Gunsmoke Prairie Happy Date: Sep 12 1953

'Prairie Happy'
BY John Mestin

CAST

DILLON...........US Marshal, hero
CHESTER..........his faithful sidekick
GREEN...Owner of the general store
DOC....physician and Dillon's friend
SAM....................a bar tender
KITTY....saloon girl and Dillon's girlfriend (?)
TEWKSBURY...Angry, child-like old man
RISLING..............a townsperson
DANVERS.............a townsperson
DAUGHTER...Tewksbury's worried family

SOUND: GALLOPING HOOF BEATS APPROACH. A SHOT RINGS OUT AND THE GALLOPING CROSS-FADES WITH... MUSIC: OPENING STAB, RESOLVES UNDER ANNOUNCER: Around Dodge City and in the territory out west, there's only one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. Marshal and the smell of...Gunsmoke! MUSIC: LAZY THEME UP FOR A FEW, THEN DOWN AND UNDER ANNOUNCER: Gunsmoke, starring ___________. The story of the violence that moved West with young America. The story of a man who moved with it -- Matt Dillon, United States Marshal. MUSIC: UPBEAT STAB, FOLLOWED BY FOLLOWED BY A SLIGHTLY DOWNBEAT SECTION, THEN DOWN AND RESOLVE OUT SOUND: FADE IN TWO HORSES TROTTING CLOSER. HORSE SOUNDS CONTINUED UNDER. CHESTER: Dodge hasn't changed much that I can see, Mr. Dillon. DILLON: We've only been gone a week, Chester. CHESTER: Seems like a year to me. DILLON: A hard ride now and again never hurt anyone. CHESTER: I don't mind the riding so much. It's the shooting that un-nerves a man. DILLON: That reminds me, I think I'll stop at the store here. I need some ammunition. Hub! SOUND: HORSE HOOVES SHUFFLE. LEATHER SADDLE SQUEAKS. DILLON: Take my horse down to the stable, will ya? CHESTER: Yessir. I'll see you at the office. DILLON: Good. SOUND: A FEW FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL, THEN ONTO WOOD. A DOOR OPENS AND A SHOP BELL RINGS. A FEW MORE FOOTSTEPS, UNDER. GREEN: Well Marshal Dillon, it's certainly good to see you back. DILLON: Well...thank you Mr Green. GREEN: Yessir! We've missed you around here. DILLON: Well, that's fine. I'd like a couple of boxes of .45s. GREEN: Oh, you're loading up too. I guess you've already heard. DILLON: What? GREEN: I've sold more ammunition in the last couple of days than I usually do in the month. I'm nearly out! There's the last box of .45s I've got. I'd have saved more for you if I'd have known, Marshal. After all, you're going to be sort of out front in this business. DILLON: Mr Green, what are you talking about? GREEN: You haven't heard? DILLON: Heard what? GREEN: About the Indians! DILLON: Indians? GREEN: The Pawnees. They're going to attack tomorrow. This is the last day we've got to get ready for them. That's why everybody's been hoping you'd been back in time. We have to get organized, Marshal. DILLON: Where are they, Mr. Green? GREEN: Who? DILLON: The Pawnees? GREEN: They're out on the prairie somewhere, I guess. Now, what are you plans, Marshal? DILLON: I don't have any plans. GREEN: All right. Well when you decide what to do, let me know. I'll do my share of the fighting. You know that. You can count on me. We've got women and children in Dodge -- DILLON: May I ask one question, Mr. Green? GREEN: Certainly. DILLON: How do you know these Pawnees are going to attack Dodge? And how do you know they're going to attack tomorrow? GREEN: Everybody knows about it, Marshal. That's why they've been buying up ammunition, getting ready -- DILLON: But who told them about the Indians? GREEN: Uh...I don't know, Marshal. It's general knowledge. Just ask anybody. DILLON: Is the whole town as jittery as you are? GREEN: I'm not jittery! This is a serious matter. Those Indians could wipe out Dodge, if there's enough of them. DILLON: Sure. How many are there, Mr. Green? GREEN: Well, I don't know, Marshal. A good sized war party, I imagine. DILLON: Has anybody seen them? GREEN: Of no, no, Marshal. No one has seen them yet. It's tomorrow they're coming. DILLON: Hmm SOUND: SLOW FOOTSTEPS ON WOOD CONTINUED UNDER. DILLON: Put the .45s on my bill, Mr. Green. GREEN: (MOVING OFF SLIGHTLY) You let me know when you get your plans made, Marshal. You can count on me. I'll tell everybody