Speaker 1: In just a moment, you'll hear James Stewart as the
six Shooter. Just one of the many great stars brought
to you on Sundays on NBC Every Sunday. Here Hume
Cronnin and Jessica Tandy in The Marriage Sir Lawrence Olivier
on Theatre Royal, and Lawrence Tippet with the Golden Voices,
Helen Hayes, Frederick marsh 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 league. His skin is sundyed brown.
The gun and his holster is gray, steel and rainbow,
mother of pearl.
Speaker 2: It's handle unmarked.
Speaker 1: 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 brit Ponset,
the Texas Plainsman who wandered through the Western territories, leaving
behind a trail of still remembered legends.
Speaker 2: Now, in just a moment, immediately.
Speaker 1: Following this important announcement, you will hear act one.
Speaker 2: Of the six Shooter.
Speaker 1: A lot of vacations start as a day dream and
end as a day dream for lack of money. That
need not happen to you. You can have extra money
when you need it. Simply join the Payroll Savings Plan
for buying United States Savings bonds.
Speaker 2: When your bonds mature, you'll get.
Speaker 1: Back four dollars for every three dollars you invest, and
there's your extra money. Your vacation both guaranteed. Ask your
employer about buying United States Savings bawns through the Payroll Savings.
Speaker 2: Plan and then join.
Speaker 1: Now Act one of the six Shooter starring James Stewart.
Speaker 3: The wind had died down and it was quiet now.
The only thing I could hear was the crick. Trick
went away about twenty feet down from where I'd made camp,
and I shifted the blanket, turned over on one side.
The moon came out and I could see the water
skimming along, washing the pebbles clean. Gits funny the way
the sound of a crick always makes you drowse. Yeah,
I start to close, and then I got that same
feeling again, that that feeling I'd had all day scar
Fella too ever since we turned off the Maiden Road
into the trail of Petersville. I'd had a hunch that
there was another horse not very far behind whoever was riding,
and managed to keep out of sight. But it was
the same kind of a hunch you get when you
feel a pair of eyes drilling into the back of
your neck and then turn around and s spot somebody
staring at you. And scar hadn't been traveling very fast.
Anybody could have caught us. It was real easy. Fella
back there hadn't wanted to catch up, that is, if
my hunch was riding right. Uh, it wouldn't be the
first time I played their own hunch, you know. M
no point of losing sleep over it. Anyhow, it was.
Scarlet woke me up and I I could see a
shadow over by my pilot grub and not more than
six eight feet away. I inched my hand from under
the blanket and I got a grip on my gun. Ah,
you looking for something, me, sir, h, I don't know.
Hold on, Oh, it's just amount of hold on all
Uh much better, i'd uh. I'd kind of like to
find out why you you why you You're pretty young
to be roaming around this country, aren't your son?
Speaker 4: I'm eleven.
Speaker 3: Ah, you other fella's been following me all day.
Speaker 4: It's a free trail, ain't it.
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I just it.
Speaker 4: And you ain't got no right to anyfere with my
riding over.
Speaker 3: Oh ah, that's true enough. But uh, you haven't got
much right stealing my grub either. I didn't steal any Well,
that's what you're fixing to do, isn't it.
Speaker 4: Maybe?
Speaker 3: Ah? Now, if you're hungry, you're welcome to it. I
got plenty of grub here, but you just didn't have
to come sneaking around to I.
Speaker 4: Didn't know who you was. I was afraid you might
try to send me back home.
Speaker 3: Uh huh, I'll uh j just where his home? Question?
Oh well, if you'll stir up the fire, I'll see
what I can do about heating up some beans. How's
that time?
Speaker 4: I'd i'd appreciate it?
Speaker 5: Good?
Speaker 3: Alright? Uh? Hamming that pound?
Speaker 5: Really?
Speaker 3: Then? Ah?
Speaker 5: We are?
Speaker 4: You won't tell nobody who ran to me, will you? Mister?
You won't tell him?
Speaker 5: You see me?
Speaker 3: Well, I I uh not.
