Count Three and Pray (1955) - full transcript

Wild ones.

Colts maybe.

Couple of older ones in there
look like they was bred for the plow.

Yeah.

Turned loose in the fighting.

Or just broke free.

Maybe no one left to feed them.

Sure wished we had a rope
to catch us a few.

I done enough walking the past years
to last me till Gabriel's horn.

Look at him.

That white one.



You catch him,
I bet you'll never tame him.

I bet you see him come to me
and put his head on my shoulder.

You're talking about that horse
or the girls at Selma's Saloon?

It's still here.

Holler them out.

I can't. You do it.

Hey!

Oh. Corey!

You're big! Big enough to be a man.

I've been doing a man's work.
Ha-ha!

You left me setting by all these years
whilst you was off fighting.

And then you come home friendly
with Luke Fargo.

Why, it's all over, Matty.

It makes no difference now
who was right and who was wrong.



I wouldn't walk the road
where his feet had passed.

Well, I didn't come home
to fight some more.

Get up! I didn't hurt you none!

Get on your way, blue legs,
and get crawling!

I told you something!

This is my place, soldier!

This is the parsonage.

Ain't been no church or parson
in this town for four years!

I got squatter's rights,
you damn blue legs.

You ain't gonna quarter in here.

What happened to the church?

A fight?

I guess we licked you real good.

You licked four or five old men,
that's what you done.

And you had to smoke them
out of the church to do that.

You better be on your way, soldier.

I got six big brothers,
and every one of them is mean bad.

Who burned down the Fargo place?

Well...

Mr. Fargo.

You've come a long way just to get
your damn head knocked off.

You cuss again, little bit, and I'm
gonna tan you good. Now, quit it.

-I'll cuss if I want to.
-I don't like it.

Ain't what I heard about you.

What's your name?

You don't have to know it.

I bet you never had a name.
I bet you just grew up wild.

We had a cabin better than
any you ever lived in.

We had 46 rooms and wood floors
in every one of them.

That's a fair-sized place.

What's your name, little bit?

It ain't "little bit."

What is it?

It's Lissy.

You got any folks?

No.

Not anymore.

You stay out of my stuff while I'm gone,
you hear?

I gotta go in town.
I gotta trade for a saddle and some rope.

Oh, there's lots of rope there.

Just aching for you.

Steady, child. Steady.

Please, Mr. Swallow.

Please don't do that.

Maybe you'd better stop, Swallow.

If you don't, Miss Georgina's liable
to come out of there

-and take after you.
-Say, I'd like that.

What was that?

That clown again.

Georgina, please don't go out.

Please, Mr. Swallow. Won't you please?

You let the fool devil you, Colossus,
you're as much a fool.

-Now, now, Miss Georgina-
-Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Oh! Oh! Oh!

That was real wonderful, Miss Georgina.

I guess you have to be born to it
to know how to whip a man.

How's your ma, Miss Georgina?

How's the good Mrs. Decrais?

If she'd been handling this whip,
he'd not have been able to run off.

That's a fact, Miss Georgina.

Mrs. Decrais sure is mighty.
Knew how to put folks in their place.

Of course, that was a long time ago.

The world's all changed now.

What would you say to that,
Miss Georgina?

I'd say it was downright unpleasant.

You would?

Miss Georgina?

I got a little package for your ma.

A present, I guess you'd call it.

Though she did ask for it, kind of.

Setting there on the counter, Big.

Hurry, Big!

Can't keep the lady standing in the road.

Sure you got the right one, Big?

Seems to me it was two sides of bacon
Mrs. Decrais wanted.

This can't be more than one.

Hey!

Look what's come marching home.

Hello, boys.

Well, I'm back.

[, um, I don't have any cash,
but I'd like to do some trading.

Store's closed.

I got me a horse picked out.

Gonna need some rope and a saddle.

No rope.

No saddles.

I could use a bridle too.

Well, Charlie,
would you like to wait on him?

I sure would.

Get him, Charlie! Get him! Get him!

Same old Luke Fargo.

Just like before.

Yes.

The war is over, boys.

Now, there's no sense
in us fighting it all over again.

I lost two brothers at Chancellorsville.

I bet you don't get done with fighting

till we run you up the road
where you come from.

You and your uniform.

All right, Big, take him.

Now, look, Big, I don't wanna fight you.

We used to ride together.

We used to be friends.

Yeah, that's right, Fargo.

He's beating up Big!

That man ain't forgot nothing.

I'm sorry again, Lord.

I- I guess I just keep promising.

Well, if there's so much muscle
around here,

I'd like to have some of it
to help me build that church

-back to where it was.
The church?

You haven't seen the inside of a church
since you were stump-high.

That may have been true before,

but now I'm a preacher.

Preacher?

That's right.

There will be services this Sunday.

And I'll be pleased to see as many
of you there as feels the need.

You haven't paid for those.

I'm trading with you.

There's my field glasses.

I didn't steal nothing.

You sure borrowed a lot.

Now, go on. Get them out of there.

I didn't borrow, you-

You blue legs, you.

Get off my property!

This is parson's property
and I'm the parson.

You?

You're Luke Fargo!

-That's right.
-Then you're no parson.

What are you gonna do,
you gonna sell these?

My razor, too, huh?

Anybody told you that, he's a liar.

Nobody had to tell me.
I've been with an army.

Go ahead and sell them,
if that's what you need to keep going.

