEVE'S VOICE Yo -- MED. FULL SHOT The wagon reaches the crest of the hill. Mary hits the mules with the reins. The mules break into a trot. Behind, the remuda comes into view. Clay sits his horse by the side of the trail and watches. EXT. FARM HOUSE - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Mrs. Wyatt stands by the stove, watching the three men at the table. Wyatt sits in a chair by the stove. MCCALL I'll have some more of that coffee. Lednov pushes his chair back and rises. LEDNOV We got to get movin'. MCCALL What for? LEDNOV Because there's a man I want to see. MCCALL He can wait. Let's stay here until morning. Wyatt and his wife exchange frightened glances. That's the last thing they want. LEDNOV (rising) I said let's go. MCCALL (protesting) One night more won't matter. Your friend'll be there. Anyway I don't think so much of the idea of prowling around his ranch. He knows you're out so he ain't going to sit still for it. LEDNOV (fierce) I said I had a guy to see and I'm going to see him. With the fingers of his right hand he automatically rubs his shoulder just above the heart. LEDNOV He gave me something once so I wouldn't forget. PETERS (rising) He says go, we go. Grudgingly, McCall gives in. They exit. Wyatt stares after them raging at his impotence. WYATT If they'd only left me a gun, I'd fix 'em. MRS. WYATT Hush, Ed. Hush. They might come back. EXT. CORRAL - NIGHT MED. FULL SHOT. The three men mount their horse, dig their spurs in and ride away. As they ride toward the gate, Wyatt comes out on the steps. EXT. TRAIL - NIGHT LONG SHOT. Here the trail passes through a narrow draw, then climbs a small rise which overlooks the gate. Clay's caravan jogs along the trail. EXT. HILLTOP - NIGHT LONG SHOT - DOWN ANGLE. The caravan climbs toward camera. CAMERA PANS AROUND to SHOOT DOWN TOWARD the Wyatt ranch. Through the gate ride Lednov, McCall and Peters. They stop for a moment then turn right and trot along the fence line. As they disappear, the SOUND of the caravan's approach is heard o.s. DISSOLVE EXT. WYATT RANCH - NIGHT - (MOONLIGHT) MED. FULL SHOT. Clay gallops into the yard and swings out of the saddle. The farmhouse is dark. INT. FARMHOUSE - NIGHT ANGLED THROUGH window, PAST Wyatt. Clay opens the gate and hurries up the steps and across the porch. EXT. PORCH - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Clay raps on the door. CLAY Mr. Wyatt. WYATT'S VOICE Who is it? CLAY Clay Phillips. The door opens. Wyatt comes out. He pumps Clay's hand. WYATT (calling) You can light the lamp. (to Clay) I'm sure glad it's you. We were afraid those killers might come back. CLAY Three men on matched roans? In the kitchen a match flares as Mrs. Wyatt lights the lamp. WYATT Yeah, how did you know? CLAY The whole state's lookin' for 'em. (dryly) And they're lookin' for me. Mrs. Wyatt comes out to stand in the doorway. She shakes Clay's hand. MRS. WYATT You don't know how good it is to see you. CLAY Maybe you won't feel that way after I tell you what I stopped in for. He turns and motions off. LONG SHOT ANOTHER ANGLE. Clay, Wyatt and Mrs. Wyatt in f.g. The wagon is coming toward the yard followed by the remuda. CLAY I picked up some women on the road. THREE SHOT Clay, Mrs. Wyatt and Wyatt. O.s. the wagon and horses can he heard. MRS. WYATT Tell them to come on in. CLAY But I'm going to have to leave 'em here. They're --- well they're not the sort of people you're used to. MRS. WYATT (a reprimand) It doesn't matter who they are. CLAY (lamely) And one of 'em is sick. MRS. WYATT Why didn't you say so. Go right out and get her. Ed. build the fire up. She turns back into the kitchen. Clay looks after her, then hurries down the steps. Wyatt follows his wife inside. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Wyatt goes to the stove and starts stoking the fire. Mrs. Wyatt takes the lamp from the wall bracket and goes into the bedroom. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT FULL SHOT. It is a pleasant room with a large, handmade, double bed, white flour sack curtains at wide windows. Mrs. Wyatt puts the lamp on the dresser. Going to the bed she pulls back the covers, feels the sheets. MRS. WYATT (calling) Wrap a stove lid in dish towels and bring it in here. This bed's like ice. MED. SHOT Turning from the bed, she crosses to the dresser. Beside the dresser is a camel-back trunk. She starts to open a dresser drawer, pauses and looks down at the trunk. Moving to the trunk, she hesitates. Then making up her mind, she bends down and throws open the trunk. MED. CLOSE SHOT DOWN ANGLE. A girl's clothing is neatly packed in the trunk. A framed picture is face down on top of the clothing. Mrs. Wyatt kneels by the trunk, pushes the dresses aside and finds a nightgown. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS as she rises and shakes it out. It is frilly, dainty, very feminino; obviously the nightdress of a young girl. She closes the trunk, turns and as she goes to the bed, Wyatt comes through the door carrying the towel-wrapped stove lid. She lays the nightgown on the bed, takes the stove lid and puts it between the sheets. Wyatt is staring down at the garment. WYATT (cold) Put it back. They face each other. Wyatt reaches out and takes the nightgown. MRS. WYATT Someone might as well get some good out of it. Wyatt crosses to the trunk. MRS. WYATT It isn't as if she was dead. Wyatt opens the trunk, puts the nightgown in and closes the lid. WYATT (cold) It stays there, understand! The slamming of a door o.s. interrupts them. They turn and start for the door. MRS. WYATT (calling) Right in here, Mr. Phillips. She follows Wyatt to the doorway, CAMERA DOLLYING WITH her. She stops in the doorway. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT ANGLED PAST Mrs. Wyatt. Clay, carrying Elaine, bundled in blankets, comes forward. Wyatt has stopped just inside the kitchen. Mary and Helen follow Clay through the door. MRS. WYATT The bed's all ready and warm -- She stops, staring at the girl. MED. CLOSE SHOT The Wyatts in the doorway. They recognize the girl. Wyatt's expression hardens. Clay, carrying Elaine, pushes between them into the bedroom. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Clay carries the girl to the bed and gently puts her down. Her eyes are closed. Slowly the Wyatts enter the room to stand close together staring at the girl on the bed. Clay suddenly realizes that something is wrong. He glances up. Elaine opens her eyes and looks up at her mother and father. MRS. WYATT (softly to Wyatt) Go out and make some coffee. Wyatt doesn't move. MRS. WYATT Go on. You too, Mr Phillips. As Clay waits, Wyatt moves through the door unable to argue back. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT FULL SHOT. Mary and Helen stand close to the steve, looking anxiously toward the bedroom door as Clay and Wyatt come out. Clay closes the door. Wyatt, dazed by the shock of seeing his daughter again, stands momentarily staring at the closed door. Then very slowly he turns and looks at Helen and Mary. MED. SHOT his ANGLE. Mary and Helen, seeing the two men's expressions, look from one to the other, puzzled. MARY Is she very sick? WYATT (cold, flat) Get 'em out of here. I won't have 'em in this house. He crosses to the kitchen door, exits, slamming the door behind him. MARY (softly) So that was why she tried to run away. CLAY (sharp) Didn't you know she had a father and mother out here? MARY (hurt and angry) I didn't know anything about her except she wanted a job because some man had left her stranded. I couldn't leave her in the street. Let's go. CLAY Hold on. MARY We can't stay here! CLAY It's a long walk back to Aspen. Turning from them, he exits. Mary and Helen look at each other. Then Helen grins wryly and goes over to the cupboard. HELEN I don't know about you. But I'm not being thrown out on an empty stomach. EXT. CORRAL - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Wyatt in the f.g. stands by the horse trough. His face is set, his expression hard, unyielding. Clay comes across the yard past the wagon. Wyatt doesn't look at him as Clay comes up. TWO SHOT Clay and Wyatt. Clay takes the makings from his pocket, rolls a cigarette, lights it. CLAY I'm sorry about this, Mr. Wyatt. I didn't know who she was. WYATT (quiet) All right, you didn't know. CLAY I can't take her with me. WYATT Nobody asked you to. O.s. Steve whistles the tune of the A B C song as he comes out of the barn. WYATT Just get those two out of here. ANOTHER ANGLE Steve approaches from the barn. CLAY You're not bein' quite fair. WYATT What's there to be fair about? TWO SHOT Clay and Wyatt. Clay takes the making from his pocket, rolls a cigarette, lights it. CLAY I'm sorry about this, Mr. Wyatt. I didn't know you had a daughter. WYATT (quiet) All right, you didn't know. CLAY I can't take her with me. WYATT Nobody asked you to. O.s. Steve whistles the tune of the A B C song as he comes out of the barn. WYATT Just get these two out of here. ANOTHER ANGLE Steve approaches from the barn. CLAY You're not bein' quite fair. WYATT What's there to be fair about? Steve comes up. STEVE Hello, Mr. Wyatt. He starts whistling again as he continues toward the wagon. MED. SHOT wagon. Steve picks up a couple of valises and some blankets and heads for the house, still whistling. In the b.g. can be heard the mutter of voices as Clay and Wyatt talk. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Helen is sitting at the table, eating a piece of bread and drinking coffee. Mary stands at the window. Steve is heard coming up the steps and across the porch. He pushes the door open and enters. STEVE (cheerfully) Where do I put your things? Mary turns from the window. MARY Back in the wagon. Steve stands with his arms full, looking at Mary. STEVE Aren't we stayin'? MARY No. We're not stayin' -- She crosses to him and smiles wryly. MARY Everything's all mixed up, so don't ask questions. Steve hesitates. MARY (soft) Go on, Steve. Steve exits. EXT. PORCH - NIGHT MED. CLOSE. Steve stops on the porch. He is puzzled, worried. He glances back then over toward the fence where Wyatt and Clay are talking. He shrugs and starts off toward the wagon. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Mary crosses to the stove. HELEN Sit down and eat, why don't you? Mary lifts the stove lid and puts a stick in the firebox. HELEN It isn't like this was the first place we were ever thrown out of. MARY That's not what's worryin' me. Why didn't she tell us? Maybe we could have done somethin' -- gone somewhere else -- puttin' a poor sick kid through this -- HELEN Quit worryin' about Elaine. She motions to the bedroom door. HELEN She's home, isn't she? So worry about us. We want to get to Sonora. Footsteps across the porch. The two girls look toward the door. ANOTHER ANGLE - NIGHT SHOOTING PAST Mary. The door slowly opens. Wyatt enters. He crosses to the bedroom door, CAMERA PANNING WITH him. It is as though he doesn't see the two women. He stands in front of the door, staring at it. Then his hand moves to the knob. Slowly he turns the knob and opens the door. The two girls watch him as he hesitates on the threshold. Then he enters and closes the door softly. Helen looks over at Mary and smiles. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT MED. SHOT as Wyatt stops, looking at Elaine, resting back against the pillow, seeming very young in the nightgown. For a moment it is difficult to know what is in Wyatt's mind. Then he sees the twin tintypes. CAMERA MOVES TOWARD Wyatt's face as tears come to his eyes. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT MED. SHOT as footsteps cross the porch and the screen door creaks open. Clay enters the kitchen, carrying the girls' suitcases and some blankets. He nods to the girls, then goes to the door leading to the other bedroom. There he stops. CLAY This will be your room until Mr. Wyatt finds time to take you to the nearest stage station. As he carries their belongings in: DISSOLVE OUT INT. MARY'S AND HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT DISSOLVE IN The room is lighted only by the moonlight. Mary and Helen are in the big four poster bed, close to the window. Clay's footsteps are heard on the porch. The kitchen door closes softly. There is the rattle of a stove lid being lifted. HELEN (whispering) That sounds like him. Mary slides out of bed and slips into a robe. HELEN This time don't talk about cooking! INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Clay turns from the stove to the cupboard over the sink and takes down a coffee cup. The door into Elaine's bedroom is closed. The door into Mary's bedroom opens and Mary enters the kitchen. He turns back to the stove and fills his cup as Mary comes up. CLAY Coffee? MARY No, thanks. (indicating Elaine's bedroom) I hope we won't be a burden to them. CLAY I hope so, too. He picks up his coffee and goes out on the porch. Mary hesitates, then follows. EXT. PORCH - NIGHT ANGLED PAST Clay. Mary comes out. Clay sits on the bench by the door, drinking his coffee. CLAY (quiet) If you're figuring on asking me to take you, it's no use. Mary crosses to stand above him. MARY A time like this people ought to be alone. Having us around is going to make it sort of hard on 'em. Mary sighs, sits beside him. From the pocket of her robe she takes tobacco, rolls a cigarette and lights it. She passes the tobacco to Clay. He rolls one. CLAY (on the defensive) I'm sorry, but that's how it's got to be. MARY I suppose it is. CLAY And it's not only because the trip's a tough one -- Mary strikes a match and holds the flame to his cigarette. MARY (softly) You don't have to explain. Did I tell you how grateful I am for what you've done? CLAY I couldn't leave you sitting by the road. MARY You could have treated us like they did in Aspen. No. You wouldn't do a thing like that -- it isn't in you to be mean or cruel. Mary rises to move to the edge of the porch. MED. CLOSE Mary in f.g. MARY (softly) No man who brings up a kid like you've brought up Steve could ever be cruel to people. Turning, she leans against the post that supports the porch. MARY I hope you get everything you want out of life -- CLAY (wary) Thanks. MARY You've earned it -- the horse ranch on the Toulomoe -- the girl in the spotted gingham. CLAY The who? MARY You should know. She's in your dream. Clay puts his cup down, looks up. She is very lovely standing in the moonlight, her body arched back, the robe open a little. MARY Ever since you've looked after Steve you've had the dream -- a ranch on the river -- good grass, good water, barn corral and house --- that part you've shared with Steve. The girl in gingham you plan sneakin' in when he isn't looking. (she pauses) CLAY (enigmatic) Go on. Tell me more about her. MARY She wears this gingham dress -- cooks popovers -- makes jam in season -- makes her own soap from pig fat and wood ashes and has cheeks the color of red apples. CLAY (dryly) I'll make the soap myself. MARY But the rest is right. CLAY Will she be dark or fair? MARY Blonde as a new mop. And beautiful as the girl on a feed store calendar. Straightening, she crosses the porch to pause momentarily close to Clay. MARY (softly) I hope you find her -- because, like I said, you've earned your dream. Goodnight. She enters the house. Clay looks after her, smiling faintly. He knows she is up to something but not what. INT. SECOND BEDROOM - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Save for the moonlight coming through the window, the room is dark. Mary enters softly, throws off her robe and slips into bed beside Helen. MED. CLOSE on bed. Moonlight falls across the bed. Mary pulls the covers up. Helen turns her head. HELEN Did you make it interesting? Mary snuggles down on the pillow. MARY I tried my best, but these things take time. HELEN And we're running out of that. MARY There's still tomorrow morning. DISSOLVE INT. KITCHEN - MORNING MED. LONG SHOT - ANGLED THROUGH window PAST Mary. The early morning sun fills the yard. Steve is in the corral harnessing the mules. Clay and Wyatt are taking Mary's and Helen's trunks out of the wagon. HELEN'S VOICE Those trunks look like ours. Mary, who was in profile, turns. MARY They are. ANOTHER ANGLE Helen is seated at the table. Mary stands with her back to the window near the sink. HELEN How long do you think we'll have to stay here? MARY Until Pa gets around to driving us to Minden. HELEN We don't want to go there. MARY No we don't. But that's where we're going. From Minden we take a stage to Reno, then another one over to Auburn and another one to Placerville. Then it's a day's trip to Sonora. HELEN Clay could save us an awful lot of time. MARY He certainly could. About a month. HELEN What are you waiting for? Do something. Mary comes over to stand by the table. Her expression is thoughtful. HELEN (sharp) You're not giving up? MARY How many ways can a man say no. Helen rises. Her manner is determined. HELEN (crosses to door) Maybe I better start working on him. MARY You'd think he'd do it for Elaine's sake, at least... CLOSE SHOT as she stops, apparently inspired by Mary's last remark. She looks out into the yard where Clay is working on the wagon. ANOTHER ANGLE SHOOTING TOWARD Elaine's bedroom door. Helen crosses to Mary. HELEN (sweetly) If you can't bring him around, nobody can. She puts her arm around Mary's shoulder. HELEN Go on. Have another try at him. MARY What's the use. HELEN (cajoling) Please. Maybe he'll take a good look at you and stop thinking so much about his horses. As she speaks she edges Mary to the door leading outside. HELEN A man has only so many no's in him. Mary smiles at her, shrugs and exits. Helen looks after her. Mary's footsteps are heard going down the steps. Then Helen swings around and going to Elaine's door, opens it. INT. ELAINE'S BEDROOM MED. SHOT. Elaine is sitting up in bed. There is a small table by the bed and on it is a breakfast tray. Mrs. Wyatt sits by the bed. Elaine looks happy for the first time. Mrs. Wyatt is holding a cup to her lips. Helen enters and closes the door. HELEN Look at you, sitting up already. Crossing to the bed she takes the cup from Mrs. Wyatt. HELEN Let me do this while you get some breakfast. MRS. WYATT But I like to do it. HELEN You're worn out. As she pushes Mrs. Wyatt toward the door. HELEN Now don't argue. You've got two able- bodied girls to help you so take advantage of it. And don't let me catch you touching the dishes. She closes the door behind Mrs. Wyatt and comes back, sits on the edge of the bed and holds the cup to Elaine's lips. HELEN Well -- it's going to be good for all of us -- having a nice long rest here. After all -- Sonora will still be there next month. Maybe we can rehearse a new number -- try it out on your folks. Elaine tries not to show her panic at this suggestion. ELAINE Helen -- why don't you and Mary go on with Clay? HELEN He won't take us. (then, hurt) Don't you want us around? ELAINE Of course I do -- but it'd be better for you -- and the house is kind of small -- HELEN If you're worried about Mary and me talkin' too much, don't. No matter how many questions your old man asks. We know how to keep our mouths shut. ELAINE It isn't that -- HELEN Don't talk -- eat -- we want to get you well quick as we can so we can all get out of here. ELAINE But I want to stay. HELEN Drink this and stop being silly. Why would anyone want to live in this place. You might as well be dead and buried. Nothing to do but look at mountains. In a week you'd be talking to yourself. (then, brightly) Maybe that's what got you started in the first place. Elaine pushes the cup away, sits up straighter. ELAINE (distraught) I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here where I belong. HELEN Not if I know Mary. When she rides into Sonora, you'll be with her. And mighty glad to be there after this. I don't see how you stood it as long as you did. ELAINE (sobbing) Stop it -- stop it. HELEN (contrite) Darling -- now I've got you all upset. Elaine buries her head in the pillow. ELAINE Go away -- please. HELEN That's right -- you go back to sleep. Tomorrow when you feel better things will look a whole lot different. Don't you worry about anything -- Mary's going to talk things over with your folks -- Elaine sits up and grabs Helen's arm. ELAINE (fiercely) She mustn't -- don't you let her -- HELEN There, there. Don't you upset yourself -- ELAINE (wildly) If she says anything to them I'll kill her. The door opens and Mrs. Wyatt enters. She hurries over to the bed, pushes Helen aside, and takes the sobbing girl in her arms. ELAINE (sobbing) I don't want to leave you, ever. Mrs. Wyatt flares at Helen. MRS. WYATT What did you do to her? HELEN Nothing. The poor child's worried about Mary -- Turning, she goes to the door. HELEN I won't let her say anything -- She exits. INT. KITCHEN MED. SHOT. Leaving the door open, Helen enters the kitchen. She glances back at the bedroom, half smiling, then crosses to the window and looks out. EXT. YARD ANGLED past Helen THROUGH window. Clay is crossing the yard toward the house. INT. KITCHEN MED. SHOT. Helen turns from the window and walks hurriedly to the second bedroom door. Clay's footsteps cross the porch. Helen enters the bedroom and closes the door as Clay comes in. Clay looks around, then seeing the open bedroom door, crosses to it. INT. ELAINE'S BEDROOM ANGLED PAST Clay in doorway. Mrs. Wyatt is holding the sobbing girl in her arms. She looks over at Clay. CLAY Well, I'm off -- Then realizing that something is wrong he steps into the bedroom. MED. SHOT CLAY (puzzled) What's the matter? Hearing his voice, Elaine lifts her head from her mother's shoulder. ELAINE Don't let them stay here, Mr. Phillips. They'll spoil everything. Clay looks from one to the other, frowning. Elaine tries to get out of bed. Her mother holds her. ELAINE (wildly) Take them with you -- Mary's going to talk to dad -- she's going to keep talking and talking to me until maybe I won't want to stay here -- MRS. WYATT Please take them. CLAY I can't -- ELAINE You've got to -- don't you understand -- they want me with them and they'll fix it so I have to go -- CLAY (sharp) No they won't. Turning, he exits. Mrs. Wyatt holds Elaine close. EXT. PORCH MED. SHOT. Helen stands on the porch in the sunlight. She glances back. Clay, his expression hard and angry comes out. He doesn't look at Helen but stalks down the steps toward the wagon. MED. SHOT ON WAGON STEVE What comes after Z? MARY That's the end of the line. STEVE (happily) Then I know my alphabet. MARY From A to Z. All you have to do now is figure out what they mean put together in words. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay comes toward the wagon. Helen stands on the porch. STEVE And that's tough, isn't it? MARY Without someone to teach you, it's tough. Clay appears behind her. Mary turns and smiles. MARY He knows his alphabet. CLAY That's fine. STEVE I'll bet I'd be reading in a week if -- He catches Clay's glance and his face falls. MARY Maybe Clay will take up where I left off. Steve gets some courage. He comes over to his brother and faces him. STEVE I don't think it's fair -- He pauses; Clay waits. STEVE Leaving them here when we could just as well take them. We got plenty of room in the wagon. And -- and -- they cook and drive the mules. They don't bother anybody. CLAY Finished, son? STEVE (weakly) There's only two of them now. Clay moves past them toward the corral. Mary looks after him, then turning, motions to Helen. Helen starts toward the wagon. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay's horse stands saddled at the fence. He vaults into the saddle, turns the horse. CLAY I'll round up the horses. Throw that junk in the wagon. He rides off. Steve, delighted, runs to start loading the girls' things. Helen hurries into the scene. MED. CLOSE Mary and Helen. Mary smiles at Helen. MARY (happily) You were right -- a man has only so many no's in him. But he had me worried -- that last one sounded so final. Helen nods, looking at Mary as though in admiration. DISSOLVE EXT. WYATT RANCH LONG SHOT - the wagon, followed by the remuda and with Clay riding ahead moves slowly up the canyon back of the ranch. FADE OUT EXT. FOREST TRAIL - DAY FADE IN LONG SHOT - ANGLED WEST. The forest is fairly open, yellow pine, lodgepole and fir. To the West can be seen the bald red granite domes of the higher range. O.s. there is the SOUND of the cavalcade approaching. CAMERA PANS AROUND and ANGLES PAST. Toward camera, comes the cavalcade, climbing slowly. Far in the distance and down can be seen the waste of desert and the barren hills of Nevada. Clay, a rifle across his legs, is riding on one side of the wagon. Steve rides beside Mary, who is driving. The remuda trails behind. Helen, lying in the wagon bed, cannot be seen. MED. TRUCKING SHOT ANGLED PAST Steve. Steve has a copy of Leslie's Weekly open on the pommel. Helen lies full length in the wagon bed, occupying herself by giving herself a manicure with an orange stick. STEVE It's a lot tougher than I figured. Knowin' my letters is one thing. But makin' sense out of words is harder'n trackin' weasel after rain. Clay glances over at his brother. Mary sees him watching. Their eyes meet. She smiles. He doesn't return the smile. STEVE -- and even if I do learn to read, what use'll it be? I'm goin' to live on a ranch! MARY There's plenty of use for reading -- you'll see. He sighs and scowls down at the page. He puts his finger on a word and starts to spell it out. STEVE U-n-i-c-o-r-n-... What in heck's that? MARY Unicorn -- a kind of animal -- STEVE What do they look like? MARY Hmmm... sort of like a horse -- with a horn in the center of its forehead. STEVE Horses with horns! Huh! Do we have 'em in Nevada? MARY No. STEVE How about California? MARY Would they be good to eat? MARY (not too sure) Kind of tough, I guess... But you're not liable to hunt them -- I don't think there's any alive now, anyways -- and I'm not sure but I don't think there ever were... STEVE Then if they wasn't alive, how can they be an animal?... Mary starts to protest -- Steve goes on. STEVE An' if you can't hunt 'em and even if you could they'd be tough, what's the use of knowin' how to spell them? MARY You don't read to fill your stomach... Poetry, for instance. All the poems in the world wouldn't fill you half as much as a bowl of eatmeal -- but they make you feel good. STEVE (stubbornly) I feel good anyways. REVERSE SHOT ANGLED PAST Clay. CLAY Don't go arguing with your teacher. STEVE I'm not, but there's some of it I don't see any sense to. CLAY There's a lot of things I don't see any sense to. But make up your mind. Learn to read or -- (motioning) -- go back and watch the horses. He touches his horse with his spurs and rides on ahead. MED. CLOSE ANGLED PAST Mary. Steve in the b.g. Mary looks after Clay, puzzled, wondering. Then she looks over at Steve. MARY Well, Steve? STEVE (grinning) Now I know what a unicorn is, what do we do next? EXT. FOREST TRAIL Here the forest has thinned out. The trail climbs a rise, then drops down. Clay jogs along the trail, his rifle across his knees. As he reaches the edge of the forest at the crest of the rise, he suddenly pulls his horse to a stop, swings around and rides back into the trees. Throwing the reins over the horse's head, he swings out of the saddle and moves cautiously to the crest of the hill. LONG SHOT Clay's ANGLE. The trail leads down through open country to a big meadow ringed with lodgepole pine, and across the meadow to start climbing toward another, higher range of hills. Three horsemen on roans, Lednov, Peters and McCall, are crossing the meadow slowly. MED. SHOT DOWN ANGLE. Lednov, Peters and McCall as they ride across the meadow. CLOSE SHOT Clay, as he peers down. He cocks his rifle. The voices of Mary and Steve and the SOUND of the approaching wagon can be heard o.s. Clay turns his head. FULL SHOT the cavalcade. Mary and Helen are in the seat of the wagon. Steve rides alongside. MED. CLOSE SHOT Clay. He lowers his rifle, waves at them to stop and be quiet, rises and hurries down the hill, CAMERA PANNING WITH him. EXT. MEADOW MED. SHOT of Lednov as he pulls in his limping horse, steps, looking back over his shoulder as though he sensed an unfamiliar presence. The other two watch him, frowning. Then he shrugs and glances down at the bad leg of his mount. LEDNOV We'll camp on up ahead away. That leg ain't good... As they start away, moving slowly toward the trees in the distance... MED. FULL SHOT Clay motions to Mary to stop as he hurries toward the wagon. Mary reins in the mules. CLAY We're staying here until dark. (motioning) Pull over to the woods. (to Steve) You put hobbles on the horses -- all of 'em. Get goin'. DISSOLVE OUT EXT. HILLTOP - DUSK DISSOLVE IN LONG SHOT. Clay, in close foreground, stands, leaning on his rifle. The sun has set and the valley below is in shadow. There is the silence of dusk. No wind stirs the trees. There is some light outlining the high mountains -- treeless crags and domes and spires. Clay turns. REVERSE SHOT Down the hill in the forest, is the wagon. Beyond it the horses stand. Steve is stretched out on his stomach studying his magazine. Helen is sitting on a tarp playing solitaire. Clay starts down the hill toward the camp. MED. SHOT - UP ANGLE Clay walks through the trees. As he comes around a big yellow pine, he stops suddenly and looks down. MED. CLOSE ANGLED DOWN PAST Clay. Mary lies on the carpet of pine needles, her head pillowed on her arms, her dress pulled taut across her chest. She is looking up through the trees at the fading sky. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay stares down at Mary. She does not look at him. She is aware of his presence, but she doesn't show it. In the soft light of dusk she is very lovely. Clay is conscious of her lovliness. He would like to drop down beside her. CLOSE SHOT Mary. She turns her face to look at him. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS. Clay stands above her, looking down. For a moment their eyes meet. Clay starts away. CAMERA HOLDS ON Mary. MARY Where you goin'? Over to the other side of the street? MED. SHOT ANGLED PAST Mary, who rises slowly. Clay looks back, hesitates, then crosses to where the horses are tethered and starts saddling his mare. Mary moves down toward him through the trees. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay tightens the cinch. Mary moves up to stand beside him. MARY Are we leaving? CLAY It's too light yet. He swings into the saddle, pulls the rifle out of the scabbard and lays it across the pommel. CLAY Better go on back and get some more sleep. You'll need it later on. MARY (soberly) You're not going out to look for them? CLAY No, I'm not. All I want 'em to do is keep ahead of us -- a long way ahead. So I'm riding up the line aways to pick us out a new trail. He touches the mare with his spurs and trots down the hill. He disappears around a bend in the trail. ANOTHER ANGLE Mary, in the f.g., is staring after Clay. Helen is watching her. Steve has risen and walks up behind her. He smiles at her. STEVE Nobody's gonna catch him sleeping. Don't worry about him. MARY (turning) Oh, I wasn't worrying. (flustered) I saw him saddling up and thought he was ready to leave. She starts down toward the wagon, Steve walking beside her and CAMERA TRUCKING WITH them THROUGH the forest. STEVE (softly) You were worryin'. Mary glances over. STEVE Sometimes not knowin' how to read has its points. You can't read books so you look at people and figure 'em out. MARY And you've got me all figured out? STEVE Sure. They have passed Helen, playing solitaire on the canvas, and have reached the place where the grub box stands. Steve spreads a tarp for her. STEVE I'll fix us somethin' to eat. Mary sits down. Steve opens the grub box and takes out some plates, tinned food and hardtack. STEVE Like when you were standin' there looking after Clay. I knew right off what you were thinking. Because I've been watching you. MARY You were supposed to be reading words. STEVE I was doin' both. Here. He hands her a plate of food, takes another and goes over to Helen. ANOTHER ANGLE Helen looks up from her card game, takes the plate with a smile. HELEN Thanks, Steve. He grins at her, turns and comes back to Mary who is watching him. MARY Better not let Clay catch you waitin' on us. Steve sits on the edge of the grub box and picks up his plate. STEVE Don't pay any attention to him. That's his way and I've found he's sure easy to get along with. I don't recollect him havin' hit me more'n a couple of times and I guess I had it comin'. MARY But you're his brother. STEVE He'll treat his wife just as good. Maybe better. Ever see him use a bull snake on the mules like other wranglers? Mary shakes her head. STEVE Yes sir, Clay's nice to be around. (the clincher) He don't chew much and when he does he spits outside. HELEN (dryly) You make him sound wonderful... Go on. Tell Mary more about him. Steve looks over at her, embarrassed, a little hurt by her tone. He rises, takes Mary's empty plate and his own and goes over to the little spring to wash them. Mary looks sharply at Helen. Helen shrugs. Mary rises and follows Steve over to the spring. MED. CLOSE ON SPRING Steve kneels by the little pool, washing the plates in the run off. Mary stops above him. MARY She was only teasin'. STEVE (offhand) Oh, sure. MARY Let me do that. She kneels beside him. Steve looks over at her. STEVE I like to do things for you. Didn't you know? She looks down at the water bubbling up into the little moss lined pool. MARY (softly) I know now. DISSOLVE EXT. TRAIL - NIGHT CLOSE SHOT - DOWN ANGLE. O.s. there is the SOUND of the cavalcade moving. A wheel passes camera, then another. CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal the wagon passing in the moonlit darkness. Mary is driving. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay rides into the shot, his rifle ready. The wagon follows. Then the remuda with Steve bringing up the rear. Steve also holds his rifle ready. Both men are wary, watchful, apprehensive. DISSOLVE EXT. FOREST - NIGHT FULL SHOT - DOWN ANGLE. SHOOTING DOWN THROUGH the leaves of a quaking aspen. The cavalcade moves on along the trail. DISSOLVE EXT. ROCKY HILLSIDE - DAWN FULL SHOT. The east is grey with the approaching dawn. The terrain is treeless, forbidding. Granite crags rise all around. The trail leads up through a canyon then narrows along the edge of a cliff. The cavalcade toils forward. Clay, in the lead, stops and waits for the wagon to come abreast. MED. SHOT As the wagon comes abreast, Clay dismounts, loops the reins over the tail gate, then swings up into the seat, motioning for Mary to move over. He takes the reins, puts his rifle down in front of him. MED. CLOSE - MOVING (PROCESS) Clay and Mary. Helen is sleeping in the bed of the wagon. MARY Don't you trust me? CLAY Not on this trail, I don't. I've been over it before. Anyway, you ought to be pretty sleepy. Why don't you climb in back. Mary glances ahead. MARY I like to see where I'm going. She picks up the rifle and holds it across her knees. CLAY (dryly) Did you ever care where you were goin' or where you'd been? Mary glances over at him wonderingly. MARY Maybe not! But I want to get there in one piece. They ride along in silence for a moment. The trail is rough. The jolting wagon throws them together. Their shoulders touch. MARY (softly) Why did you change your mind about bringing us along? CLAY Why do you think? MARY (soberly) I don't know. I thought I did. Now I'm not sure. I thought it had something to do with me. CLAY Oh, it did. It had a great deal to do with you. Mary studies him, trying to figure out what he means. MARY Just how do you mean that? Clay is busy with driving down the rough road. He speaks without looking at her. CLAY You know so much about me -- figure it out. MARY So that's it -- (he glances over) You think I was making fun of your girl in gingham. CLOSE SHOT Helen. She lies in the bed of the wagon, looking up. MARY'S VOICE I wasn't. And I wasn't making fun of you or your dream. She waits for an answer, but getting none, continues. MARY'S VOICE Of course, maybe I was trying to get you to do something you didn't want to do. MED. CLOSE SHOT - MOVING (PROCESS) Clay and Mary. Clay busies himself with the brake and the reins. CLAY You wouldn't do a thing like that, would you? MARY (softly) Yes. But -- that was the other night. Now -- I don't think I would. MED. LONG SHOT - ANGLED AHEAD Clay and Mary in f.g. The trail now goes down a slope to a river, which boils out of a narrow canyon, then follows the river through the canyon. Clay hands the reins to Mary, takes his rifle. CLAY That's the West Walker. Take it easy now. MED. SHOT Clay swings down. The wagon moves past him. He frees his horse, swings into the saddle and gallops down toward the canyon. CLOSE SHOT Mary. She looks after him. FULL SHOT The wagon moves down toward the river. Clay disappears into the canyon. Steve and the remuda follow the wagon. EXT. CANYON TRAIL ANGLED TOWARD mouth of canyon. Clay rides along the trail, his rifle at the ready. Now he moves warily, keeping a sharp lookout. The canyon is dark, sinister. REVERSE SHOT The cavalcade enters the canyon. ANOTHER ANGLE - SHOOTING DOWN Clay rides toward camera. The trail curves around a cliff. MED. SHOT Clay. He rides around the bend in the trail. He hears something. He reins the horse in. Some pebbles rattle down the cliff. He looks up. FROM CLAY'S ANGLE The muzzle of a rifle is visible. Clay starts to bring his gun up. FOWLER'S VOICE Hold it! DOWN ANGLE Clay lets his rifle rest across his knees. He looks up. Fowler, a well-set-up young man in jeans, blue shirt and worn jacket and wearing a battered hat, moves into scene. CLOSE SHOT Clay. He is wary, puzzled as to the man's identity. For all he knows it may be one of Lednov's men. MED. SHOT Clay and Fowler. FOWLER What are you doin' on this trail? CLAY Followin' it. Any reason I shouldn't? MED. LONG SHOT SHOOTING PAST Fowler. Into view comes the wagon and the remuda. Fowler lowers his rifle. He slides down the cliff to stand beside Clay. MED. CLOSE Clay and Fowler. FOWLER My name's Fowler. I'm camped up a ways. He extends his hand. Clay shakes it. CLAY Clay Phillips of Aspen. Been havin' trouble? FOWLER Nope. But I don't want any. CLAY Neither do we. That's why we took this trail instead of the main road, and drove all night. FOWLER You're welcome to use my camp. He motions ahead, starts walking. Clay rides beside him. DISSOLVE EXT. MEADOW FULL SHOT. The river is beyond the meadow. In the pine forest at the edge of the meadow is Fowler's camp. The cavalcade is driving up to the camp. There are two horses tethered in the meadow. EXT. FOWLER'S CAMP MED. FULL SHOT. A tarp is stretched over the camp. There is a crude stone fireplace, a rough table and two benches. Shelves are nailed between the trees. In a small lean-to there is a bunk with Fowler's bedroll on it. Fowler stands watching Mary and Holen as they get out of the wagon. The horses sproad out across the meadow. Steve and Clay dismount. Both unsaddle. Helen, Mary and Fowler exchange glances. Then the two women walk toward the camp, which is behind a screen of trees. MED. CLOSE ON CAMP Helen and Mary enter the camp. MARY We might as well start a fire. HELEN Go ahead. (nodding off) Get in training for the pioneer life. I'm finding the nearest body of water and climbing into it. She goes off and across the meadow. Mary looks after her, shrugs and going to the fireplace, takes moss and twigs from the pile and puts them in. Clay, carrying saddle bags and canteens, enters. MARY Got a light? He puts them down, goes over to the fireplace and kneels to light the moss. Mary has stepped back. CLOSE SHOT - LOW As he lights the fire, the lower portion of Mary's body comes into the shot. Clay becomes aware of her closeness. He rises slowly. CAMERA ANGLES UP. Mary is standing facing him, almost touching him. They stare at each other without speaking. Both suddenly move togother. They kiss. There is a SOUND over shot and they step apart, looking off. ANOTHER ANGLE Steve has come into scene and is looking at them. He smiles with pleasure and surprise. STEVE (innocently) Want the wagon unloaded, Clay? CLAY (upset) Just the grub box and bed rolls. Steve nods, smiles at both of them and goes out of scene. Clay and Mary face each other. Suddenly Clay swings around and goes out of shot after his brother. CLOSE SHOT - MARY She looks after him, clearly in love, disappointed that they were interrupted. Then she turns to the fire. MED. CLOSE SHOT Clay and Steve. CAMERA MOVES AHEAD of them as they walk toward the wagon. Steve has begun to whistle blithely. Clay looks sideways at him. Steve whistles even louder. They stop at the wagon. CAMERA HOLDS. Steve climbs inside and hands down the grub box. STEVE I -- I think it'll be swell. Clay puts the grub box on the ground. Steve tosses out the bed rolls, then jumps out. He grins up at Clay. MED. CLOSE Clay, embarrassed, puts his hand on the boy's shoulder. CLAY When you get older you'll understand things better. Like women and men. Just because a man kisses a woman, doesn't always mean -- well, he can kiss her and not want to -- have her around all the time. Steve watches him, puzzled. His exuberance has gone. CLAY We got a lot to do, you and I. Gettin' that ranch started and everything. We've been getting along fine, all these years. For a while I want to keep it the way it is. Abruptly Clay turns and indicates the grub box. Steve watches him. CLAY Take that in and help her get breakfast, will you? Steve nods and carries the grub box out of the scene. Clay stares after him. Then he picks up the bed roll and moves around the wagon. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay in the f.g. In front of Clay stretches the meadow with the river beyond. The horses are grazing in the meadow. Fowler can be seen hurrying toward the aspens and alders that screen the river. EXT. RIVER BANK MED. SHOT. Here the river moves quietly down. The bank is sandy. Alders and aspens screen it from the meadow. Helen sits on the sand taking off her shoes and stockings. Her toilet box is beside her. Something on the bank catches her attention, she rises and climbs the bank. Some branches of aspen cover an object. She pulls the branches away, revealing a crud, miner's cradle or rocker. MED. CLOSE Helen stares down at the cradle. She doesn't know what it is. FOWLER'S VOICE (sharp) What are you doing down here? Helen, startled, turns. ANOTHER ANGLE Fowler and Helen. They stare at each other. FOWLER (curt) You got no business snoopin' around -- HELEN (hard) Me snoopin'? I came down here to take a bath. She glances from Fowler to the cradle. HELEN That something I shouldn't see? FOWLER (flustered) No. But it's mine and I didn't want anyone foolin' with it. Hurriedly he covers it with branches again. Helen watches him, curious, interested. HELEN What is it? FOWLER Just a thing I was workin' on. HELEN The way you act, it must be something pretty secret. When Fowler doesn't explain she moves on down the bank and sits on the sand. FOWLER Go on. Take your bath. I'll beat it. HELEN You wouldn't have a smoke on you, would you? Fowler comes over and sits down beside her. He takes [a] sack of tobacco and papers from his pocket. She reaches for them. He watches her wide-eyed as she rolls a cigarette. He holds a match for her. HELEN Thanks. She turns to the toilet case on the sand beside her, takes out a comb. He glances at the box, then reaches over and from it takes her powder box. He sniffs it. Without irritation, as though borrowing a toy from a child, Helen takes the powder box from him. FOWLER That sure smells good. HELEN I like it. FOWLER Up here in the hills, a man gets a hankering to smell powder. HELEN Then why stay in the hills. She looks at him then up the bank where the cradle is. HELEN That why? Fowler hesitates. Helen hands him back the powder box as matter-of-factly as she took it. He accepts it gratefully, again putting it to his nose. Now he looks up at her, regarding her calculatingly for a moment or two. Their eyes meet. FOWLER I guess you can keep a secret. That's a gold rocker. I'm doin' a little placer mining in a place nobody ever thought to look for gold before. He reaches to his throat and lifts over his head a braided loop of rawhide. Attached to the loop is a small, plump, soft-leather poke. Still holding the powder box, he passes her the poke. She starts to work with the thong. FOWLER Look at her -- see her shine. One week's work. Helen still struggles with the thong. He takes the poke, pulls it open, pouring grains of gold into his palm. Helen looks at the shining heap in his hand. Then she takes the poke and pours some of the grains in her own palm. She looks down at it. Her expression is calculating. She looks up at Fowler and then the hard look goes away. She gives him a soft smile. DISSOLVE EXT. MEADOW CLOSE SHOT - DOWN ANGLE. Mary is asleep in the shade of a pine. She lies on a tarp using a folded blanket for a pillow. It is very quiet. She stirs, opens her eyes. Her expression changes. A soft smile plays around her lips as CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS and we see Clay sitting near her, leaning against the bole of a pine. He isn't looking at her. Mary watches him for a moment. MARY (softly) Roll me a cigarette, Clay. Clay looks over at her. Then rising he moves closer, squats and rolls a cigarette. He holds it out. She licks it, then puts it in her mouth. Clay lights a match, holds it out. She catches his hand and holds the flame to her cigarette. MARY Thanks. She still holds his hand. They look at each other. MARY Why didn't you wake me? Clay doesn't answer. MARY You should have. I don't like leaving things unfinished. CLAY (quiet) Maybe it's better that way. MARY (intense) You don't mean that Clay. She holds his hand, smiling up. Clay hesitates, then desire for her is more than he can bear, so he takes her in his arms. They kiss, holding the kiss for a long while. ANOTHER ANGLE They break. She lies looking up. He half lies, half sits beside her. MARY (a whisper) Tell me, darling. CLAY What? MARY What does a man usually tell a girl? For answer, Clay kisses her again -- hard, ruthlessly. His hands crush her shoulders. Mary holds the kiss for a moment, then draws back, waiting for him to say the words she wants to hear. His hands pull her toward him. Mary wants the kiss -- but she also wants a declaration of love. She makes one last try to get it. MARY Tell me -- please -- Clay's grip on her shoulders tightens. She searches his face with a glance -- stares into his eyes -- then pushes him away and sits up. CLOSE SHOT Mary. She is hurt by his silence. MARY All right you don't love me. So let it go at that. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS. Clay's expression hardens. He drops his hands from her shoulders. CLAY What did you expect? Speeches I don't mean? MARY I don't expect anything. A minute ago I hadn't cuite waked up. She stands. He rises to face her. MARY I'm awake now. Go on. Say what you want to say. I'll listen. CLAY If it's pretty speeches you want, you won't be hearing them. Even when I mean 'em, they don't come easy. MARY Save 'em for the girl in gingham. Just tell me I'm not good enough for you. Go on. Say a woman like me can't change. CLAY All right -- it's said! MARY Then let's get started. The sooner I get to Sonora, the better I'll like it. Turning she starts down toward camp. MED. LONG SHOT ANGLED PAST Clay. Below is the camp. Beyond the camp, through the trees, stands the wagon and Steve is hitching up the mules. Clay hesitates, then follows. CLOSE TRUCKING SHOT Mary. Tears form in her eyes. She blinks them away, composing herself with an effort. EXT. CAMP MED. SHOT - Helen and Fowler in f.g. Helen sits at one side of the table, Fowler on the other. Helen holds the soft leather poke. In the b.g. Mary approaches. Behind her comes Clay. HELEN You're sure there's more where this came from? FOWLER Plenty more. (motioning) And somewhere up there's the lode, the rock rotten with it. Helen pours the gold out in her palm as Mary comes up. Mary stands looking down. HELEN Pretty, isn't it? And all you have to do is shovel sand into a thing and the river does the work. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay enters the scene and goes over to pick up his saddle bags. MARY (quiet) Give it back to him. We're leavin'. HELEN Maybe you are. I'm not. She reaches over and pats Fowler's hand. HELEN I'm stayin' here with Jed. Mary looks from Helen to Fowler. FOWLER (shyly) I figure we'll get along just fine. HELEN Well cheer, why don't you? No more responsibilities, Mary. Marcia -- Elaine -- me -- all taken care of. Down there feeding horses and raising kids, you won't have a thing to worry about. Mary stands looking down at Helen. Lovingly Helen pours the gold back in the poke. MARY I'm not raising horses or kids for anybody. I'm opening the slickest gambling house in California with a crystal chandelier, the biggest you ever saw -- Clay, saddle bags in hand, straightens. Mary directs the rest of the speech at him. MARY -- Gaslights and a dance floor and a big bar. Cash registers with bells and a couple of boys with armbands just to keep 'em ringing. What do you think of that? HELEN Sounds fine. Only that isn't how it's going to be. Helen juggles the poke in her hand. HELEN I'm sure of this. But not of you. (shakes head) You won't open any joint. I've been watching you change. You're mad now and you think you can change back. But you can't. You'll end up making beds in a boarding house. MARY (furious) That's it then. FOWLER (the master) That's it. She's staying with me -- for keeps. ANOTHER ANGLE Steve has entered the camp and is standing looking at them open-mouthed. Mary moves over to Fowler and holds out her hand. MARY If there were more men like you, there wouldn't be so many of us. FOWLER Thanks. MARY It's nice to meet a man who doesn't want to own a woman from the day she was born. I never had the luck. The only kind I've run into were tramps or dirty-minded hypocrites. Clay moves up beside Mary. MED. CLOSE Clay, Mary and Fowler. CLAY (to Fowler) She's aimin' at me, but her aim's bad. (to Mary) Want to know why I changed my mind about bringing you? Because I talked to Elaine -- because I was afraid to leave you with decent people, that's why. And you'll open your joint all right. You wouldn't fit anywhere else. He moves on past her, motions to Steve. CLAY Let's round up the horses. Steve hesitates. CLAY (sharp) Come on -- we don't want to keep the people in Sonora waiting. He stalks away, followed by Steve. Mary turns and looks after him. CLOSE SHOT Mary. She wants to break windows. MED. CLOSE SHOT Mary, Fowler and Helen. Helen is staring at Mary. She crosses to her and puts her arm around her shoulders. HELEN Mary, Honey. I talked too much, like always -- he thinks you told Elaine the things I told her. MARY (furious) I don't care what he thinks. Mary throws her arm off and moves after Clay and Steve. Helen looks at Fowler and shrugs. MED. SHOT the wagon. As Mary hurries up to stand by the tail gate, Clay and Steve, now mounted, spur their horses and start across the meadow. CLOSE SHOT Mary. She stares after them, raging. Then she glances at the wagon. ANOTHER ANGLE Mary in f.g. The mulos stand in their traces, waiting. Mary makes up her mind what to do. Climbing into the bed, she heaves out pack saddles, bed rolls, ropes, etc. Clay and Stove can be seen in b.g. riding down toward where the horses graze. MED. SHOT ANGLED TOWARD camp. Into the scene come pack saddles, bed rolls. Helen and Fowler, in b.g., walk toward the wagon. MED. CLOSE SHOT wagon. Mary straightens, looks off, then climbs into the seat and picks up the reins and the whip. She lashes the mules with the whip. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS. The mules jump and gallop off. Fowler and Helen come into the scene. ANOTHER ANGLE the wagon, pulled by the galloping mules, is disappearing in a cloud of dust. MED. SHOT the meadow. Clay and Steve have almost reached the horses. Steve turns. STEVE Clay -- look! Clay swings around. LONG SHOT their ANGLE. Mary drives the wagon around a bend in the trail. MED. CLOSE SHOT ON Clay. He glances after Mary, then reins his horse around and gallops after her, CAMERA PANNING WITH him. EXT. TRAIL MOVING SHOT. Mary drives the wagon along the trail. Ahead beyond the river, the mountains rise. The river is running bank full. The trail leads down to a rocky, dangerous bank. Mary pulls the mules in at the bank. CLOSE SHOT Mary. She looks toward the river. She is frightened, about to abandon the whole foolish enterprise. She glances back. LONG SHOT FROM Mary's ANGLE. Clay gallops around a bend in the trail. CLOSE SHOT Mary. She looks in Clay's direction, then turns and stares at the river. MED. SHOT ANGLED PAST Mary. She makes up her mind to go through with it and lashes the mules with the whip. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS. The mules balk when they reach the river. Mary lashes them again. They jump forward into the torrent. REVERSE SHOT Clay gallops toward the river. Steve comes around the bend in the trail. MED. FULL SHOT the river. The mules flounder, start swimming. The current catches the wagon. It starts drifting downstream. Mary whips the mules. They swim, the current pulls them. Then the wagon goes over. Mary is thrown into the water. The mules kick themselves free and swim to the other bank. Mary goes under, comes up and starts swimming desperately. Clay rides into the SHOT. His mare hesitates at the bank. Clay spurs her and she plunges in. Mary's belongings can be seen floating down the river. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay swims his horse toward Mary who is floundering in the stream. CLOSE SHOT Mary. The current sweeps her against a rock. Stunned -- she goes under. MED. SHOT Clay swims his horse to her, reaches down and lifts her up in front of him. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay's horse, with the double burden, fights her way out of the stream and scrambles up the bank to stop on level ground. MED. CLOSE Clay and Mary. Clay, his expression anxious, stares down at the stunned Mary. He swings out of the saddle, holding her tenderly to him. The brush with death has made him realize how much she means to him. Gently, he puts her down on the sand, stoops beside her. ANOTHER ANGLE Clay and Mary in f.g. Steve swims his horse across and rides up the bank to dismount near them. CLAY Mary -- MED. CLOSE - DOWN ANGLE Mary opens her eyes and sits up CLAY (anxiously) Are you all right? Mary is humiliated, bedraggled and wet, still angry and fighting back tears. MARY (sharp) No, I'm not all right. I'm soaked and I hit myself against that rock. CLAY (nettlod at her tone) I suppose that's my fault. Mary gets to her feet. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS. Steve stands in the b.g. She looks out at the river. MARY (wailing) All my clothes -- CLAY That's right -- worry about your clothes -- ANOTHER ANGLE to include wagon in river. Clay, suddenly furious, points to the wagon. CLAY What about my wagon. Of all the crazy fool things to do. You lose a man's wagon because you're stupid and then yell about your clothes. This is the last straw. Mary turns her back, digs into her stocking and pulls out some bills. She hands them to him. MARY For the wagon. Clay looks at Mary, then down at the money. MARY Go on, take it. Then you can't spend the rest of the trip expecting to get paid. CLAY (furious) There won't be any rest of the trip. Over the hill is a stage road and when we hit it you get dumped into the first stage that comes along. So keep your money. You'll need it for the fare. I'm fed up with you. I was fed up with you before we started. He turns and sees Steve standing scowling at him. He takes the rest of his anger out on Steve. CLAY Don't just stand there. Go on back and get the packs on the horses. We've lost all the time we're going to because of a woman. Clay strides over to his horse and swings into the saddle. Steve stands looking at Mary. CLAY Come on. Didn't you hear me? As he plunges his horse into the stream: DISSOLVE EXT. RIVER FULL SHOT - the lower ford. Where the main road crosses the river, it flows gently, with sand banks on either side. Three horsemen appear around a bend in the trail and ride down to the riverbank. They are Lednov, McCall and Peters. Lednov's horse is limping badly. They ride into the river. REVERSE ANGLE The horses swim to shore and flounder up the bank, Lednov's horse last. As the horse starts up the bank Lednov sees something o.s. and reins the horse in. MED. SHOT FROM Lednov's ANGLE. A piece of clothing floats down the river. Lednov rides down the bank into the water. He reaches down awkwardly and gets the piece of clothing, then turns and rides back up the bank. ANOTHER ANGLE The two others have turned and are watching him. He rides up to them, holding out one of Mary's undergarments. MCCALL We got company. Female company. LEDNOV (looking at the garment) Yeah, we sure have. He turns to scan the river. ANGLED PAST THEM - AT RIVER