Speaker 4: Taking me back to Question no matter what happens. I'm
not going back there est day.
Speaker 3: Oh I'll take it easy. Now. You're right. You're not
the first boy run away from home. Far from it.
Most of 'em a hike offer about your age, but
they don't usually miss more than one meal before they
turn back. At least I didn't. What happened your dad?
Give you a weapon?
Speaker 4: No, sir, Pop wouldn't hurt me either. He's a fine man,
the finest man that ever lived.
Speaker 3: Sure, yeah, uh wow, here's your beans.
Speaker 4: I have you for Peter's Field to find my father.
He told me when I was big enough I could
join up with him. Well big enough now, ain't I?
Speaker 3: Mm? Now, you are real good sized boy for eleven?
Say that much?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 3: How uh? How come you haven't been to standing with
your dad?
Speaker 4: He moves around a lot?
Speaker 3: Oh, I say so.
Speaker 4: I've been living with Aunt Aggie ever since Mary died.
It's not the same as being with your own part.
Speaker 3: No, No, I guess didn't.
Speaker 4: And I made up my mind. As soon as I
found out where he was, I was going to him.
Speaker 3: And are you sure your dad's in Petersville?
Speaker 4: An Eggie got a letter from here last Monday. I
heard her talking to Uncle Ray about it, and heard
him mentioning Pau's name sounded kind of worried, like something
had happened to him.
Speaker 3: Uh huh.
Speaker 4: Then when they saw me, they shut up. You reckon.
Paul's sick y, you reckon, that's what they were talking about.
Speaker 3: Oh, I don't know, sign. It could be that I
asked him what was in.
Speaker 4: The letter, but they wouldn't tell me. Now I'm gonna
find out for myself.
Speaker 3: Well, seeing how's I'm heading for Petersville too, I guess
there's no reason why we should and ride along together.
And if we're gonna be traveling companion as way out
to introduce herself.
Speaker 4: Don't think my name's Lockin rink rotting.
Speaker 3: Oh please make your rank. I'm ripponst Prick Ponson. That's right.
Speaker 4: What'll they call a six shooter? Sh where's mister Ponson?
I I didn't mean to talk back to you the
way I did. If if I'd known who you was,
say say, would you mind showing me your gun? Heard
folks talk about that gun of yours ever since I
was a kiddy. Sure yeah, catch Josh, and you're as
heavy as the looks?
Speaker 3: H are you? Uh? You know about guns? Rank?
Speaker 4: Some imn't see me give it a twelve.
Speaker 3: Sure, let's see. Uh uh ay, that's fine.
Speaker 4: Of course it ain't the way you do it, though.
But here, mister Ponson, thanks for showing it to me.
Speaker 3: Yuh I, I guess we still got a couple of
hours before sun up. Why don't you bring your horse
over here by the fire. Maybe we can get some
shot eye.
Speaker 4: That's a good idea, oh, Mr Ponzi, Yeah, I'm I
might pleased.
Speaker 3: I bumped into you anynight, so am I rank so
am my h We got an early start the next morning,
that is, considering that it took me almost half an
hour to get Rink awake and on his feet. It
was about four o'clock when we got into Petersville. I
had been through that way for a couple of years.
With the town. It hadn't changed much. But the only
thing different I saw was a blue livery stable on
a fresh coat of green paint on the Jackson Hotel.
Men playing checkers in the front porch. They they hadn't
changed at all, tipping out of their beards little gray,
and of course you had my My hair wasn't exactly
the same shade it used to be. He but that
was from being out in the sun so much. At
least that's how I figured. Well, we pulled up the
side of yellow adobe building right next door to the
hotel and climbed off our horses. I'll come on, Rank,
let's go inside and see what we can find out
about your father.
Speaker 4: That's a sheriff's office.
Speaker 3: Sure, hell, he don't know where he is, if any
what's matter? Rank?
Speaker 4: I don't like sheriffs, that's all.
Speaker 3: Huh, haven't been given you trouble? Have they?
Speaker 4: I don't like him. Neither heard him say so. Once
he was talking to a friend of Hisn't hid him.