I'd like to keep my razor, though,
if you think you can spare it.

Keep it. Though whiskers
wouldn't make you look no worse.

That's right. Just tear the place down.

-It's gonna take a lot of fixing.
-So do you.

You've been in a fight since before.

And I bet you got licked good!

Yeah, I did.

I broke a promise
I was done with fighting.

Well, you're gonna be done
if you try to move in here.

They tell you in town what happened
to the last preacher?

Well, no,
they didn't talk to me much in town.

Well, I killed him.

Yeah.

Came in here,
and I told him I wanted this house.

"Get!" I told him.

And he said no, and he started
a prayer meeting over me.

So I up and shot him.

That's what I did. I shot him.

And he was laying right over there
in the tobacco patch for two days.

I never did like preachers.

Maybe you don't know what happens
to little girls that tell lies.

But the parson here joined the army
as a chaplain,

then the war came.

And he died before Vicksburg of a fever.

All right, I'll take half the house,
you take the other.

It's my house!

I found it!

There's plenty of room for both of us.

Till I figure out what I'm gonna do
about you.

Well, I'll take care of that
the first chance I get.

A youngster like you without any folks...
You ought to be in an orphanage.

You just try it.

How old are you, 147?

Fourteen?

Fifteen?

You don't have the kitchen.
My room's where the stove is.

All right, Lissy, I'll bunk in the other room.

What are you doing that for?

What am I doing what for?
I'm trying to get the fire up!

With these?

That's what I've been using right along
till you come poking around.

-They're sermons, Lissy!
-Oh, do tell.

Everything I wanna say, every word,
the things I can't say, I don't know how,

they're all right here.

-What are you going on about?
-These are sermons, Lissy!

Now, leave them alone.
I'm gonna use them.

That's a lot.
He must've been a real talking man.

I just hope I can be like him, that's all.

Anybody can talk.
How do you get folks to listen?

-Do you always need that thing?
-I get visitors.

It keeps them peaceable.

Well, hello, Colossus.

-l saw you in town, didn't 1?
-You did?

You looked mighty busy
to be seeing old Colossus.

-Come on in.
-I can't, sir.

I just some to say I's glad you're home,

and Mrs. Decrais, sir,
she present her compliments

and she hoped you'll do her the honor
of calling at our house.

Oh.

All right.

Don't.

Mrs. Decrais is waiting for you.

Thank you.

She is in failing health, sir.

Mrs. Decrais?

Come here.

What made you do that?

What made me do what?

That uniform.

It's the wrong color.

Well, that's the way I saw things.

I doubt it.

I remember my husband saying

that the only way to make Luke Fargo
do something

was to insist upon the opposite.

Well, I think there's a little more to it
than that.

I tried to think like everybody else-

When did you have time to think?

What with gambling, racing horses,
chasing women,

and setting the county afire?

Oh.

Thank you.

I would offer you
some liquid refreshment,

but this precious fluid,

which is now the lifeblood in my veins,

is running low.

And I am no longer lady enough
to share it.

Well, that's all right. I- I, um...

I don't drink anymore.

Took the pledge, did you?

Well, I- I think it's something
a lot better than that.

I guess it's what you call
"seeing the light."

Uh, this came over me at Vicksburg.

That was about the worst.

I don't suppose there was more than
a 10-minute breather in that fight,

hand to hand.
It went on for over two days.

And when it was over with...

we were all too tired
to even try to bury our dead,

we just dropped down where we were

and slept.

And when I woke up...

I just wanted to...

Stop all this Killing.

I wanted to try to help people
instead of hurt them.

I made up my mind
I was gonna be a preacher.

Come here.

Sit down where I can see you.

You licked a few men today.

That's nothing.

Tomorrow you'll have to lick more.

They'll fight you till they wear you down.

Have you met the bishop, Mr. Fargo?

No.

He was my husband's closest friend.

If I was to write to him,
he would arrange another parsonage.

But this is a town that doesn't have
any churches at all.

It doesn't need one.

So Mr. Huggins says.

Well, I- I don't think
I'll take his word for that.

Did you see what a gentleman
Mr. Huggins is now?

Up by his bootstraps.

Up, up so high.

That's not true.

He's just where he always was.

It's just that we sank so far beneath him.

Mr. Huggins.

Gallant gentleman.

Pays evening calls
on all the prettiest girls,

the best families.

Hello, Georgina.

Well, it's been a long time.

Colossus has things to do.
I'll drive you back.

I don't mind walking.
I'm kind of used to it by now.

Get in, Mr. Fargo.

I won't make love to you.

I have more sense now.

Did you think about me
while you were away?

Sure.

I thought of you.

Many times.

Why was it that every man
from miles around

became a fool when I smiled at him,

while the only man I wanted...

Luke.

Luke, take me away from here.

You came back because of me.
I know you did.

Don't try to save the world.

Save me.

Georgina, I've got to do things
as I see them.

That's all right for a man.

A man can afford to do what he likes.

But what about me?

Am I supposed to stay with my mother
and watch over her decay?

Take charity from Colossus?

Be nice to our storekeeper?

How else do you think we eat?

You might try working.

Put a seed in the ground sometime
and watch the miracle.

Don't you come one step closer

or you're gonna get real knowledgeable
about the hereafter.

I didn't mean to wake you up.

With a blue legs around,
I don't mean to go to sleep.

I came for those sermons.

