 In just a moment you'll hear James Stewart as the six-shooter, just one of the many great stars brought to you Sundays on NBC. Every Sunday here are Hume Cronin and Jessica Tandy in the marriage. Sir Lawrence Olivier on Theatre Royal. Lawrence Tibbet with the golden voices. Helen Hayes, Frederick March, Rex Harrison and Lily Palmer on the NBC Star Playhouse. 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. Its handle unmarked. People call them both the six-shooter. Coleman, America's leader in modern automatic home heating equipment and the national broadcasting company presents James Stewart as the six-shooter. A transcribed series of dramas based on the life of Britt Ponce, the Texas Plainsman who wandered through the western territories leaving behind a trail of still-remembered legends. Now in just a moment, immediately following this important announcement, you'll hear act one of the six-shooter. Have you heard about the Joneses? They're going to Europe for six weeks. They'll start in England, then visit Holland, Belgium, France and Italy. It'll be a wonderful trip. A lifelong dream come true. And someday it can be your turn to do just as they did. Put your money where it will earn four dollars for every three dollars you invest. In United States savings bonds, start planning today. United States savings bonds can take you to Europe too. Now act one of the six-shooter starring James Stewart. There were over 400 heads in the Macadamacard. 400 white-faced Texas cattle along the trail of us to shove them along the trail to Abilene. But the Macadamas boys had promised me a tent to whatever the herd brought so I signed on for the drive. And it looked like I was going to earn the money soon. There's been a cloud burst the second night out. It seemed like we might be heading into some more bad weather. The sky was all black and purple and the wind began blowing up little blooms of dust. Thunder made the steers restless. They still remember that first storm that didn't like the idea of going through another one. Alright, come on! I can see the rain now. It hadn't hit us yet. Still a couple of miles ahead. I can see it real plain, streaking down across the sky like little silver lines on a great blackboard. In the canyon where we were, the sun was still shining. It gave me a sort of funny feeling. Rain and sunshine all going, sort of like being in two places at the same time. Like Macadams, he came pounding up from behind and rained up alongside of me a star. What do you think, Britt? Well, if that wind don't change, we'll be getting wet inside of 15 miles. Don't look like it'll change. No, I pray not. And I guess we might as well keep on going. It'll be easier to handle if we're out of this canyon when the storm hits. Yeah. Alright, up until normal. Okay. Hey! Yeah? Get the light out. Keep moving. Do as I tell you to stop people. Okay, okay. Speed him up, Britt. I'm going back and see if there ain't no stragglers. Want me to give him a hand? No, no, I can handle it myself. It's about time he learned how. Alright, you're the boss. Yeah. Just keep an eye on him, Britt. Sure, sure. That lightning had hit a pine tree about 50 yards up the side of the canyon. And when it toppled over, it started a couple of boulders rolling down the side of the ravine towards. With all the cattle needed to set him off. One of the longhorns took a look at the rock and let out a ball that told the other animals to get out of his way. Hey! Stop him, Norm! Stop him! What are they saying? The light circled around and galloped over toward his brother. But Norm wasn't waiting for him. No, no. I saw him head up the slope of the canyon and it looked to me like he didn't intend to stop anything. All he cared about was getting out of the way. So I dug my heels in the star's planks. We rode right into the middle of the herd. I could sweat them in half, only part of them would tear loose even on a stampede. The light was in front of the herd now. Ah, the lead steer turned off. A couple of more shots of them following me. There we are. I knew there wasn't going to be any stampede. Not now, anyway. Rife had stopped him just in time. Ah, it's nice going, Rife. Somebody had to do it. Yeah. But it almost drew me. Yeah. Guess you were scared. The horse? That's what I said. Yeah. Well, here comes the rain. Ah, it looks like there's a tail end on it, though. Probably wouldn't want to shower. We'd better keep moving anyhow. You take over up here, Britt. Normal riding back with me. Sure. You're a horse all right now? I guess so. Okay, let's