See how he hated some sheriff.
Speaker 3: Oh, well, I don't imagine he was talking about sheriff Jay.
There's good sheriffs and bad sheriffs, you know, like everything else,
most of 'em are good. Come on now, what.
Speaker 5: Ricks hurts?
Speaker 3: Helloh sheriff?
Speaker 5: I what in thunderation you doing in Petersville?
Speaker 3: Oh? A widow Jenkins is gone east for a daughter's weddy.
She asked me to look after a place where she'd
go away.
Speaker 5: Well, it's sure he is good to see you. Say,
who's your friend here? Now?
Speaker 3: This is Rank sheriff. He was coming to Petersville too,
so we decided right along together.
Speaker 5: Pleased to meet you, son.
Speaker 3: Matter of fact, that's why we stopped there to talk
to your rank. Wants to find out about his.
Speaker 5: Father and be glad to help out if I can.
Speaker 3: What's his name?
Speaker 5: Son?
Speaker 4: Rock him?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 4: Rocking?
Speaker 5: Uh? I see, I'm sorry, just a couple of hours
too late, too right, I er. I wrote to your
PA's sister and Christen. Her answer came in on the
morning stage. She said she didn't want your pause body
trust to bury him here puno was this morning?
Speaker 3: Huh? Pause?
Speaker 5: Did like you knew about him being killed? Didn't you?
You ain't told you?
Speaker 3: I guess she didn't. Shriff.
Speaker 5: Oh, I didn't mean to blurt it up, Brittae. I
figured to do how I thought.
Speaker 4: How did it happen?
Speaker 5: We don't have to talk about that.
Speaker 2: Nae, Son, I wanna know what happened.
Speaker 5: Look, Uh, suppose you come up to my house for
supper euh after you've had a nice home cooked meat or.
Speaker 3: Do you know?
Speaker 4: Get the star share. I wanna know who killed 'em?
Speaker 3: You don't find out anyway, sir, Yeah, yeah, I.
Speaker 5: Guess he will. Alright, Son, it was me you Marshal
would add a very cent word that Larkin and his
pad Cliff Tragger were heading this way. I had heard
about him before, I knew what to expect. He rode
into town about noontime, and I was waiting inside the bank.
I had deputized some of the boys. They were with me,
your Pahn Tragger didn't have a chance, son, but they
shot it out anyway. Wouldn't drop their guns even though
we had to draw on 'em. Dragger he got away
into the hills. But Lark and I'm really sorry, so sorry.
I had to be the one to do it, even sorrier.
I had to tell you about it.
Speaker 4: You're a liar, A dirty, stinking liar. My pard never
tried to rub no banking. You get what you said
about it, I'll make him take it back every worder.
Dirty Rock ran here.
Speaker 2: Get ahold of yourself here.
Speaker 4: You want me kill my fly? A murderer, murderer, murder.
Speaker 3: I I didn't wanna hit your rank, but I guess.
Speaker 4: Why shouldn't you hit me? You're he spread? Ain't you
you kill my floor and your friend?
Speaker 5: I think I wanna go after him. Break try to explain.
Speaker 3: No, No, I I expected the best to leave him
by himself for a while.
Speaker 5: This wasn't the first hold up. Larkin and Trager tried
to pull up by a long shot. I didn't have
no chance. Yeah, yeah, some day the boy will understand,
some day when he's older.
Speaker 3: Uh. Trouble is, things don't wait for a person to
reach the understanding age. They happen anyway, whether a person's
ready for him or not. It doesn't look like Ranks
ready not for this anyway.
Speaker 2: We'll return to James Stewart as the six shooter in
just a moment.
Speaker 1: Monday Night brings magnificent musical programs to the NBC Radio Network.
It's an evening designed for RESTful relaxation, the time to
sit back in your favorite chair and listen to melodies
old and new on such famous programs as The Voice
of Firestone, The Railroad Hour, and The Telephone Hour. The
Voice of Firestone continues to enchant radio audiences from coast
to coast, and the program is now in its twenty
fifth year. Also on Monday evenings, enjoy the operettas presented
on The Railroad Hour.