Now, do I get them
or does one of us get hurt?

I think one of us is simple.

It's so nice to see you, Mr. Huggins.

Ooh, such a warm evening.

That Luke Fargo's a fair-looking man.

Oh, Mr. Huggins, how you do run on.

I just felt the need of a breath of air,
that's all.

You weren't very nice to me
this afternoon, Mr. Huggins.

Brought it on yourself.

Standing there with that whip.

The highest, the prettiest, the best.

Every inch of you saying it.

But you've got to apologize.

Sure.

Well, a body could starve to death

waiting for you to get up
and find breakfast.

Wanna eat?

Work. Come on.

Tear them feathers out and get one
of them chickens in a frying pan.

Unless you can't cook, either.

Maybe you always had a woman
to take care of you?

I'll handle them, all right.

You better wash up. You need it.

Wash?

You sure make a loud-enough noise
when you sleep.

Kept me looking at the rafters
half the night.

-Throw that thing away.
-Why, you-

I said, "Wash!" I didn't say, "Cuss!"

And I didn't say, "Smoke!"
You better not do either while I'm around.

You're gonna grow up clean, little bit,
if I have to scrape the hide off of you.

I'm growed now!

Starting today,
you're gonna take up bathing.

I want you down at that pool by sundown
or I'll bathe you myself.

You just try it and I'll climb up your back
and stick a kni-

Picking on a kid.

An orphan!

Yeah.

Cigar smoking.

You're growing up just fine.

I get cash money in Winchester
for my cigars.

You know how much they give me
for a cigar in Selma's there?

What do you know about Selma's?

You stay out of that place, you hear?

You got no bridle on me.

If I ever catch you in that place,

I'll give you a tanning
you'll never forget, young lady!

You'll live one minute after if you try.

Besides, what would you be doing there
to see me?

I bet you been there plenty.

I bet you're a special friend of Selma's.

We give thanks in this house
before we eat.

You give it in your half. I'm rumbling.

I bet you didn't say nothing.

I bet you didn't know what to say.

Go on, eat your breakfast.

Uh, does praying over it
make the chicken unstole?

-What do you mean by that?
-You wear blinders?

Where do you think I get these?
Shoot them out of a tree?

This one comes from
Yancey Huggins' henhouse.

He got so many, he don't notice
I come by regular once a week.

And if you prayed hard enough
over them,

I could go back twice.

Preacher without a church,
and a saddle without a horse.

Don't worry. I'm gonna get both.

You gonna go horse-hunting?

Yeah, I'm going horse-hunting.

A white one I saw.

I'll be back, oh, I don't know,
probably sometime tomorrow.

-Why, I'll tag along.
-No.

I will!

I said no. You stay home.

When do I get to riding him?

When both of you learn
to answer to the reins.

You're just like him. You're two of a kind.

You're no different.
I heard plenty about you.

Well, we're three of a kind.

Now, this one, he thinks that running free
is the biggest thing in life.

Just watch him.

He'll change his outlook
as soon as he finds the right master.

What's more, I don't like you.

I'm letting you have half my house.

I'll be around to see
when they run you down the road.

Nobody likes you.

And I bet it's a pack of lies
about how women climb all over you.

You ain't so pretty.

Hmmph, 14, 15 years old.

Hmmph!

How many times did he throw you?

No, he likes me real good now.

You forgot to holler thanks to the Lord.

Come to think of it...

there ain't nobody around
to hear any hollering, is there?

I told you this morning,
if you didn't take a bath-

You just try it.
I ain't gonna take no bath.

-"I'm not going to take any bath."
-That's what I said.

-I'm not going to take any bath.
-There's a devil in you.

I'll scrub him out!

That's just fine, pants and all.

Isn't that enough?

You scrub every inch of your hide,
young lady.

Better hurry up with those wagons.

I got a couple of horses here for you!

They're beautiful.

And the white one,
you got the white one.

I told you I would.

-Thank you, Luke! Thank you!
Oh, boy, horses!

Now we can ride!

I like that of you, Luke.

And I'm real proud you're a parson now.

We'll all be coming to your
church meeting on Sunday.

I told Floyd what happened
to your house,

and he says you're to come
and live with us.

Well, thank you, Matty,
but I'm gonna stay at the parsonage.

It's handier.

Handier?

That Luke Fargo won't never change.

And I ain't setting over my prayer book
before any parson that's living in sin.

Sin?

Matty, she ain't no older than Corey.

Why, she's full-growed.

You got eyes.

It's an old story around here.
Luke Fargo's got them too.

Whoa.

Meeting outside the church.

Floyd, it ain't fitting.

We'll meet where he says.

It's just downright heathen.

Matty, you want happen to you
what Jake give Lilly Mae?

Morning, Luke.

-Morning.
Morning, Luke.

Morning.

Well, uh, let's just sit down there,
any place.

I guess, heh,

one's about as hard as the other. Heh.

Abide with me

Fast falls the eventide

The darkness deepens
Lord, with me abide

When other helpers fail
And comforts flee

Help of the helpless

Oh, abide with me

That was...

That was some pretty fair singing.

Well, I'm a preacher now,

so I guess maybe I ought to preach.

I know this comes easy to a lot of fellas,

and, uh, maybe someday
it'll come easy to me...

but, uh, right now, it-

Well, there are things that I know.

Things that I believe.

-But, you see-
Why don't you talk about hell?

