what's the trouble? he tried running away, sheriff. we got enough proof to hang him five times over. yeah, and what kind of proof? take a look at this. we found it in his bags. nobody but a rustler packs a running iron, stocker, you know that. that's not mine. they planted it on me. i suppose we planted the money, too. where's the others? oh, they're scattered over five states by now. but i...

say, old timer, can you tell me the way to the sheriff's office?

yes, sir, i am. i thought so. sheriff's office. are you aimin' to go toward it or away from it? right for it. well, well, you see that building down there, that yellow one way down there? yeah. well, right next to it is a sign says right across from it is the... sheriff's office? no, no, no, no, not that one, but right next-door to it. thanks. -you wanna see the sheriff? -yeah. you ain't gonna find him down there. he's in the saloon here. thanks. you sheriff stone? that's me.

hear you been losin' cattle. well, you're too late, mister. we shot the rustler last night. fine, i wish all my jobs were this easy. i'm harvey sinclair, chairman of the local association. -this is cleave hammer. -howdy, it's bodie. i'm the one who wrote the association. it was a waste of time, you didn't have to. knew i'd get him sooner or later. how'd you spot him? caught him dead to rights out on the range. had a running iron in his possession. are you satisfied, mr. sinclair? well, he had a lot of money on him, couldn't explain where he got it. on the spot. guess i'll be headin' back to denver. well, you won't have to wait long. eastbound stage'll be goin' through here in about an hour. sheriff, would you write up a report on this? i'll need it for the association. yeah, i'll go over to my office and make it out right now. i'll appreciate it. i understand an old friend of mine is in town, matt ellis. is he still here? he sure is, has an office down by the corrals. he buys and ships cattle. cattle broker? mm-hm. that doesn't sound like matt. i knew him as a law man.

while the sheriff's writing out the report. you could visit a spell. glad to oblige. i'll tell you what, i'll leave the report at the express office. you can pick it up when you leave. fine. boys back in denver will sure be glad to hear this thing's been settled. buyin' any cattle today, sheriff? cheyenne! glad to see you. matt, i never thought i'd see you workin' behind a desk. cheyenne knew me in the old days. worked for me a while. don't look like you've changed a bit except for the gun. got it hung up for good? haven't touched it in five years and feel fifty pounds lighter. no reason to carry it. i'm what they call a businessman now. what are you doin' here? how long are you gonna stay? no time at all, i guess.

lin'. hey, that pete stocker was a slippery character. i'm glad they got him. pete stocker? hey, you know him? man of about 35, brown hair, moustache? that's the man. you sure stocker was your rustler? oh, positive. only a guilty man would have run. pretty conclusive, isn't it? stocker was a gambler, highwayman. cows were out of his line. well, you're wrong, bodie. we gave him every chance. we had him so he made a break for it. and got shot. say, you better head back to the express station if you wanna catch that stage. there'll be others. i think i'll stick around a couple of days. pop?

, mr. hammer. buddy. goin' home soon? in a minute. i better be goin'. bye, mr. bodie, matt. so long, cleave. remember him? matt jr. last time i saw him, he was about this high. buddy, this is an old sidekick of mine, cheyenne. any friend of my father's is a friend of mine. be in town long? oh, a few days, i guess. looks like you, matt. well, say, if you're gonna be around a while, why not bed down at our place? -well... -how 'bout it, pop? make him stay. i don't want to be any trouble. plenty of room. e for a couple old bachelors, eh, buddy? sure, i'll show you my new horse. all right, lead on. oh, matt! i was just coming to visit you. we closed up early today. had a visit from an old friend. cheyenne bodie, this is julie. julie montaine. ma'am. how do you do? hello buddy. hello. some jellybeans. i thought you might like some. no thanks.