Speaker 2: Gordon McRae as your Railroad Hour host.
Speaker 1: And each week he is joined by a charming guest
artist in the stellar productions of this fine show.
Speaker 2: You'll also want to hear.
Speaker 1: The Telephone Hour every week as it presents the music
of Donald Vorhies and the Bell Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus,
as well as superb guest soloists. Listen Monday evenings on
the NBC Radio Network now Act two of The six Shooter,
starring James Stewart as Britt Ponset.
Speaker 3: After I made sure of a room for the night,
I start out looking for Rank. I had a hunch
I wouldn't have a hard time. Finally, there was only
one cemetery in Petersville, and slope and hell West found
pines all around it and soft green ferns mixed in
between the trees. Rink was there and sitting on his
haunches and put beside him mile on to fresh earth.
He wasn't crying, but his cheeks were streaked with we
dust where the tears had been anything. Oh, Rank, Hey,
uh these things were your paws. I thought maybe he
might like to have him. Man, you uh want some supper?
Speaker 4: Not hungry? Yeah, well you believe what the sheriff said,
don't you? You believe he was right to kill Park.
Speaker 3: Well, I wasn't there. I I uh, I didn't see
how it happened.
Speaker 4: But you're on his side anyway.
Speaker 3: Oh, people don't have sides, Rank, not on a thing
like this. I do.
Speaker 4: I'm on parse side. He was a good man. Never
get anybody harm, never, no matter what. That lion's sheriff says.
Speaker 3: Oh, maybe you saw your dad different from other folks,
and that doesn't mean you're wrong. Maybe with you, he
was different.
Speaker 4: Wanna make it up for mister punts I'm gonna get
even with that shift. I will so help me.
Speaker 3: Now you listen to me.
Speaker 4: Let me alone, mister Puntson, just stop joining to let
me alone.
Speaker 3: Alright, alright, Rank, Yeah, if you change your mind, you uh.
Speaker 5: You know where the.
Speaker 3: Hotel is, huh.
Speaker 5: And I I thought he would change his mind.
Speaker 3: I thought he'd get cold out there in a couple
hours and he'd come sneaking into the hotel room. But
he didn't. He didn't change his mind. I had a
room all to myself. I didn't sleep very much. You
know how it is when you're you're expecting something to happen,
he or you s sort of keep thinking about it
in spite of yourself and you you just don't sleep
her anyway? I yeah, who are they me? Brett?
Speaker 2: Shut up?
Speaker 5: Jay?
Speaker 3: Oh oh oh, come on in shore? Oh morning, hope
I didn't wake here? No, no, I won the sleep.
I should have been up a long time ago. But
I hand him my boots. Uh what do you huh?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 3: Sure? Hikes ay?
Speaker 5: Uh? Boys not with you? Uh?
Speaker 3: No, No, I haven't seen him since last night. Don't worry? Why, Oh,
something the matter?
Speaker 5: Thompson's hardware store was robbing about three am. No money missing,
just revolver and some bullets, as far as Brad Thompson
can tell.
Speaker 3: Oh, I see, got in through.
Speaker 5: The back window. Found some bootprints outside, small boots beside
the boys be wearing.
Speaker 3: When you find anything else?
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's a pretty clear trail leading away from behind
the store. You're real easy to follow, almost as if
the fellow who robbed the hardware store let the tracks intentional.
So somebody come after him?
Speaker 3: Why have him not tall you?
Speaker 5: S Oh, maybe it's it was the larking kid, wasn't
it britt Dog could have been. Don't tell me he's
got some full notion of revenge in his father?
Speaker 3: Why he did say something about getting even jay.
Speaker 5: Uh so he figures when I go riding after him,
you'll get a chance to kill me. That how you
see it, it's pretty hard to be sure what's going
on on the youngster's head. Sometimes gone at Brit. Sometimes
I wonder where I keep on wearing this star. No
matter what you do is wrong. Er Lackin ain't the
first man I have killed, not by a longside, and
he deserved it more most killing him didn't end nothing,
just turned his kid back. I guess I shouldah.