You ought to know about that!
You raised enough around here!

Glad you could, uh...

Get down out of that tree
or I'll come up and get you!

Oh, no. You're simple, not me.

-I said come down, Lissy!
-What you so mad about?

They had a good time.
They laughed, didn't they?

That's not what they came here for!

They came because
you bought them with horses.

I think I put this off just a little too long.

Where you going?

Going to Winchester.

Can't keep out of Selma's, huh?
I know you're gonna race him.

You're gonna run him
in the Sunday races.

I thought all you did was cuss and steal.

Do you gamble too?

Race him. It's a chance to get
some cash money, you big fool.

This is Sunday.

Oh, Sunday, look,
would the Lord have made fast horses

if he didn't take pleasure
in watching them run?

You race him!

He's part mine! I helped catch him
and I say race him!

This happens to be Sunday!

That's a likely looking animal.

Part Morgan, I'd say.

Fast?

Oh, I guess some.

Albert Loomis, sir, at your service.

-Luke Fargo.
-Now back to horses.

-Shall we match?
-Heh.

Rules are simple.
Each man rides his own horse,

turn at the quarter mile
and back to the starting post.

Yeah, I know.
I used to run them here myself.

Then what do you say?

Anything from a bottle of champagne
to a sawmill.

-No, I don't gamble.
-Great balls of fire.

Careful, there are tender ears about.

What brought you to town today,
if not the racing?

Well, I know this seems unreasonable,

but I have something else in mind.

That's a likely looking animal.

Fast?

Cool him off. Walk him around.

The non-gambling man.

I just won my third for the afternoon.

Uh, you said you owned a sawmill?

That's right. Makes nothing but money.

Every time a saw bites into a log,
Zzzp, money.

Dull. Horses, ah, there's real pleasure.

Well, I need, um, lumber
and I need some nails.

See me tomorrow. I'm racing horses now.

And I say that red roan of mine
could beat this horse of yours.

That's one thing we'll never find out.

Look, I- I need lumber and nails.

I've got to build a church,
and I got to make a parsonage livable.

Where's your money?

-Credit?
-Uh...

Sorry.

Not in these times
and not to a poor parson any time.

I'll buy this horse from you, though.

No. He, uh, he's not for sale.

Then let's race. Mine against yours.

And if you win,
I'll throw in the lumber and nails.

I- I told you before, I don't gamble.

Then you won't save many souls
like mine from the fiery pit, Mr. Fargo.

That's a task that takes
some real sporting blood.

Ah, come on, pious one.

Forget about lumber and nails
and churches and parsonages,

and let's try this horse!

When do you want that lumber?

Whenever you say.

-I'd pay anything for that white horse.
-No, no.

Let's race some more.

-Ha.
-Why not?

You're a man of means now.
You make the odds.

You, uh, you wanna give me a chance
to recoup, don't you?

I asked him once. That's enough.

Then I'll play you for the roan.

You have the look of a good poker player.

Draw, high card, stud, you name it.

I can't bet what isn't mine.

I never figured to keep
your horse, Mr. Loomis.

-All I wanted was the lumber and nails.
-I think you misunderstood me, sir.

I'm not begging for that horse.

No, I think you misunderstood me.

I can't afford to feed him.

Hi, Sam! Oh!
Where you been, Johnny?

Hey, Luke!

Luke Fargo!

Hello, Selma.

Oh! Don't give me that.

Oh, they told me you were back,
but I didn't believe it.

-Somebody said you were a parson.
-Heh.

Hey, gentlemen, I love you,
each and every one of you,

and all this big buffalo ever did
was to make me unhappy,

but from now on, till I poison his liquor,
Miss Selma is taken.

Old friends, didn't you know?

He collects females
like your pa used to collect books.

How you talk, Mr. Huggins.

Hey.

How come they let a blue legs race here?

Blue legs?

-Him?
-Yeah, him.

The only thing to remind me
of the man I knew

is that you can still outfight half the town.

Well, that don't impress me.

I can hand out a pretty good poke
in the eye myself.

I feel like handing you one right now.

Now, what's wrong with being a minister?

Nothing.

What's wrong with you telling me
we can always be friends?

I knew an engineer once who could
build a bridge from here to Paris.

I knew a man who wrote books.

And the best they could say
was we can always be friends.

I used to laugh at it coming from them,
but you're nearer my kind.

I don't need that.
It stopped bleeding now.

-Let Selma tell you what you need.
-I heal fast.

You're lucky.

It's been my lucky day.

That's right. You won a stack of lumber.

You don't know
what that lumber's for, though.

I'm gonna build a church.

Sure.

What else is lumber for?

Oh, what's happening to you?

Luke, look at me.

What do you see?

A downright pretty woman.

Not even Selma anymore, huh?

Pretty woman.

Now, that's a doggone lie.

The mind you're in,
you wouldn't know a woman if...

-Well, now where?
-Back.

Back to the parsonage.

A parson never has any money.

That's about all I have got.

We'll get you a suit of parson black.

I'd like that, Selma. I'd like that a lot.

I'll pay you back for it sometime.

Oh, never mind.

There have been a lot of corpses
in my life.

I never yet asked one of them
to pay back for his shroud.

A stack of wood to build a church.

You can't be trusted out of sight.
You're emptying your good sense.

Don't you know what cash money is?

We'll start tearing down
the old timber tomorrow.

I got nothing to do with churches.