go. The rain let up. There's nearly sun down. Green, yellow rain will arch up over the hills of the east. Rife decides to make camp for the night. Neither of the McCatons' brothers said much during supper, and afterwards Norm sort of moved off a couple of yards from the campfire and started playing with my horse. But you're staring at it, right? Huh? You heard me. I don't know what you mean. You've been watching me ever since this afternoon when my horse boated. You've been looking at me the way you used to look when I was a kid and done something you thought was wrong. We almost had a stampede today, Norm. Almost? You was riding front, man. You was the one to stop it. I suppose you've never been on a horse that ran away with you. You was always able to handle that palamina before her. Why do you have to keep nagging? I'm no cattle man. I didn't want to come on this drive on the first place. It's our herd. It's your herd. It was up to me when it sold the ranch years ago. Man, maybe you're right. Maybe we ought to sell out. And he'll talk about it when we get back home. Hold up a minute. Thought it was my turn to look after cattle tonight. It's been a pretty hard day. You're probably tired. I'll wait for you. I'm no more tired than you are. Okay, Norm. I'm going that hill over here. Well, you're not serious, right? About selling out, are you? There's something in what Norm says. He's no cattle man. Well, maybe not, but you are. I can always get work somewhere. Carrie would probably be happier in town anyway. Carrie? My wife? Oh, I didn't know you were married, right? Yeah, last winter. She's staying with her folks in Bradley where we take the cattle north. Is that so? Carrie's a fine girl, Britt. Younger than I am, but Norm's age. Young and pretty. You know, like her, everybody does. Yeah, even Norm. First time in my life, him and me have ever agreed on anything or anybody. She told me not to take him with us on this drive. Said he'd never make it. I should listen to her. He's pretty young, right? This is his first cattle drive. For all we know, his horse maybe did run away with him, you know? Norm did the running of his horse. He's no good, Britt. I guess it's my fault. I guess I brought him up wrong, but he's no good. You're not his father. You're not to blame for how he turned out. I'm the only father he ever had. Our old man died when Norm was just a baby in mind. Just lasted a couple of years after that. Oh, I'm sorry. I was 13. Practically full brood when she passed on, but Norm was only four. She made me promise I'd look after him. See, he got his school and the chance to mount to something. Yeah. Fire's almost done. Oh, here I'll fix it. I sent him to school, bought him books, but he wouldn't stick it out. It was too much like work. That's his real trouble, Britt. He's lazy. He's selfish. Expects everything to be handed to him all the time up in a fancy ribbon. Like this afternoon, he wasn't afraid of the cattle. He just couldn't be bothered stopping them. He didn't care that much. Oh, maybe he's had it too easy, right? Maybe if the chips are down, he'd surprise you. Maybe. Well, I'm not making the same mistake again. Not with my own kid. With your own, what? Yeah. Carrie's expecting. He might be here by now, for all I know. Wow. Well, congratulations. Thank you. I'll buy you a cigar and have one. Yeah. All right. Oh, well, that's fine. Well, I guess maybe it's time to turn in, I think. I ain't very sleepy. I think I'll go up and, well, see if Norm's all right. Oh, dog on it. Britt, he is my kid brother. Sure. I know, right? Good. Good night. Good night. I've banked the fire for the night and spread out my bedroll. The moon came up, full moon. Kind of a moonwalk I had after rain. Now I've stretched out slack, except for a couple of rocks right in the small one. Well, I've thought about as comfortable as a man has right to feel. Right? No, it's me. Oh. I thought you were looking out for the herd. Pryph come nosing around if you don't trust me. So if he wants to stay up all night, that's his business. Oh, well, I'm sorry. And we got nothing but heroes on this drive. All right. How do you figure that? Well, you're the six-shooter, ain't you? Supposed to be the fastest man with a gun west of Kansas City. East of there, too. Isn't the way folks tell it. No, you shouldn't believe everything you hear, Norm. I don't. I don't believe you're any faster with a gun than the next man. Probably not. I don't believe you're any faster than me. See that white rock over there? Well. Mm. Oh, good. Go