James Stewart as the Six Shooter. The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother of pearl, and his handle unmarked. People call them both the Six Shooter. Coleman, America's leader in modern automatic home heating equipment, and the national broadcasting company, present James Stewart as the Six Shooter, a transcribed series of dramas based on the life of Brit Poncett, the Texas Plainsman who wandered to 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. In a few years, our public schools will be as behind the times as the Little Red Schoolhouse, and it's estimated that by 1956, there will be some seven million more children in elementary schools than there are now. More equipment will be needed, and above all, more elementary school teachers. To help assure your child a proper education, join and work with local groups and school boys. And for free information about how people in other communities are improving their schools, write to this address. National Citizens Commission for the Public Schools, 2 West 45th Street, New York 19, New York. Now, Act One of the Six Shooter, starring James Stewart. It was hot that afternoon, a low, crawling kind of heat that seemed to be following us as we rode along. The sun hadn't come out in the morning, but about noon it pushed through the clouds. Boy, it was hot. By four o'clock, when it should have been cooling off, it seemed hotter than ever. We still had about 15 miles to go before we'd hit lead crag. That is where I figured on getting a job helping lay track on that new spur line to Salt Lake City. I nut scarred on the plank when we headed down a little gully. His ears picked up and he jerked his head. I wasn't sure whether he'd heard something or just sensed it. You know, with a horse, it's pretty hard to tell where a hearing leads off and sense them begin. What's the matter, boy? Hey! Hey! Then I heard it, too. I wheeled scar off the trail, went about 20 yards before I saw him. He was lying in the shade of a yellow boulder in the plump of mesquite. A young fella, just lying there, he looked comfortable and relaxed like he was taking a siesta. But he couldn't have been enjoying himself too much, not with a big red stain like that across the front of his shirt. Ah! Ah! What's the trouble? I had a little accident. Yeah, yeah, look that way. What happened? My horse threw me a couple hours ago. I landed on my gun. It went off. See, you haven't got any water, have you? Sure, sure, yeah. Thanks. Lucky, lucky you came by, mister. You're a stranger, ain't you? I'm just passing through. Yeah, I'm not much of a doctor, but I'm a little bit of a doctor. I'm a little bit of a doctor. I'm a little bit of a doctor. I'm a little bit of a doctor. I'm a little bit of a doctor. Yeah, I'm not much of a doctor. Maybe I can fix a bandage for you for the time being. I already fixed one. Here's my shirt tail. It doesn't seem to be doing much good. Oh, yeah, let me see if I can tighten it. Hold on, I'll... You think you can ride? I don't know. You ain't seen my pony yet. You know, with a half moon on his leg? No, no, I can't say I have. Let's run off. Oh, now, just don't worry about him. My horse will get us into lead cricks. Lead cricks? Yeah, that's close to town, isn't it? Yeah, I guess it is. All right, now, let me give you a hand here. It ain't no use, miss. No, no, you gotta try. Now, just lean your weight on me. I'm never making it, is it? Okay, okay. There's a cabin up ahead. I'm so wet. I might be able to ride that far. That'd be better than staying here. Now, I'm gonna lift your feet up. That'll hurt plenty. Once you're in the saddle, you'll be all right. Now, here we go. There, there we are. I'll take it real slow. I'll walk alongside. There we are. I wasn't in the west, you said, huh? Yeah. I certainly appreciate this, mister. I certainly... He keeled over in the saddle. I managed to keep from sliding out when he started off. About 15 minutes later, I saw the cabin he'd been talking about. Wasn't much more than a shack, only two, three rooms and a couple of acres of fence been passed here on a barn. I led Scar up to the front stoop and lifted the young fellow off. He was still unconscious, which was all to my good, of course. I carried him up the front door and gave it a couple of kicks. Kicked again and he sprung open. Anybody home? Hello? Hello? Oh, my God. Now, you just lay there. I'll try and get some rest. I'll look around. Where? Where? He passed out again. I covered him with