Gunsmoke (1955–1975): Season 6, Episode 35 - Chester's Dilemma - full transcript

Starring James
Arness as Matt Dillon.

Well, what is it?

Well, nothing at all.

Just a whittling stick.

- Oh, I'm sure glad of that.
- What?

Well, I was afraid there
for a minute you was loafing.

Oh, I'm just waiting here,
Doc, for the stage to come in

so's that I can
pick up the mail.

Oh, it's late?

Oh, it's very. There it is now.

Hey.



By golly, there's a
nice little bit of fluff.

By golly, yeah.

Well, she looks like she
might be lost, don't she, Doc?

Why do you say that?

Well, I mean, uh,
she's all alone there.

Well, you take my advice
and just leave it that way.

You don't have no gentlemanly
streak in you at all, do you?

Uh...

Excuse me, uh, ma'am.

Yes?

Uh, well, I was... I
was sitting over there,

over there by the post
office on the bench.

I was waiting for the
mail to come in, and I-I...

I seen you here, and I
just couldn't help, but,



uh, wonder if I could
be of any use to you.

I mean...

You look like that you're
just about lost there.

Uh... uh...

Is anybody, uh... waiting?

I mean, are you gonna be
picked up by anybody, or...?

No.

Well, I'll be glad
to help you now.

I mean, get you
situated in a hotel

over at the Dodge House
with a nice room, or...

Thank you, but I can manage.

Oh.

Well, oh, I-I forgot
to introduce myself.

I'm Chester Goode.

I-I work for the marshal here.

The marshal?

Yeah. Uh, uh, Mr. Dillon.

He's a US marshal here.

Oh. Is that who you were
waiting to get the mail for just now?

Yeah, I pick it up for him
every day right on time.

But it could wait, though.

I'd be real proud to
help you now, ma'am.

It's miss.

Edna Walstrom.

Oh. Well, uh...

Are-are you gonna be, uh,
staying in Dodge, are you?

Well, maybe for a while
if... if I can find a job.

Oh, a job? Oh, listen... a job.

That ain't gonna
be nothing at all.

Uh... well, why-why don't
we talk about that later?

- Here, let-let me help you with that.
- Oh.

You're very kind.

You're sure it isn't
too much trouble?

Oh, it ain't no trouble at all.

Uh, just, uh, come with
me to pick up the mail,

and-and, uh...

Well, uh, this here is it.

I feel nervous.

Oh, there ain't no
reason to be nervous.

I talked to Mr. Jonas
about you last night.

All he wants to do
is just to see you.

Well...

Mr. Jonas?

Mr. Jonas!

Oh, Chester.

Uh, Mr. Jonas,
I-I'd like for you

to meet Miss Edna Walstrom.

How do you do?

Oh!

So you're the little
gal Chester picked up.

Uh, I mean, run in to.

- Well, he sure talked you up big, Edna.
- Oh.

I'd say he had a real
personal interest in you.

Oh, never mind that, Mr. Jonas.

Just what do you...
what do you think of her?

- Oh, Chester.
- Now, would you wait a minute.

Did you ever work
in a store before?

- No, Mr. Jonas, I haven't.
- Uh-huh.

Well, it don't take
much experience to...

I like what she said,
Chester. It's honest.

Uh, where you from anyway?

- Back east.
- Back east where?

- Well, Ohio.
- Well, it-it don't matter.

You know, the fact is, I can
use some help around here.

Particularly somebody who
can, uh, take care of the women.

You know, I'm-I'm
never very good at that.

Well, then, are you gonna
give her the job, Mr. Jonas?

Yes, Chester, I am. You
can start tomorrow morning.

Well, what-what do you
think of that, Edna, huh?

Oh, I'm very grateful.

I'll really do my best
to learn, Mr. Jonas.

Well, we can talk
about pay later.

Now, you can come in
and, uh, browse around

this afternoon if you want.

You know, kind of get
familiar with the stock...

Yes. Yes, I think I will.

- Oh, Chester, thank you.
- Uh...

I... I'm awful... I'm
awful grateful to you.

Well, that wasn't nothing.

You're so modest.

I like that.

Well, uh, what-what I...
what I was going to say is,

I have to go down
to the post office

and pick up the mail, and...

Oh, I nearly forgot.

It is time for the mail,
isn't it? Mr. Jonas?

Mr. Jonas, I think I'll
go with Chester for now,

but I'll be back in a
half an hour, okay?

Whatever you say.

Come on, Chester.

I like being with you.
You don't mind, do you?

