Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 6, Episode 23 - About Chester - full transcript

Starring James
Arness as Matt Dillon.

Hi, Kitty.

Oh, hello, Matt.

Oh, what you doing up there?

You sure don't look sick.

Well, I'm... I'm not sick.

I'm worried.

What's the matter?

When was the last
time you saw Doc?

Oh, couple of days ago, I guess.

Why?



Well, he hasn't been
here for four days.

- He hasn't?
- No, he...

he went out to
Jake Worth's ranch.

His boy broke a leg, but,
well, that was on Monday.

Well, maybe the
boy is still sick.

You're not listening to me.

I said he broke a leg.

- Well, I mean...
- Matt, Doc's missing.

Now, doesn't that
mean anything to you?

Kitty, what makes
you think he's missing?

I don't worry about Doc.

He knows how to
take care of himself.

Well, he told me he'd
be back yesterday.

Well, look, maybe, uh...



maybe he went
fishing at Jake Worth's.

You know, Jake is always
trying to get everybody

that comes out there
to go fishing with him.

Yeah, I know.

Now, just let me
tell you something.

If he isn't back here tomorrow,

I'm going to organize
a posse myself

and go looking for him.

Say, I think that's a good idea.

You know, he'd
probably like that.

He's always
complaining that nobody

pays any attention to
him around here anyway.

There's no use
even talking to you.

Chester.

Oh, you feeling a little

under the weather
this morning, are you?

Huh?

I said my blood, I
think, is too thick.

Oh, you mean from that
long, cold winter we had?

Yeah, well, it turned
summer so fast, I just...

I just feel like that I
got lead in my veins.

Well, a little sassafras tea

usually takes care
of that, you know?

Well, I've been a-drinkin'
sassafras tea, Mr. Dillon.

I swear I must have
drunk a whole barrel of it.

Ain't took care of nothing.

Hello there, Marshal. Chester.

Ah, Jake.

- How are you?
- Pretty good.

Tell me, you ain't seen
Doc anywhere, have you?

Well, no. I thought he was

supposed to be
out at your place.

He was supposed
to four days ago.

You mean he never
showed up there?

I sent one of my men for him.

He said he'd come right out.

And that's the last I heard.

Well, that's... it's only a
day's ride out there, ain't it?

Even in a buggy.

Well, that doesn't
make a lot of sense.

Not to me, it doesn't.

Sitting there with
my boy, waiting.

How is the boy?

Well, he's all right, I guess.

Uh, I had to set his leg
myself, no thanks to Doc.

I was just up at his
office. He ain't there.

I wanted him to stop by

and take a look
at the job I done.

Well, it sure don't seem
like Doc, you know,

not to show up where
a patient's concerned.

No, it don't.

That's why I
stopped by, Marshal.

It's got me worried.

Chester, maybe we
better go and start

thinning up that blood
of yours a little bit, huh?

Well, I'll get the horses.

Well, uh, Jake, why
don't you come on inside?

We have a cup of coffee left.

Thanks. I will, Marshal.

Well, which road do
we take, Mr. Dillon?

Well, this one goes
by the Pope ranch,

and the other goes
by old Ed Cluney's.

They both wind up
at Emmett Bowers'.

Well, then, Doc could
have took either one of them.

Yeah. I tell you, I'll take
the one that goes by Pope's.

You take the other one
that goes by Ed Cluney's.

It's a little shorter anyway.

- Shorter to what?
- Well, Emmett Bowers'.

We ought to get there by
dusk, probably spend the night.

Yeah, well, uh, wh-what
if one of us finds Doc?

Good. That's what
we came for, isn't it?

Hello.

Howdy there, Mr. Cluney.

What are you doing
way out here, Chester?

Well, um, I'm looking
for Doc Adams.

You ain't seen him by here

in the last day
or two, have you?

No, ain't nobody
sick around here,

but why don't you get
down and rest a while?

The old woman's got a pot
of coffee on the stove in there.

Well, uh, golly, that
sounds pretty good.

Well, just tie up the horse
and come on in, huh?

Well, not hardly
this time, though.

