 In just a moment you'll hear James Stewart as the six-shooter, just one of the many fine programs brought to you Sundays on NBC. Later this evening listen to the NBC Star Playhouse with two of your favorite stars. Here's stroke of fate and the story of what might have happened if fate had reversed historical facts. And be sure to keep tuned for the dramatic story of The Last Man Out. It's a wonderful lineup of great programs, all of them heard only on NBC. James Stewart as the six-shooter. The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-died brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother of pearl. It's handle unmarked. People call them both. The six-shooter. The NBC radio network presents James Stewart as the six-shooter. A transcribed series of radio dramas based on the life of Britt Ponson, the Texas Plainsmen who wandered through the western territories, leaving behind the trail of still-remembered legends. I asked you for a short enough for you. Well, give me the mirror so I can take a look. It looked to me like you cut it at all. Oh, now, now, now. Still there, ain't it? Hanging down the back of my neck. Well, I figured you'd want to be in style. Fellows in just the other day come from Kansas City. Said that's the way all Easterners are having their hair cut. Well, I ain't no Easterner and I don't aim to be spending a quarter every week for a shave and a haircut, so start slicing it off. Okay, okay. I need to get the head up. Oh, sorry, Breezy. I... I reckon I ain't feeling up to snuff today. Okay. Say it as a blame, you... I heard about down-meeting last night. Yeah. You, uh, told him yet? I don't see why everybody's in such a rush all of a sudden. They waited 40 years, a couple more hours. Ain't gonna make no difference. You're, uh, gonna do it today, then, huh? Yeah. I'm gonna do it today. Hmm. Poor old Gabe. Wonder how he'll take it. I'm sure glad it ain't me that has to break the news. And stop talking about a Breezy and finish my hair. Well, Gabe's a sensible man. He's not got a hold of the guinea, Al. Seen as how the old towns agree. And the whole town don't know him like I do. I was here when he first come to Yellowcrest. I don't know if it wasn't for Gabe Starbuck that wouldn't be... All right, Mr. Paul. You're next. It'll be a couple of minutes. Died city papers there if you'd like to read it while you're waiting. Thank you. All right. Britt. Now, you sit still. Britt puns it. Uh-huh. Don't you remember me, Britt? Elf? Elf, Crandall? I remember you. Whoa, what happened to your beard? Breezy here shaved it off three years ago. Oh, he did. Yeah. A couple of the boys paid him to do it while I was asleep in the chair. Is that so? I ain't never forgiven you for that, Breezy. You could have groated back out, man. You wouldn't have been the same. Took me 25 years to get that stand of whiskers. Besides, once Mattie seen me without him, folks do say I look younger. Well, you look so young. I hardly recognize you. Well, what about you, Britt? How's the world been treating you? Oh, first right, first right. Just your town. Yeah, yeah. I've been out on the Square Moon Ranch last month or so. I ran into a flock of sheep yesterday and they gave me such a brotherly look. I decided it's high time I'd get a haircut. Be right pleased to take care of you, Mr. Ponsett. And I ought to be short enough, Al. Well, it feels like you got some of it off anyhow. Ah, just let me give you a little brush. Sit right down, Mr. Ponsett. Well, what'll it be? Shaving a haircut? Ah, a haircut will do it. Well, you might as well have a shave, too, as long as you're here. I got the kettle on. The towels will be real hot. Well, you won't even feel a raise. No, no, I don't think I will. No matter how good a man is at shaving himself, it's not the same as having a barber do it. Oh, no, no. Now, you take having a horse shard. You don't do that yourself, Lesser. It's an emergency. You go to an expert. Well, sure seems to me a man's face ought to be as important as his horse. It seems to me either one of the fellow wants to get it. All right, Brady. You can give me a shave, too. Yes, Mr. Ponsett. Yes, sir. I'll just trim some of this hair off while the water's warming up. You're going to be around town for a spell, Britt? Just overnight, Al, if I'm due back the square moon tomorrow. Well, I'd sure like to stay and chew the fat, but I'm due over to Gabe Starbuck's office. Oh, say, how is he? Gabe, gee, I haven't seen hiring a tale of him in must be over four years. Oh, that's right. You and him used to be a real good friends, didn't you? Oh, he sure did. It was Gabe Starbuck who gave me my first pony. Well, as a matter of fact, he's aging, Britt. He's aging fast. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. He's not down to sick. No, no, no. No, Gabe wouldn't let himself get down no matter how he felt. Oh, what's he up to nowadays? Same as ever. Well, you mean he's still sheriff? Yeah, he's still sheriff, at least he is today. Oh. The truth is we had a meeting just last night. Decided the town's got to have a new sheriff, and that's what I'm going over to talk to Gabe about now. You don't want it too short, do you, Mr. Ponsett? Follows in from Kansas City the other day, says back there folks ain't cutting their hair so short anymore. Well, you better try them pretty close, Breezy. I may not be in a barbershop again for quite some time. Whatever you say. There's many people around here that don't want to be in style. Nobody wants to get rid of old Gabe, Britt. The town's changed. Well, we got near 700 people living here now. That money. Yeah, there's a new bank too. Maybe a song. Yes, it did, yes. Not doing very good, though. Folks are afraid their money won't be safe. Oh, we haven't had any robberies, not for quite a spell. As long as Gabe's sheriff, well, there's not much he could do to stop an outlaw if one did happen to come our way. You know, old Gabe being so old and old. Mm-hmm, yeah. Ah, God, that Britt. We all realize that we owe him an awful lot. He cleaned up Yellowcrest, made it possible for decent people to live here. Of course, that was 40 years ago. Things are a lot different now. We, uh, we got to have us a new sheriff. That's all. Mm-hmm. Does Gabe know you're planning on replacing him? No, I don't know. I mean, he told him yet, but can't put it off much longer. I see. I'm going to hurt him pretty bad, isn't it? Well, how would you feel if it was your placey? You give your life to a town, your whole life, and they say we're sorry, but we got to put you out to pasture. You're too old. Mm-hmm. Well, maybe, maybe if he was to have a deputy. Well, we talked about that. Town ain't rich enough to afford two salaries. Mm-hmm. Well, Gabe's got a good sensible head on his shoulders. That's what I said, Mr. Ponsett. That's just what I said. He probably won't like the idea of losing his job, not at first, but he'll see that you don't have much choice in the thing. Now, you just lean back. That's better. Be sure and tell me if this towel's too hot. Ooh! Little warm? Ooh, ooh, ooh. Hmm, like, this one's better. Real glad you don't think we're being too hard on Gabe, Brit. Say, it gives me an idea. Well, uh, seeing is how you understand if a dick of it were in, about Gabe, I mean. Maybe you wouldn't mind sort of preparing him? No, no, I don't know. Wait, wait, just a minute, Alf. I, I, I... Oh, now, your old friend just said so yourself. It'll be different having the news come from you. Oh, it's not my concern. Here's another towel, Mr. Ponsett. Now, just lean back. You're going to be seeing him anyway, Brit. Now, all you have to do is kind of lead the conversation around to him, retire and, you know, lay the foundation and then later on, when everything's... Well, I won't do it, Alf. I won't do it. Now, you're just wasting your breath. You're just... Oh, and, Sunder, am I going to get this lather on, Mr. Ponsett? If you keep moving around like that. I'm only asking you to talk to Gabe because, I'm happy to say the wrong thing. You know, me, Brit, always putting my foot in my mouth. And I... Oh, still? Now, Alf, I tell you, you're not going to put... Your own fault, Mr. Ponsett. Now, I told you to keep quiet. He's right. Just sort of take it easy, Brit, while I sort of explain what I had in mind. Then, if you still aren't willing... Between the shaven and the hot towels and Alf harping at me, well, I... Not that I agreed to tell Gabe the time to get a new sheriff. I didn't agree to that, my dear, but... All I said was that I'd sort of feel him out. See how the land was lying. Anyway, about 20 minutes later, I was coming along the boardwalk heading for Gabe's office. Well, it sure sounded like shooting to me. When I looked around, nobody seemed to be paying any attention. The fellows arguing politics over the post office steps, they didn't even stop to take a breath. And the ladies in Johnson's mercantile, they went right on major in yardage, like they hadn't even heard it. Well, I was pretty sure word was coming from them. Now, I was right behind the sheriff's office. Now, I opened the front door, and no sign of Gabe. No sign of anybody, if that matter. And then, oh, oh, then I saw him. Went through the back window. And I saw why folks hadn't been very upset about the gunfire. Gabe was having himself a little target practice out there, aiming at a tin can, sitting on a pile of lumber. It had just been four years since I'd seen him last, but he looked good 10 years older. Smaller, too, kind of shrunk and bent over with thin yellow-gray hair and long bony arms. It didn't seem to have much meat on him. Yeah, I'm sure he wasn't having much luck hitting that tin can, either. Hello, Gabe. Oh, it's Brett, Brett Parson. Oh, my dog, well, it's good to see you. For a second, I didn't recognize you. Your son got my eyes, I blinded me, son. Sure, how are you, Gabe? Never better, never felt better in my life. Glad to hear. I was just doing a little shooting. Yeah, yeah, I saw you. Not that I need any practice, you understand. I'm glad to hear that. Yeah, yeah, I saw you. Not that I need any practice, you understand, Brett. But I was worried about one of my guns. I think it throws a little to the left. I see. Yeah, yeah, that's why I missed my last shot. I guess you saw me, Miss. Well, boy, a man can't hit anything if his gun's not working. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, let's go inside where we can sit down and have a sit-off. Fine, fine. Yeah. Well, you're looking good, Brett. Oh, well, a little older, maybe. Oh, I don't know. Man's only as old as he feels. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Just take that chair, Brett, over there. Oh, fine. Now sit by the window here. Where I can keep an eye out on the street. Uh-huh. Yeah, I was kind of surprised here that you're still a sheriff, Gabe. Don't see why I could have surprised you. Well, you know, all of you. You must be getting along, Gabe. Oh, I'm 64, Brett. 64 this spring. An hour, an hour, Gabe. Well, might be 65. The family never kept no records. But I ain't no older than that. Don't look no older. No, no, no. Do I? Oh, no, no, no, no. You, uh, are you still living alone? Of course I am still living alone. You think I need a keeper or something? Oh, no. You're going to have a ranch you used to talk about. That's all. You remember? Ranch? Yeah, don't you remember that? When I was a kid, you always said someday you're going to have a ranch. After you'd retired from being sheriff, of course. Oh, I still aim to do it. When the time comes, of course, there ain't no sense in thinking about it now. Oh. No, no. Yellow Crest is growing, but it's growing fast. That's when the town needs law and order the most. When it's busting its britches. And seeing as how I'm the only experienced law man in these parts. Yeah, it's my duty to stay on the job. I owe it to the folks here. Why? If I was even to think about retiring, well, they just wouldn't know what to do. They'd be plumber helpers. Well, I ain't got no choice, Britt. You know how it is. Sure. Sure, Gabe. I, uh, I know. We'll return to James Stewart as the six-shooter in just a moment. The winter brings extra hazards to the motorist and the pedestrian. Longer hours of darkness, poor visibility, caused by snow, rain and fog, and slippery streets. Call for extra caution. The National Safety Council urges that for safety, every motorist should always adjust speed to road and weather conditions. Keep the windshield clear. Never slam on your brakes if the road is wet or slippery. Pump them slowly to slow down or stop. Use tire chains on snow and ice, and keep a safe distance between your car and the one ahead. Guard against that one accident that might take your life or ruin it. Now, act two of the six-shooter, starring James Stewart as Britt Ponsett. Freak along outside the window. I guess we've covered everything. Folks we'd known old times. The only thing we didn't discuss was Gabe's return from sheriff. Anyhow, after I left him, I had supper and took a little stroll. Almost been about nine o'clock when I got settled down for the night in my room in the Parker Hotel. The bed was real comfortable, much softer than those bunks out of Square Moon Ranch. Maybe that's why I had so much trouble dropping off to sleep. Yeah. Yeah, what is it? Oh, no, no. Oh, come on in, Al. Oh, come on in. I'll just get this lamp turned over here. There we are. I didn't mean to wake you. Ned Parker told me you only turned in a few minutes ago. Yeah, I'll pull up chair. I was looking for you this evening after supper. Well, I went for a walk. Oh? You were right, Al. Y'all across sure has changed. That's a fine new church going up there by the creek. Yeah, well, some of them look like there are going to be two stories high. Brits. How did he take it? How did he take what? What do you mean, Gabe? Who else would I mean? Well? Well, I didn't tell him, Al. Huh? I told you I couldn't do it. Well, I just couldn't do it. I don't blame you, Brits. I shouldn't have asked you in the first place. I did kind of hint around once or twice, but I could see what it did to him. I just... just the idea of not being sheriff anymore. It's all he's got, Al. He doesn't have a family and kids to worry about. Gabe's the sheriff, a yellow crest, and if he ever stops being the sheriff, he won't be anything. I know, Brits. I know. But what can we... What's that? There's Mark Fawcett running down the street. There he'll know. He's gone his window. Stuck tighter. Mark! Mark, up