ahead. George, huh? Well, I'm afraid I'm sort of out of practice of shooting at rocks. I used to do it, but I haven't tried it recently. What do you mean by that? I'm still a kid. I didn't mean anything. You're a good shot. A good night. Maybe you think it was an accident. I hit it. I hit it. I can do it again. Hey. See that? Oh. Good night. Oh. I had the cold all night. It didn't keep me from sleeping. And when I finally woke up, the sun was just starting to shut the sky away from over my head. A couple of seconds, I couldn't quite decide whether to open my eyes or not, but the smell of coffee made me make up my mind. Oh. Morning. Morning. Want some jelly? Ah, thanks. Thanks. Where's Norm? Taking a bath. Taking a bath? Yeah. Found a water hole on the other side of the hill. Oh. He'll be back any minute. Trust Norm to keep himself duded up. Wouldn't surprise me if he showed up wearing a clean shirt. Yeah. Well, you can't blame the fella for it. Yeah, look. What's this? Hmm? Oh. That looks like a letter. Oh. Oh, here. It's yours. Man? Well, it says love, Carrie. Isn't that your wife's name? Yeah. Yeah, over here. Read it to me, Britt. What? That's loud. Read me what it says. Well, I... I'm not interested in somebody else's mail. I find I especially love letters. Is that what it is? Well, you ought to know it. You are, isn't it? No. No, Britt, it ain't. Carrie ain't never read me. She knows I can't read. It's Norm that had the school and remember, Britt, I told you last night. Yeah, yeah, I remember. Read me what it says. Come on, Britt. Read it. We'll return to James Stewart as the six-shooter in a moment. First, a word from Coleman, America's leader in modern automatic home heating equipment. You'll be glad this winter you bought a Coleman heater this fall. Yes, as you sit back in your easy chair snug and comfortable, you'll be glad you bought a Coleman heater. You'll enjoy floor-to-ceiling warmth in those rooms you could never heat before. Get your Coleman oil or gas heater now during Coleman's big bonus sale. Here's what you get. First bonus, a new low price. Yes, now you can get a dependable Coleman automatic heater at a new low price. Second bonus, a new low operating cost. Coleman saves you up to 25% on heating bills because Coleman gives you maximum heat from your fuel. Third bonus, a 32-piece set of Libby's Safe Edge glassware worth $14. It's free with your new Coleman heater. Get free big bonuses. Get your Coleman oil or gas heater now during Coleman's big bonus sale. This sale is for limited time only. So, see your Coleman dealer tomorrow. You'll find his name and address in your telephone directory. Now, act two of the six-shooter, starring James Stewart as Britt Ponsett. The sun was warm in the back of my neck as I stood there facing the light, holding that piece of loudened paper in my hand. I looked down at the letter and I'm not that right again. He was just standing there, waiting, not moving, but any part of him moving except the vein in his throat that jumped out a little throbs. I am waiting, Britt. Now, it's not my letter, Rife, and I guess it isn't yours. It concerns me, don't it? It's from Kerry. It's from my wife. Well, that's between you and her. I want to know what it says, what she's been writing to Norm about. Go ahead, Britt. Read it to her. Oh, maybe you'd rather... I told you what it says, Rife. It says, Kerry loves me. That she'll always love me, and it goes in a detail. You rotten little waltz! In we are, Rife. You think that gun will stop me? I'll break your neck and throw it right into it, right? Now, put it away, Norm. You wanted a sample of my shooting last night. You put that gun away and you'll get it. Now, where am I supposed to take you both on? This isn't my argument. It'll take three of us to get that herd to Abel. Please. I just want to be sure there'll be three of us to do it. But there ain't gonna be three, Britt. Yeah! And you've taken everything from me. You've taken everything, but there's nothing. I meant what I said about finishing that drive. Two men may not make it, and I'm gonna be sure I'm not gonna lose that money you promised me. Now, come on. Straighten up here. Yeah. It doesn't matter with you. Man... Are you both able to ride now? Yeah. Yeah. All right. Norm, what about you? Sure. All right. Now, come on. Let's get started. I dumped out the coffee and covered up the fire while Norm got the horses. We saddled up and got the herd on the way. Norm moved out to the front, and I stayed in the middle. The right brought out the rear. I figured it'd be just