Bonanza (1959–1973): Season 9, Episode 7 - The Gentle Ones - full transcript

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Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

- Ah, Frank Cole. Isn't that right?
- That's right, Ben.

Sure, sure. Haven't seen
you in a couple of years.

Yeah, about that.

Ben, this is Henry
Trask, my top wrangler.

Henry, Ben Cartwright.

- Trask.
- Heard about you, Cartwright.

Understand you're a pretty
big man in these parts.

A lot bigger than
you know, Henry.

Big enough to have the army
calling on him when they need horses.



Word sure gets
around in these parts.

Is that what brought you
into town from the hills?

Well, unless you figure
you got a monopoly.

Oh, Frank, you
know better than that.

Army buys good horses
wherever it can find 'em.

And I've got some good ones.

Oh, I hear the brass is coming
in on the noon stage. Is that right?

You sure hear correctly, Frank.

Yes, Major Dawson's
coming in on the noon stage.

He'll be staying with me
if you want to see him.

Oh, Ben, you don't
miss a trick, do you?

Oh, here she comes
now, right on time.

Yah!

Giddyap!



Whoa.

- Well, Major, good to see you.
- Good to see you, Ben.

This is my daughter, Dana. I
wrote you she'd be coming with me.

It's a pleasure to see you. I hope
your stay with us is very pleasant.

Thank you, Mr. Cartwright.
I'm looking forward to it.

I'm Frank Cole, Major.

I understand that you're here to
buy some horses. I got some to sell.

Well, Mr. Cole, I'm running
rather a tight schedule.

I hadn't planned on making
two stops. Perhaps next trip.

I doubt that Ben wants
to hog all the business.

I don't reckon he'd mind if I brought
my string out to his place to show you.

I don't mind, Major.
Of course not.

Well, fine. I'll be looking
at his stock in the morning.

- I'll be there.
- Better get along.

Hop Sing is holding lunch.

Frank.

I come looking for you. I
want my back pay. I earned it.

I gave you orders to help
Billings and Evers with the remuda.

I told you I was quitting. I told
you last night, but you didn't listen.

Trask, he likes pretty things.

Give him a 20-dollar gold piece.

Pick it up, Trask.

Pick it up!

All right, you wanted
your pay. You got it.

Don't come weaseling
back to me when you run out.

There's no place in my outfit

for a man who won't stand
up and fight for his rights.

He isn't much of a man, is he?

Hop Sing, that was
an excellent breakfast.

My mess sergeant could
take a few lessons from you.

- And so could I.
- It's nice of you to say that.

Sometimes we take Hop
Sing's cooking talents for granted.

You like breakfast, you
wait until you eat dinner.

He makes good coffee.

Morning, Miss Dawson, Major.

Pa, I got all them horses rounded
up that you wanted to show the major.

They're down in the south corral,
and I got the surrey all ready to go.

Oh, good. Thank you, Hoss. Major,
shall we have a look at those horses?

That's what I'm here for.
The sooner the better, Ben.

- I'd like to go too, if I may.
- Sure, come along.

Travelling with me, she's
become quite an expert.

Oh, she has, has she?

Miss Dawson, have you also become
as expert at bargaining as your father is?

He don't mean that, Miss
Dawson. He's just joshing.

Ain't nothing he likes better
than a good horse trade.

Let's go.

Mr. Cartwright. Mr. Cartwright,
could I talk to you a minute?

Yes.

You probably don't
remember me, Mr. Cartwright.

You saw me working
horses once, two years ago.

Yes, I remember. You did a good
job. I've seen you since then, though.

I saw you yesterday
in Virginia City, didn't I?

- I'm sorry I bothered you, sir.
- Wait a minute, now.

You haven't told
me what you wanted.

- Well, you saw me in town yesterday.
- Yeah.

Then you saw me eating crow.

Don't rightly figure you'd be hiring
a man that backs down like I did.

Usually a man backs
down, there's a reason for it.

You saw it like it was, sir.

I'm a bit short-handed.