Mary's trunk comes floating by. The three men look at each other, then Lednov turns his horse and starts up the bank of the river. The others follow. DISSOLVE EXT. PEAKS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS EXTREME LONG SHOT. The long pine-covered approaches, and the glistening summit; the early snow covering the rocks with a thin layer of white. CAMERA PANS DOWN FROM the heights of the mountains, TO the narrow trail that winds among the trees. Clay passes, and behind him the pack-horses and the romuda. Following the remuda comes Mary. She is dressed in a pair of Steve's pants and wears one of his shirts under her own coat. MED. SHOT Mary, as she swings with the movement of the horse. She is tired. She wears no makeup. But she looks as unaffectedly beautiful as we have ever seen her. MED. FULL SHOT the trail. It turns steeply, doubling back, and new Clay is directly above her. He looks down at her, but she disregards his glance. We feel that he might speak, but her cold restraint prevents him. The wind whistles through the trees. The slow plodding noise of the horses becomes more distant. DISSOLVE EXT. UPPER FORD - NIGHT - MOONLIGHT MED. FULL SHOT. Lednov, McCall and Peters ride slowly through the brush to where the trail enters the river. Downstream, wedged in the rocks is the wagon. The three men look at the wagon, then turn to look back along the trail. LONG SHOT their ANGLE. Fowler's campfire flickers through the trees. MED. CLOSE the three men. They look at each other. Lednov motions in the direction of Fowler's camp. They start back along the trail. EXT. MEADOW - NIGHT FULL SHOT. The three men ride along the trail toward the camp. Through the trees the campfire flickers. EXT. FOWLER'S CAMP - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Fowler is putting the supper dishes up on the shelves beside the fireplace. The camp is cleaner than it was earlier in the day. It is evident that he has gone to great pains to make his visitor comfortable. A mirror has been tacked up on a tree, and under it is a wash basin. Fowler's rifle and shotgun are in a rack near the fireplace. Helen's trunk stands open near the lean-to. Helen, wearing a robe, takes some clothing from it, closes the trunk. HELEN You can put this out of the way, Jed. It's empty. Fowler turns and smiles. Helen pushes through the curtains into the lean-to. Fowler puts the last of the dishes on the shelf, crosses to the trunk and moves it over to the side of the lean-to. Turning to go back to the fireplace, he stops. ANOTHER ANGLE Fowler in the f.g. Lednov, rifle in hand, stands just inside the camp on the meadow side. FOWLER (turning slowly) What do you want? Lednov moves slowly forward to stand near the table. He looks around him. Fowler starts slowly toward the fireplace. LEDNOV I saw your fire and dropped by to say hello. FOWLER Well, say it. Trying to be casual, Fowler moves closer to where the guns are racked. LEDNOV What's the matter -- restless? FOWLER Yes, people make me restless. LEDNOV Even women? FOWLER There aren't any women here. LEDNOV I suppose that's your wagon in the river. FOWLER Some people who went by this way lost it. (nervously) Two men and some women. They packed their stuff on horses and went on. LEDNOV And you're all alone. FOWLER Yeah. He has edged closer to the gun rack. Lednov seems unaware that he is near the guns. His interest is centered on the lean-to. He moves to the entrance, stands with his hand on the canvas. LEDNOV Suppose I take a look. FOWLER Go ahead. Lednov pulls back the flap. His back is to Fowler, who starts quickly for the tree, only to stop as McCall comes out from behind it. MCCALL Looking for something? Fowler drops his hands to his side. Lednov turns, grins at Fowler, and enters the lean-to. INT. LEAN-TO - NIGHT The shelter is dark. Lednov strikes a match and looks around. The place is empty. There is a bunk, made up. On the left hand wall a curtain of gunny sacks covers the clothes hanging there. The match burns down to Lednov's fingers. There is a SOUND of a scuffle outside a blow, and a groan. Lednov drops the match and hurries out. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT Lednov comes out of the lean-to. Fowler is sprawled by the table. McCall stands over him, rifle raised. LEDNOV Hold it, Mac. EXT. BACK OF LEAN-TO - NIGHT MED. CLOSE SHOT. Helen stands flattened against a tree. LEDNOV'S VOICE Get up. Cautiously Helen starts moving away. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Fowler pulls himself to his feet. Mac stands near him. LEDNOV Come on. Where'd the women go? Fowler sinks on a bench, his head in his hands. Lednov moves closer. LEDNOV When I ask questions, I like to hear answers. FOWLER They went on like I told you. EXT. FOREST - MOONLIGHT MED. SHOT. Helen cautiously moves away from the camp. LEDNOV'S VOICE How long ago? FOWLER Five, six hours. A twig snaps underfoot. Helen freezes. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Lednov is staring off in the direction of Helen. McCall moves to the edge of the lean-to, looking off. EXT. FOREST - NIGHT MED. CLOSE SHOT. Helen starts forward again, more cautiously than ever. She reaches a tree, turns to look back. ANOTHER ANGLE Helen, back to camera, is in immediate f.g. Through the trees can be seen the camp and the flickering fire. She turns, and then fright comes into her expression. REVERSE SHOT Peters stands in front of her. As he reaches out for her, she tries to get away. He grabs her, wrapping his arms around her. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT MED. SHOT. From o.s. comes the SOUND of Helen and Peters struggling. Fowler, hearing the SOUND, gets to his feet. Lednov and McCall turn on him. LEDNOV Sit down. (calling) All right, Peters, come on over here. EXT. FOREST - NIGHT MED. SHOT. Peters, carrying the struggling Helen, heads for the camp. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT ANOTHER ANGLE. Fowler makes a futile dive for Lednov. McCall swings his rifle. Fowler goes down. In the b.g. Peters drags the struggling Helen around the lean-to into the camp. LEDNOV (to Fowler) So you were all alone. He moves forward to meet Helen and Peters. Lednov reaches out for Helen. Peters pulls her away. PETERS (sharp) You keep your hands off. McCall has taken his attention from Fowler and gives it to Helen. Unnoticed now, Fowler is struggling back to consciousness. He tries to pull himself up. McCall turns back and kicks him again. HELEN (yelling) Let him alone! She rakes Peters' face with her fingernails, tries to fight free. Lednov reaches out and grabs her arm. Peters knocks his arm down. Free for the moment, Helen launches an attack on McCall, who is getting ready to boot Fowler again. She is on him like a cat, swarming all over him. He defends himself. Helen is yelling furiously as she fights McCall. HELEN Kick a guy, would you! You scum! You won't do any kickin' when they come back. Lednov has reached her now. He wraps his arms around her and pulls her away from McCall. Helen tries to fight him. HELEN You dirty murderers... killin' people when they're sleepin'... Lednov pinions her arms. LEDNOV How do you know who we are? HELEN Everybody knows -- LEDNOV (excited) Who brought you here? Helen doesn't answer. Lednov starts twisting her arms. LEDNOV You said somebody was comin' back -- who's comin' back? HELEN (moaning) Stop it -- As the pain increases she blurts out Clay's name. HELEN Clay Phillips. LEDNOV Where is he? HELEN Up the trail. In a fury, Lednov crushes her arm. LEDNOV How far up the trail? HELEN (moaning) I don't know -- I don't know. He hurls her from him. She goes back against the table. Fowler is trying to struggle to his feet. In blind rage, Lednov raises his gun and fires. Fowler crumples. Helen looks down, too horrified and terrified to scream. Lednov looks at her, then almost casually he shoots her. McCall and Peters stand watching as though frozen. PETERS (huskily) You didn't have to do that. LEDNOV (deadly) Why not? She might have got to Clay Phillips before I did. AS HE TURNS, FADE OUT EXT. OPEN RIDGE FADE IN MED. FULL SHOT - ANGLES east. Behind the ridge rises the range through which the pass to Nevada cuts its way. The trail which has dipped down into a canyon comes up to follow the ridge a ways and then drops down again. Lednov, McCall and Peters ride along the trail. Lednov, in the lead, stops suddenly and looks off. EXTREME LONG SHOT DOWN ANGLE from Lednov's point of view. Far below is a meadow and crossing it is a wagon road. This is the road from Yosemite to Sonora. The road comes down the hill to the south and, as the forest is open at this point, anything approaching along the road can be seen for some distance. It crosses the meadow and continues into the northwest. In the meadow is a snake-rail corral. Clay's pack train comes out of the woods above the meadow and starts down. MED. SHOT McCall, Lednov and Peters. Lednov motions to his men and they hurriedly ride forward into the shelter of some trees. MED. SHOT the pack train. Mary, half asleep, slumps forward. Her horse has stopped. Steve rides up alongside and looks over at her, anxiously. STEVE Are you all right? Mary starts into wakefulness. She smiles at Steve. MARY For the last ten miles I've been trying to figure out how to sleep sitting up. I'm getting to the point where I don't think there's any place named Sonora. STEVE It's a long ways yet. (arrogantly, to Clay) I figure we ought to camp. She's tired. CLAY So am I and so are the horses. He rides on ahead. Steve looks after him, annoyed, then follows with Mary. EXT. MEADOW Clay leads the pack train out into the clearing and toward the road. A small creek threads its way through the meadow. Clay rides up to the creek and swings out of the saddle. He is taking the saddle off as the others ride up. CLAY (to Steve) Take the packs off. And run the horses into the corral. He throws the saddle down, takes his rifle out of the scabbard. Steve doesn't move. CLAY I said take the packs off. He starts off past Mary, glances up. MED. CLOSE SHOT Mary leans wearily forward on the pommel, too tired to dismount. CLAY (gruffly) I figure we'll make better time, letting the horses rest for a spell. Mary looks down at him. She is hoping he will reach up and lift her down. CLAY So grab yourself some sleep while you have the chance. MARY If you want to go on, I can make it all right. CLAY Like I said, I was thinkin' of the horses. He turns a way abruptly and goes toward the road. Mary looks after him, disappointed. Steve comes over and helps her down. MED. SHOT Steve and Mary. Steve spreads a tarp on the grass. STEVE You stretch out. I'll fix something to eat. MARY (sitting) Thanks, Steve. Steve goes back and starts unpacking the horses. Mary looks off in Clay's direction, then stretches out and pillows her head on her arm. Now the sun is coming up and driving the darkness out of the meadow. In the distance Clay can be seen climbing up on a rise. MED. CLOSE SHOT Clay. He climbs up on an eminence and looks back toward the hills. LONG SHOT his ANGLE. The open ridge. There is no sign of Lednov. ANGLED PAST CLAY INTO the meadow. Steve has unpacked the horses. They graze inside the crude corral. Steve is collecting wood for a fire. Clay hurries down toward him. MED. SHOT Steve squats beside the pile of needles, twigs and pine cones. He strikes a match and sets the needles aflame. Clay hurries into the scene and roughly kicks the fire