I'll tend to my fishing and my trap lines.

You'll have plenty to do with church
and with school, too, young lady.

Hal

You're pretty fancied up.

Where'd you get it?

A present.

You haven't got a friend in the world,
including me.

Who'd give you a present?

Go on to bed, Lissy.

Who gave you a present?

Never mind. You don't need to know.

I bet I do know!

I bet you won money on the races
and you spent my half!

You know what they say in the bible
about crooks?

What does it say in the bible?

Well, how should I know?
You're the preacher.

Some preacher. Gambling on Sunday.

Hi!

Hi!

That's only the first load.

You're getting another one.

As a gift from Miss Selma.
She says to give you love.

Oh, and to tell you she'd like you
to have a real high belfry

so maybe you'll fall from it
and break your neck.

So, you raced, huh?

Does miss Selma run fast?

Now, you quit that kind of talk, you hear?

You're not old-
Uh, would you tell her what happened?

Oh, it's none of my business.

I reckon she just thought
you were pretty, that's all.

You come back here and listen
to Mr. Loomis!

If I told whoppers like you,
you'd be down on your shin bones

hollering to the devil to let me go!

I've seen her.

Peddling cigars?

Yeah, well, she doesn't have to anymore.

She's living with me.

What are you gonna do about bells?

You can't have a church without bells.

We'll have them.

Not by next Sunday.

No.

We're gonna have the dedication
without bells.

And later on,
we'll have bells and an organ.

Maybe even have
a stained-glass window.

That'll be pretty.

Uh, you like things to be pretty, huh?

Mm-hmm.

Girls too?

Um, I reckon if a girl wasn't pretty,

you wouldn't have nothing to do with her.

Even if she was so smart,

she could skin a squirrel with her teeth?

-Well, would you?
-Would I what?

What I said.

What did you say?

You got possum brains!

That man still working?

Anything else they ever said about him
must be a lie!

Hi.

It's gonna be very pretty.

Yeah, if I can ever get her
out of those pants and into a dress.

I was talking about your church.

Soul saver,

what's this fascination
you have over women?

I passed by the Decrais house
a while ago.

Miss Georgina uses me as a messenger
to say she has to see you right away.

And there I stood.
Rich, attractive, ready for life...

and she asked for you.

Did she say why?

Yes. And, uh, I carefully kept a fence
between us.

No, I mean, did she say
what she wanted to see me about?

No, but let me recommend the fence.

What is it you wanted
to see me about, Georgina?

Luke, he wants me
to be his housekeeper.

I don't know what you mean.

Huggins.

He wants me to be his housekeeper.

Marriage?

Housekeeper.

Living under his roof
for everybody to see,

to talk about.

Luke, I'll have to do it.

I can't open a millinery shop
like Mrs. Blakeslee.

I can't become a schoolteacher.

Why not?
We certainly need one in this town.

I wouldn't fit in to a world like that.

I don't want to fit.

I wasn't raised for that.

I want my place in this world.
I have a right to it!

And Yancey's closer to that
than teaching school?

I hate them both.

I asked you before to take me away.

Don't worry about it.

She won't hurt herself.

She'll begin to cry,

and then it'll all be over
for another evening.

Nothing really disturbs you, does it?

I guess I knew that about you
in the old days, before the war.

Is that what you thought in those days?

I used to wonder.

Why did you want to see me, Georgina?

It's such a comfort to talk to you.

I ought to throw you
right in the middle of that!

How could you do a thing like that?

I didn't do it! It was the men!

-What men?
-l was trying to help you!

I was trying to save some of it!

What men?

They came riding in here,
whooping and hollering like injuns

and dragging everything out
and set it on fire.

Did you recognize any of them?

No. I only got one clear shot.

-Did you hit him?
-I always hit what I aim at.

You find somebody
with a gunshot wound,

you'll know who done this.

Well, get calm. You'll bust.

Are you all right?

I was wondering when you gonna ask.

I guess you're so moony
about your Miss Georgina

you don't have time to think
about a poor, helpless child.

Are you all right?!

Sure. They hollered a couple of things
I wouldn't say to an innocent preacher,

but it was mostly your sorrow
that was pleasuring them.

Well, I never.

I just never!

Hello, Big.

Come to see what was left?

I just came here to tell you
I wasn't in on this.

Get down off that horse.

Look, if you wanna fight,
I'll oblige you anytime,

but I don't hold with this sort of thing.

Where can I find Yancey?

Setting right before his store,
just like always.

Luke, you stay right here!

Please, don't do what's on your mind.

You come a long way.
You can't go back now.

Ain't everybody so afraid
of Yancey Huggins they can't get over it?

Why, they'll be plenty come here to help.

We're just not gonna allow you to pass,
Mr. Fargo.

Get out of my way!

Turn him over!

That's him.
That's the one I drew a bead on.

That's a lie.

It weren't me.

I been hunting.

I tripped, and my rifle went off.

Sure did.

The bullet went right past my head
and near scalped me.

Let's let him lay here.
Snakes die when the sun goes down.

Go up to his cabin, bring Mrs. Swallow
down here. You better hurry.

Get his feet there.
Help me up with him.

He's gonna be all right,

But you'll have to leave him here
for a while.

Have you got a wagon?

Well, bring it around here in a few days
and then get him out of my sight.

I hear from this young'un you was fixing
to dedicate the church this Sunday.