n't want any. i thought all boys liked jellybeans. i don't. mind your manners, buddy. julie bought them for you, you take them. that's all right, matt. maybe i picked the wrong kind. nice to have met you, mr. bodie. same here. see you later. ot deputy gallopin' all over town lookin' for the desperado, and all the time, i had him locked at the jailhouse. did you take him by yourself, pop? sure i did. beat him to the draw in a saloon and ran him in. that tenderfoot deputy sure felt silly. how do you know? 'cause he was me. your father taught me a lot, buddy. pop was a good law man, wasn't he, cheyenne? the best. you should be a sheriff again. you could teach me.

and it's not for you. you're aimin' at higher things. school, college maybe. your father's right. the west'll be different when you grow up, buddy. dodgin' bullets won't be for you youngin's. or wastin' your time lookin' for a rustler that's already dead. what makes you so satisfied it was stocker? couldn't have been anybody else. maybe you're right, but i figure people live in a certain way, like with animals. each breed has its own instincts, they don't change much. there's a difference between rustlers and highwaymen. . they don't change. some people change, and stocker was one of them. can't be satisfied unless you feel right about it inside. what? you told that once to a tenderfoot deputy. i don't feel right about it, matt. i'm gonna ask questions. it's your job. go ahead. gonna have to excuse me, cheyenne. i have a heavy day tomorrow, work to catch up. i'm afraid i'm gonna have to go back to the office. oh, not tonight, pop!

sorry, cheyenne. don't worry about me. i don't wanna be disrupting anything. you make yourself comfortable. this is your home as long as you want to stay. where's that horse of yours you were gonna show me? he's in the barn. what's the matter, buddy? it's her. julie? pop didn't go to the office, he went to see her. if he marries her and she comes to live in this house, i'm gonna run away. oh, it can't be as bad as all that. i thought she was a pretty nice woman. she's awful. how could he like her? well, maybe he's lonely. maybe he's thinking about you. a growing boy needs a woman to look after him. pop and me get alone fine just as we are. i know how you feel. i knew your mother, she was a fine woman.

but your father's got a responsibility to raise you up right, and he'd like to be happy himself. why don't you let him decide what's best? we don't need no women. it'll change everything if she comes here. might be for the better. i'm afraid. well, don't be. trust your father. i'll trust you. you tell me what you think, cheyenne. you give her a little more time. if you'll race into town tomorrow. cattle drive? they've been roundin' up for the last couple of weeks. they'll start shipping soon. buddy, i've got to go into town. have you got a horse i can use?

you'll be all right? sure.

bank is always glad to be of service to the cattlemen's association. i won't take long, just a few questions that need answering.

thanks again. it's all right.

howdy, my name's bodie, i'm from the cattlemen's protective association. if you don't mind, i'd like to look through some of your records confirming cattle shipments. but i do mind. man like you deserves to be promoted for not giving out information he shouldn't. and a man like you deserves to be fired if he thinks a man like me is going to hand out any confidential information without the proper documents according to section 78, a, c, and f and 121-c of the regulations as amended. what might these necessary documents be? proper identification of anybody saying he's from the cattlemen's protective association, a letter from the authorities swearing to the necessity

to me absolving this office of all responsibility. proper identification from the association, letter swearing to the necessity for information, notarized document from the president of this company to you absolving this office of all responsibility. well, it'll take me a little time, but i'll have it for you in the morning. thanks, you do that. who you workin' for, cowboy? that's my business. that may be.