Most of my men are off on a
cattle drive with my other son.

- I could give you a trial.
- Mr. Cartwright, about yesterday...

Young fella, I'm just interested
in the way you handle horses.

Now, you want a job, you
get down to the south corral.

Yes, sir.

Giddyap.

Good head, Ben.

Yes, yes, he's a good one.

A little delicate, though.

Did you say delicate?

Doubt if he'd hold
up on a long patrol.

Yeah, well, you... you
may be right, Major.

I'll... I'll see that he's
sent back to the herd.

Oh, well, now, wait a minute,
Ben. There's no use rushing things.

I might consider him...
if the price is right.

Well, Major, you know,
I've always considered you

a very good judge of horse flesh,
and you sure know what you want.

No, sir, I'd hate to see a sensitive
horse like this overworked.

I'll... I'll see that
he's withdrawn.

I'll take him.

Well, Major, I just might sell
him to you... if the price is right.

Pa.

- This new hand over here.
- Yeah?

Think he can handle that sorrel?

- Yeah, I think so. What's his name?
- Mark.

- Mark?
- Yes, sir.

That sorrel is new to the saddle.
He's got a mind of his own. Watch him.

I can handle him, sir.

Fine animal, Ben.

I'll take him.

Yes, I thought you
might like him, Major.

Well, I sort of had my doubts
about that young man, but he's good.

Yeah.

Maybe it's just because the
sorrel isn't giving him any trouble.

The way he's handling
that horse, ma'am,

seems to me like he
could face up to trouble.

He didn't face up
to trouble yesterday.

Good work, Mark.
Cut him in with the rest.

Major, I've got two fellas bringing
another string from the river range.

We can show those after lunch.

You keep driving the same
bargain, you'll bankrupt the army.

Major, don't worry.

Pa won't take that uniform off of you
before you get back to San Francisco.

He might get some of
them brass buttons, though.

There's Frank Cole
with his string of horses.

You better see them.

- Frank, you know Major Dawson here.
- Major.

I can't entertain you at a fine ranch
like Ben's, but my stock's just as good.

I'd say they're
drawn a little fine.

Well, we've driven 'em
down from the mountains.

Had to push 'em a little
hard to get 'em here.

A little grain, they'll fill out.
I'll start working 'em for you.

No, Mr. Cole. We'd
both be wasting our time.

They're not up to my standards.

I kind of thought that's
the way things might be.

Nobody gets army business
but you. That right, Ben?

Frank, I know you've
had a rough time

driving these horses down
so the major could see 'em.

I'll overlook that remark.

Major, what about that black
horse? Looks pretty good.

Ben's right. I'd like
to see him work.

Well, we... we only
caught him a little while ago.

He's not exactly full broke yet.

It's all right. I'll consider
that when I watch him work.

All right, Trask,
you heard the man.

Charley, slap a saddle on
this black horse. Hurry it up.

What's he doing here?

He's here because
I hired him. Why?

Does it trouble
you, him being here?

No, no. No skin off my teeth.

- He's ready, Frank.
- All right.

- Whoa, now. Whoa. Whoa.
- Whoa.

Whoa, now.

Whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa.

Frank, this horse isn't
ready and you know it.

All I know is you don't
work for me no more.

Ha!

Ah!

Ah!

Trask, give me the whip!

You try that again,
I'll break you in two.

All right, that'll be enough!

Nobody uses a whip on
an animal around here.

- That ain't the way I see it.
- I don't care how you see it.

Don't use a whip on an
animal on the Ponderosa.

You still interested
in that stallion, Major?

- Not the way he is now.
- Well, suppose he was saddle broke?

Then the army'd
pay top dollar for him,

but from the looks of him, you
won't have time before I leave.

You just let me
worry about that.

Let's go.

It's his answer for everything.

Man or animal, if it... if it
don't knuckle under to him,

he beats it until it does.

Well, good evening.

Good evening.

Full moon tonight.

Yes.

Oh, it's so quiet.