here, Mark! What are they ringing the bell for? It's a bank! I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later, Brits. Yeah. Hand me my pants, will you? Al was still ringing when Al and I rode up to Gabe's office. Everybody in town was heard up by now. There were 10 or 12 men standing around the streets, others coming up from all directions. Gabe was standing right by his horse, right in the middle of things, taking charge. There wasn't much doubt about it. He was still sheriff, a yellow crest. Brits, you boys know a bit about it, don't you? Yeah! What happened, Gabe? Well, it was just an accident. I've seen them, an accident, pure and simple. They was riding out of the alley from behind the bank, giving the horses a spur. Couldn't get a look at their faces, but the way they were riding, that made me suspicious. Uh-huh. So I thought maybe I ought to see if everything was all right at the bank. Went around to check. Back door was broke open. Wide open. People scattered around inside. Jim Waterby's over there now, trying to find out how much they took. They tried to follow him in the outlaws. Well, they was going before I knew there was outlaws. Before I knew for certain, that is. But I seen which way they headed. East. Oh, don't make sense, Gabe. They had to cross the salt flats. They went east. That's the way they went. Right toward the flats. They were seeing things. Man to be a fool to strike out that way. 200 miles without a water hole. I bet they turned off, went up in them hills. Well, I'm the one who seen them, ain't I? $2,500, Gabe. That's what they stole. That's so Jim. Sack of gold and a sack of currency. $2,500 as close as I can figure it. Yeah, boys. Let's see if we can pick up the trade. Easy, Mr. Easy. They'll determine to chase them out onto them flats. Do we? If we do, we've got to use our heads, Gabe, man. Smart enough to rob that bank. He ain't going to take a chance on dying out there. In that salt, they'd go for the hills. Mark is right, Gabe. You tell me I can't believe my own eyes. Well, it was pretty dark. Maybe you got confused. Maybe it looked like they were heading east. We're only wasting time arguing with him. Let's go. I'm the sheriff of Yellowcrest. I'm running this party, ain't I? Come on, Rusty. Come on. When he gets his mindset, nobody can stop him. I guess this just proves we was right about Gabe. He ain't up to the job of being sheriff no more. I guess you're a sheriff. Okay, boys. I'll lead the way. Push them, wind along toward the rise of the Purple Hills west of town. After a couple of minutes, the night swallowed them up. And the hoof beats trickled off in the silence. All right, Scar. Come on. Scar east. It wasn't like Gabe to be stubborn about something that was important. It was a bank robbery. Oh, I'll grant you. It didn't seem very sensible for a couple of bandits to take off across the salt flats. And Gabe's eyesight wasn't what it had been once, of course. But I just couldn't believe he'd be dead wrong. Scar threw up his head when the smell of salt hit his nose. He sure didn't like the idea of walking out into it. Easy, boy. Easy, now. We're not going very far. Come on. Come on now. Nothing but white as far as you could see. Stretch out top like a cavalry blank. White salt picking up the moonlight and bouncing along ahead of us. The funny thing, though, there was only one set of hoof prints out there on the flats. Well, about ten minutes later, I spotted Gabe. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. He wasn't riding very fast, so I slowed up. I figured it was just as well Gabe didn't see me. I didn't want him to think that I'd tagged along because I was worried about him, you know. And then the darndest thing happened. He swung his horse around and started backtracking. Here, boy. Here, boy. Come on. I e-score over behind a couple of gray boulders so we'd be out of sight. And Gabe came right toward us. At first I thought he knew where we were. And he turned his horse again and walked him out in the salt. And for a couple of minutes I couldn't figure out what he was up to. He seemed me lucky. He was just wandering around, no purpose at all. And then the next thing that happened, it was even stranger yet, Gabe jerked his gun out of his horse and he began firing. He wasn't aiming at anything. As far as I could see, he was just shooting up under the sky. And he left off two or three more shots and wheeled around the gallop past me on his way back to town. And I saw him reach in his saddlebags and bring out a couple of cloth sacks and hook them over his saddlehorn. They were the kind of sacks banks use for carrying money. Well, there just wasn't any doubt about it now. The story of that bank robbery was something Gabe had made about a whole cloth. Oh, somebody broken into the bank, all right. Well, it wasn't