out. Steve rises. CLAY (angrily) If you want 'em to find us, why don't you go up on the hill and wave your shirt or fire your rifle. Steve is ashamed of his thoughtlessness and for a moment is apologetic. STEVE I didn't stop to think, Clay. CLAY (short) You better start. Clay turns and goes over to where the packs lie. He kneels beside the pack, rummages in them for hardtack and tinned food. Steve looks after him. CLOSE SHOT Steve. He is hurt and angry. Knowing he was in the wrong about the fire doesn't help matters. He'd like to go off in the woods and cry, but that's out of the question. Instead he follows Clay and stands above him. MED. CLOSE SHOT STEVE Maybe you and me better split up when we hit Sonora. Clay speaks without looking up. CLAY (mildly) All right, I hurt your feelings. But you know better than to go lightin' fires. STEVE That ain't why. I just figure it's about time to start runnin' my own life. Clay spreads the food on a tarp, sits down and starts eating a hardtack. CLAY Maybe you're not hungry, but I am. Steve stares down at him angrier, more hurt than ever. CLAY Come on. We got a couple hours to eat and get some sleep. STEVE I'll eat when I'm good and ready. CLAY Kind of feeling your oats this morning. I haven't laid a hand on you for quite a while, but that doesn't mean you're too old. STEVE What makes you think you're so almighty? Telling people what to do and how to act when you don't even know how yourself. [As this scene continues, there is heard, faintly o.s. the SOUND of little bells, the kind that teamsters put on the hames of their horses. Over the hill, in the direction of Yosemite, a stage is approaching. It is coming slowly uphill. Soon it will be visible on the rise about a mile south of the meadow.] ANOTHER ANGLE SHOOTING TOWARD Steve and Clay PAST Mary. She is asleep. STEVE You ain't even man enough to own up when you're wrong. Clay rises and stands facing Steve. STEVE Go on, hit me. CLAY Sit down and eat. Till I say the word, you're doing what you're told. STEVE You oughta say you're sorry -- that's what you oughta do. CLAY You keep your nose out of my life, young fella. STEVE Maybe I haven't lived as long as you have, but I know a sight more about people and I wouldn't talk to a mule like you talked to her and, if I did, I'd say how sorry I was. I'd be man enough to do that. Steve's voice rises during this speech. In f.g. Mary stirs and opens her eyes. Then she sits up. CLAY I said keep your nose out of my life. No kid is going to tell me how to run it. STEVE You think you're so slmighty -- smart -- Who are you to sit up there and say nobody's good enough for you, like you said yesterday -- just because a man kisses a woman -- Mary has risen. She is listening to Steve. She is also listening to the bells. LONG SHOT her ANGLE. Over the rise comes the stage. It is still a long way off. STEVE'S VOICE -- doesn't mean he wants to marry her. ANOTHER ANGLE to include all three. The brothers still don't see Mary. STEVE Well, if you didn't mean it, why did you kiss her? Clay is ashamed but won't show it. He puts his hand on Steve's shoulder and pushes him. CLAY Shut up and eat. Steve swings for his chin. Clay ducks the blow, grabs Steve's wrist. Steve swings with his left, hitting Clay ineffectually. Clay pins Steve's arms to his side. MARY (sharply) Stop it -- both of you. She walks toward them as Clay releases Steve and steps back. Steve puts his hands up, making ready for another round. MARY I won't have you fighting over me. CLAY (to Steve) I'm sorry. STEVE You don't know what it is to be sorry. MARY (sharp) Steve -- Steve turns abruptly and moves away. He is on the verge of tears. MARY (to Clay) Mind sortin' out my things -- I'm leaving. She motions off. Clay is suddenly aware of the approaching stage. He looks in that direction. LONG SHOT FROM his ANGLE. The stage drives along the road. MARY Maybe it isn't going to Sonora, but it's going somewhere, which is all right with me. CLAY It's going to Sonora. MARY Fine -- maybe I'll see you there sometime. She turns and starts going through the kyacks, looking for her things. Clay frowns down at her. MARY Because as you said, that's where I belong. Mary's attention is on the kyacks. From where Clay stands near her he can see the trail leading down through open country toward the meadow. CLAY I said a lot of things -- some of 'em -- Something o.s. catches his attention, then he pauses to look off. EXT. TRAIL LONG SHOT - his ANGLE. Up on the ridge there is the flash of sun on metal. EXT. RIDGE MED. SHOT. Lednov, McCall and Peters ride through the trees. CLOSE SHOT Clay. He looks up anxiously, then turns. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS to include Mary and she straightens and faces him, her back to the trail. MARY Some of 'em you didn't mean but most of 'em you did. I don't blame you because I understand your way of thinking and why you think that way. You want your women on pedestals. But they have to be born on 'em -- they can fall off but they can't climb back up. CLAY (sharply) I can't help how I think. You're trained a certain way when you're a kid and you can't change. He bends down and picks up her things. CLAY If you're gonna catch this stage, come on. ANOTHER ANGLE The stage has speeded up and is coming fast down the road. Mary looks up at Clay hurt and shocked by his sudden sharpness. She had hoped he wouldn't let her go. MARY I can't change either. Not unless somebody wants me enough to give me a hand. CLAY Hurry up. He starts off, Mary following. MED. CLOSE TRUCKING SHOT Mary makes one last attempt to get him to change his mind. MARY (softly) I'm fool enough to believe that one of these days somebody will. Somebody who wants me as I am will maybe walk into the place where I'm working and take me out of there. CLAY Maybe they will. He waves for the stage to stop. ANGLED PAST STAGE The driver sees Clay waving and pulls the horses in. The stage moves down to the edge of the meadow. MED. SHOT The stage. It is a small one, a double-seated buckboard with one woman passenger and the driver an elderly man. On the side of the vehicle is painted: "Yosemite-Sonora Stage Line". The woman, middle-aged and rather drab, looks at Mary curiously. CLAY Mind giving a lady a lift into town? DRIVER (to Mary) Climb right in. He jumps out of the stage and follows Clay, carrying Mary's belongings, around back of the stage. Mary gets into the stage beside the woman who moves over for her. ANOTHER ANGLE on back of stage. The driver opens the boot and Clay hands him Mary's belongings. He starts stowing them in the boot. CLAY Will you be seeing the sheriff? DRIVER Depot's right next to his office. Clay starts scribbling a note. In the b.g. Steve has moved up beside the stage. He stands looking up at Mary. MED. CLOSE featuring Mary and Steve. STEVE (shyly) Goodbye, ma'am. Mary reaches down and takes his hand. MARY (quietly) Goodbye, Steve. Don't fight with him any more. Steve's expression hardens. He glances toward the back of the stage, then at Mary. MARY It's not his fault, just you remember that. It's mine. Don't ask me why because you couldn't understand now. Some day you will. Clay and the driver come around the stage. Steve steps back. The driver climbs into the seat. Clay and Mary look at each other. MARY Goodbye. Thanks for the lift. CLAY Goodbye, Mary. MARY By the way, if you ever go past the Wyatt ranch, have another talk with Elaine. Before Clay can speak, the driver snaps his whip and the stage jerks away down the road. Mary doesn't look back. Clay, in f.g., looks after it. Dust rises. It disappears around a bend in the road. Clay turns and starts across the meadow. Steve looks after Clay, hesitates, then follows. MED. CLOSE as Clay reaches the spot where the kyacks and saddles are thrown. Steve comes up to him. STEVE You know what she asked me? CLAY I don't care what she asked you. STEVE She told me not to fight with you anymore. She said it wasn't your fault, but -- I figure different... Clay is looking off, hardly listening. STEVE It is so your fault and... and I guess maybe when we hit the ranch... you andme better... CLAY (sharply) You want to split up? -- Clay's eyes are narrow, peering toward: EXT. ROCKY HILLSIDE - DAY LONG SHOT (Clay's ANGLE) of the shadowed slope. Something moves, indistinct, and then the sun catches a gun barrel as it disappears. MED. CLOSE Clay and Steve as Clay turns sharply. CLAY -- Why wait? Go on, saddle up now and beat it. Steve looks over toward the horses, stalling. STEVE Half of them are mine. CLAY (hard) You'll get your share. Go on. I don't want you around. Turning, he crosses to where Steve's horse stands. CAMERA ANGLE WIDENS. He loads the horse back, throws a blanket and saddle on and cinches up the saddle. Steve watches, angry and hurt. Clay steps back. CLAY There you are. MED. CLOSE the two brothers. They stare at each other. Steve is on the verge of tears. Hurriedly, he swings into the saddle. MED. SHOT He glances down to Clay and digs his spurs in and gallops after the stage. Clay's stern expression leaves his face. He looks after the boy, smiles softly and then starts carrying the pack-saddle into the shelter of the forest. EXT. ROAD MED. SHOT. Steve rides along the road. He pulls his horse in, then glances back. EXT. MEADOW LONG SHOT - Steve's ANGLE. Clay is carrying the belongings into the shelter of the forest. CAMERA PANS OVER and UP. Momentarily a horseman is seen riding into an open space. CLOSE SHOT Steve as he stares. Then understanding his brother's actions, he jerks the reins and swings the horse around and rides back toward the meadow. EXT. MEADOW MED. SHOT - Steve gallops across the meadow to the corral, swings off and starts unsaddling. Clay is inside the forest lighting the fire. MED. CLOSE Clay. He looks over toward Steve, then rises and hurries toward him. MED. CLOSE Clay and Steve. Steve takes down the bars and puts the horse in the corral. Clay comes up to him as he's putting the bars back up. CLAY What did you come back for? STEVE Like I told you, half those horses are mine. I'm makin' sure they get to the ranch safe. So let's quit arguing and do whatever you figure on doin'. The two brothers stare at each other. CLAY (softly) Is that the only reason you came back? STEVE (gruff) Sure. What other reason would there be? CLAY (smiling) I just wondered. Let's go. EXT. MEADOW LONG SHOT - DOWN ANGLE. Above the pines smoke rises. The horses graze inside the corral. In the shadowy forest by the creek, Clay's camp can be seen. A tarp has been stretched over the camp. Lednov moves into the right hand side of the frame and looks down. REVERSE SHOT Lednov stands on a rocky hill looking down in the meadow. Behind him are McCall and Peters. They are screened from the meadow by the rocks. Lednov turns and starts off through the rocks to circle above the camp. The two men follow. All are on foot. EXT. ROCK LONG SHOT SHOOTING PAST Clay and along his rifle. Clay, hidden behind a wall of rock, is watching the trail where it comes down into the meadow. Something moves on the rocky hill above and to his left. He looks up, waiting. The movement stops. Clay glances around. ANOTHER ANGLE Below Clay, Steve lies in a cut in the rocks, watching the camp. Clay motions toward the hill. Steve nods. EXT. ROCK PAN SHOT - FROM Clay's ANGLE. CAMERA, SHOOTING THROUGH the rifle sights, SEARCHES the forest and meadow. As a flight of birds suddenly rises above a section of the