Speaker 3: Let Larkin kill you?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 3: No, you going after Rank? Oh what?
Speaker 5: Maybe the kid will come to his senses.
Speaker 3: Mm. When you're eleven years old and you get sat
on accomplishing something, you don't change your mind very easy.
Speaker 5: You know what do you expect me to do?
Speaker 2: Brit?
Speaker 5: Wepping those hills and shoot it out with an eleven
year old boy? I got a son of my own.
It's just about the same age as Rink.
Speaker 3: Oh.
Speaker 5: If Rink was covering me right now there in that door,
if I saw his fingers starting to squeeze a trigger,
I I I wouldn't be able to shoot, No matter what,
I wouldn't be able to shoot where's his trail laid
east over towards Scull Mountain?
Speaker 3: Oh? Would a Jenkins ranch right over that way? I'm
riding out to syr this morning.
Speaker 5: Well, I guess it doesn't matter whether I go after
Rink or he comes after me. Might as well get
it over with. That's what you think I ought.
Speaker 3: To do win the brit Oh no, no, oh, not necessarily.
All I was thinking was that, uh, if it did
happen to decide to fall a rank, well I've we
could ride out together part wad Lea's Oh. Oh, we're
getting pretty close to Black Canyon are way.
Speaker 5: Yeah. Yeah, it's only about half a mile.
Speaker 3: Mm ah. I if somebody wanted to set up an ambush,
that canyon wouldn't be a good place, weren't.
Speaker 5: I Yeah, wait, here's the turn off to the Jenkins Ranch.
Speaker 3: Huh oh oh yes, yeah, uh that's right. Well, uh
mar Jenkins wasn't expecting me before sundown, so I didn't
need to turn off to Shat. I could ride along
with Sheriff Jay a little bit further. We were moving
through Black Canyon, now rocks on both sides on air
cover for a person who wanted it rings trail went
right straight ahead, and that's why we didn't pay much
attention to what was happening behind U enough attention anyway.
I did hear something little scratching noise. By the time
I turned my head, a barrel of a revolver was
poked out through a crevice between two boulders. And it
wasn't Rink who was holding a gun? Alright, boy, what
and don't rage?
Speaker 5: Trager told you.
Speaker 3: Not to rach next time? Won't be your hand. Who
are you? Her name's Poncet, Britt Ponset.
Speaker 5: Oh sure, it took your time coming after me, sheriff.
Speaker 3: Oh well, you waiting for somebody like the six shooter
to give you a hand.
Speaker 5: I never thought you'd be fool enough to hang around
bright Give you credit for having good sense. I'd been
glad to move on, but my horse wasn't lame on me.
Speaker 6: Besides, you put a bullet through my shoulder.
Speaker 3: Remember I I I just a whole steel chaff.
Speaker 5: The wound is healed. Now, Okay, I'm out of the saddle,
but don't hurry. Things come down slow. One of the
time you first sponsor.
Speaker 3: The odd turned share.
Speaker 5: Nah, walk forward a couple of steps, wave from your
horses all it?
Speaker 3: Oh? Why I forget it? What happened to Locke?
Speaker 5: I said what I had a couple of hours after
you and him held up the bank. Hm.
Speaker 3: Right, that's where it goes, alright, And how I let
your way. You haven't seen his kid, have you?
Speaker 5: Huh?
Speaker 3: Locking's cah boy, about eleven years old.
Speaker 2: And what would I be?
Speaker 3: You mean he's in these parts?
Speaker 5: Yah? Uh.
Speaker 3: He's gone on for the sheriff here. Hm. Sure takes
after his old man, don't he. What do you mean, tregger?
Speaker 5: Huh? Uh?
Speaker 3: It was Locking's trouble. Liked a gun too much. Oh.
Speaker 5: Sure, wasn't so bad when we first teamed up, but
after a while it wasn't happy unless it could start
a gunfight.
Speaker 3: As the sheriff. You know, I was there at the bank.
Speaker 5: Now, if it been up to me, we'd have given
up when we saw you had his corner.
Speaker 3: But not Earl anyhow, you might've been better off if
you're dripping up. No, no, not me, But I said
Earl maybe, but not me. Anyway, he'd have been killed
sooner or later. Fella's always blazing away. Someone's always gonna blaze.
Speaker 5: Back at him.
Speaker 3: Uh huh.
Speaker 5: Not me.
Speaker 3: I'm different.
Speaker 5: I don't enjoy killing the way Earl did.
Speaker 3: Uh No, I got as good as times.
Speaker 5: When a man don't have no choice trigger Like today,
maybe I gotta have a horse and I gotta make
a break out of these hills. Now, look trigger, Well,
as I see it, there's only one way of getting
a horse and making sure you boys don't following the trigger.
Speaker 6: At least that's how I see it. So I guess
it don't leave me much choice, does it.
Speaker 3: He cocked his gun and a ray of sunlight glinted
off the barrel as he kilted up just a fraction
of an inch, and then his trigger fingers started curling
back real slow, like he was playing with us, making
us wonder which one of us. I wasn't sure which
one of us was gonna get at first, If it
was me, Sheriff Jane might have a chance to draw
before trigger I could fire again it. If it was
the sheriff, then I thought his aim was right between us.
He was tawny us, and he knew it. And the
slightest move by either one of us, Ah, that's right.
Keep on one and keep shaking nerves. Which one you.
Speaker 6: Think it's gonna be both because you're nice and close.
Speaker 3: And it's dragger. Figger kept tightening, slowly, slowly, and boys,
it's gonna be now. So for a split second, Trigger
just stood there, not moving. He fell down his face,
and I saw a rink rise up from behind a
rock about eight feet away.
Speaker 5: Ring roch shirt.
Speaker 4: Mister Parson.
Speaker 5: Uh we uh hello rang you you holy micro son.
You you short turned up at the right time. You
been hiding behind that rock all the time.
Speaker 4: You see me, didn't you, mister Parson? When I snip
up behind that rock. That's well you kept talking about
pa u.
Speaker 2: Uh well, uh, I.
Speaker 3: Thought I saw somebody. I thought I saw somebody. I
think it might be I sure hoped it was.
Speaker 4: I'm glad I heard what he said, mister Pansit otherwise
I'd never believed about I'm sorry I called you a
large share. I'm sorry. I I tried to get you
out here so right.
Speaker 5: Oh no, don't you worry about that.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 5: We were mighty grateful for what you did, both of us.
You sure and know how to handle it.
Speaker 3: Part hunting.
Speaker 4: I still didn't see how I get it. An they
kind of man who was also so good to.
Speaker 3: Me sure right.
Speaker 5: Oh I know, well, sounds like Takers still got some
life in him.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, Well we better be getting him back
to town. Come on right, give us a hand. Well,
I said I was gonna be alone on the Jenkins
place while I'm all Jenkins went east. That didn't seem
to be any good reason why Rink couldn't stay along
there for a while too, at least until the time
for school take up again. So I wrote a letter
back to his aunt explaining things. She wrote back. She
didn't seem to have any objections, but somehow, reading between
the lines, I got the fan she kind of missed
that boy rank and while one very long before he
began to miss her too.
Speaker 1: One of the finest things you can do is support
your local Community Chest or United Fund. Through them, you
can make just one yearly contribution that takes care of
many needs. Since only one campaign is staged, much time
and effort are saved. Your money is collected and administered
honestly and efficiently, So give generously to your Community Chest
or your local United Fund. The six Shooter is an
NBA SEE Radio Network production in association with Review Productions.
It is based on a character created by Frank Burt,
and the transcribed story is written by him. Mister Stewart
may currently be seen in the Universal International picture thunder Bay.
Others in the cast were Sammy Ogg, Russell Thorson, and
Tony Berrell.
Speaker 2: Special music for this program.
Speaker 1: 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.
Speaker 2: This is Hal Gibney speaking.
Speaker 3: Here.
Speaker 2: Stroke of Fate next on the NBC Radio Network.