 city and in the territory on west there's just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers and that's with the u.s. Marshall and the smell of guns smoke west with young America and the story of a man who moved with it I'm that man Matt Dillon United States Marshall the first man they look for and the last they want to meet it's a chance a job and it makes a man watchful and a little lonely something the matter you look like you've lost your last friend and I could use a drink come on in friends something happened tough one Kenny they both took the fever and suddenly like that it's kind of funny in a way he was in the war with a sunk one time they've been living on a ranch in a patchy country and it was fever that finally killed him were you close friends man Joe and I rode together on the border with his brother will yeah we were close friends I hope there'll be somebody to watch out after the boy and I don't know about the rest of the time but I know somebody will be right and hurt only in the summer somebody you know me you yeah will figures the boy ought to get clear away for a while so you're gonna take and he asked me to in this letter doesn't seem like a lot to do how old boy oh 15 16 somewhere along there he won't be any trouble you're certainly changing your tomb how's that seems to me you've always dodged being a family man up to now kitty the boy needs help of course he does and I think you have it in you to be a real good father I always have kitty I'm sorry I couldn't resist it I think it's fine when does the boy come on tomorrow stage well Matt let me know if there's anything I can do huh who knows I might be quite a mother if I had a chance yeah I think you might get it a good trip Dave weren't nothing good at all I'd rather erode you're one well a stage coach wasn't bad but I'd rather erode my own horse in that was kind of a long way for that wasn't that's what my uncle will said but I could have done it maybe you could at that we're heading for your office Marshall mm-hmm that's where your headquarters will be most of the time that's what go there first well that's fine with me Marshall I'd like to be around guns now we keep the guns locked up in the office all the time well unless we're using them or cleaning them oh well then I can help clean them maybe you can I know how Marshall my pa learned me you know how to teach you all right your pa was a good man with a gun Dave about what happened I guess I do I ain't gonna let it bother me none though kind of hard not to know a fella's got to do is growing up Marshall can't be thinking on his mom and Paul I suppose not I wouldn't stay at the home much longer anyhow you know Marshall Paul used to wear two guns yeah I remember why don't you Marshall where to guess I figured one was heavy enough to pack around all the real good man with a gun where to why oh I just meant you might get where you'd need to wear to sometime I didn't mean that's all right it's been lucky enough to get pie with one here we are see the boy Chester this is Dave Barrett I'm pleased to meet you Dave Dave is Chester Prophet he really runs things around the Marshall's office Chester will keep an eye on you for the next few days I'm gonna have to write up the Hayes City I don't need no body to watch out for me Marshall no be no trouble no trouble talk you're showing me around Chester I want to see Ed Brody before I go yes I sure will do that mr. John can I go along with you Marshall stay in here with him and I don't you worry boy won't be nothing tall for me to make you feel the home you better stay here this time Dave maybe you can write with me another time before you go sure nice young fella like you you and we'll get along just fine thanks Chester you all right Dave me I'm always all right I'm glad to hear it I'll see you later boy I got a sweep under that chariot setting in just put your feet on there oh sure do do a lot of sweeping around here well out there is a fact boy seems like folks brings mud on their boots all the way from Texas in the territory just so I can sweep up after that ain't no job for a lawman well a lawman got a right to live clean just like anybody else well if I was helping the Marshall I'd do better things than that and I did I guess you do just about what Marshall wanted you to do well I reckon the body has to do what he's fit for no just hold on a minute there I mean it ain't like you could be no help in the gunfighting or nothing like that listen here to me Dave you're a nice young fella but you need a little straightening out on the way things is around here the Marshall needs somebody around him that can shoot I can shoot don't you worry nothing about that you don't even wear a gun a man don't need to wear a gun all the time to know how to shoot besides them gunned on the wall ain't the wearing kind these ways they look mighty comical on a man's hip I know how to wear a gun ain't no cost you to show off to me somebody around this office ought to be wearing one now see here I don't want to catch you praying around wearing no gun now bet the Marshall will let me wear one ain't likely you see how good I can shoot you let me well just don't let me catch you wearing one but you ain't the Marshall no I ain't but he left me in charge of things for the next couple days and one of the things he left me in charge of is you I can draw real fast I don't want to hear no more about it I don't want to see you wearing no gun and that's all there are to it now move away from them when you're so I can read up the rest of this office I'll tell you Dave there's no particular trick to taking out a bullet not so not nope the trick is keeping the man alive afterwards how you do that well if I knew the answer that day but I'd be the most famous doctor in the West and the richest to boot that's real would be nice there's so many things to consider the size of the wound how much blood has been lost infection superation the doc ain't the shorts good idea to go on about things like that why not well we're eating our dinner doc oh what's the matter Chester you getting squeamish me well I was unsqueamish as they come dog I can listen to your talk even though I am eating rhubarb hi oh what's the trouble and well Doc gets into it it's the boy he ain't used to hearing that kind of loose talk oh oh well yes you may be right you don't cost to worry about me I ain't squeamish oh no no no of course you're not but but Chester's right it's a matter of good manners that ain't no bother to me it ought to be boy it ought to be Chester where in Tarnation have you been what I've been right here eating my dinner more cheese I ain't exactly hiding out you know seems ought to be somebody taking care of things in the Marshall's office oh just ease off more time and taking care of things what's all the catarwalling about anyway well they want you down at the telegraph