forest, the CAMERA HOLDS. EXT. ROCKY HILLTOP MED. SHOT. Lednov, McCall and Peters have stopped, halted by the sudden flight of the birds. ANOTHER ANGLE Below is the camp. Lednov motions. LEDNOV (to Peters) Go on down and have a look. PETERS (scoffing) And get my head blown off! Not me. Lednov looks at McCall. From his pocket, McCall takes a coin. MCCALL Call it. PETERS Heads. McCall flips the coin, shows it to Peters. Peters shrugs and starts moving cautiously down toward the camp. MED. CLOSE Lednov and McCall. LEDNOV And you! Get going. McCall moves off to circle around in back of where Clay and Steve wait. Lednov watches him go then, moving to the shelter of the rocks, waits. ANOTHER ANGLE His position commands the meadow, where the horses are corralled, and the camp. EXT. ROCK LONG SHOT - Clay's ANGLE. The forest is silent. Then, momentarily, Peters is in the open. Clay brings his rifle up, trying to get him in the sights. Wheeler disappears. EXT. PETERS' POSITION MED. SHOT. Stealthily, Peters makes his way down toward the camp. LONG SHOT ANGLED PAST Peters. Peters, sheltered by a tree trunk, raises his rifle, then his eye catches a movement. He fires. EXT. ROCK LONG SHOT - PAST Clay. Clay has Peters in his sights. He fires. MED. CLOSE Peters. Peters is stretched on the needle-covered earth, dead. EXT. ROCK MED. CLOSE - Clay. Clay throws the empty cartridge out and another in. O.s. there is a SHOT. A bullet hits near him. Clay looks off in the direction where Lednov is waiting on the hill west of the camp. Another SHOT is heard. A bullet smacks into the rock close to Clay. It comes from McCall's position southwest of the camp. Clay ducks. EXT. LEDNOV'S POSITION LONG SHOT - Lednov's ANGLE. Lednov is trying to get Clay in his sights. He fires as Clay is seen momentarily. EXT. MCCALL'S POSITION LONG SHOT - McCall's ANGLE. McCall fires at Clay. EXT. ROCK Clay and Steve crawl down and away from Lednov and McCall's positions. Steve grins at Clay. He is enjoying this. CLAY (quietly) Stick here. Moving cautiously he starts in McCall's direction. EXT. MCCALL'S POSITION MED. LONG SHOT. McCall, rifle ready looks down toward the base of the log where Steve now waits. A twig snaps below. He sights the rifle, waiting. EXT. CLAY'S POSITION MED. CLOSE. Clay stands still. The forest is silent again. EXT. LEDNOV'S POSITION MED. LONG SHOT. Lednov, sheltered by a tree, has his rifle trained on Clay's position. EXT. CLAY'S POSITION MOVING SHOT. Clay, walking cautiously, climbs toward McCall's position. Ahead is an open area. Stooping, Clay picks up a rock and draws back his arm to throw it. EXT. MCCALL'S POSITION MED. LONG SHOT - ANGLED TOWARD open area below. The stone thrown by Clay, crashes in the brush across the open area. McCall fires. EXT. CLAY'S POSITION UP ANGLE PAST Clay. The flash of sunlight on McCall's rifle attracts Clay's attention. He fires. From behind him, Steve fires. Clay runs across the open area. Steve fires again. EXT. MCCALL'S POSITION MED. SHOT. McCall tries to struggle to his feet. Failing, he brings his rifle up. Clay in b.g. runs to the shelter of a tree. McCall fires. Clay's rifle barrel emerges from behind tree. McCall tries to drag himself to safety. Clay fires. McCall goes down on his face. From Lednov's position comes the SOUND of a shot. LONG PAN SHOT Clay's ANGLE. CAMERA SEARCHES Lednov's position for some movement. There is none. EXT. LEDNOV'S POSITION DOWN ANGLE PAST Lednov. Below in the corral the horses are hunched together. Lednov looks down, then raising his rifle, he brings one of the horses into the beads of the sights. It is the bell mare. LEDNOV (calling) Come on out, Phillips. His voice echoes again and again. Clay's answer is a shot. It cuts the branches above Lednov's head. CLOSE SHOT Lednov. He ducks lower, steadies his rifle. LEDNOV (his voice echoing) Those horses down there -- they don't amount to much to me. Look at the one with the bell. LONG SHOT ANGLED THROUGH sights. The sights center on the bell mare. MED. CLOSE SHOT Steve. He is standing recklessly trying to find Lednov in the rocks above. MED. CLOSE SHOT Clay. He stares down at the horses. A shot is heard. EXT. CORRAL MED. SHOT. The bell mare rears as the bullet strikes the bell. The horses mill around the corral. EXT. LEDNOV'S POSITION MED. CLOSE SHOT. LEDNOV (calling; echoing) Next time I won't miss. CLOSE SHOT Clay. He starts forward, face set with rage. LEDNOV'S VOICE (echoing) Watch the one with the white face. Recklessly Clay raises his rifle and fires three shots at Lednov's position. EXT. ROCKS MED. FULL SHOT as Clay fires, Steve starts running down. He crosses the creek. EXT. LEDNOV'S POSITION LONG SHOT - DOWN. Lednov sees Steve running. He swings his rifle away from the horses and tries to get the boy in his sights. Clay fires again. A bullet smacks into the tree. Lednov flinches. Then again he tries to center on Steve. EXT. MEADOW MED. SHOT. Steve runs, bending low, toward the rail fence. A bullet kicks up dirt near him. EXT. LEDNOV'S POSITION LONG SHOT - DOWN. Steve has almost reached the fence. Lednov fires. Steve stumbles and goes down. MED. CLOSE Steve. He lies still a moment, then painfully he crawls to the rails and with a great effort tries to tear the rails down. Lednov fires. The bullet whistles past. Steve pulls the fence down, crawls away from the opening. The horses, milling around the corral break through. Steve lies still, face down. FULL SHOT The meadow, ANGLED PAST Clay. The horses scatter across the meadow. MED. SHOT Clay, now the hunter, moves toward Lednov's position. Lednov fires. Clay runs and jumps into the creek. Sheltered by the bank he makes his way up the creek. MED. CLOSE Lednov. He waits, his rifle ready. O.s. a twig snaps. Cautiously he looks ahead. There is silence. MED. SHOT his ANGLE. A light wind runs through the great trees. Shafts of light filter through the trees, making patterns on the forest floor. The light is dim, deceptive. Lednov, rifle ready, searches for some sign of Clay. Then from another direction comes the SOUND of movement. Lednov swings his rifle in that direction, waits. The SOUND has stopped. CLAY'S VOICE I'm here Lednov. His voice echoes across the hills. Lednov sights along his rifle at the direction from which the SOUND of Clay's voice came. Momentarily Clay is seen as he runs from one tree to another. Lednov fires. MED. CLOSE Clay. Clay cautiously edges around the base of a tree. He picks up a stick, stops. CLAY Come on out. His voice can be heard echoing across the hills. He tosses the stick. Lednov fires at the SOUND of the falling stick. LEDNOV'S VOICE Come and get me. As his voice echoes across the hills Clay quickly moves into the open and fires. ANOTHER ANGLE Lednov crumples forward as his echoing voice fades out. Clay moves over to him to stand looking down. DISSOLVE EXT. MEADOW MED. SHOT. Steve sits propped up against the fence rail. His shirt is off and his shoulder is crudely bandaged. Clay, who has been putting the bandage on, stands and takes a sack of tobacco from his pocket. CLAY (rolling cigarette) How's that? STEVE Kind of sore. CLAY You'll live. STEVE (shyly) Guess maybe I'm old enough to hold my own in a fight, huh? CLAY Yeah -- but don't make a habit of it. STEVE So -- maybe I'm old enough to tell you how to run your life? CLAY (stares down at him, then) I guess so -- but don't make a habit of it. STEVE Well, then, I know it takes three -- four weeks for you to come round to admit when you're wrong... But by that time she's liable to be in China... Clay looks at him for a moment, not angry, but not admitting he's wrong yet. DISSOLVE OUT EXT. SONORA - NIGHT (STOCK) EXT. SONORA STREET - NIGHT FULL SHOT - featuring hotel and doctor's office. The sheriff's posse, the bodies of Lednov, McCall and Wheeler slung across the backs of horses, and Clay's remuda, trot down the street. People come out of the hotel to watch the cavalcade pass. Clay and Steve are not with the posse. Clay's horse is tethered in front of the doctor's office which is next door to the hotel. EXT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE MED. SHOT - ANGLED THROUGH window. Clay, back to camera, is holding a kerosine lamp. The doctor, a lanky, middle-aged man, is working over Steve, who is stretched out on a table. INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE MED. SHOT. Shelves filled with bottles line the room, for the doctor is also the druggist. There is a glass cabinet in which are the doctor's instruments. The room is cluttered. The lamp, held by Clay, throws a circle of pale light down on Steve. The doctor is working on Steve's shoulder and arm. MED. CLOSE - UP ANGLE featuring Clay. Clay suddenly averts his glance and winces as the doctor probes the wound in Steve's arm. Steve groans. The lamp wavers. DOCTOR (sharply) Hold her steady. I'm not hurting him. STEVE Maybe you're not, but I'll sure be glad when you stop pokin' me. Footsteps are HEARD approaching. Clay tries to steady his shaking hand. He is focusing his attention on a far wall. A woman's hand comes in the scene and takes the lamp from him. He reacts. CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal Mary, who has moved in beside him. CLOSE SHOT Steve. He smiles up at Mary. MED. CLOSE SHOT ANGLES PAST doctor. MARY Is it very bad? DOCTOR (grumbling) Course not. A scratch. He suddenly realizes that a strange woman is in the room and reacts. DOCTOR What are you doin' here? MARY Holding the lamp. DOCTOR Then hold it a little lower. Mary lowers the lamp. CLOSE SHOT Clay and Mary. UP ANGLE PAST lamp. CLAY Thanks for taking over. MARY (softly) Thanks for loading me on the stage. I know now why you did it. CLAY Like I said, women get in the way sometimes. STEVE'S VOICE He tried to get rid of me, too, Miss Wells. DOCTOR Keep still, will you. He straightens into the shot. CAMERA PULLS BACK TO MED. SHOT. Steve is now bandaged. DOCTOR Put him over there on the cot. Goodnight... He'll be all right. As Clay lifts Steve to the cot the doctor exits. Mary watches Clay cover Steve. Then she goes to the door leading to the street, stops with her hand on the knob. MARY Goodnight. STEVE Goodnight, Miss Wells. MARY (looking back) If you need me, I'll be -- Clay straightens and turns. CLAY Where you going? MARY To the other side of the street. She opens the door and starts out. EXT. PORCH - DOCTOR'S OFFICE MED. SHOT. Mary starts to close the door behind her. Clay forces it open. Clay comes out. Mary starts toward the steps. CLAY Mary. Mary stops at the edge of the porch. Clay comes up beside her. CLOSE SHOT Mary waits, looking up at him. CLAY That job you were talkin' about, did you get it yet? MARY Why? CLAY (haltingly) Because... well, you said you wanted a man to think enough of you to walk in the place you were working and take you out of there... tonight I was sort of tied up with Steve... but tomorrow I figured on doing just that. MARY (softly) I haven't got the job yet. They look at each other. MARY But if you want to wait until tomorrow -- For answer, Clay takes her in his arms. INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE ANGLED PAST Steve on cot. In the b.g. through the open doorway, Clay and Mary kiss. Steve watches a moment, then turns his head toward camera. He smiles and closes his eyes. EXT. PORCH TWO SHOT - Mary and Clay. They break from the kiss. Clay looks down at Mary. CLAY (softly) Is there any place in town a man could buy some gingham? FADE OUT THE END