you're back and we'll have a meeting -- DILLON: No! You wait until you hear from me, Mr. Green. MUSIC: TRANSITION SOUND: SPURRED BOOTS WALK ON BOARDS, APPROACHING. A DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES. DILLON: Oh, hello Doc. DOC: Oh! Hello Matt. I saw Chester riding up Front Street so I thought I'd come down and welcome you home. CHESTER: I gave the horses a feed of grain, Mr Dillion. I figured they'd earned it. DILLON: Good. Doc, I've been talking to Mr. Green down the street. DOC: Yes? DILLON: Has he gone crazy or what? DOC: Oh, he must have told you about the Indians. CHESTER: Indians!? DOC: The whole town's been talking about them, Matt. Pawnees are on the warpath, they say. And they're going to attack Dodge. I tomorrow, I believe it is. CHESTER: Good heavens, Mr. Dillon! DILLON: Oh, don't you start, Chester. When did all this talk begin, Doc? DOC: A couple of days ago. Everybody's been really excited. Especially Green, and Hank Risling over at the Dodge House. They've sure been hoping you'd get back in time to charge of everything. CHESTER: What do we do, Mr. Dillon? DILLON: Nothing, Chester. DOC: Everybody seems pretty sure about it, Matt. They'll expect you to do something. DILLON: Who started all this talk, Doc? DOC: Well, I haven't heard anybody mention that. DILLON: Huh. Some drunk, probably or some greenhorn. The rumor spreads, and pretty soon everybody takes it as fact and then a panic begins. DOC: Well...there could be Indians, Matt. DILLON: Has anybody seen them? Or any sign of them? DOC: Well, you're going to have a hard time talking people out of it. DILLON: May be. But first I have to find out how all this nonsense started. Chester? CHESTER: Hmm? DILLON: You go ask Mr. Hightower what he knows. He's got good ears. CHESTER: All right, sir. DILLON: I see what I can find out in the saloons and then we'll meet back here. CHESTER: Yessir. MUSIC: TRANSITION WALA: SALOON BACKGROUND, CONTINUED UNDER KITTY: (SLIGHTLY OFF) Matt! Matt! DILLON: Hello, Kitty. KITTY: You go away for a whole week and you come back with nothing but a frown. What are you on the prowl about? DILLON: (SIGHS) People. KITTY: (CHUCKLES) Oh, that. DILLON: How come you're not armed, Kitty? KITTY: Armed? DILLON: You just gonna let the Pawnee's ride off with you? Aren't you going to struggle a little? KITTY: Kind of exciting, isn't it Matt? DILLON: You don't seem very worried. KITTY: Why should I be? Dodge is full of heroes, these days. DILLON: Kitty, maybe I never gave you enough credit. KITTY: For what? DILLON: You got brains, too. KITTY: (CHUCKLES) Don't be nasty. You need a drink. Beer? DILLON: No thanks. TEWKSBURY: (DISTANT) ...I've seen em take a long knife and carve 'em right up! DILLON: Who's the old man at the bar, there? The one with the long hair? KITTY: He's a sight, isn't he? You don't often see men dressed in buckskin any more. His name's Tewksbury. DILLON: He must be 80 years old. KITTY: It's been half that since he's had a bath. DILLON: A man his age has seen a lot of country, Kitty. KITTY: Never mind, him. What are you going to do about the Indians, Matt? DILLON: The only thing I can do. Try and keep the good citizens of Dodge from getting all triggered up and shooting each other for Pawnees tonight and tomorrow. KITTY: How are you going to do that? DILLON: I'd like to know who started all this, for one thing. I think I'll have a talk with Sam, there. Bartenders generally know things. KITTY: All right. Say, are Pawnee braves as handsome as they say, Matt? DILLON: (CHUCKLES) You'd be surprised if they really did raid this place, wouldn't you? KITTY: Maybe. Wouldn't you? DILLON: Yeah. Yeah I would. Well, I'll see you later, Kitty. KITTY: Sure, Matt. SOUND: A FEW FOOTSTEPS WITH SPURS ON WOOD. DILLON: Sam? SAM: Hello, Marshal Dillon. Welcome home. DILLON: Thank you, Sam. SAM: What's your pleasure? DILLON: Nothing right now. Sam, do you know who started all this Indian raid talk? SAM: I don't know who started it, Marshal, but everybody's sure worked up. DILLON: Yeah, I know. I'm just trying to figure out why. SAM: Mr. Green and Hank Risling