No, of course not.

Bet you get real important
letters in the mail, Chester.

Well, yeah, we-we do sometimes.

'Course, there don't seem
to be much here today. Uh...

Oh, that's just
you being modest.

Well, that's-that's,
uh, US mail.

It's kind of official, uh...

Oh, I can see the...

Why-why, the War
Department, Washington, DC.

- Uh, the...
- Yeah.

The US Commissioner's
Office, St. Louis?

Yeah, it's just that the
mail is kind of sacred.

Well, I was just curious.

It is a responsibility,
though, isn't it?

Oh, I-I should say it is.

You know, you never know
what's gonna be there at all.

Oh, I can imagine. You want
to walk me back to the store?

Yeah. Uh, uh...

I did want to ask you something.

Uh...

What?

Well, I-I was just
wondering if, uh...

Maybe that I can come
over tonight and see you

after supper.

I'd like that.

Huh?

Well.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

My gosh!

That's the most terrible
coffee Chester ever has made.

Chester didn't make
this coffee, Doc.

I did.

Well, it's terrible.

You know, as a matter of fact,

he hasn't made any
coffee for two days.

He hasn't done
anything for two days.

Oh, yes, he has. He's been busy.

Yeah, but doing what?

Well, ever since
that little Edna,

or whatever her
name is, came to town,

he's been chasing her up
one street and down the next.

Well, I think she's chasing
him about half the time.

What do you mean?

Well, she's in here two, three
times a day that I know of.

My gosh, I thought she was
working for Wilbur Jonas?

Well, she is, but I don't
think Jonas can say no to her

any more than Chester can.

Well, I don't think I'd
worry too much about it.

Have you seen him?

Yeah, I saw him
out for the mail.

That's about the most work
he can handle these days.

Oh.

♪ You can look all over Kansas ♪

♪ Every Kansas time... ♪

Chester?

Chester, you were going
right on by without me.

Oh. Well, I was just, uh,
going down to get the mail.

You know I like to go with you.

Well, I thought maybe, you know,

you might be
getting tired of it.

Now, that's a
silly thing to say.

Don't you know you're
my favorite person

in this whole town?

Oh. Oh, I am? I know.

You are. I don't
care who knows it.

- Oh!
- There.

You... shouldn't do that.

Don't you like it?

Well, it's just that right
out here in Front Street

ain't a fit place,
I don't think,

for, you know... to
be kissing somebody.

Mr. Jonas gave me
the rest of the day off.

If you want to walk
me home, you can,

after we get the mail.

Uh, well, the
only... only thing is...

You see, I promised Mr. Dillon

I'd bring the mail
right back, and...

Oh, I wanted to
tell you, I moved

into Moss Molly's boardinghouse.

It isn't far.

He won't miss his
old mail that soon.

Well, you... well,
you sure do...

You have a way
about you, don't you?

It was nice of you to
walk me home, Chester.

Oh, ain't anything.

I know it's silly,
but I get scared

when I have to walk
around Dodge by myself.

Oh, there ain't nothing
around here to be afraid of.

Well, not for you. You
must be pretty brave,

working with Marshal
Dillon the way you do.

Fighting Indians?

Oh, there-there... there
ain't too many Indians to fight.

Capturing bandits
and-and then horse thieves

and bad men.

Well, bandits don't
come along too often.

Have you saved the
marshal's life a lot of times?

Uh, well...

No, no.

Mr. Dillon has a kind of
way of taking care of his self.

That's just you
being modest again.

Oh.

Oh, say, you haven't
looked at the mail yet.

Well, you know what I
said now about the mail.

Oh, silly, I'm not
going to hurt it.

Edna, no, you'll-you'll...

Something from the
War Department again.

Now, Edna, here,
give me the mail now.

Oh! Oh.

Oh, I'm sorry, Chester.

Oh, it's all right. Didn't
hurt anything, I guess.

Oh.

Where's the other one?

What?

Well, there was... there
was one from Ohio here.

- Where?
- Oh, Edna?

What? Hmm?

You give me that letter, Edna.

That's my letter.

No. Now, that letter
was in this stack of mail.

- Now, you give that to me.
- Now, Chester,

you're not accusing me
of stealing a silly old letter.

That letter don't
belong to you, Edna.

Now, you give it to me!

If you want it, you
can take it yourself,

and if you try, I'll scream.

Edna. No.

Give me that.

Good morning, Chester.

Oh, good morning, Mr. Dillon.

Chester, uh...

how you feeling? You all right?