It'll be a week from Sunday now,
but it'll be ready.

Yeah.

I reckon it will.

You know when you found him
in the road, you felt like killing him.

I don't think so.

Maybe.

There's no maybe about it.
It was right there in your face.

Well, I guess maybe I got over it.

You sure did.

Religion, huh?

We are gathered together to-

We have joined each other
on this Lord's morning in, uh...

We have gathered together-

Would you stop fidgeting?

Nobody's gonna gather.

Why not?

Because it's fishing weather.

You didn't go fishing.

Well, I ain't going-

I'm not going to church, neither.

Why not?

Because nothing makes me want to.

You're gonna be at that service
this morning or-

Fishing weather, huh?

Well, what did I tell you?
Here they come. Heh.

I bet he'd squish just like a watermelon
if somebody stepped on him.

If you came here to make trouble,
Yancey, don't.

The road's free to the public.

I got some customers traveling
about this morning.

Thought I might talk to a few of them.

Floyd Miller, $35.

Jake Miller, $24.11.

Give Floyd the harness he wants.

That'll bring his debt to an even $50.

A lot of money to be owing
from one family.

Morning, Floyd.

Morning, Jake.

Fine Sunday.

Surprised to see you here.

Don't know
what you're so surprised about.

You ain't give us a cent of credit
since we begun to help him.

Matty.

Go ahead and pray.

Then try eating your hymn books.

Mitchell Jamieson, $92.43.

I'd like to think
you're just walking past, Mitch.

I'd like to believe you're just walking past.

Wilkie Dancer, $18.

Colossus, you get yourself home.

Frank Jackson, $17.31.

Joe Flynn, $26.85.

Sam Brown, $33.47.

Well, we've gathered here
together to, uh...

to dedicate this church.

There are not very many of us here,
but, um...

[, uh...

I think maybe
we can make a pretty good voice.

Matty.

Rock of ages cleft for me

Let me hide myself in thee

Let the water and the- &'J

Rock of ages cleft for me

Let me hide myself in thee

Let the water and the- &'J

Floyd.

I don't hold with fist-fighting on Sunday,

but seems like them heathens out there
don't know what day it is.

Excuse me!

Jake!

Get him, Dad!

Come on, Dad!

Get up! Get up!

Hit him! Hit him!

Ah, this has gotta be it.
Couldn't be any place but Fargo's.

Kill him! Kill him!

Hey, Luke, I brought you a whole
made-to-order congregation.

Well, Selma, welcome to the dedication.

Come on, girls, let's get off.

I told you that Luke Fargo
would never change.

Come on.

Get your coats and let's go home.

You should've heard them holler
when I said they had to,

but here they... are.

No friend of mine
is gonna preach to an empty church.

Luke, I-
I didn't mean to do anything wrong.

You didn't do anything wrong, Selma.

Well, I guess we're all alone again.

You hurt in your feelings?

You can preach to me, if you want to.

Go on.

I don't mind being converted.

Go on, reverend, hit my soul
with a couple of real hard licks.

No, Lissy, you and...

the Millers and the others,

you came here out of friendship, not faith.

I'm proud of that, but I-

I'd be a lot prouder
if you came to the church, not me.

I said I'd build a church.

Well, I built one on a horse race.

Just listen to how I can preach.

I even had to borrow my sermon words
from another man.

I guess I just wanted them to be perfect,
that's all.

I was supposed to talk about faith
and understanding.

I was supposed to...

teach these people tolerance.

Don't you see, Lissy?

These are the things
that are missing in me.

I sure set a fine example for them,
didn't 1?

Getting mad inside and...

Brawling.

Gambling.

I even turned my back on a friend.

I'm emptier inside than this church.

I don't know what made me think
I'd ever be able to find the right words

to speak from this pulpit.

Seems to me like
you're finding them right now.

That's only because it's a lot easier
to talk about a fool.

Be a quitter!

Nobody cares! Just be a quitter!

Luke, you didn't give them the time.

They never had a chance.

You heard my first and last sermon.

I'm getting out of here.

Well, where you going?

I don't know.

What are you gonna do?

I don't know.

Where's my razor?

Why did you come here at all?

What did you raise such a ruckus
and get everybody all roused up,

-and now you're going away?
-Did you see my razor?

-No!
-Come on now, Lissy, give it to me.

-What are you talking about?
-Give it here!

And you're not gonna ride out of here
on that horse.

-He's half mine.
-You won't need him.

You're gonna learn to dress
and talk like a lady.

You're gonna live in Winchester.

Winchester?

The orphanage.

You went there without telling me

and talked to them
about taking me away?

I didn't talk to them.
I will now on my way out.

You can't live and grow up alone, Lissy.

Even a boy needs care.

Don't worry. [I'll-
I'll tell them to be easy with you.

Well, that's kind of you.

Now I'll say a piece.

You're a bigger fool and failure
than even you think.

And you're blind in both eyes to boot.

And you better tell them in Winchester

that the first one
that comes up to my door

looking like an orphanage, I'll...

I'll shoot out what little brains he's got.

We've come to church.

I aim to get this one baptized,

and them two ain't never seen
the inside of the place.

You don't owe me anything,
Mrs. Swallow.

You don't have to be thankful to me.
That's not religion.

I wouldn't care
if you was a two-tailed possum.

It's the Lord's house I come to,
not the preacher.

Though the way you done to Swallow
after what he done

tells me you're a fitting keeper.