have been wanting to get organized. They'll be mighty happy you're back. TEWKSBURY: (COMING ON) Marshal! I heard Sam say you're name. Mine's Tewksbury. DILLON: How do you do. TEWKSBURY: I want to offer my services, Marshal. DILLON: Your services? What for? TEWKSBURY: There ain't nothing I don't know about Indians, Marshal. Why, I introduced Kit Carson to his first Apache over in New Mexico. DILLON: Oh? TEWKSBURY: And if it hadn't been for me, John C. Freemont would never have gotten back from the Des moines River in '42. It was Arapahos that time. Inside and out, Marshal! Backwards and forwards. Dead and alive, Chiefs, braves squaws, and papooses. I know them all. DILLON: Well that's fine, Mr. Tewksbury, but I don't think we have a problem with -- TEWKSBURY: You can't trust an Indian, Marshal, any more than you can trust a white man. They got sharp tongues and evil ways. And they're cruel and ungrateful and cruel -- SAM: Buy him a drink, Marshal. He usually shuts his mouth when he's drinking. DILLON: All right, Sam. Give him a beer. TEWKSBURY: I thank you Marshal. But I never don't drink beer. DILLON: Oh you don't, huh. TEWKSBURY: I will, however, take a little drink of straight whiskey to hold in my mouth and sweeten my tobacco. DILLON: Well you heard him, Sam. SAM: Here you go, you old devil. TEWKSBURY: Old devil, am I! You'll be grateful I'm here when those Pawnees come screaming out of the dawn! You live here Marshal? You strike me as a fighting man. DILLON: Well I don't believe I ever -- TEWKSBURY: They got it all over you, them Pawnees! They're fierce, them Pawnees. Don't ever let them take you alive. I've them spread-eagle a man and (STABBY NOISE) SAM: Here's your whiskey, old man. Drink it before it gets cold. TEWKSBURY: Eh? Oh hmm, yes. (DRINKING NOISES) Not bad whiskey. Now you let me know when you need me, Marshal. I'll show you how to fight Indians. You attack 'em first, that's the way. They're crazy wild, that's what they are! DILLON: Mr. Tewksbury, where did you hear about this Pawnee raid? TEWKSBURY: Hear about it! Everybody's heard about it. They've all been warned. Lock the women and children in the church, Marshal. And leave them with enough guns to shoot themselves if worse comes to worse. There might not be enough real Indian fighters around here to hold off those blood thirsty savages for long. DILLON: Who told you about the raid -- TEWKSBURY: Common knowledge, Marshal. Common knowledge. When's the meeting? DILLON: I don't know, but I expect that will soon be common knowledge, too. Goodbye. So long, Sam. Here's for the whiskey. SOUND: A COIN RATTLES ON THE WOOD. THEN, FOOTSTEPS SPURS ON WOOD. SAM: Thanks, Marshal. See you later. MUSIC: TRANSITION CHESTER: Mr. Hightower didn't know anything, Mr. Dillon. Except there will be an attack tomorrow. What'd you find out? DILLON: Well I went to all the saloons, Chester, but all they had was the same story. Some wilder than others. Especially an old man called Tewksbury. He seemed more bloodthirsty than anybody. CHESTER: I never heard of him. DILLON: No, he's a stranger here. Well, look what's coming across the street. CHESTER: I guess this is the organizing committee, huh? DILLON: Yeah. CHESTER: Who is that pioneer they got with them? DILLON: That's old Tewksbury I told you about. He's a little touched in the head, I'm afraid. WALA: COMING ON, THE MUMBLES OF A CROWD CHESTER: Here they are. SOUND: DOOR OPENS, CROWD FULL UP DILLON: Gentlemen. GREEN: Gentlemen! All right, gentlemen. Now Marshal, there isn't much time left and we've got to get Dodge organized. Now Hank Risley, here, and I have worked out a tentative plan. If we just -- DILLON: Just a second, Mr. Green. There's something I want to ask before you go on. GREEN: Yes Marshal? DILLON: I'd like to know which one of you men heard about these Indians first. (PAUSE) WALA: THEN MEN MUMBLE AND STIR AMONG THEMSELVES, TRYING TO WORK OUT WHO HEARD THE RUMOR FIRST. DILLON: (QUIETING THEM DOWN) All right, all right. Let's just say the rumor got started some how, okay? RISLING: Pretty big for just a rumor, Marshal. My wife's nearly crazy