It's so nice to come
out on a night like this

and think back on the day.

I'm sorry. I shouldn't be intruding
on your thoughts this way. Night.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Cartwright,
I was thinking about you.

- Oh?
- And the young man you hired today.

I was wondering why you hired
him, knowing he was a coward.

Well, I... I don't
know he's a coward.

But didn't you see him refuse to
fight for what was rightfully his?

Miss Dawson, I... I hope you
don't mind me asking you this,

but why does it trouble you so
much that I've hired this young fella?

Because I know him.

- You know him?
- Well, someone like him.

Someone I've been trying
to blot out of my memory.

He... He looked like Mark.

And he was a coward like he is.

An army officer, who
in the middle of battle

ran and... killing himself
and six of his men.

And that coward was my husband.

Now do you understand,
Mr. Cartwright?

Yes. Yes, I do understand.

Miss Dawson...

There's something else that I
think you might try to understand,

and that is that in every man

there's some cowardice,

and in every man
there's some bravery too.

You know, when
I was a little fella,

someone gave me a little dog,
oh, a mutt, cute little fella, though.

And he looked funny
because one side of him,

along the side was all black,
the other side was all white.

And if you looked at him
from one side, you'd say,

"Oh, there goes
Ben's black dog."

If you looked at him from
the other side, you'd say,

"There goes Ben's white dog."

You know what?

Inside he was just plain dog.

I don't believe you ever
really had a dog like that.

Don't you?

But thanks for trying.

But nothing you can say can make
me change my mind about that man.

Good night.

Good night.

Night.

Everything all right?

Yeah, yeah, fine.

I just noticed a lantern
burning out there in the barn

from my bedroom window.

- I thought I'd go and check on it.
- Oh, yes.

One of the hands
must have left it.

- See you in the morning.
- Night, Pa.

What are you up to, buddy?

Oh, howdy, Hoss.

You're supposed to be in the
bunkhouse this time of night.

I guess I should have
asked, but lookee here.

Well, I'll be dad-burned.

Found him in a varmint
trap out by the corral.

Ain't he a cute little fella?

He's got a busted leg,
but I sort of fixed it up.

- The rascal bit me.
- I should have warned you.

- He's... He's wild.
- Yeah.

How come he don't bite you?

Well, folks say I... got
sort of a way with animals.

Yeah. I noticed that today when
you was riding that big sorrel.

- He gonna be all right?
- Sure. Be as good as new in a week.

In you go, fella.

Well, I've... I've seen some
regular professional doctors

that didn't have a touch
with animals like you got.

Well, it's sort of been my
dream, Hoss, be a veterinarian.

But schooling takes a
powerful lot of money.

Sure can't save much on what you make
chasing wild horses in the hill country.

No. Let me ask you
something, Mark.

How come a young fella like you

with as much compassion and
love for the animals as you've got,

how come you'd get tangled up
with a fella like Frank Cole anyhow?

Well, I thought you knew.

Thinking on it, I guess there's
no reason why you should have.

Frank wouldn't have told you,
being ashamed of me like he is.

Ashamed of you? For what?
For not beating a scared horse?

A lot more than that, Hoss.

For not living up to what he
thinks I ought to be, hard like he is.

He's my brother, Hoss.

Howdy, ma'am.

I reckon we ain't never
been properly introduced.

No, we haven't.

I'm Mark Cole.

Cole? Isn't that the name of the
man that owns the black horse?

Yes, ma'am. He's my brother.

We ain't much alike.

Yes, I noticed that.

I thought Hop Sing might have
some scraps for this little fella.

- Easy, boy.
- He's darling. A pet raccoon.

Oh, he's been hurt.

Easy, ma'am. He's wild.

Nonsense.

You're soft and gentle, ma'am.

Animals know these things.

Yes, they do.

He look like Chinese
robber baron.

Well, I thought you might
have some food for him,

if it's all right with
Mr. Cartwright.

No need ask Mr. Cartwright.

Hop Sing in charge
of food department.