as well if I stayed between them. I looked back a couple of times, and whenever I did, I saw a right staring at Norm, watching every move we made. But he didn't say a word. All day long, he didn't say a word. Man, at supper time, all right, he sat off one side, just pecking at his food. I noticed there's nothing wrong with Norm's appetite, though. Any more beans? Yeah, it looks like you finished him up, Norm. Aw. And you're kind of hungry tonight, huh? Why not? Just the kids still doing my growing. At least that's what some people think. Uh-huh. Well, as long as you're so full of energy, maybe you wouldn't mind looking after the cattle, huh? Well, you missed your turn last night, didn't you? Say, you taking over this outfit, Ponson? No, no, no, no. Just a suggestion. I guess somebody's got to run things. It'll look like my brother's holding a very tight reign. See you in the morning. Yeah, yeah. I'm on the ride. How about some shut-eye? Okay. Good night. Good night. I waited for the ride to drop off when I closed my eyes. I didn't sleep very long, though. But an hour later, something woke me up. At first I thought it was a coyote. Then I saw a rife edging off through the brush. You going somewhere rough? A coyote woke you up, too, huh? Yeah. That gun ain't gonna do much good if you're figuring on killing that rife. What do you mean? It's empty, rife. You ain't got no right to interfere. I'm just thinking about that 10% of the hurry. I'm gonna kill him, Britt. You can't stop me. Nobody can. He's your brother. Oh, no, he ain't got any more. But a brother did what he did to me. I ain't never had anything I could really call my own. If he wanted something, he took it. I never stopped him. But Carrie is my wife. She belongs to me, and this time I'm gonna stop him. You'd better wait and talk it over with her. I waited too long already. Why do you think she didn't want Norm to go with us on his drive? It wasn't because she was afraid he'd never make it. She wanted him there with her. That's not like this, Mrs. Easy, easy now, right? Probably want to take over the baby, too. That comes along. No, no, come on now. You've got to get some sleep now. You'll feel better in the morning. Come on now. I won't feel better in the morning, Britt. I won't feel no better until... until I'm even with him. I guess none of the three of us got much sleep that night. By noon time the next day, that saddle of mine was a little harder than usual. I decided to keep my eye on the wife. She was still right behind me. But the sun was getting hot, and I was kind of drowsy, you saw. I just jogged along for the next few miles, not paying much attention to anything or anybody. If Scar hadn't given me a jog, I'm easy boy, easy, easy now. I wouldn't have looked around, and I wouldn't have seen that we were coming into a gorge. It was right now, barely wide enough for the herd, and the rock walls jotted up at a sharp angle, too steep for a horse to climb. But the time I got my bearings, it was too late. This was just the kind of a place wife was looking for. I couldn't see him now, but I knew he was doing the firing, and I knew why. He was trying to stampede the cattle. And there in the gorge, Norm wouldn't be able to get out of the way. There was no chance of getting back to stop life. So I could do this jam right into the middle of the herd. Come on boy, come on, come on, come on. Scar got his way past a couple of steers. I tried to keep them under control, but the ones from the rear started pressing forward. Ernest, there just wasn't no holding the rest up. And he was right in the cow, real stampede. This was wife's way of killing his brother, and I wasn't sure I was going to pair on a butter and norm. A couple of the cows shoved against us, Scar was pretty certain to lose his footing before we could get much further, and I jerked out my gun, I cleared us a little path, but the cattle plugged up before we get through. All of my shoes were just making things worse. There was nothing to do now, but just give Scar a headlet and let him run with it. I didn't have time to worry about norm. I didn't know what had happened to him. I didn't even think about him until I... Hey, that wasn't life firing. That wasn't life firing. That was from up ahead. Well, the bird was half-crazy now. If it shot out from all directions, they didn't know where to turn now. I rose up to my stirrups and looked forward. Norm... Norm was holding his ground at the mouth of the gorge. He could have gotten away, all right, but he... He was holding his ground. I hadn't