a blanket lying across the foot of the cot there. Supper was on the kitchen stove. These stoves smell pretty good. I opened the back door. I saw somebody cutting up a pile of kindling over near the barn. Whoever it was sure knew how to handle an axe. Where'd you come from? Now, I'm sorry if I frightened you, ma'am. I knocked on the front door, but I guess you couldn't hear me, huh? Ain't got no handouts for tramps. Go on, get out. Well, I'm not exactly a tramp, ma'am, although I'm not blaming you for thinking that. I've been riding for quite a while. What do you want? I, uh... I ran across a fellow a little while ago in a gully just east of here. He'd been shot up. Shot? Yeah, he said his gun went off accidentally. He's hurt pretty bad, and since this place here is with the closest... Where is he? I took the liberty of putting him in the cot inside there, so I hope you don't mind. She didn't wait even for me to finish. She just marched past me like I wasn't even there. I watched her for a second, then I followed her into the house. I'd never run into a woman exactly like her before. At first I thought she was a man, you know, the pants, the checkered shirt she was wearing, the way she chopped up kindling. They fooled me. She walked like a man, too, with stiff, square shoulders. Her eyes, they... They were a woman's eyes, all right. Kind of soft and young and frightened. Yeah. The rest of her had been as pretty as her eyes. She'd been a real fine little girl. Take that rag off me while I fix the new bandage. Yes, ma'am. It's a shame to tear up a fancy petticoat like that. I've got no need for petticoats, mister. Can you turn him on his side? Uh, uh, uh... That's better. Now, if I can just get the bleeding to stop. You, uh, you know him, ma'am? No. Why should I? Oh, I just thought, since he was in your neighborhood. Why don't you folks pass by here? That don't mean I know him. I don't know you neither. Oh, oh, sorry. My name's Ponset. Rick Ponset. Ponset. I've heard of you somewhere, haven't I? No, no, not likely. This is the first time I've been around, Wedcrick, here. Got a pocketknife? Uh, yeah. Thanks. I enjoyed your doing a real good job on him, you know. Your, uh, your husband off somewhere today? I'm not married. Oh, I see. It must get kind of lonely out here all by yourself, doesn't it? I like being alone. I want a lot of people around me. Mm-hmm. Ah, I can't say I blame you, I. I never been much on congregating myself. I, I always sort of like to... Well, you know, that bleeding's letting up a lot. All right, I guess I'll be shutting off, man. When I get into town, I'll send a doctor out here. No. Uh, no, no, you can't. What I mean is there is no doctor in Wedcrick. Oh? He moved away a couple of years ago. Well, there must be a doctor somewhere around here. No. Not within a hundred miles. I'll have to take care of him myself. Well, maybe I can find somebody to help you, you know. Since I brought him in here, I sort of feel... I'd rather do it alone. I'll manage all right. Well, that's quite a decent of you, but I... Him being a stranger, I... All right. Well, so long. Mr. Townsend. Yes, ma'am? You won't tell the folks in county's here. Hmm? Well, he's a stranger, like you said. He don't concern them, and... And I don't want them laughing at me. They'd say, Jenny Gavre's finally got herself a man. If he wasn't unconscious, she'd never manage this. So, you won't tell them, will you? Well, I... I don't suppose anybody will ask me about it. I... Easy, boy. Easy, easy. What are you looking at? Oh, I was just noticing those horses over in the pasture there. Those both yours? Yes, yes, they are. Why? No reason. No, I just... That pinto looks like a good animal to them. What do you call them? Name's Moon, because of the marking on its flank. Looks like a half moon. Yeah, yeah, I can see it, yeah. Well, I hope this patient doesn't give you too much trouble. All right, come on. The sun went down, but it didn't cool off much. Maybe when the moon came out, there'd be a little breeze. I've been riding for a couple hours since I left the cabin. Still had five or six miles to go before I hit Lead Creek. We were coming through a narrow canyon when I heard a little rustling sound. I thought I'd be able to get through. I thought I'd be able to get through. I thought I'd be able to get through. The next thing I know, I was behind a rock, I wasn't quite sure how I got there. I guess my legs sort of took over without me having to tell them what to