with fear. All the women are. That's why we gotta do something, get organized. People will feel better then. DILLON: Do you know what panic is, Risling? It's fear, all right. But a man can be afraid and still think. But when he gets panicked he stops thinking. Like all of you right now. You're acting like cattle in a stampede. RISLING: That's pretty strong talk, Marshal. DILLON: Is it? Then I'll point out something else too you. You're willing to believe the Pawnees are on the war path and you don't even know who reported it. And on top of that, you're willing to believe they're going to attack tomorrow. GREEN: Well that's what they say, Marhsall. RISLING: And it's your job as the law here to do something about it. If you don't help us now, the blood will be on your head. TEWKSBURY: Blood! The Pawnees are the bloodiest devils in the whole Indian nation. They're mean, just downright mean. I knows 'em! And I'll show ya'll how to fight them. We'll ride out after them and get to them first. DILLON: Mr. Tewksbury -- TEWKSBURY: You have to..have to...I'm offering my services, Marshal the same as I did with Jim Bridger. DILLON: Tewksbury -- TEWKSBURY: I know how to -- I'm glad to help you all --- DILLON: Tewksbury, listen to me a moment. TEWKSBURY: At dawn, Marshal. They always attack at dawn. If they die at night, their spirit is doomed to wander, you see and -- DILLON: Yeah I know, I know. But there's something else about Indians I want to ask you. TEWKSBURY: I know everything there is to know about Indians, Marshal. DILLON: Then did you ever here Indians telling their enemy the exact time they were going to attack? TEWKSBURY: They're like sneaks. They never tell nobody nothing. They're just like...(NOISE) And there you are with an arrow in your throat! DILLON: Then how come everybody in Dodge knows when these Pawnees are coming? Answer me straight, Tewksbury. (BEAT) TEWKSBURY: Well...that is uh, someone must have found out. DILLON: The only person who would know would be an Indian. Now, gentlemen, have there been any Pawnee warriors in town recently, getting drunk at the saloon and talking when they shouldn't? (PAUSE) Well, have there? (PAUSE) GREEN: No. No, the Marshal makes sense. It sure don't sound right some how. WALA: MUMBLES OF AGREEMENT, CONTINUED UNDER DILLON: Tewksbury...Tewksbury wait a minute. TEWKSBURY: Huh? DILLON: Tewksbury, let me ask you something. When did you hit Dodge? TEWKSBURY: (ANNOYED) What? I don't know. I don't keep track of time. But the Indians know. Oh, they know. They know just how many moons -- DILLON: Oh, shut up, Tewksbury. I don't want to hear any more about Indians out of you! And if you do any more talking around Dodge I'll throw you in jail and you can do your spouting there! GREEN: Now Marshal, he's an old man. You ought not treat him like that. DILLON: I got an idea he's the one who started this whole thing with his wild talk. And you men made fools of yourselves listening to him. Now go on home and calm down your womenfolk and forget it! (PAUSE) Good night, gentlemen. MUSIC: TRANSITION SOUND: DOOR KNOCKING, INSISTENT, CONTINUED DILLON: (GROGGILY WAKING UP) Uh...um...who is it? CHESTER: (THRU DOOR) It's Chester, Mr. Dillon! DILLON: (STILL GROGGY) Oh...Chester. SOUND: DOOR OPENS DILLON: Come in, Chester. CHESTER: Say, you're all dressed. DILLON: Yeah, I slept with my clothes on. I figured there might be trouble yet. CHESTER: There is. That's what I come to tell you. (BEAT) DILLON: Well then tell me! CHESTER: It's a fire, Mr. Dillon. At the edge of town. That old roomin house of Ira Danvers. DILLON: A fire? How bad? CHESTER: The house is gone, but that ain't the worst. They found some arrows nearby. DILLON: What? CHESTER: It's the Pawnee! MUSIC: TRANSITION DILLON: (NARRATING) The rooming house of Ira Danvers stood at the edge of town. It wasn't much more than a jerry built shack at the edge of town patronized by a few drunks and the occasional cowboy who had lost his pay at the games. By the time we got there, it had burned to the ground. A small crowd had gathered. Two unidentified men had died in the fire, probably