lifted myself up. Maybe I would have been able to hang on when the cattle twisted around and started to change in direction as it was. Oh! I was holding my ground. I sat out behind a rock. I was the only thing to save my neck. I rolled under him. The minute I was in the clear, the cattle passed me by. I pulled myself up. I looked at my feet and I looked around. The herd was still out of control, charging out the other end of the gorge. And then I... Then I got a flasher right. Norm... Norm Munchen must have heard a clue. Right! The pound had passed me, firing at all of them. I heard it moved on almost out of sight now before I saw a rife again. He was lying on the ground in a smear of sticky red dust. And Norm was there bending over when I got up to him. You... You all right, Rife? I started him, Norm. I figured we'd try to get out of the way, but he didn't run. You stopped him. He stopped him, didn't he, Brith? Yeah, yeah. I didn't mean for him to turn on you, Rife. I swear I didn't. I know that. I know that. I... I saw you trying to get through to me. Why did you want to help me, Norm? I started them so they'd kill you. Why did you want to help me? You're my brother. You're all I've got, all I've ever had. You hear that, Brith? You don't hate me. Rife, listen. About Carrie. About that letter. It's all right, Norm. I don't blame you. I don't blame Carrie. But she loves you, Rife. That letter was written a long time ago. Before you and her were married, before she even knew you. A long, long time ago. Yeah, I've cared it with him ever since. I wasn't in love with her, but she wasn't in love with me, not ever. And when you come along, she realized she's never had anything to do with me since. I only kept the letters so I could show it to you when you got to writing me the way you did yesterday. You're telling the truth. You know I am, don't you? Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do. I guess I've known it all along. When Carrie told me about us having a baby, I was so happy and proud it almost spilled over. I guess the man couldn't feel that way if he wasn't sure of his wife. Take it easy, Rife. Don't try to talk into much. What's the matter with you, Britt? You think them cattle finished? No, no, of course not. You said it would take all three of us to get to Abilene. That's the way it's going to be. All three of us? Sure. You and Norm and me. It may be a while before I can get on my legs, but you just give me a couple of hours rest while you run up the herd. A couple of hours and I'll be around till... Rife, he's dead, Norm. But he was feeling better. He hurt him. Well, a man don't always know when he's dying, Norm. Sometimes man's lucky. I... Britt... Britt, I... It's only... Only kids cry, ain't it? I guess... It makes me a kid. Oh, I wouldn't say that, Norm. I'd say you've done a lot of growing up today. We buried Rife there at the mouth of the gorge and went off to round up the cattle again. We managed to find most of them, and about a week later we hit Abilene. All during that week I kept wanting to ask Norm about that letter from Carrie if it was true what he told Rife, if it really had been written a couple of years ago. But somehow I... I don't know, the subject never came up. At least because I never found a good time for bringing it up. Decided really it wasn't any of my business. Beginning tomorrow night, Fibre McGee and Molly return to the air in a new series of programs. Yes, beginning tomorrow night you'll hear those wonderful folks from 79 Wistful Vista, Fibre McGee and Molly every night Monday through Friday on NBC. As a matter of fact, this is the week we'll meet new programs beginning on the NBC Radio Network. And you'll find that an evening with NBC Radio is an evening sure to entertain. So make a date to keep your dial set where you hear the familiar NBC chimes. Your invitation to the best in radio programming. Coleman, America's leader in modern, automatic home heating equipment and the national broadcasting company have presented James Stewart as the six-shooter. Mr. Stewart may currently be seen in the Universal International Picture Thunder Bay. Others in the cast were Lou Merrill and James McEllion. The six-shooter is an NBC Radio Network production in association with Review Productions and is based on a character created by Frank Burke and today's transcribe story was written by him. Special music 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. This is Hal Gibney speaking. Listen to Last Man Out, one of the Magic 28, next on the NBC Radio Network.