do. You ain't got a chance, Nets. We're all around you. Come out from behind, go, lock them, keep your hands up. Well, I'd be glad to abide, but I ain't Nets. Whoever he is... Yeah, close the menagerie. Hmm? Hold it in there, Sheriff. Hmm? Oh. Well, looks like they made a little mistake, boys. You all right, mister? No serious damage, I guess. Well, I'm trying to barm it you, but what are you doing out here anyway? I was heading for town. I heard there might be some work on the new railroad, so I might sign up for a spell. I guess they can always use another man. My name's York. Sheriff Jim York. Nice to meet you, Sheriff. I'm Britt Pontus. Pontus? Some of they call six shooter. I didn't know you were in these parts. Boys, meet Britt Pontus. Britt, this is Sam Norville. Tom Jackson. Harry Potter. Howdy, howdy, howdy. Britt's the man who brought in the Phoenix Kid. Kid had the drop on him, too, but he never got a chance to pull a trigger. At least, that's the way folks tell it. Yeah, well, between the doing and the telling, you know, there's got to be some exaggeration. Well, anyway, I'm sure glad we run into you tonight. That six gun of yours may come in handy. Oh? Yeah, we're looking for Netlandy. That's who we thought you was at first. I figure something like that. Now, what's this Landy been up to? Trouble. For the last three months. Hold up a couple of shooting sprees. Woke him to Harry's bank last night and killed Harry's brother. I see. I've taken a posse after him before, but we always seem to lose him in these hills. We were getting the night, though. Picked up his trail this morning. Even spotted him for a minute or two on the far side of Devil's Canyon, over in the trees. I got off a shot. Thought I'd hit him for sure. I missed. My aim was off. Anyway, he gave us a slip again. What's he look like? Oh, he's young, about 23, I'd say. Short, wiry, white hair, rides a pintle. Pintle, huh? You ain't seen him? Yeah. Yeah, I guess I have. Yeah? Well, where was he? I left him at a cabin about nine miles back, and your aim was all right this morning, Sheriff. He's carrying a bullet in his stomach. I bet he'd shot himself by accident. The only cabin out this way is Jenny Garber's. That's the woman. That's the woman who lived there. Well, come on, boys. Let's go. Ain't you coming too, Britt? Oh, no. You won't need any help, Sheriff. That landing's not likely to last long enough for you to get him into town, I don't think. Well, we'll get him in all right. Doc will see to that. The Doc? But I understood there wasn't any... Sure. Sam here's the doctor. See, that's what he's been claiming for the past 20 years. Oh, yes. Just wait a minute, Sheriff. Hold on. You know, I've changed my mind. I think there may be a wheel ride I'll fare with you. We'll return to James Stewart as the six shooter in a moment. First, a word from Coleman, a coalman heater 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 three 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. Find his name and address in your telephone directory. Now, Act II of The Six Shooters starring James Stewart. About an hour and a half after I met up with the sheriff, we came to a little stream trickling down the hill just off the trail. I'd never heard from a passby before. I hadn't noticed any water around and scar hadn't smelled either. Air being too quiet and everything. We pulled up and gave the horses a chance to get a drink. Well, I guess there ain't no rush. And that's as bad off as you think. Yeah. Yeah. Was it something funny, Sheriff? I was just thinking about any garbors. Yep, she's finally got herself a man. He's going to be real temporary though. Yeah, and if he didn't have a bullet in him, I bet he'd take off the first time he got a look at her. Well, it'd take more than a bullet to keep me there. Me too, Sheriff. What is it? Something wrong with Jenny? Well, you've seen her, ain't you? Yeah. Yeah. Well? Well, I guess she's no beauty. Now, that's giving her the benefit of the doubt, Fox. Now, if you ask me, my horse is better looking than mine. You know, Sheriff, a lot of plain women seem to get along all right. Better than some of the pretty ones, you know. Well, it ain't just that Jenny's ugly, but she's so darn awkward and big. Why, even when she was a little girl living in town, she was always a head taller than any boy her age. And stronger, too. Well, I guess they've had enough drinks. You were. Everything was her folks were peculiar about Jenny. Wouldn't