office why didn't you say so I had to find you first they got a message just got to be answered right away all right more all right keep your braces up I'm coming I'll take care of it all right I'll see you back or at the office Dave shouldn't take me very long to handle this I have to go right back to the office you know right if I mosey around a little well now you know give the boy his head for heaven's sakes he's no child Chester I sure ain't well I guess it'll be all right come on just I'm coming to be back there for supper boy here sure sure I'll be there will you wander around all you like Dave Chester gets more like a mother hen every day I don't need no mother of course you don't sometimes though it seems that Chester has more talent for that than for Marshall yeah it sure does else it just can't drive I can drive that's all boy in town ain't you I'm visiting the marsh Matt Dylan you better be good boy he'll run you in I ain't afraid of him better mind your just assume I wouldn't want to start no nonsense with Matt I'm gonna help him well now I'll bet he's glad about that I wish I had somebody to help me around this table hello feelie oh Ma take care of the horse will you want us to feed him yeah go ahead and feed him I ain't fixing to be back for him till tomorrow then to make a night of it are you feeling I sure am I got to find the Marshall first though he ain't in his office that's the boy where he is he's staying with him so you know where he is boy sure do up to Hayes City for two days I might have known trouble feelie that's Hob Frank he's out there at the old Prentice place shooting everything inside you better get Chester then he ain't there either I see any wasn't you know where he went after no I don't be back for a while oh yeah maybe I'll run into him somebody ought to get on out there that's for sure uncertain yeah see you later go on come on boy you know where the Prentice place is sure it's just out the river about a mile got a big old falling down house on it nothing to see what do you want to know for what I want to be able to tell Chester where it is that's all the boy Chester knows apprentice place everybody around Dodge knows it yes sure I should have known here boy hold this bridal yeah say mister would you leave me have a horse I got only one rule about that boy I'll leave you have it if you can pay for it oh I can pay for it I got money see here then you've got a horse you can have that one in the back stall you can ride him all right I can ride him all right and I can do a lot of other things just as good don't you start shooting off again neither you'd ought to be ashamed yourself all a stern up thing the way you do what that might have known liquor yourself up until you lost your senses gotta wake up some hobble wake up so I can ride you back to Dodge time again for you to spend a night or two in the lock up and then we'll get all my gracious mercy you've been shot he's dead Dave what in the world are you doing out here I told folks I could help the Marshall and I done it you done what well while you was lollygagging around town I come out here and I rode right up through the gunshots and I took care of him you shot hub Frank I know what you couldn't have done it not wearing a gun and all he was shooting something fierce when I rode up but I just kept going coming you blame young fool it was him or me that's the way it has to be with a gun Frank Frank ain't no gunfighter he was what do you mean hub Frank never harmed nobody in his whole life except maybe his self the shooting he was used to get himself licked up regular every two or three months or so and take his old gun and shoot it off just hear the noise of it but he never done to her folks is around he never pointed it nobody but I thought yes sir you thought you thought salt our nation much as you just rode out here and killed a man I didn't mean it's too late to think about meaning come on now help me get him out of here no no come on now can't even just laying here you ain't gonna take me in for no killing run away from the old man you killed people right on running the rest of your life for all of me fix up so this nice and decent for you nice and decent I tell you the truth mr. young I think it's too good point what do you mean by that for that day to tell him the old hob didn't die after all that doc pulled him through somehow yeah maybe you're right it was no thanks to him and that's a certain fact it just served him right to go on thinking he'd killed him if we don't find him he will go on thinking I sure we'd order finding spending all this time right not hearing this weather you'll live just maybe I will find it all sure we ain't just sending good money after bad you might say that's enough all right but what I said that's enough chester now you know we got to find this boy yes sir I guess we do and let's do it mr. Dylan yeah what is it ain't you very in some off the road I'm heading for that cave up there you think he's hid out there I know that if I was a boy running away a cave would look pretty good to me is a place to hide the sides of the way his horse went yes sir want me to come up with you now you stay with the horses I'd admire the hell I'll call you if I need you just yes sir I've seen it hanging there in the back room and you stole it I was bigger than to help Marshall when I heard about that fellow shooting out at the prettiest place I figured I'd need a gun so I went back and got one why didn't you tell Chester about it I I didn't think he'd be no good taking care of it oh why not what Chester he don't even wear no gun I left him in charge of things didn't I yes but Marshall I didn't ever see him do nothing much but just sweep out I can shoot yeah I figured I could take care of that fellow better than Chester could and you nearly killed him well he was shooting I had to do something you know what Chester would have done no sir I don't he'd have walked right up to that man shooting or not and either talk they got away from him and he'd have brought him back into dodge or he'd be safe well I didn't know oh yes sure didn't know you don't know much if you think the only way to measure a man is according to whether he wears a gun or not you don't know much I guess maybe you're right yeah what's you're gonna do with me circuit judge comes to town I'm gonna turn you over to Chester and I'd get ready to do a lot of sweeping a lot of sweeping Houston directed in Hollywood by Norman McDonald start William Conrad as Matt Dylan US Marshall the story was specially written for Gunsmoke by Marion Clark with editorial supervision by John Meston featured in the cast were Sam Edwards Harry Bartell Joseph Kearns and Ralph Moody Harley Bear is Chester Howard McNeer is Doc and Georgia Ellis is kidding George Walsh inviting you to join us again next week when CBS radio presents another story on Gunsmoke