an outlaw, though. It was Gabe. Well, I waited all maybe 15 minutes. Then I heard the alarm bell start off again. The posture would pull up in front of Gabe's office. Bill must have brought him out of the hills. Gabe was handing the cloth sacks to Jim Waterby. I pulled up just in time to hear the tail end of what he was saying. I ain't sure I hear him, you understand. His gun of mine has been thrown a bit to the left lately. But when I started shooting, they dropped these here bags and went galloping off. In the meantime, I stopped to pick up the money. I reckon that's what's in them. Well, them outlaws were just gloom out of sight. Yes, I figured there wasn't much need of chasing them no further. Like it's not, they'll never make it cross us all anyway. You did right, Gabe. And it looks like it's all here, every cent. Hey, Rich, Rich, you hear what happened? Gabe caught up with the bandits, shot it out with them and brung back what they stole. I don't seem possible. I'm having a head start now. Well, you know Rusty when I give him his head. Well, maybe the bandits was lost. Maybe they didn't know about them flats. Yeah, I reckon they didn't. I reckon that's it. If they knew where the bank was, they'd know about that salt. What are you getting at, Mark? I don't know. There's something funny about this. There's two of them, you said. That's right. Two of them against you? Well, what's so funny about that? Many is the time I shot it out with more than two men. That's right out there, boys. Never look around. Yeah, whatever you say, Mark. Hold on a minute. I think maybe I can save you a trip. Yeah, the fact is, I was following Gabe. I followed him right out on the flats. What? Oh, I know you didn't see me, Gabe. I was behind you. But I could see you just playing as dead. Now, Britt, you gotta listen to me. You mean you've seen the gunfight, too? Listen to me, Britt. Listen to me. Was he telling the truth, Britt? Well, I'll tell you one thing. I never saw a fight like that before in my whole life. Great. What about the bandits, Britt? You get a chance to recognize them? No, no, no. I'm afraid it didn't. Then stick around, eh? Won't Gabe start a shooting? No, no, I, uh... Well, as a matter of fact, when Gabe was through shooting, well, it was like they hadn't even been there. No, I'll be done. I'll be done. Mm-hmm. That's... That's what it was, all right. Just like they hadn't been there at all. I don't know how Gabe found out that the town was talking about having a new sheriff. I guess he sort of sensed it the way folks have been acting. Of course, after this, let's hold up. Well, they figured out maybe they could afford giving him a deputy. Jim Waterby, that's the banker. He put up part of the money, and then they didn't have much trouble raising the rest. I had a little talk with Gabe just before he left town. We didn't mention that night out on the flats. Neither was. But he did give me his word that the next time there's any trouble, well, he'd let his deputy do a good share of it, taking care of it. But the way things worked out, though, there hadn't been any more robbers in Yellowcrest. Not one single solitary robbery. They say it's because the sheriff gave. Outlaws just don't want to tangle him. They almost have heard about what happened that time. A couple of them tried to hold up the Yellowcrest bank. I wonder if you really know how much good you're doing every time you buy Christmas seals. Well, let me tell you something. Something I think will amaze you. It's simply this. Over six million lives have been saved in the fight against tuberculosis since the first Christmas seal was sold. In other words, what you actually buy when you buy Christmas seals is priceless protection for yourself, your family and your community. So, please answer your Christmas seal letter today. The Six Shooters is an NBC radio network production in association with review productions. It is based on a character created by Frank Burke, and the transcribed story is written by him. Mr. Stewart may currently be seen in the Universal International Picture, the Glenn Miller story. Others in the cast were Herb Bygren, John Stevenson, Lamont Johnson, Dal McKinnon, and Old Gabe was played by Bill Johnstone. Special music for this program was by Basil Adlam, and the entire production is under the direction of Jack Johnstone. All characters and incidents were fictitious, and any resemblance to actual characters or incidents is purely coincidental. And now, from all of us who each week bring you The Six Shooter, a special salute to NBC-affiliated station WGBF Evansville, Indiana, on the occasion of their 30th anniversary. Happy anniversary, WGBF, and best wishes to all of your listeners. This is Hal Kipney speaking. Tonight here, Lily Palmer and Brex Harrison in the NBC Star Playhouse on the NBC radio network.