admit she was any different from the other girls. You remember how they used to dress her? All those fancy clothes with frills and ribbons. Wouldn't make her look twice as foolish as she would have otherwise. No. Her father used to make her the party, too, in square dances. But he was the only one who ever danced with her. No, sir. I don't think a single boy in town courted her. Not once. You're forgetting Willie Franklin. Oh, sure. Sure. Well, Franklin? Yeah. He's quite a cut-up. Made a bet one night with some of the fellas. Said he'd get Jenny to agree to marry him. He took her out in his wagon and proposed. Of course, he said, yeah. But he didn't know that Willie's friends were all hidden in the back of the wagon. At least, wife, he didn't know it until they all busted out laughing. Well, right after that, her folks died, wasn't it, Sheriff? Yeah. Yeah. That's when she bought this cabin. About five years ago, come to think of it. Well, Jenny can't be more than 25 or 26. Looked a whole lot older, though. Wouldn't you say so, Britt? Oh, I don't know. I'm not much good at judging ages, especially a woman. There's her place, up ahead. Lamp's still on. She must be up. Sure, she's up all right. First time she ever had a man within touch and distance, ain't it? Ooh. Ooh. What's the matter? Better leave the horses here and go the rest of the way on foot. Oh, no. Landy's not after giving you any trouble. Oh, you never can tell. You may be feeling better by now. Yeah, but not that much. Hey, he's seen us. Didn't waste no time about it, neither. Guess he wasn't as sick as you thought, Britt. Or else he'd made a mighty fast recovery. We'll never hit him from down here. What do you suppose happened to Jenny? I don't know. I've forgotten about her. She's probably got her half scared to death. Well, we'll have to rush him. It ain't going to be easy, Sheriff. With this moon, he's sure to spot us. Well, it's all we can do. Sam, you and Harry, see if you can make it up to the fence over there. Right. You okay? Okay. Now, I'll fire twice. That'll be the signal to close in. Now, hold on a minute, Sheriff. Just hold up here a minute. Now, if we go plowing up in front of that cabin, somebody's going to get hurt. Well, what's the matter, Ponset? You've been shot at before. Well, that doesn't mean exactly I like the idea. And besides, there's another way of getting in that door around back. And there are a couple of trees back there. Oh, no, he'll be watching the back door. That's no fool. I know, but it's worth a try, eh? All right. I'll go with you. Now, wait a minute, now. Just let me go alone. One man ain't as apt to be seen. You just keep firing. And if I ain't back in five minutes, well, we'll take him your way, huh? Five minutes. We won't wait no longer. I hunched down low and I started circling toward the rear of the cabin. There wasn't much cover. It was just rocks and a couple of scrub pines. Anyway, nobody was shooting at me yet. So far, nobody's seen me. I come up along the side of the barn. The back door was just ahead now. I still had about 20 hours to go. I ran forward and my foot caught on the ground. I tripped over some of the kindling and it stacked up there in the afternoon. I lay quiet for a minute. I just waited. It sounded to me like I'd made enough noise so they could hear it clear down the lead creek. Now, now, the shooting wasn't in my direction. So I got up on my knees. I raced for the cabin. I opened up the door. I kept on going. When I got into the living room, I... I...I saw I'd figured right. That was on the cot just where I'd left him. Hadn't moved. That was Jenny who was doing the firing. She swung around. She pointed the revolver at me. Her eyes weren't soft, not anymore. You told him. You brought him here. No, I had to, Jenny. I would have taken him away as soon as he was well enough. Why couldn't you let us alone? That killed a man last night, Jenny. I don't care. I don't care what he does. As long as he needs me, I'll stand by him and help him. He needed a hideout, didn't he? He must have been staying here for some time or his pony wouldn't have had enough sense to come back here with his own accord. They're going to start closing in, Jenny. You're not going to take him away from me. I won't let you. Net likes me. He told me he likes me. And he's the first person who ever did. Give me your gun, Jenny. Even if it isn't true. Even if he didn't really mean it, he doesn't laugh at me like the others. He doesn't mind my looks. