Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 3, Episode 6 - Broken Ballad - full transcript

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♪♪

He's coming, Stu.

You sure it's Payson?

It's been over ten years,
he's changed a lot, but it's him.

Got a guitar slung
over his back?

Yep.

He stopped out in
front of Cass's store.

Just looking in.

Yeah, that's him, all right.



Hold on, Billy.

Now, you fellas
ain't deputies here.

I'm the deputy;
I'll handle this.

I'll bet you never thought
you'd have to handle a killer

when Sheriff Coffey went
off and left you in charge.

If Roy was here, he'd run
that gunslinger out of town.

Well, the Sheriff ain't here.

I'm in charge.

Now, none of those posters say
Ed Payson's wanted anywhere.

So we're gonna handle this
nice and peaceful and quiet.

- Sure, Stu.
- We're your friends.

We just want to help you out.

Well, I don't want nobody

starting no shooting
match, understand?



Adam, I'll... I'll go
see what's keeping Pa.

Oh. Good day.

May I help you?

Yes, ma'am. I'd like some flour
and coffee and a side of bacon.

Sure. Would five pounds
of flour be enough?

It'll do fine.

I haven't seen you
around here before.

- Are you new in town?
- No, ma'am, not exactly.

I'll get the bacon for you.

Adam, tell that
overgrown brother of yours

this is the last of the peaches
till a new shipment comes in.

He better start working
up an appetite for rhubarb.

I'll tell him, Will.

Here's the bacon.

Now, how much
coffee would you like?

Oh, five pounds ought to do it.

You.

Yeah, it's me.

I thought you were dead.

Lord knows I prayed for it.

Well, look, that
was a long time ago,

and I'm sorry.

Get out of here.

How much does that come to?

You're not buying anything
here, you murdering devil!

I said get out of here.

Pa, who is he?

What's he done?

This is Ed Payson.

The man who
murdered your brother.

♪♪

It wasn't murder.

I was faster, that's all.

Well, let's see how
fast you are now.

All right, Will,
just put it down.

I can take care of this.

Billy, get his gun.

Careful, Sally.

He ain't wearing one.

Where is it?

In my saddle roll.

Well, what's the idea?

I quit wearing it.

There's no law
against that, is there?

Well, what do you
want here, Payson?

Nothing that ain't mine.

My daddy left me the
ranch when he died,

and I figured to come
back and settle on it.

You mean you came
back here to stay?

Well, why not?

Not much of a life being
on the drift all the time.

Well... I guess if a man
owns a piece of land here,

he has a right to live on it.

Cahill...

you mean you're
letting him stay?

Now, simmer down, Will.

This man's a murderer.

He ought to be hanged.

If Roy were here, he'd...

I don't need Sheriff
Coffey to tell me anything!

Now, you all know when a man
kills another man in a gunfight,

it's self-defense... It's
the law, you know that.

What kind of law is it that

let's a wild animal
roam the streets?

I'm not a wild animal, Mr. Cass.

You give me a better name

for someone who's
killed 12 human beings.

Or was it 20?

Nope. Six.

You almost sound sorry about it.

Well, I'm not too
thrilled about it, son.

Well, it's too bad that
don't bring them back.

Yeah.

And it's too bad I can't
make them rest any easier

in their graves,

my floating around like a
ghost from place to place till I die,

but I can't.

He's got a point there, Stu.

All right, but you better
keep your nose clean.

And if there's any trouble...
I don't care where it starts...

I'm gonna hold you responsible.

I told you, I put up my gun.

Well, you see
that it stays put up.

Now, we have a clean,
peaceful town here.

Yeah, I know.

That's one of the
things I like about it.

Thank you anyway, miss.

He's lucky I didn't kill him.

Now, Will, I... I
know how you feel,

but don't let it eat you up.

And you keep
staying away from him.

You say hello to your pa, Adam.

Sally?

See you a little later?

The nerve of that
gunslinger, after what he did,

coming in here trying
to buy food from me.

Man's got to eat, Will.

He don't and he won't.

I'll see to it nobody in
town sells him anything.

But, Pa, if you do that,
what's he gonna do?

That's his worry.

Put these on my bill, Sally.

Throw in a bag of sugar
while you're at it, huh?

What's the idea?

Making a few extra purchases.

- Why?
- 'Cause I feel like it.

You're buying them
for him, aren't you?

Once I pay for
something, I've a right

to do what I want to with it.

Then these ain't for sale.

Well, now, wait a minute.

Are you saying you're
not gonna sell them to me?

Not if you're gonna turn
around and give them to him.

You can unload my buckboard.

Now, if you don't want
the trade of the Ponderosa,

there are two other stores
in town that'll be glad to get it.

Now, Adam, that ain't
fair... I've supplied...

Don't talk fair to me, Will.

I just heard you threaten
to starve a man out.

Now, you name it...
Either I buy what I want

or I don't buy anything.

Fill his order.

Adam, you got no
call mixing in this.

Do you think you're
doing the right thing?

I don't know, Sally.

Howdy.

You're one of the
Cartwright boys, aren't you?

Adam.

Yeah, I thought I
recognized you in the store.

What's the matter, the...
deputy remember something else

he wanted to warn me about?

No, I, uh, just brought
you a little grub.

You looked like you
weren't having too much luck

buying it yourself.

Does Cass know about this?

The Ponderosa's a pretty
good customer of his.

Well, how much do I owe you?

Oh, a half a dollar
ought to cover it.

Hey, you really got
your work cut out for you.

You wouldn't think a house could
run down so bad in three years.

It's three years in August.

Well, the barn's in fair shape.

You'd be surprised how
much sprucing up you can do

with a hammer and saw.

Maybe.

Once I get used
to using 'em again.

What's the matter, you
a little out of practice?

Well, when a man hires your gun,

he doesn't expect any
other kind of work out of you.

I thank you for the grub.

Hyah!

About time you got here.

Pa, before you
fly off the handle,

maybe you ought to
hear what he's got to say.

I intend to.

Had a visit a little while ago,

from Will Cass.

Oh, yeah.

"Oh, yeah." By the
way you say that,

I guess you've got some
idea what brought him out here.

Pa, let me tell you
what happened.

I just want you to
tell me one thing...

Did you threaten to take
away our business from him

if he didn't sell
food to that killer

that rode into town today?

Pa, in the first place...

I don't care about
the first place,

the second place
or any other place!

All I want's a straight answer
from you: did you or didn't you?

Well, yeah.

I can't believe it.

Well, Pa, will
you let me finish?

You know how many years
we've been trading with Will Cass?

One of the most generous
men that God ever made.

You do realize that the
first winter we were here

he carried us, carried
us for five full months

till we got on our feet?!

Yes, I know.

And this is the thanks he gets.

You taking the side of the
very man that killed his son!

Now, what's got into you?

I don't know, I...

Well, I don't know,
I just got mad.

I mean...

All right, maybe I
shouldn't have done it.

I'll ride in tomorrow
and I'll apologize.

I really didn't mean that
about taking our business

away from him... it...

it's not mine to take away.

Yeah.

Well, let's sit down and eat
before everything turns to ice.

- Amen.
- Yeah, if it hasn't already.

Hello, Sally.

I thought I might stop
in after supper tonight.

Not tonight, Billy. Do you mind?

- What's the matter?
- Pa's in an awful temper.

He's so mad he can hardly talk.

Well, I... I guess
he's got a right to be.

I suppose so.

But all my life I've been
hearing about Ed Payson,

the man who killed
my brother in a gunfight.

I-I thought he'd have horns
growing out of his head.

Instead he wasn't even armed.

Yeah. Funny, wasn't it?

I guess without his gun on,
there really ain't much to him.

Maybe there could be... if
people gave him a chance.

I've got to lock up, Billy.

You sure you won't change
your mind about tonight?

I'd better not.

Good night.

Good night.

Hey, where you going, Adam?

Eh, take a little
ride, that's all.

- This time of night?
- Just as good a time as any.

You still thinking about
that Payson feller, ain't you?

Yeah, I guess I am at that.

You know... I must've heard
a dozen different stories

about that shooting between
him and that Cass boy.

Sure would like to know
which one of them's right.

Yeah, so would I.

I won't be long.

♪ When a man takes a gun ♪

♪ In his hand ♪

♪ He becomes like a scourge ♪

♪ On the land ♪

♪ Whether wrong, whether right ♪

♪ He knows that he must fight ♪

♪ Soon will die ♪

♪ Every one ♪

♪ By the gun ♪

♪♪

♪ When he's young ♪

♪ He is cool as a stream ♪

♪ And he draws like a man ♪

♪ In a dream ♪

♪ Face him down if you dare ♪

♪ With a curse or a prayer ♪

♪ You will die ♪

♪ A mother's son ♪

♪ By the gun ♪

♪♪

♪ Though his name
may strike fear ♪

♪ Where he goes ♪

♪ He's a stranger ♪

♪ That nobody knows ♪

♪ Call him out, make your play ♪

♪ Here it comes, judgment day ♪

♪ As you die ♪

♪ In the sun ♪

♪ By the gun ♪

♪♪

♪ When a man takes a gun ♪

♪ In his hand ♪

♪ He becomes ♪

♪ Like a scourge ♪

♪ On the land ♪

♪ For they end as they must... ♪

Morning, boys.

- Morning, Pa.
- Morning, Pa.

Where'd Adam go?

He finished breakfast and left.

His horse is still outside.

Yeah, he took the wagon, Pa.

Where'd he go?

Well, he took some scrap
lumber and some tools

over to Ed Payson's place.

Payson's?

Yes, sir.

Reckon that place does
need fixing up a little bit.

Well, that ought to hold that.

Well, let's take a rest.

Hey, Cartwright?

Yeah?

I, uh... I've been studying
on something I can't figure out.

Yeah? What's that?

Why you're doing this.

No particular reason,
just, uh, being neighborly.

Heard you playing last night.

I was out taking
the air after supper.

Why didn't you come on in?

Oh, I don't know, I...

guess I wasn't sure
if I was welcome.

Yeah, this, uh,
this is an old friend.

I first started playing this

to keep my fingers
nimble for shooting.

Did it help?

How do you mean?

For shooting.

Oh, no.

Well, I don't know,
maybe, a little bit.

Most of the time there
wasn't any shooting to do.

I was working for an old boy
over in Oklahoma Territory,

this is some years ago.

White-haired feller about 60.

He looked like a bishop.

He ran that whole town.

Cattle, gambling,
uh... you name it.

I was on his payroll...

well, it was over eight months.

The only time I ever took
out my gun was to clean it.

Sounds like a soft job.

Why'd you leave?

Well, there was this
girl in town that, uh...

I was seeing...

and the young feller
that she used to go with

decided that he wanted her back,

and I guess he
figured that killing me

was the easiest way to do it.

So, uh... he walked
down to my hotel one night

and called me out.

James L. Barlow.

He was 22.

And among his
surviving male relatives

was a father,

three brothers and more
cousins than you could count.

- They come gunning for you?
- All at once.

At least they were
fixing to when I left town.

Against those kind of
odds, a man might as well

put a rope around his
neck and jump off a chair,

save everybody a lot of trouble.

Well, what about the girl?

Well...

stacked up alongside
all those cousins,

she just naturally... lost out.

Well...: Say, that, uh...

that girl over at the
grocery store yesterday,

that, uh, Cass's
daughter... Oh, Sally.

Yeah. Last time I saw her

she was all
buckteeth and pigtails.

Doggone, they sure can fool you.

Yeah, they sure can.

Young Billy Buckley
thinks a lot of her.

Yeah.

Yeah, I can see where he would.

Yeah, they all grow up fast.

They do, indeed.

Pa, why do you have to do this?

- He's getting off easy.
- Easy?

That piece of land is all
he has left in the world.

Now, Sally, we're not
gonna talk any more about it...

I told you, I've
made up my mind.

All right.

But will you tell me
something, and don't get mad?

I won't get mad.

You say Ed Payson murdered Dave.

That's what it was.

Then why wasn't
he tried for murder?

Because no one would
testify against him.

Why?

They were afraid.

Mr. Cass...

that lawyer's waiting for you
down at the sheriff's office.

Was just leaving.

Pa, did you see the shooting?

I know what happened.

But did you see it?

Sally... your brother
wouldn't start a fight.

He wasn't a troublemaker,
honey, don't you remember?

Full of fun, played
jokes, made people laugh.

But sometimes his
jokes weren't so funny.

You remember how he used
to like to tease people, too?

You've been mourning
Dave for so long,

you've almost
forgotten he was human.

That's the one
thing I can't forget.

He was human and now he's dead.

So how do you expect me to
stop hating the man who did it?

By forgiving him.

Till he walked in
here yesterday,

I almost thought I had.

But it won't work, Sally.

I'll hate that man
as long as I live.

♪♪

Morning, Sally, Billy.

Adam, Pa's figured out a
way to get rid of Ed Payson.

He's down at
the sheriff's office.

Get rid of him?

There's a 12-year-old
tax lien on his property.

Pa's gonna pay it up and
have Cahill throw him off.

How much does Payson owe?

Almost $800.

Where're you going, Cartwright?

Anyplace I please.
Any objections?

What's going on around here?

You didn't have to tell him.

Hey... you don't
owe Payson anything.

Says right here in the
statute book, Cahill,

when the taxes on
a piece of property

are this far in arrears,

anyone who comes
forward and pays them off

is legally entitled to take
possession of the land,

and as Cass' attorney,
I've so advised him.

Now, you sure you want
to go through with this, Will?

You'd better get over to
the land office, Mr. Cass.

I got a feeling Adam
Cartwright's trying

to beat you there.

Adam Cartwright?

Sally told him what
you were going to do.

He headed for the bank.

Meddlesome pup.

How do you want the
tax receipt made out?

To the owner of the
land... Edward Payson.

Ain't that the gunfighter
who rode in yesterday?

Yeah, that's the gunfighter
that rode in yesterday.

Any more questions?

You're going to be
sorry you did this, Adam.

Not near as sorry
as I'd be if I didn't.

I dropped by your store to
apologize about yesterday...

And I do...

But I don't apologize for
anything I've done today.

I don't know what to say.

Gonna be a long time
before I can pay you back.

Well, there's no hurry;
you're not going anywhere.

No, I... I guess
not, thanks to you.

Uh, I got something I'd
like to give you for security.

Well, you don't have to do that.

I want you to keep
my gun for me.

Now, you're the first
feller I've met in a long time

that hasn't treated
me like a rattlesnake.

I figure, if I haven't
got this, I can't use it,

so maybe I'll
stay out of trouble

at least long enough
so you can get paid.

Is anything wrong?

I, uh, I wonder if you'd
tell me something.

You name it.

Was it a fair fight between
you and Dave Cass?

Oh.

Well, if, if you'd asked
me right afterwards,

I'd have said yes, but
I'm not so sure anymore.

Why not?

One fella's bound to have
some kind of edge, you know that.

Either he's not quite
as scared or as mad

or as drunk as the other one,

or maybe he's just quicker.

Dave and I had been
drinking that night,

and the next thing I knew

we were out in the alley
shooting at one another.

And then it was all over.

I got the idea there's no
such thing as a fair gunfight.

I'll see you in the morning.

Yeah.

You have a lot of faith
in this man, don't you?

Well, it's not just a
question of faith, Pa.

I don't claim to
know him that well,

but he admits he's led a
pretty useless life up till now

and he wants to change...

and I think he
deserves the right to try.

Hmm.

Can't argue with that.

Just that a man of his sort

kind of breeds violence
just by being around.

Wouldn't want you
caught in the middle.

Well, I won't be,
so don't worry.

Well...

let's hope that there
won't be any trouble.

Mr. Cass.

Good evening, Billy.

Sally's gone home.

Did you make it up with her?

Funny the way she seemed
to stick up for him, wasn't it?

There's something so evil about
a man that can turn members

of a family against each other.

It's just like it
was ten years ago

and everything is
happening all over again.

First I lose a son and
now my little girl thinks...

You and Sally should
get married, Billy.

Well, you think she
and that gunfighter...

Well, she hardly knows him.

She knows him.

Maybe it's too late already.

Good night, Billy.

♪♪

Well, hello, Miss Sally.

You're a long way
from home, aren't you?

I was just passing.

I've been out to visit
my Aunt Caroline.

Oh, I see.

Well, that's a very fetching
bonnet you've got on there.

Thank you.

Uh, you'll have to
pardon the way I look.

Uh, Adam's got me
tied at the stove today.

I'm making biscuits.

You've got the place
fixed up real nice.

Well, thank you.

- How is everything at your house?
- Oh, not so bad.

We got company.

So I see.

How you been, Sally?

Fine, thank you, Adam.

What'd you find out?

Well, there's no
question about it.

Harvey's got some
good breeding stock,

but I think he's
asking too much.

Hold out for a while,
he'll come down in price.

All right, you're the doctor.

Sally, will you stay
to dinner with us?

I don't know if I should.

Well, it's going
to be a good feed.

We got chicken
and sweet potatoes

and, like I say, the biscuits.

Uh-oh.

Huh? Oh...

Well, I guess we'll have
to do without the biscuits.

I'll make another batch;
it won't take a minute.

Well, if you're sure you
don't mind, Miss Sally.

Well, I don't mind

and you don't have to
keep calling me Miss Sally.

I'm not that much
older than you are.

How are the mighty fallen.

♪ I was ridin' in my
wagon down the road ♪

♪ My true love for to see ♪

♪ When out of the woods
jumped a big brown bear ♪

♪ "Bow-wow," says he ♪

♪ "Not now," says me ♪

♪ I'll keep ridin' in my
wagon down the road ♪

♪ I'll keep a-rowin'
out to sea ♪

♪ I'll keep a-walkin'
on my feet ♪

♪ Until I find the
only one for me ♪

♪ I was rowing on
the ocean on a raft ♪

♪ My true love for to see ♪

♪ When up from the
deep jumped a flying fish ♪

♪ "Fly high," says he ♪

♪ "Not I," says me ♪

♪ I'll keep ridin' in my
wagon down the road ♪

♪ I'll keep a-rowin'
out to sea ♪

♪ I'll keep a-walkin'
on my feet ♪

♪ Until I find the
only one for me ♪

♪ My own true love,
my own true love ♪

♪ The only one for me. ♪

Oh, I think I could
listen to you all day,

but it's late and
Pa will be upset.

I really enjoyed your
singing very much.

Well, that makes us even.

I really enjoyed your biscuits.

Next time you're in town,
drop in and say hello.

I mean it.

Sally, I didn't
mean to kill Dave

any more than he
meant to kill me.

We were just hotheaded kids.

I know.

What do you make of that?

Well, if you don't know,

I'll never be able
to explain it to you.

Looks like everybody's
got the same idea we have.

Eh, things get pretty
busy here come Saturday.

Everybody getting
ready for a big night.

Uh, I believe I'll step
over and say hello to Sally.

Ed, do you think
it's a good idea?

Well, that Billy Buckley
doesn't own her.

No, but he'd like to.

Who wouldn't?

Don't worry, you got my gun.

Well, how's the
grocery business?

Booming.

Come on in.

Pa's not here.

Ed Payson just
went into your store.

Let me handle it.

How?

In my own way.

This doesn't make any
sense, and you know it.

I don't care.

I don't care about
anything else.

Payson!

Do you hear me?

I'm calling you out.

You know why.

Ed, you mustn't go.

Not much else I can do.

But you're not even armed.

Yeah. He knows that.

How about it, Payson?

You coming out, or do I
have to come in after you?

Ed, please... let
me talk to him.

This is on my account.

Yeah.

Yeah, that'll look
grand, wouldn't it?

Billy, Cahill isn't
going to like this.

Stu?

That big lawman's out
chasing chicken thieves.

- Yeah, but I...
- Stay out of this.

Well?

I'm sorry I can't
oblige you, son.

Still not wearing a gun, eh?

Nope.

Well, we can fix that.

Jaime, lend him yours.

Go on!

Pick it up and put it on.

No, thanks.

You're yellow, Mister.

You're yellow clean through!

You wouldn't take
that if you were a man.

No, I wouldn't if you were.

Get up, you lousy coward!

Put up your hands.

I got no quarrel with you, son.

Well, I got one
with you, Mister.

If you're looking for a
fight, all right, come on.

It's no business of yours, Adam.

It is now, and I
am wearing a gun.

Come on!

No, Billy.

I don't want any killing.

You mean you don't want
me killed, isn't that it, Will?

Not one of the Cartwrights

'cause that'd make an
awful mess of things.

But it's different with
Ed Payson there, huh?

He killed my son.

Because your boy
was trying to kill him.

Can't you get that
through your head?

No, that's not true!

That's the way it was.

I'm not going to let you
talk that way about Dave.

Dave was a...: a
fine... good son.

I don't want to look at
him anymore, that's all.

I just didn't have to look
at him, I'd be all right.

Pa?

Billy, what are you going to do?

Get it over with.

Give me your gun.

Billy!

I want to explain
to you about Ed.

You don't have to.

I know enough about him.

Billy, please.

Please listen to me.

It's not his fault!

Billy?

Billy, come back!

Pa! Pa!

Pa?

Pa?!

Pa, Billy's gone after him.

You've got to stop him!

Pa, please, answer me.

Pa, please!

You put him up
to this, didn't you?

Didn't you?!

Aah!

Davey.

You push hard, don't you, son?

I was figuring, since
you don't want to fight,

maybe you'd still have
sense enough to run.

Pack up.

You're free to take
whatever you can carry.

Kind of let's out the
house and barn, doesn't it?

Get going!

You're the one who's
going to get going, Billy.

Don't push me anymore, Adam.

You'll never get
pushed any harder.

Adam, I told you before,
this ain't your fight.

He's right, Adam.

Don't be a fool, Ed.

He's trying to goad you into
something you don't want to do.

So, you want to do it for me.

First in town, and now here.

I don't want a wet-nurse, Adam.

Don't you understand, Ed?

You lose either way.

You kill him, it'll
be just like the rest.

You'll keep drifting
for the rest of your life.

Just another ghost.

You got the whole
world in your hands here.

Don't drop it now.

Move out, Adam.

It's too late for talk.

Billy, I don't mind a man
fighting his own grudge,

but you're doing Cass's work,

and you're gonna have
to finish it through me.

No. Cass is not the
reason he's here.

Sally, isn't it, son?

Well, it's me he's
after, and he's right.

'Cause I want her, too.

You don't have to fight him.

You've got her.

Not as long as
I'm alive, he don't.

As long as you're alive.

Or I'm alive.

It's always what it
comes down to, isn't it?

That's the way it's
gonna have to be, Mister.

All right, Adam, you heard it.

I'm gonna kill him,
or he's gonna kill me,

and that's the
difference that there is

between being Ed Payson
and Adam Cartwright.

All right, son, let's get at it.

That's what I've
been waiting to hear.

I'm sorry, Adam.

It was bound to happen
one time or another.

And if not him,

then it would have
been somebody else.

Go ahead.

Ed?

You just had to
do it, didn't you?

You had to push him into it.

And that makes you a
better man, doesn't it?

He was faster, that's all.

Billy?

Billy?!

♪ For they end as they must ♪

♪ Lying dead in the dust ♪

♪ Everyone ♪

♪ Who would live ♪

♪ By the gun. ♪

This has been a
color presentation

of the NBC Television Network.