? love somebody, yes i do ? ? love somebody, yes i do ? ? love somebody, 'deed i do ? ? love somebody, but i won't tell who ? ? love somebody, yes, i'm crazy 'bout somebody ? ? love somebody ? ? and i hope somebody ? looks like you moved your office to a fancier location. workin's all right if you don't overdo it. dy, yes i do ? ? need somebody, 'deed i do ? ? need somebody, but i won't tell who ? ? love somebody, yes, i'm crazy 'bout somebody ? ? love somebody ? ? and i hope somebody loves me, too ? good, isn't she? pretty, too. ? want somebody, yes i do ? ? want somebody, 'deed i do ?

know him? that's bill henley, sinclair's foreman. what else do you know about him? must be a pretty good man or he wouldn't be workin' for sinclair. why? he's been taggin' after me for about an hour. thought maybe you might know why. how would i know? back in tombstone, you used to know the skeletons in every closet. that was in tombstone. cattle brokers are only curious about the price of beef in denver. ? it looks to me like a big night tonight ? ? big night tonight ? ? big night tonight ? ? i sent the folks out to sea ? ? but they can't see through me ? ? so it looks like a big night tonight ?? great, julie. it's a new song from san francisco. i enjoyed it, ma'am. thank you. it seems to be getting a little harder to hit the high ones. you can retire any time you want. i want to, matt.

ll... no, don't rush off. i was wonderin' how you found me. buddy know where i was? that's right. what'd he say? i'm afraid he hasn't reached the age where he appreciates women. give him a little more time. excuse me. mind if i sit down. seem to like our town, mr. bodie, the way you're staying on. nice place. i'd like it even better if mr. sinclair would tell his foreman to get off my tail. henley? why would he follow you? you tell me, you're his boss. or does he work for somebody else, too? he works for me. somebody's interested enough in what i'm doing to make a shadow out of him. could be imagining that shadow.

d quit sticking your nose into something that's been settled. stocker's dead, and i'm not satisfied he was guilty. stocker was our man. we were there, you weren't. he was carrying a running iron and a lot of money. stocker was a gambler. that could count for the money. professional cardsharp doesn't go in for rustling. somebody could have planted the iron on him. would you like to name anybody in particular? there's a lot of people in sweetwater that knew the association sent me down here. somebody could'a thought fast. was perfect. a made-to-order suspect. he tried to run away. that proves he was guilty. a lot of innocent men have tried to run away when somebody stuck a gun in their belly. bodie, i'm the one who sent for you, and i'm telling you to leave. job's finished and everybody's satisfied. everybody but me. i'm a little puzzled about something, mr. sinclair. you wrote the association about the rustling. you asked for help.

what questions? you run about 2000 head on your ranch. last count, 2408. according to my information, you only shipped about 175 to market. half of what i should have. stocker got the rest. the other ranchers show about the same loss. everybody except you, hammer. that last report, you had about 1200 head. that was months ago. you shipped a thousand. left your herds kind of thin, didn't it? om a fella up at three forks. what brand? are you accusing me of something, bodie? i only asked the brand. triple o. bodie, i'm going to say it once again. we're positive stocker was the rustler. well, that's fine, you're positive. i'll let you know when i am.

why don't you be real polite and say "excuse me?" excuse me. i didn't like the way you said it. try it again.

no guns, henley. cheyenne! looks like somebody should have warned you how slick henley is with a knife. never known him to miss a target more than once. you better come with me, cheyenne.

ters, henley. collect your gear and get off my ranch tonight. what kind of a fool stunt was that, siccin' henley onto him? did turn out a little different than i figured.

i plan to keep right on tryin'. there you are, good as new. if you don't mind my saying so, matt's a lucky man. i know, buddy told me how he feels about it. matt thinks we oughta go ahead,

i can't take that chance. i want buddy to accept me first, maybe not as a mother, but at least as a friend. he's a good boy. when he understands a little better, he'll be all for you. i hope it's soon. i love matt very much. how's the patient? fine. you know, it could have been worse, and it's liable to be. come on, i'll take you home. you better figure on catching the morning stage. i learned a lot from you in the old days, matt. good night, julie, thanks a lot for patching up my face. good night. good night. good night, honey. good night. that fight must have been a lollapalooza. sure happy you beat him. he had all the hands around here buffaloed.