too drunk to save themselves. It was the owner, Danvers, who had discovered the arrows. DANVERS: Look at 'em, Marshal. I found 'em sticking in the ground, yonder. CHESTER: Yeah. Well, they're Pawnee, all right. DANVERS: Them devils probably stood out there and shot flaming arrows into the place, then fired these here to let us know who did it. CHESTER: Well that could be, Danvers, but why would they set fire to only one house? GREEN: What are you men waiting for. Those Indians could ride in on us any minute. RISLING: Some of you men get out there and stand guard. And get some horses -- DILLON: Now hold it, hold it! Don't get all excited. It's still dark and no Indian is going to attack in the dark. You know that. GREEN: Look, what about those arrows, Marshal? Ain't that proof enough? DILLON: It's an hour until daylight, Mr. Green. Nothing's going to happen until then. GREEN: We've listened to you long enough, Marshal. We've got women to protect. Risling, you come over here and the rest of you men! We'll run this by ourselves. WALA: GRUMBLING AND MUMBLING OF AGITATED MEN, CONTINUED UNDER. DILLON: (SIGHS) Chester? CHESTER: Yes, Mr. Dillion? DILLON: You see old Tewksbury over there at the edge of the crowd. CHESTER: Yessir. He ain't talking so much tonight, is he? DILLON: Drift back in the dark where he can't see you. And if he leaves here, let me know at once, okay? CHESTER: Yessir. SAM: What do you make of it, Marshal? DILLON: There's nothing to worry about, Sam. What are you doing here, Kitty? KITTY: Sam promised to wake me up when the action started, so he did. DILLON: (BITTER) There's been a fire and two men died. The actions over. Go back to bed. KITTY: Don't take it out on me, Matt. I didn't start this Indian scare. (BEAT) DILLON: All right. I'm sorry, Kitty. But this is no place for a woman. KITTY: (ANNOYED) Where is a good place for a woman, Matt? DILLON: Oh, now don't start that. SAM: What's going on over there, Marshal? DILLON: Green and Risling are organizing a defense of Dodge. SAM: They found some arrows, I hear. DILLON: Yeah, they did. Pawnee arrows. SAM: Then they are going to attack. They're right out there in the dark somewhere. DILLON: No, I don't think so, Sam. But you go look if you want. GREEN: (DISTANT) Sam! Com on over here, we need you too! SAM: That's Green. He's calling me. DILLON: Well then you'd better go. SAM: Sure, sure. I'll go. KITTY: I'll go with you, Sam. I wanna see what's doing! CHESTER: (COMING ON) Mr. Dillion? DILLON: Where is he, Chester? CHESTER: He's drifted off behind the next shack. DILLON: Let's follow him. Come on. SOUND: SOFT FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL, CONTINUED UNDER DILLON: Were you close enough to tell if he's armed? CHESTER: Nosir, I couldn't tell. It was too dark. DILLON: It's quiet now. SOUND: A COYOTE HOWLS. THE FOOTSTEPS STOP CHESTER: I don't see him. DILLON: Neither do I. Hold up a minute. Maybe we can hear him. (BEAT) No. Let's go on. CHESTER: Hey! I saw something move right over there. DILLON: I see him. CHESTER: Look! He's lighting a fire! DILLON: Yeah. There he goes! You put out the fire, Chester, and I'll catch him! CHESTER: Yessir SOUND: FOOTSTEPS RUNNING ON GRAVEL FOR EIGHT OR NINE STEPS, THEN SHUFFLE TO A STOP. DILLON: All right, Tewksbury! I've got 'cha! TEWKSBURY (WIMPERING) No! No don't shoot me! DILLON: Get your hands in the air! TEWKSBURY: I'm ain't armed! DILLON: Then what do you call this Bowie Knife? All right, put your hands down. You've been pretty talkative up until tonight, Tewksbury. You wanna tell me what this is all about? TEWKSBURY: You go eat dirt. DILLON: Where did you get those Pawnee arrows you planted over at Danvers' place? TEWKSBURY: Them Pawnees, they got sharp tongues, and evil ways and they're cruel and ungrateful and -- DILLON: Tewksbury, what do you really know about the Pawnees? TEWKSBURY: Oh, I know 'em. I know 'em. You men go kill 'em. You ride 'em down -- DILLON: Why, Tewksbury? Why do you want them killed? TEWKSBURY: (TEARING UP) They're savage devils. They...they treat people mean. DILLON: Why do you say that? What did they