Yeah. Well, yeah. Feel fine.

Just... just fine.

I, uh...

Well, I don't feel fine, either.

I didn't get any sleep
until early this morning.

I-I just laid there and tossed
and turned and tossed and...

Look, Chester, I got an idea.

Why don't you take
a couple of days off

and maybe go out fishing or
hunting, something like that?

Oh, no, no, no,
I-I couldn't do that.

Sure, you can. I can get
along without you all right.

Mr. Dillon, if you
want me to quit,

why don't you just say so?

Won't hurt my
feelings none at all.

Chester, who said
anything about quitting?

Well, you said you could
get along without me.

I meant for a couple of days.

I think you need a rest.

Look, I need you
around here, Chester.

You're the only person

I can depend on.

You mean that, Mr. Dillon?

Well, certainly.

Well, by golly, I-I think I
know what I've got to do now,

and I want to thank
you, Mr. Dillon,

for-for what you said
and-and what you done.

And-and you can.

You can.

Can what?

You can depend on me.

♪♪

♪♪

I'll tell you, Kitty,
he's running around

like a man with a
bullet in his head.

Well, you know, when a
woman gets to chasing you,

there's not very many
places you can run and hide.

He's running so hard, he can't
even stop to catch his breath.

- Well, morning, Doc.
- Morning.

Doctor.

- Where you been this morning?
- What do you mean?

Well, you haven't been
in your office, have you?

Well, I just left there
not long ago. Why?

Okay. I just wondered.

What's going on?

Well, uh... if he's not
concerned about a young lady

being in his jail, I don't know
why I should care about it.

What are you getting at?

Well, there's a young
woman in your jail right now,

not a day over 22.

- Edna Walstrom.
- That's right.

- In jail? What for?
- Well, how should I know?

Chester put her there, and he
says that's where she belongs,

and that's all he'd say.

Well, he's finally cracked.

I knew it was coming.

Maybe you'd better go with him.

Mm-mm.

Nope, there's nothing I can do.

It's too late.

He's slipped his moorings.

♪♪

- Chester.
- Hey.

What's going on now?

Do you have Edna
locked up in jail?

- Well, yeah.
- What for?

Well, I-I had to
do it, Mr. Dillon.

I mean, if you were
to depend on me at all,

I just had to... Well, here,

I'll let her tell you about it.

I got your letter here,
though; I got that for you.

Edna...

the marshal's here.

Marshal.

- I stole a letter, Marshal.
- This letter?

Well, I didn't want to
throw her in jail for it,

Mr. Dillon, but I
figured if I didn't,

I'd have been just
as guilty as she was.

It's addressed to you, Marshal.

It's from Mr. Gruber
back on the farm in Ohio,

and it's all a lie.

Well, how do you
know it's a lie?

It hasn't even been opened yet.

Well, I just know it is.

When I left, he threatened me.

He said he'd find me
no matter where I went

and-and get me arrested.

Well, Edna, you
never told me that,

- that he was gonna...
- I was afraid to, Chester,

but I didn't know what to do.

I didn't want the marshal
to get old Gruber's letter.

I didn't know what kind
of lies he'd tell about me.

Well, he says
here that you stole

a hundred dollars from
him, Edna. Is that right?

- No! No!
- A hundred dollars?

W-Well, I... I took
it, but I didn't steal it.

He owed it to me.

I mean, it just
isn't fair, Marshal,

him saying I stole it.

By golly, Edna, looks to me

like you got yourself
in a pack of trouble.

Yeah.

- Well...
- I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Chester, you
did the right thing.

After all, interfering
with the mail's

- a pretty serious offense.
- Well, yeah,

it is ordinarily,
but in this case...

Well, she tried to keep
me from getting a letter

accusing her of stealing; that
makes her look pretty guilty

doesn't it?

Well, there ain't no
real proof, Mr. Dillon,

just because this old
Gruber said that she done it.

Well, in any case, we'll
find out soon enough.

According to this letter,
he'll be here tomorrow.

Oh, no!

He's coming clear from Ohio?

That's what it says.

Well, what are... what
are you gonna do, Marshal,

gonna put me back in jail?

Well...

no, I don't like to, Edna.

Well, Mr. Dillon, I-I could...

I could see that
she didn't leave town

or nothing like that.

You could, yeah.

All right.

I'll turn her loose in
your custody, Chester.

But you better keep a
pretty close eye on her.

And, Edna, don't you try to run.

I won't, Marshal, I-I promise.

Now, I'd better get
back to the store.