Now, let's get on with the sprinkling
and then I'd like to sing.

But, uh, I-
I've never baptized anyone before.

Ain't nothing to it.
I'll show you how it's done.

-I christen you...
-Mary.

Mary Luke Swallow.

I christen you Mary Luke Swallow.

Well, sir, I guess I took care
of the little one all right.

But I sure am grateful to you
for baptizing the church.

Holy, holy, holy

Though the darkness hide thee

Though the eyes of sinful man

Thy glory may not see I

Only thou art holy

There is none beside thee

Perfect in power, in love, and purity

Holy, holy, holy

Though the darkness hide thee

Though the eyes of sinful man

Thy glory may not see I

Only thou art holy

There is none beside thee

Perfect in power

In love, and purity

Holy, holy, holy

Lord God Almighty

All thy works shall praise thy name

In earth and sky and sea

Holy, holy, holy

There is none beside thee

Perfect in power

In love, and purity

I forbid this, Georgina.

I know.

But you don't say what we can do
if I don't go to him.

We can take pride in our...

Our dignity.

Dignity?

What dignity?

You never leave this house.

You don't know what we've become
in this town.

Then...

Then decency.

We lost that even longer ago.

I did.

He'll put some money into this place.

He'll rebuild it, paint it.

And then maybe we'll have some dignity.

You were to come before evening.

I couldn't get away.

Your ma didn't like the idea?

Still the judge's wife.

She'll have to get over that.
I told her so.

But you came after dark.

You knew folks would be talking
by tomorrow.

You just couldn't stand
to have them see.

You make me feel awful
when you say things like that.

It's done.

I'm here.

Why talk about it?

You don't know how many years
I thought about

the judge's daughter
standing here with me.

But you're no more humble
now than you were before.

Apostle.

Apostle. A-P-O-S-L.

Now, Lissy, you know that's wrong.

I know your way's wronger.

There ain't no T in that word.

There "isn't" any T in that word.

Spelling's dumb.

Apostle.

A-P-O-S-T and the rest of it.

Matthew.

M-A-T-T-H-E-W.

Mark.

M-A-R-K.

Luke.

That's your name.
I don't have to spell that.

-Spelling is still dumb.
-What's the matter with you?

You've been saying that
about everything lately.

Maybe everything is.

I'm kind of getting ready to move on.

What do you mean by that?

Well, if you have to ask,
there's no sense in my telling you.

I came to you.

It was Yancey.

Yancey.

I went to him.

I tried to live with him. I told you I had to.

After dark. I didn't want anyone to see.

He said I...

I still held my face too high.

He began to beat me.

You'll be all right now. I'll take you home.

No! No! I won't go back!

I'm going to stay here with you.

I won't go back.

I'm going to make you say you love me.

You always did. Didn't you?

Didn't you?

Lissy, didn't you hear me calling you?

I want you to go over
to the Decrais house

and tell Colossus
to bring their carriage over here.

Suppose you order her around
from now on.

You wanted to be rid of me.

Well, now you're rid!

Lissy!

I don't know what I'm gonna do
about that girl.

She's mad as a wet hen
about something. She just ran off.

Temper, horse, rifle.

And about time too.

Living with that hill trash.

What do you think that did to my pride,
to see you preferring her above me?

I was not living with her.

I'll get something to drive you home in.

No! You come here to me!

Luke, you're such a fool!

Luke, you come back to me
or I'll make you sorry! I'll make you sor-

If a certain soul saver
knew you were here,

he'd wallop you where you sit.

Yeah? He's got no rope over me.

And he'd better not try to throw one.

Why, sure.
He better not try to tame you.

No, he better not! I don't need him.

Probably the other way around.

I don't care!

Out, peddler, out.
I promised Luke you don't come in here.

You don't talk about him!

If she was cleaner,
I'd chew off one of her ears.

Well, Mr. Fargo,
this time we've caught you red-handed.

I'm writing a letter to the bishop.
We're gonna have a hearing on you.

Luke, I can't believe it.

I just can't believe it.

Did anyone ever hear me say
I was agin the church?

I want a church as much as anyone,
and I want a parson in it.

But not Luke Fargo.

I understood the money to build
the church was raised by gambling.

That's right. Horse racing.

On Sunday.

You feel, then, that Mr. Fargo
was singularly indiscreet?

Whatever you want to call it.

We'll have no truck with a parson
who takes after our women

and lives in open sin with a thieving,
cussing bit of trash from the hills.

We'll have no more of that, Mr. Fargo.

There's been entirely too much of it.

I just talk about that girl and look at him.

That will be all, Mr. Huggins. Thank you.

Well, I don't hear anybody saying
anything good about him.

After all, there's a church standing
where we didn't have one for two years.

There's more life in us too.

It was all dry-rot before Luke came back.

But he's not accused
of doing good, Mrs. Miller.

My purpose here
is to investigate the bad.

If he ever done bad, I never heard of it.

-Matty.
-Well, I didn't.

Well, maybe a little bad.

You think it was only a little bad

that he lived in this house
with a young girl?

A feller can't help the way he was born.

Luke Fargo was just born
a woman-chasing man.

Mr. Huggins claims that you were
assaulted by Mr. Fargo.

Mr. Huggins only repeated
what I told him.

Georgina, why don't you tell the truth?

You know it was Yancey
who gave you that beating.

Is that likely?

I married Mr. Huggins three days ago.

