 There is just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a US Marshal and the smell of guns. So the rebels didn't you? Out of honor? Yeah. Yeah, sure. I can always tell by the gun, you know? A piece like this, that's a copy of a Navy Colt about all you rebels could get sometimes. Can you fix it? Can you put it in firing shape? No, it's a very old gun. If you can't fix it, hand it back. I'd not know the way. No, no, no, hold on your horses, Mr. I... I can fix it all right. So when can I have it? I could even fix this so that we'll fire metal cartridges. You could even use 38. All right, just so it'll work. But I don't see no sense to it. How long will it take? No, there is no sense to it, Mr. You are wearing a much better gun, right? Now there... There's nothing can be those new Colt peacemaker. I have a special job for this gun. But it can't be nothing that the new 45 can do. This gun missed its chance once. I'm gonna say it doesn't miss it again. I'm not sure I know what you mean, Mr. You just fixed the gun when it's in firing shape. Bring it to me at the Dodge House. Folks in Dodge know I'm here. You want something and you just come in here to talk. I don't require sympathy, just a coffin. How much do you want to pay? I don't care how much I pay, I want the right one. I don't carry many fine caskets, Mr. Not much call for them out here. I want a box like the North used during the war between the states. An army coffin? I ain't never carried nothing that cheap in my whole store. I have one made up there. Well, I might be able to do that. I want one just like the one they buried the Yankees in. Oh, is this gonna be a military funeral? Not exactly. I mean, was the deceased a soldier? He was a soldier once. He should have died a soldier. Don't make much difference what kind of coffin a man's buried in. And now what I got back here... You don't read anything better than a Yankees coffin or a Yankees death. That's a shame. And I won't repriege you to read the service. Only fitting. It's a funny thing, though. What? I can't recollect anybody around these parts who died recently. That doesn't matter. Well, now, Mr. Grote begging your pardon, but it might matter a good deal. All I want is the name of a man to read the service. Well, that's just it. Some folks that want one kind of a bearing and some folks that want another. Some folks around here who we call for a preacher seem to like to be scoped over or sung over. Just give me a nice... They either like a lot of words, tell them what a fine fellow there was, or they like to be sung the way gentle life. Is the body here in Dodge? Not yet. Oh, being freighted in, is he? No. He's riding in. You're almost beginning to live like a normal man for a change. Oh, how's that? You've been staying around town, not riding off all over the countryside. You've even taken time to eat most of your meals sitting at the table. Yeah, and I've let out a notch in my belt, too. You look fine, Matt. Oh, thank you, Kitty, but just so it doesn't go too far. What do you mean? That'd be a fine thing if I got up one morning and couldn't buckle my gun on, wouldn't it? They all ride with me. Kitty, it's because it's been quietly. There you are, Mr. Dillon Nightingale. I've been looking all over for you. I knew it was going to last. What is it, Chester? Excuse me, Miss Kitty. Sure, Chester. Well, Mr. Dillon, it ain't exactly trouble. It's more amusing, like... No, that's a story. I guess it ain't a story exactly neither. Well, for heaven's sakes, Chester, say it out, whatever it is. Well, it's about that fella I met out on the street. His name, uh, Grove, I think it was. Ann Seacroft? Oh, yes, ma'am. You know him, Miss Kitty? I've heard about him. Well, I tell you, it was real comical. He came up to me. What did he come up to you about? Well, as he did, he came up to ask about getting a preacher for a barrier. What's so funny about that? Don't you see, Mr. Dillon? He's getting pretty far ahead of himself. He wanted this preacher to bury a man who ain't even dead yet. He ain't even in town. Oh, is he sick? No, sir, he ain't sick. He's riding in the dog just fine as can be. Miss Grove says he knows he'll be meeting a preacher when he gets here. Now, don't that beat off? Matt, it may not be so funny. You mean you know something about this? I've been hearing strange things about Yancy Grove. Well, what kind of things? Well, old Walt Dow was in here the other night. Did he sell Grove a gun? No, not exactly. But he was telling the boys at the bar about how this stranger wanted him to fix up an old Confederate pistol. The man wanted to use it to even an old score. And the