Uh, I tell you, could,
uh, you tell me how far

it is to Emmett Bowers'
place from here?

Yeah, it's-it's about 25
miles, straight over there.

All right. Thanks a lot.

So long.

Whoa. Whoa, boy.

By golly, I just ought to
bring two horses, I guess.

Well, come on, fella.

Let's get some shade.

Come on, boy.

Whoa, boy.

By golly, Nugget, you ain't
going to go much farther.

Whoa, boy.

Maybe I can find some help
for you up there at the house.

You leave that rifle be!

Now, get your hands
in the air and stand up.

Now walk this way.

You darned fool, you
darn near killed me.

I can still kill you.

Well, what for?

I ain't done nothing to you.

You got a knife on you
or anything, have you?

No.

You get smart with me,
mister, I'll blow your head off.

Now, move around
there, toward the house.

Well, you're making
a big mistake.

You just shut up
and do what I say.

Now, move.

- Well, who is he?
- He's harmless.

Well, then, why don't
you put that rifle down?

I tell you to keep
your mouth shut.

What's he doing here?

That's just what
I was wondering.

Well, I ain't doing
nothing here.

What... what are you
people so edgy about?

Mister, I told you once.

Leave him be, Dack.

You can talk.

Suppose you tell us
what you're doing here.

Well, it's like I said: I
ain't doing nothing here.

My-my horse pulled up
lame, and I had to walk.

That's all. I was just
trying to get to a ranch

about ten miles away...
The Bowers' place.

You ride for that ranch, do you?

No. No.

I-I work for Marshal Dillon.

I was just going
to meet him there.

You work for who?

For Marshal Dillon, from Dodge.

What's the matter? Don't
you people know him?

Well, maybe I do.

Well, I work for him.

My name's Chester Goode.

I'd sure be beholden to you

for the loan of one
of them horses there

so I could get to
where I'm going.

I... I could bring
him back to you

tomorrow or the next day.

This marshal of yours,

what's he doing up
at Bowers' ranch?

Well, he... he's going to
be waiting for me soon.

Now, you give me a
straight answer, mister,

or it's going to
go hard with you.

Well, that there
is the straight truth.

We... we was out
looking for Doc Adams.

You see, he's been missing
for two or three days, and...

and we just had to find him.

Suppose you just get
in that cabin there, huh?

Move, now!

You just sit down there.

Don't you got any
coffee on, Lilymae?

Well, how would I know
you'd be wanting coffee?

I'll get the fire going.

You'll get a fire going?

Be the first bit of work you
done since I knowed you.

Dack!

Now you done it.

You killed him.

Why did you yell out like that?

What are you trying
to do, warn him?

No, Dack, I wasn't.

You fool woman,
you'll never learn!

Stop it! You're hurting me!

So help me, I'm
going to whip you good

you don't behave.

I'll kill him right
before we leave.

No, Dack.

You want him running
off to the marshal

and telling him about us?

I won't marry no murderer, Dack.

You won't, huh?

Well, what choice
you got anyway?

Marshal Dillon.

Come in. Come in.

Hello, Bowers.

Glad to see you, Marshal.

You don't get out this way much.

No. Say, I saw
Doc's buggy outside.

Is he, by any chance...

Well, Matt, how are you?

Oh, Doctor.

What are you doing here?

Uh, more or less,
looking for you.

Well, what for?

You left Dodge five
days ago for Jake Worth's.

You never showed up there.

Oh, well, my gosh,
Emmett sent a rider

over to Jake's
place this morning,

and he came back and
said that Jake's boy was fine.

Just fine.

I see.

So, what have you been doing?

Sitting around here playing
checkers for four days?

He's been under
the weather, Marshal.

But he's all right now.

What's the matter with him?

Well, he's been a sick man.

He showed up here so weak,

he could hardly get
down out of his buggy.

Well, I had a little
fever... That's all.

Come on, Emmett.
You're holding up the game.

It's your move here.

Marshal, he didn't
even know where he was

for three nights running.

No, sir. I'm all right now.

I'll... I'll be going back
to Dodge in the morning.

Uh-huh.

Say, Emmett,
Chester's on the way in.

If you don't mind putting
us up for the night,

why, uh, maybe we'll see
Doc back into town tomorrow

just to be sure he gets there.

Well, you're sure both welcome.

I'll go tell the cook
to put a real feed on.

Oh.

Thanks a lot, Emmett.

Well, I guess I'll
go put my horse up.

Chester looking
for me, too, is he?

Yeah, he sure is.

Well, by golly, I didn't know I
was causing so much trouble.

Well, I didn't need
the ride out here,

I can tell you that.

But I guess it didn't
do Chester any harm.

You know, he's been complaining
about having thick blood.

Thick blood?

Well, I'm glad he's got
something to complain about.

He never feels very
good unless he has.

Say, you know, uh,

that's pretty nice.

Did you knit that yourself?

Where's your husband?

Who?

I said, Where'd Dack go to?

Oh, he's out scouting around.

He always try and kill
everybody that comes around?

Dack never killed
nobody in his life.

Sure shoots at 'em awful close.

He never killed nobody,
else I wouldn't stay with him.

I wonder, could you
give me a drink of water?

I'm awful thirsty.

Wouldn't let a man go
without water, would ya?

Just a little one?

Thank you, Mrs. Dack.

Dack's his first name, and
I ain't his missus anyhow.

- You ain't?
- No, I sure ain't.

Well, I'd say that
you was better off.

I don't blame you a bit.

No woman's better off.

Even if it's got to
be a man like Dack.

Well, I'd sure say that you are.

He wasn't always a bad man.

When I first met him, there
were lots of nice things about him.

Well, he sure has changed some.

Yeah, he's, he's
changed, all right.

He's nothing but
a horse thief now.

And I guess you
know all about that.

No, no, wait a minute, Lilymae.

No, I don't know
nothing about Dack.

Neither does Marshal Dillon.

We come out here
looking for Doc,

and that there's the truth.

I... I don't know a
thing about Dack.

He's gonna kill you, Chester.

I tried to talk him out of it.

He won't listen to me.

I was just giving
him a drink of water.

He don't need no water.

Look, it's raining.

Never you mind the rain.

What were you
talking to him about?!

Nothing. Like I said,

I was just giving
him a drink of water.

Now what's the matter with you?

You're feeling sorry
for him or something?

No, Dack, course I'm not.

Well, you tell me the truth.

You tell me the truth

or so help me, I'll beat
you half to death, Lilymae.

Don't you want your supper?

Get it on. I'm hungry.

Don't you get any
ideas about feeding him.

No sense in wasting good food
on what's already a dead man.

By golly, Emmet,
that was sure good.

Well, Doc, for a sick man

you put away a
pretty good meal there.

He's hardly had anything
before today, Marshal.

Well, I'm a physician, you know.

And I don't believe
in stuffing a fever.

You sure don't. Little
soup and a couple eggs

is all you've had
since you got here.

Well, I sure made up
for it tonight, though.

Gosh, if I stayed
here another week,

I wouldn't have to eat
anything all next winter.

You're welcome. Stay
as long as you like.

Well, thanks, Emmett.
Golly, thanks a lot.

But I got to get
on back to Dodge.

Folks'll be needing
me, you know.

What's the matter
with you, Matt?

You're not worried
about Chester, are you?

No. No, not really, Doc.

Just that he's been a
long time getting here.

He's probably holed up
somewhere on account of the rain.

My gosh, he can
take care of himself.

Well, sure, I know that, Doc.

I'm not really
worried about him.

Just, I'd feel a little better
if he showed up, that's all.

Well, he'll come riding
in here any minute

just wetter'n a
drowned rat, you'll see.

Sure, he will.

If he don't, you go back

by the way of Ed
Cluney's in the morning.

- You'll run into him.
- Yeah.

Well, I'll tell you.
I'm gonna go to bed.

I'm a little tired.

We gonna get started
at dawn, you say?

Well, if you feel up to it, Doc.

Well, sure, I feel fine.

I'll bed you down
upstairs, Marshal.

Oh, fine, Emmett.

Come on. I'll show you the way.

Good night, Doc.

Oh, good night, Matt.

I changed my mind.

'Bout what?

I ain't gonna kill him.

Just gonna leave
him tied up there.

Now you get ready.

We gonna leave as soon
as I saddle the horses.

You hear that?

Yeah. What made
him change his mind?

I don't know, but I'm so glad.

Uh, you ain't really
figuring on leaving me

tied up like this, are you?

I mean, a body could lay
here for a month of Sundays

before anybody
come on this place.

I... I'd help you if
I could, but I can't.

He'd hurt me something terrible.

Well, he don't
ever need to know.

Well, how could he not know?

Well, that there's easy. You
got a knife there, ain't ya?

All you got to do is cut
me loose. I won't move.

I'll just lay here real still

like I ain't been
cut free at all.

Dack won't ever
know anything about it.

Chester, I told you what
he'd do to me. I can't.

Lilymae, if you don't help
me now, I could die here.

And it'd be just as much
your fault as it would be Dack's.

If you don't want my
killing on your conscience,

then you better do
something about it.

You better pick up that
knife and cut me loose.

Can I trust you, Chester?

Well, of course
you can trust me.

I just want to get
out of here alive.

I don't want to get Dack
or anything like that,

but you better hurry or
he's gonna get back here

before you get it done.

Whoa. Whoa.

All right, easy now.

- Whoa.
- Whoa.

Ain't that Chester's horse?

Yeah, it is, Doc.

Looks like he's lame.

Where you suppose Chester is?

I don't know.

My guess would be
he probably headed

for that grove of trees
there during the rain.

Well, that was last night.

He's not there now
or he'd have seen us.

He couldn't have, he couldn't
have gone on to Emmett Bowers'

or we would have passed him.

No. You know, he probably
went on to Cluney's place.

It's the closest.

By golly, that's what he did.

He's probably just
sitting there eating

a great big breakfast
and waiting for us.

Yeah. Well let's
head back that way.

I tell ya, we might as
well take the horse here.

You want to look at him?

Oh.

Horses ready?

They're ready.

Well, I'm just about
finished here. I'll...

Lilymae.

We've got a long ride
ahead of us, Dack.

We better get started, ain't we?

How long you knowed me, Lilymae?

What?

I said, "How long
you knowed me?"

Well, it'll be...

two years come July?

You knew we were getting
married right off, didn't ya?

Of course.

You've promised me.

Well, I ain't never gonna
marry you, Lilymae.

What are you saying, Dack?

I'm gonna leave you right here.

Dack...

I'm riding off alone.

I'm gonna leave
you here... with him.

The two of you gonna be alone.

Only he's gonna be a corpse.

No, Dack, no!

I'm gonna kill him.

No, I won't let you.

You get out of my way.

Get up!

Doc, let's get down there
and see what that is, shall we?

♪♪

Mr. Dillon.

Chester, what's
happened? You been shot?

Oh, no, no, just
stabbed a little bit.

Who's he?

Well, his name's
Dack. He's a horse thief.

He's the one that stabbed me.

I... I had to shoot
him, Mr. Dillon.

Ah. It's a good thing
Doc's coming along.

Well, did you find Doc?

- Yeah.
- How is he?

Well, he looks to me like he's
a lot better off than you are.

Doc, bring your bag
and come on. It's Chester.

Chester, what...
what have you done?

Oh, nothing. I just
got cut a little bit.

Well, my... Here, can you get
over there on that bed for me?

Yeah, I think so. Just
a crease. It ain't much.

Well, just lie down there.
Let me take a look at it now.

Kind of burns a little bit.

Hmm, gosh, I don't doubt it.

But it's not bad. You're
gonna live, all right.

But you lost some blood.

Well, I think that I
could have told you that.

It's a woman.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that
there was a woman with him, too.

There was?

Yeah, but let
her go, Mr. Dillon.

Wasn't she in it with him?

Well, yeah, kind of, but
if it hadn't been for her,

he'd have killed me.

She saved my life.

She did?

Yeah.

So why don't you
let her go, Mr. Dillon?

Poor thing.

She ain't going
no place anyways.

No place at all.