You and Yancey?

Yes.

Three days ago in Winchester.

With Mother gone,
I was all alone in the world.

And we'd made up our minds long ago.

You told some folks that you
and Mr. Fargo planned to elope.

I was going to elope,
but with Mr. Huggins, which I did.

I hope I've told you
what you need to know.

Georgina,
can I ask you just one question?

I'd like to ask you a question.

Have you told the bishop
about the 18-year-old girl

who was living here with you?

You said 14, at the most 15.

Yes, sir.

What did you expect? Look at you.

Pants and a shirt,

and why have you got your hair
all chopped off?

Are you thinking of tying up
to an old maid's home?

You know you smell of cigars?

Oh, go away.

He's bullheaded.

He's bullheaded and blind,

and I hope the next time
I draw a bead on him, I-

Oh, shut up!

Smell this.

You know what that is?

Well, I'll educate you.

It's perfume.

You know what that does to men?

Lissy, look, a man can buy cigars

from a store that's got
a wooden Indian outside.

Do you think he ever looks at that Indian
when he buys a cigar?

I don't know.

Come on in with me.

A little tar and feathers would've
saved us all this time, Mr. Huggins.

No.

This way's better.

Selma.

Well...

That's the end of Luke.

Holy smoke, it's Lissy.

You come back here!

Lissy!

Is the preacher in there
giving some kind of sermon?

It ain't Sunday.

No. No. The bishop's in there, Lissy.

It's a hearing on charges.

Do you know what they're saying?

Well, that's a lie.

Of course it's a lie,
but who's gonna prove it?

He's such a ungrown fool,
that Luke Fargo!

Why don't he just tell straight out
what happened

and spit in everybody's eye?

You take off those clothes!

Oh, uh- Well, no, no, sir,
I didn't mean that. Uh...

Where did you get a dress like that?

Well, a lady has to cover herself.

I'm no cigar-store Indian.

Uh- Uh, sir, this is Lissy.

And if she says anything
that sounds honest, watch out.

I'll be very careful.

We- No, I- I didn't mean that, sir.

She's not what she seems.

Oh, I can see that.

If she could make you think
she was a child.

Isn't he dumb?

I'll talk to Lissy.

Alone.

What is that smell?

What have you got on?

Smells pretty, don't it?

-Sir-
-Oh, don't worry about me.

I'll be all right.

I wish I could be sure.

Tea, Lissy?

No.

Well, perhaps a cookie.

Well...

Help yourself.

What's the matter?

You got to say grace first.
Didn't you know that?

Well, now that you mentioned it, yes.

Who taught you to say grace?

He did.

Did he teach you many things?

Sure. Uh...

A-P-O-S-T-L-E, apostle.

M-A-T-T-H-E-W, Matthew.

M-A-R-K, Mark.

L-U-K-E, Luke.

That's his name,
in case you didn't know.

Matty!

What's taking so long?

What are they talking about?

Chicken.

Chicken?

So there he was,

mumbling thanks
for Yancey Huggins' chicken,

so I waited till he got a full mouth
and then I told him it was stolen.

Well, sir, he choked so hard
on that chicken.

I never saw a man so solemn.

You, uh, you like him, don't you?

You know, that's a very nice dress,
my dear,

but it would be much nicer
without the feathers.

Why, I can take them off.

That would be so much better.

Now.

The night Miss Georgina came here.

Well, he was sitting there,
and I was sitting there.

We were having a spelling lesson.

I never thought a town could talk
for two whole days

concerning the history
of one simple minister of the gospel.

Oh. A very fine copy.

What are those stains?

Blood, sir.

Yours?

No, sir. The man who owned it.

What happened to him?

He was killed.

-The war?
-Yes, sir. Vicksburg.

Well, what am I going to do about you?

Can't deny the facts.

You've accomplished
a considerable amount of good.

That's on the credit side.

On the debit side,
your methods have been...

shall we say unorthodox.

Well, I- I just do things as I see them.

Raising a considerable amount of dust
in the process thereof.

There's a question, by the way,
that has me puzzled.

By whom were you ordained?

Ordained?

Yes. By whom?

Well, I never thought anything about it.

You never- Do you mean to tell me-?

Now, wait a minute here.
Don't get mad.

Like I said, I just never thought about it.

Something came over me, that's all,
and I knew I had to be a preacher.

Well, uh, does being ordained
make any difference?

To a surprising degree, Mr. Fargo.

By the way,
have you performed any marriages?

No, sir.

Uh, a christening.

Well, that's more easily corrected.

There will be services
this Sunday as usual.

Oh.

Oh, Luke, I knew it would work out.

It just had to.

Looks like this town's alive again,
Yancey.

More spunk and get-up
than I've seen in years.

I'll do whatever you want me to.

If it's to be that orphanage, I won't fight it.

You just tell me what to do.

Maybe they won't take you now.

Lissy, everyone's pretty much agreed
that we've been living in sin.

Well, if everybody says so,
I guess it must be true.

What I can't understand is, though,

if we've been living in sin,
how come I don't know about it?

Looks like I've been cheated
or something.

I want to see you two
in that church at once.

At once means right now.

Well, now, uh, wait just a minute.

I- I think maybe this is something
that we ought to talk about.

Same as ever.

Tell Luke Fargo to do one thing,
wants to do the opposite.

Here.

Just in case he gets stubborn.

Well, come on.