do to you? (BEAT) TEWKSBURY: Let's go drink some whiskey. DILLON: Tewksbury, two men died in that fire you set at Danvers. Do you realize that? TEWKSBURY: White men. Let 'em die. You can't trust -- DILLON: I don't think you understand. You killed two men tonight, Tewksbury. TEWKSBURY: Been a long time since I had any whiskey. Years. DILLON: Are you drunk now? TEWKSBURY: No. (BEAT) No. I'm tired. I'm awful tired. Tired and...lonely. I want to lay down. Make...camp. DILLON: Yeah. Come along, old man. I'll show you a bed. MUSIC: TRANSITION, THEN A THEME DOWN AND CONTINUED UNDER. DILLON: (NARRATING) When the citizens of Dodge found out about Tewksbury, they were at first ashamed of their panic, and because of their shame they wanted to lynch him. But they didn't. And pretty soon they forgot about him. A week passed, and the old man never said a word. I didn't know who he was or where he came from. And then one day, an Indian woman rode into town and found her way to the jail. She was past 40 but still handsome. And she carried herself with the instinctive pride of her people -- the Pawnee. MUSIC: OUT SOUND: DOOR OPENS, THEN CLOSES. DAUGHTER: Is this the jail? DILLON: Yes, it is. DAUGHTER: You are the Marshal? DILLON: That's right. What can I do for you? DAUGHTER: Word has been brought that you have an old man here. DILLON: Tewksbury? DAUGHTER: Yes. I have come for him. DILLON: What? DAUGHTER: I am his daughter, Marshal. DILLON: Oh, I see. Will you uh...will you sit down? DAUGHTER: Thank you. DILLON: So Tewksbury married a Pawnee. DAUGHTER: Many years ago. My mother is dead. DILLON: Oh. Your father taught you English. DAUGHTER: Yes. But I have lived among white people. Not for long. I like my people, better. DILLON: Of course. DAUGHTER: I think my father does, too. He has lived with us many years. DILLON: Tell me, what was he doing in Dodge? (BEAT) DAUGHTER: He is old. So old he is like a child. He ran away one night in anger. DILLON: Why? DAUGHTER: Our tribe is peaceful, Marshal. We have given up war. But, some times the young men find it difficult not to fight. My father made some whiskey. He was giving it to the young men, telling them they should kill white people. DILLON: And he got caught at it. DAUGHTER: Yes. The chiefs held counsel. They made very strong talk. My father grew angry. He say, he will destroy them. Marshal, he is old. Thoughts are no longer clear in his head. DILLON: I understand. DAUGHTER: He has lived long. Seen many things. He does not like being old. He cannot understand why life is peaceful with us. DILLON: He sure stirred up a lot of trouble here. DAUGHTER: A hunter told us the story. My father will be more closely watched now. And because he has served the tribe well in the past, chiefs will send you horses. DILLON: Horses? DAUGHTER: To let him come back. DILLON: Oh, his fine. DAUGHTER: His fine, yes. I could not think of the word. DILLON: Well, it's not as simple as that. You see, two men died in that fire your father set. I'm afraid he'll have to stand trial. DAUGHTER: Trial? Oh, your counsel. DILLON: Yes. It'll be in a few days now. I've got to warn you that it might not go well for him. (BEAT) DAUGHTER: Two men die. I understand, Marshal. I wait. (BEAT) DILLON: Look, would you be willing to come to the trial and talk for your father? DAUGHTER: Talk? A woman? DILLON: Women can talk at our trials. DAUGHTER: Then I will be there. DILLON: Good, good. Now, I think your father would like to see you. Come. MUSIC: TRANSITION, THEN A THEME CONTINUED UNDER DILLON: The trial lasted one day. I don't think Tewksbury knew what it was all about, or even cared. After seeing his daughter, he started talking again. But in Pawnee. Never said a word in English, or even acknowledged it when he was spoken to. His daughter took the stand and shortly after, impressed by her courage and honest dignity, the judge released Tewksbury to her custody. Outside, I said goodbye. And I watched them ride off into the prairie, both mounted on her pony, the old man chattering like a bird, happy to be going home. No longer...lonely. MUSIC: FANFARE OUT CREDITS