he didn't hurt you, did he? nah, not a bit. ah, you took him easy. mm, not too easy. i'm sure glad you're my friend, cheyenne. i'm glad you're my friend, too, buddy. why don't you move here for keeps? well, maybe i will someday. well, then the three of us could... did you see pop last night? yeah. i bet he was with her. that's right, he was. beats me, i ain't never gonna get married. julie's real nice, buddy. she's always giving me candy. she even tried to kiss me once. maybe she wants you to like her. i won't ever. don't hate her so hard. give yourself a chance to know her. she helped me in the fight. how? saved me from a knife. she did? yeah. part of growin' up to be a man is ownin' up to when you're wrong. better get those horses saddled, i got an appointment with the sheriff. all right.

i thought i oughta tell you... the man who's living under your roof is liable to pull down the whole house. you're wrong. he'll be leavin' here soon. is that why he and the sheriff have a meeting set up for now? what harm can that do? if he gets the cattlemen's association to hold up shipment, that alone can ruin us. ing has to be done. i'll handle this. if you don't, i will.

told ya i'd win. well, i never had a chance. you sure named him right. i'm ready to leave now if you are. thank you, sheriff. cheyenne. where are you goin'? i thought i'd take a look at the place where the stocker thing happened. well, weren't you thinking of closin' the book on that? i thought about it. and you're still goin'? yeah, pop, we are. you're stayin' right here. pop! cheyenne... better do like your father says, buddy. i'll see you later. where are you goin'? uh, i have to see somebody. who is it? may i come in?

i'd like to talk to you. go ahead. when somebody's wrong, i think they ought to admit it. wrong? sure, i've been wrong about a lot of things, but not about loving your father if that's what you came to talk to me about. i love him, too. then why can't you understand that his love for me isn't gonna take away anything from you? maybe give you something you don't have? that's what i'm trying to tell you. what? i wish you would marry my father. i wonder if you have any jellybeans. i think so.

have some? thank you, buddy. thank you very much. kind of late in the season for branding, isn't it? ed. let's find out.

running iron. that's a triple o brand. i thought that ranch was a long way from here. well, it's more than 50 miles. that brand isn't over two minutes old. you'd think a cow and her calf would both wear the same brand, wouldn't you?

cheyenne! cheyenne. take it easy, sheriff. i'll get you to a doctor.

and brought the sheriff in. it was awful, pop. he was dead. i was tellin' pop all about it. well, looks like i wasn't wastin' my time after all. who do you think shot him? i don't know for sure, but henley and somebody else have been alterin' sinclair's brands. golly. what makes you think that? well, i saw 'em do it, found the iron. henley is one of your rustlers. well, what are you gonna do? go get him, root out the others. -i'll help you, cheyenne. -easy, buddy. easy. if they killed a sheriff, they'll kill again. you're walkin' into a bullet.

and hunt down the rest of 'em. this gun's been hangin' up there for five years. i'm not puttin' it on again. well, matt, i don't know what kind of trouble i may run into. i might need help. i'm out of it. find yourself another gun. like i told you, cheyenne, i'm a cattle broker now, and, well, i like it this way. pop, you can't say no. you're a law man. this is none of your affair. get out. ran the outlaws out of tombstone. you're the best law... get out.

hello buddy. what's the matter? what's the trouble? let me go. it's all your fault. that's why he won't help cheyenne. i shouldn't have talked to him like that. you're lettin' him down. the boy believes in you, matt. so do i. look, cheyenne, i was a law man, and what thanks did i get? a couple of cheers, a wife that worked herself to death on a law man's salary. it is. i have no reason to put it on. the sheriff was a friend of yours, wasn't he? a good friend. a dead friend's reason enough. this is not my fight. i don't want any part of it. you tryin' to tell me you're willin' to see these men go free to rustle and kill again? it's a law man's job, not mine. any self-respecting citizen's a law man

were right. people do change. i'll wire the marshal in three forks. what's the trouble? matt just refused to buckle on his gun. you had no right to ask him to. he was a man when i knew him. he spent 20 years behind his badge, shooting and getting shot at. do you know what's goin' on in this town? he has a son to think of, and i love him. i don't want a dead hero. you were right, matt. julie, you mind leavin' me alone? i've got some work to do.