man was Grove, huh? That's right. And then today, Jonas came in with a strange tale about him, too. It seems he was priced in coffins. Just, sir, you know where I can find him? Well, he's over at the Dodge House, Mr. Jones. He told me to have the preacher come there. Well, I think maybe I better get over there first. You know about that? The old man talks a lot. They have to admit, though. Dow does nice work. You can't take a look at it here, Marshal. Got the action nice and easy. Shall I do? Maybe you better tell me. I'm going to use it to kill him. I don't think you know him, Marshal. That's not going to make any difference. He isn't here yet. What's his name? His name's Tom Haskett. He'll be here in a few days. He's coming with a herd of cattle. And I'll be waiting. I've been waiting for too many years already. Are you listening to me, Grove? No, Marshal. You listen to me. There's nothing you can say to stop me. There's nothing you can do that will save Haskett's life. I saved it once myself. And it was the biggest mistake I ever made. You're sure trying to make a bigger one. I know you're doing your duty as a law man, but I'm here to do my duty, too. And I'm going to finish something I should have finished at my naces. Most folks are doing their best to forget about the war, Grove. I had him there lying wounded at my feet. A Yankee soldier. I had this gun in my hand. I should have finished him. I should have finished him right there. It's no crime to let a man live. Two years later, he was with Sherman in Georgia. Tom Haskett led his men to burn in my home. My wife was killed trying to escape. I should have finished him. And I will. I blame you for your feelings, Grove, but still I'm not going to bring anything back. Your wife will still be dead and you'll have a murder on your hands. This won't be murder, Marshal. Nearly delayed justice. The court won't see it that way. There's no law in the land can stop me. I've been trailing Tom Haskett for years and now I found him. And I'm going to kill him. Grove, maybe you can't help it if the bitterness in your brain is eating away the reason, but let me tell you something. You're not going to work out your revenge and dodge. As soon as I hear that that cattle drive is near town, I'm going to lock you up and I'm going to keep you locked up till Haskett's safely out of town. You can't stop me, Marshal. I hope I won't have to, Grove. I hope maybe you'll stop yourself. It isn't the grudge that's causing the trouble. What do you mean, Doc? Well, lots of folks carry grudges and some of them never get rid of them as long as they're here. Well, Yancy Grotes sure never going to get rid of his. I know. And if you just stop and think about half of this whole country is carrying their grudge, it'll never get over either about the war. Yeah, I guess you're right, Doc. The trouble comes when folks can't control themselves about whatever's eating at them. When they're so riled up, they have to hurt or shoot or kill to get it out of their system. I like Grove. Now, I'll tell you something else, man. You may be able to lock him up or chase him out of town, keep him doing any killing this time, but it won't stop him long. He's the kind of won't let himself be stopped, ever. Maybe so, Doc, but I sure got to try. Of course you do. Yeah. Here comes Chester. Looking hungry. Well, he hasn't eaten for at least an hour and a half. Of course he's hungry. Oh, Mr. Dome, Doc. Chester, come on, sit down. Have your dinner bar. Thank you. I could sure use something. That's a fact. So, wonder to me, you had the strength to get here, Chester. It must be at least five minutes after noon already. Well, I would have been here. You can count on that, but I was held up at the corner by Mr. Dobie. Oh, it's on his mind. It's about that groat, Mr. Dome. I swear, he just about makes as little sense as anybody I ever run into. What's he done now? Well, it ain't that he's done nothing. It's what he ain't done that makes you wonder. Well, you know how he was going around town making all kinds of arrangements for a burying. Yeah, I go on. Well, he's left town. Left town? Are you sure? Mr. Dobie says he packed out early this morning, cleaned out his room, and rode off. Well, does Dobie know where he went? No, we don't, Mr. Dillon. Moss Grimmick does. Oh, come on, Chester, get it out. Well, Moss Grimmick saddled his horse for him, and Groot was asking which way the cattle drive would be coming from. Yeah, ready, here, Chester? Bring him something to eat in a hurry. Oh, no, I ain't in no special, right? Yes, you are, Chester. Meet me at the stable in five minutes. We're going to be right in