Oh, Chester, would
you come with me

and help explain things

- to Mr. Jonas?
- Oh.

♪♪

♪♪

- Uh... excuse me.
- Yeah?

Can you tell me where to
find the marshal's office?

You looking for the marshal?

I came all the way
from Ohio to see him.

Uh... Gruber?

Yes.

Yes, that's right.

How do you know?

Well, I don't. I...

Well, I mean, I
thought that y-you...

Well, I guess it don't
make any difference...

I can show you where he is
just as soon as I pick up the mail.

- You know the marshal?
- Yeah, I know him.

Good.

♪♪

Uh, there he is.

Mr. Dillon, this
here's Mr. Gruber.

Come all the way from Ohio.

- Proud to know you, Marshal.
- Mr. Gruber.

Marshal, did you get my
letter about Edna Walstrom?

I did.

Then you have her under arrest?

No, as a matter
of fact, I don't.

I see.

Then I'll just have to find
her and take her back.

Well, now, wait a
minute, Mr. Gruber.

I'm afraid there's a little
explaining to be done

before you take her anywhere.

Chester, why don't you go
over and get Miss Walstrom

- and bring her back here.
- All right, sir.

Have a seat.

Thank you.

That's the whole story, Chester;
that's exactly what happened.

Well, I'm glad
you finally told me.

Well, I didn't want
to bother you before.

- You believe me, don't you?
- Well, sure I believe you.

Seems like you're about the
only man I can trust anymore.

- Yeah.
- The only one who trusts me.

Well, maybe we'd
better go on inside.

We've been keeping
them waiting long enough.

- Thank you, Chester.
- Yeah.

Hello, Edna.

Why did you run
off and leave me?

- I had to.
- But why?

I couldn't go on like that;
it wasn't any kind of life.

Well, you're coming
back with me.

You heard Mr. Dillon; she
ain't going nowheres with you.

You will please
keep out of this.

Just a minute, both
of you. I'd like to hear

what Edna's got
to say about this.

Mr. Dillon, Edna said that
Gruber here is a widower

and that she was...

Chester, why don't
you let Edna tell it.

I was Hans Gruber's
housekeeper, his hired girl.

Yeah, just, uh, tell him
how much that you paid her.

Go on.

Well, she has room and board

and... ten dollars a month.

Ten dollars a month that
you wouldn't even pay her.

Once a month, Mr. Dillon,

he'd take her into
town on market day,

along with the pigs and
the chickens and the eggs

and everything else,
and maybe give her

a couple dollars to spend.

Ain't that right?

Yes.

I kept the house, I did
the cooking and the baking,

I washed and
ironed, I fed the pigs,

I fed the chickens,

- I gathered the eggs.
- Yeah, and when

she wanted her own
money, Mr. Dillon,

so's that she could go
away like she wanted to,

well, then, he wouldn't
even give it to her.

I was afraid that
if she had money,

she would go
away... leave the farm.

You ought to feel
real proud of yourself.

No.

No, I don't.

That's why I had
to find you, Edna.

I don't even want
to talk to you.

Edna, listen to me.

I've done things wrong.

I shouldn't have
done it this way.

Now, I've hired a
couple to run the farm.

I don't even live there anymore.

Edna, you remember
the little house

with the big trees in front?

The Schaffer place we
used to pass going into town.

The place you liked so much.

- What about it?
- I bought it.

I live there now.

Edna, look.

Look.

What is it?

It's the deed to the house.

Now, you read what it says.

"Mrs. Hans Gruber"?

Sole owner of the house.

- It's all yours.
- But you-you mean...?

We can get married in Akron.

I already talked
to the preacher.

I-I-I can't believe it.

It's true.

Will you, Edna?

I think you're the nicest
person in the whole world.

Did you hear that?

Mrs. Hans Gruber.

- That's fine.
- Now, come on.

I'll take you home.

Oh, I'm sorry I stole
the letter, Marshal,

I really am.

And, Chester, I think
you're the nicest...

younger person I
ever met. Good-bye.

Good-bye.

Well...

if that don't beat all.

Well, Chester, I sure
was proud of you.

Yeah?

Well, that was a mighty
fine speech you made there.

It was that speech
that turned the trick.

Yeah, well, it didn't
quite turn the trick

the way I had in mind.

You know, uh...

I might be better off with that.

Could be I just got out of
the whole thing real lucky.

Could be.

Say, I sure wish you'd
make up a new pot of coffee.

This stuff is terrible.

Yeah.

Pretty lucky.

Pretty lucky, pretty lucky.