i want you to send this off right away to the marshal's office in three forks.

what's wrong? i don't know. they must be fixin' the line somewhere. it happens every day, they'll have it fixed in a couple of minutes. did the sheriff have any deputies? no, no regular ones. well, who can appoint 'em? mr. sinclair, he's head of the town council. where will i find him? his ranch probably. it's a mile to the west, it's the first ranch out of town. you can't miss it. i'll pick up those reports i asked for when i get back. matt ellis came by and picked 'em up for you. what? he said you were staying at his place. did i make a mistake? you keep at that telegraph.

what's the matter with you, hammer, are you crazy? simmer down, matt, what's wrong? why'd you kill the sheriff? he and cheyenne saw henley changing brands. i tried to get 'em both. you better go on out to the corral, matt. those cows'll be comin' in soon. we're not shippin'. why? we're in trouble enough. not if we take care of cheyenne. there'll be no more killing. you can tell those men to get the cattle back on the range. and what about the altered brands? slaughter 'em, skin 'em, do anything, but get rid of 'em.

hammer, you're workin' for me. i'm givin' the orders. you're the boss as long as we make money. you can't be that stupid. cheyenne's lookin' for help. he didn't get it from me, he couldn't send the telegram, so that leaves sinclair. i don't think he'll be much help. why not? he's dead. dead? we tried to get him to cover up for us. he refused. ship the cattle, do anything you want. i'm pullin' out. oh no you're not, partner. in rustlin', not killin'. u fellas told me about sinclair. who shot him? matt did. we both saw him. we don't want a warrant out for either of us, do we, matt? you were a good gun once.

the marshal's office? no. the line must be down somewhere. it sure is. well, how do you know so much about it? heard a shot back at matt ellis's place on the way here. somebody put a bullet through one of them glass things on the pole there, neat as you please. you mean you've been settin' there watchin' me pound on that key and you never said nothin'?

looks like i made a better law man outta you than i figured. interesting reading, that. i'm not a very good detective or i would have figured it out before. figured what? thousands of head of cattle missing over a two-year period? trace branding was one way, overbranding was another. and there were other ways... shipping cattle through this office giving credit to the triple o. your brand, matt? i can't be sure, you got here too quick. turn around, cheyenne. stand against the wall. not in the back the way sinclair was killed. i didn't kill sinclair, but i gotta take you, and i'm sorry. people do change. i aim to protect what i've got. there's nothin' worse than a peace officer turned rotten.

walk out of here and forget this. i'm beggin' you, don't make me kill you. pop? pop! what's the matter? get out of here, buddy. well, what did cheyenne do? get out of here, buddy, and go on home. get out. spread out, wait here. what's the matter, matt? trigger finger goin' dead? i can't shoot him here, the whole town'll be on our necks. you've got a point.

to the association. we'll put him in the corral and drive the cattle right over him. that way, nobody can be blamed. come on, mr. bodie. you're about to have an accident. cheyenne! trouble, cover me. i guess i'd rather be right than smart. -julie, julie! -what is it? i don't know what's the matter with pop. he's acting terrible. he's got a gun on cheyenne. where are they? in dad's office, come on.

watch it, matt. i can't get at 'em, he's behind a wagon. henley? let's get out of here. hold your fire.

pop. matt. oh, matt. pop, please tell me you're gonna be all right. buddy, buddy. take good care of her. he was a good law man, wasn't he, cheyenne? he was a fine man, buddy. kind of strayed off the trail for a while, but...

rrrrr well, so long, buddy. julie, take care of yourself. i'll take good care of her, cheyenne. be seeing you.

mailman's coming. why do you wanna kill a man when there's no need to? you close his eyes,