South. Cook for this outfit, Mr. Well, I ain't no pated lady. Could I have a few words with you? We don't need no more hands on this drive, fellas. We're almost to die. I don't want a job. I just want some information. All right, you ask the questions, but I ain't promising no answers. I'm fattening up. Oh, I heard he was with you out there. Is that a fact? I'd like very much to find him. We haven't seen each other since the war. Is he on this drive? Why don't you hang around and find out, Mr. I could do that, of course, but well, to tell the truth, I'd like to surprise him. Well, he ain't that pretty. I know it may sound strange, but I don't think he ever expected to see me again. And I'd like to work it so our meeting is sort of private. Well, he ain't much privacy out here on the plains, Mr. You could help me if you would. What do you want me to do? Well, over at that creek bay, where those bushes are, I thought I might wait for him over there, and then you could send him over when he gets back to King. Why should I? I'd be glad to supply a little something to wash the dust down your throat. Oh, drinking whiskey? Drinking whiskey. It's in my saddle bag. Okay, Mr. I don't make one sense to me, but I'll speak to Haskett when he comes in for a supper. I'll be waiting. Been a long time. Looks like you wanted to see me. I thought you'd remember me. I know you. You ought to. Maybe I can jog your memory. You remember Manassas? Second bull run? You bet I do. Was you there, too? I was there. It sounded like a rab. I was a Confederate cavalryman. Hey, hold on a minute. You remember a string bed just about like this, and you lying there wounded, firing as we advanced? And my gun jammed, and you could have picked me off easy, but you didn't. You're a groat. That's right, Haskett. You ain't say groat. Well, I'll be dogged. Didn't figure on seeing me again. No, for a fact, I didn't, but I'm right glad to meet with you. I'm proud of the chance to shake your hands, not why I came here. You want me to do something for you? Need money or a job? Be proud to do anything I can. That won't be necessary. Well, and I'm going to kill you, Haskett. It's a poor joke. I'll nail this gun on you once before and let you live. I will not make that mistake again. You must be crazy. Maybe. Maybe man goes crazy thinking about his house burning down, his wife dying, and a man who did it. Oh, sure. Sure, it's a terrible thing. What's it got to do with me? You can stand there with a member of that fire showing in your eyes and ask me a question like that. Now, listen a minute. Are you a man on that march with Sherman, Burnett, Luton, Harman, Innes, or Wendell? You mean down in Georgia? I mean just outside Atlanta. Well, now listen to me, Grote. I was never in Georgia in my life. Not before the war, not during, not after. That's not what your sergeant said, Haskett. My sergeant? He identified you all right. Lieutenant Tom Haskett, he said. That's you, ain't it? Well, sure, that's me, but I'm not the one you're after. I was in prison, Burnett. Man's house killing his wife after his life had been saved. Look, he's shooting's too good for you, Haskett. Grote, you gotta give me a chance. I gave you one with the same gun in my hand. No, no. You're too late, Marshal. I said drop it. You're too late, Marshal. He's crazy. He's dark crazy. Get over to the cattle camp and borrow a wagon. We gotta get this man to duck. In his life, I'll just get him again. I don't think you're gonna have the chance, Grote, one way or the other. What is it, man? Doc, we got a badly wounded man in the wagon. Thought you ought to take a look at him before we moved him up to your office. Well, that's a good idea. Help me up, will you, Chester? Sure, Doc. Let me see. It'll just be a minute. What do you think, Doc? He's not good, man. Not good. Doc? That's my name. But you remember me? No, it doesn't matter. It does matter. Look at it, Doc. Don't try to talk. You've got to remember... Libby prison, Doc. Remember Libby prison. Sure. I was there long enough, but you've got to be quiet. Look at it. My right eye. Tell him I was there. You mean you do remember Smad? I believe I do. I might forget his face, but I could never forget that scar. Hard to save that eye. He was in Libby prison with you? Yes. Yes, he was. Right up to the end of the war. Then he couldn't have been with Sherman and Georgia. I just said we were in Libby, didn't I? I made a mistake. You can just bet you did. Your life planning a killing and then end up shooting the wrong man. Saved his life once, Marshal? You've cancelled that scar, Groot. What do you mean? I didn't mean... Part of the war is over.