Beside, Mr. Cartwright not here.

He and Major Dawson
out looking at more horses.

You come with me. We
fix fine meal for little bandit.

Come.

Bill, take these
horses, will you?

Thanks, Bill.

The Percherons were
everything you claimed, Ben.

- Excellent for army draft horses.
- Good.

Well, that's about
it, then, Major.

26 saddle horses,
four unbroken yearlings,

two foals and six Percherons.

- That brings the total to...
- I know what the total is.

And, Hoss, you were wrong.
He's not letting me keep my buttons.

Well, as soon as
Little Joe gets back,

we'll drive the horses
to Fort Baxter for you.

Hoss, I meant to ask you,
what happened to your thumb?

Oh, Pa, you wouldn't... you
wouldn't believe it if I told you.

That stallion you're
interested in, Major,

I'll have him ready to
work soon, real soon.

I'm afraid there won't
be time, Mr. Cole.

My daughter and I are leaving
on the noon stage tomorrow.

I said real soon, like
tomorrow morning?

Oh, wait a minute, Cole.

It's impossible. You can't
gentle a horse like that overnight.

My business is with the major.

Look, he'll be ready, I tell
you. I've got my methods.

Yes, I saw your methods
yesterday, Mr. Cole.

I don't buy animals
with whip marks on them.

Then we're in agreement.
There won't be a mark on him.

In the morning.

Well, if you'll join me, Ben, I'll draw
up your contract and pay warrant.

That brother of yours is sure bent
on selling that horse, ain't he, Mark?

Business ain't been too good.

Yeah.

Well, he's sure got
his work cut out for him

if he's figuring on taming
that horse by morning.

Tame him?

He'll tear the heart
right out of him,

crush and twist his spirit
till there ain't nothing left.

But he'll never tame that stallion.
He's run free too long. He'll die first.

I know. I've worked him.

He was just getting to know me.

Well, Mark, there's just some
things a fella can't do nothing about.

This sorrel's still a
mite skittish, Hoss.

Might be wise if I gave
him some more saddle time.

Whatever you like. But it's
getting kind of late. See you.

Whoa.

How's he doing there?

The way I got him fixed, he can't do
anything but stand there and quiver.

Yeah, but he's not like the others
you've been working on. He's...

He's sort of... I don't
know. He's different.

Maybe you ought to
give him some water.

He gets nothing.

He's learning his lesson the
hard way, but he asked for it.

I told that army brass he'd
be ready in the morning

and he'll be ready,
the rough way.

Check it out.

Oh, Frank.

Henry.

It's nothing.

Mmm.

Just take it easy, fella.

Everything's gonna be all right.

What's the matter with him?

Trussed up so he couldn't rest.

No water, no food.

But mainly, well... he just
seems to have lost the will to live.

And after having
almost killed the animal,

your brother brings him
back to you to save, is that it?

Not quite, ma'am.

Frank don't know nothing
about it. I stole him.

There's a blanket over
there. Hand it to me.

Easy, fella.

You don't think I should
have stole him, huh?

Well, that's not
for me to judge.

Maybe you did right if that's
the only way to save him.

I ain't sure I can save him.

A horse like this
is proud, ma'am.

A pride he was born with... and
run with till my brother caught him.

Frank's real good at
squeezing pride like that.

Only this time he went too far.

You and your brother, you're
not much alike, are you?

The way you said that...

sounds like you don't see
much good in either of us.

Maybe it's because I don't see the
good in being too hard or too soft.

Oh, I think you gentled
that word a mite, ma'am.

I think you meant coward.

Well, you said it. I didn't.

But I don't think it's fair of
you to bring the horse here

where it's likely to cause
trouble for Mr. Cartwright.

I had no other
place to bring him.

As for Mr. Cartwright,
I'm gonna tell him now.

No need, Mark.

That's your brother's horse.

Whoa, boy.

Shh. Whoa, boy. Steady.

- What happened to him?
- He was trussed up.

No food, no water.
Broke his spirit.

Shh. Easy.

Frank was right, wasn't he?

You don't need a whip
to break a horse fast.

It's just plain brutal.

Frank don't look at it
that way, Mr. Cartwright.

He's rough and brutal,
I'll not argue that.

But it's the only
thing he knows.

He feels he's gotta
be that way to survive.

He's your brother, you can
defend him any way you want to,

but there's no defense against
treating an animal this way.

I hate it as much as you do.

Well, can we save him?

I'd like to try. But I'll
have to keep him here.

- If you'll allow it.
- I said "we," didn't I?

Get out of the way, Ben.

Look, I said get out of the way. I know
he's in there and I intend to have him.

What are you talking about,
Frank? Intend to have who, what?

If you want me, I'll go.
But the horse stays here.

You letting this little horse thief
tell you what to do, Cartwright?

If you're asking me if I'm
agreeing with him, yes.

You move that horse out of
there, it's as good as murdering him.

You've already come
close enough to that.

He's my property and I'll
decide what to do with him.

Now, if you lead him out
here, I'll forget what you did,

chalk it up to the...
the weakness in you.

No.

A man's got a right
to take what's his own,

especially when
it's been stolen.

Now, Frank, Mark here's not denying
the horse belongs to you. He's yours.

I think what he's asking for is a little
more time to bring him around if he can.

You're stalling, Ben. The
horse ain't that bad off.

I want him and I want him now.

I'll buy the horse. What
do you want for him?

- You got him crawling, Frank.
- What's your price?

Nobody buys me off, Ben.
He's not for sale anymore.

Too much talk.

No. No!

Now, we'll do this legal.
Right down the line legal.

There are laws against
them that steals horses,

and there's laws against
them that harbor horse thieves.

Maybe there ought to be laws
against them that torture horses too.

That's just an opinion.

- Your opinion, Cartwright.
- That's right.

Well, I'll be back in the morning
with law that ain't just opinion.

I tried with you, boy.

I tried to put iron in your backbone,
but you're soft clean through.

Well, now I wash
my hands of you.

- How is he?
- Well, he's breathing a lot easier.

First a raccoon,
and now this horse.

Well, Mark's got a real
gift in those hands, Pa.

- A real gift.
- Yeah.

He'll be on his feet by morning.

Mr. Cartwright, do we have
to give him back to my brother?

He still needs a lot of care.

Well, I... I don't think we have
much choice in the matter, Mark.

Law's on his side.

Maybe he was just bluffing,
Pa. Maybe he won't be back.

He'll be back.

Well, morning's still a long
way off. Let's get some sleep.

I'll stay here just in case.

If you need any help,
you know where to find us.

Thank you.

Night.

I was just bringing
you some coffee, Hoss.

That was a nice thought, Miss
Dawson. Thank you anyhow.

I'm gonna go to bed, I think.

- Oh, the horse is gonna be all right.
- Oh, I'm glad.

Uh, Dana, I think Mark
might like some of that coffee.

He's... He's
staying in the barn.

It was Mark who brought that horse
around. He's worked terribly hard.

Major, I'd sure like to
drive into town myself,

but I'm expecting those
visitors, as you know.

Yes, I know. Dana told me.

Ben, I do hope Frank Cole isn't
gonna give you too much trouble.

No, no. It'll be right.

Well, we still have plenty of time
before we have to catch the stage,

so I think I'll go see how
the horse is this morning.

- Don't be too long.
- I won't.

You OK, fella, hmm? Let's go.

Good boy. Good boy.

He's better.

Yes, ma'am.

But not well enough to
give back to your brother.

No, ma'am, don't reckon he is.

But you'll give him back
and he'll do it all over again,

and this time there's
nothing you can do to stop it.

Look, I'm sorry.

It's just that I knew
a man like you once.

As easy as that, ma'am.

Well, maybe you're
right about me.

But who did you
know like Frank Cole?

Did you know a man who raised his
little brother when their parents died,

when he wasn't much
more than a kid himself?

But how did he do it? By trying
to break you like he did this horse?

Yes, ma'am, he tried,
because he thought it was best.

But he did other things too.

Like one winter in the mountains,
we were tracking a wild herd.

There was a blizzard and my
horse fell on me, broke my leg.

Any other man would have left me to die,
and I wouldn't have faulted him for it.

But Frank stayed, he set my leg,

gave me his food and
the clothes off his back.

Almost died himself.

Did you know a man
like that, Miss Dawson?

I did.

He's my brother.

I have to go.

It's your brother, and
he's got the deputy.

I figured it might be.

Well, don't go out there. You'll
be arrested. You can still run.

I thought you didn't like men
who run away from trouble.

Morning, Ben, Hoss.

Good morning, Clem.

I don't quite know
how to start this, Ben.

Why don't you just
say it the way it is?

I got a warrant sworn
out by Frank here

for the arrest of one Mark Cole,
charged with stealing a horse.

Got another warrant claims you aided
and abetted in stealing the horse, Ben.

- Now, is that right?
- That's exactly right, Clem.

And at my trial I'm gonna ask
why a man like Frank Cole there

has the right to torture
and destroy an animal

just because it happens
to belong to him.

I claim no one, no
one has that right.

And if I have to go to jail to
prove it, I'll be happy to do that too.

- Where's the horse?
- Right here, Deputy.

- That the animal?
- That's him.

This ain't a regular case
of horse stealing, Frank.

You've got your property back.

Now, I'll go through with
these arrests if you want,

but my advice, for what
it's worth, is to not push it.

It's up to you.

Like you say, Clem, I do
have my property back.

I'll settle for that.

Good. I think I'll ride back before
somebody changes his mind.

- Get the horse.
- Frank, he's your property.

Why don't you come get him?

If you want him, you gotta
go through me to get him.

- Is this the way you want it?
- No.

It just has to be this way.

I'll make it easy for you.

- Pa, I gotta stop this.
- No, leave 'em be.

It's taken Mark a long
time to get this far.

Come on, stop it, Mark.
What are you trying to prove?

If you don't know
now, you never will.

No.

Mark, I don't wanna
hit you anymore.

I can't.

You're gonna have to, Frank.
You're gonna have to keep me down.

Come on, finish it.

Easy, fella. Yeah. Yeah.

You could be
gentle, boy, in time.

But it wouldn't be right.

You go on, now. Go on
back to your hills. Go on, fella.

Frank...

I'm... I'm sorry this
happened... in a way.

And in another
way, I'm glad it did,

and I think you will be too when you've
had a chance to think about it a bit.

You all right?

Mark, you look like a herd of buffalo
just used you for a parade ground.

Come on, let's get
some medicine on you.

Dana, we must leave
now or we'll miss that stage.

Father, couldn't we
stay over until tomorrow?

You're welcome to stay,
Major. You know that.

Well, perhaps I could
find an official reason

for delaying our
trip for one day.

If you need an official
reason just to stay over,

I got me a bunch of geldings
over on the east range

that you've got to see
before you leave. Come on.

All right, Major, there's your total,
and I still say you outsmarted me.

I don't know, Ben. Seems
I paid too much for 'em.

Major, you got yourself a wonderful
bunch of horses. That right, Mark?

They're mighty fine horses, sir.

There you are. That's
the word of an expert.

I'm no expert.

Oh, Mark, I think you're
entirely too modest.

You know animals better
than any man I ever saw.

Mark, have you ever thought
about a career in the army?

I'm afraid I wouldn't be
too keen on soldiering, sir.

I'm suggesting a career
as an army veterinarian.

The army has a great school
in the Presidio in San Francisco.

Incidentally not far from
Dana's and my quarters.

Wouldn't you like that, Mark?

Mark, this is what you
always wanted, buddy.

- It sure is.
- Well, then, it's all settled.

He eat all the food!

Ow! Dad burn it!

Oh, son of a gun.

Well, at least now you know
what happened to the other thumb.

This has been a color production

of the NBC television network.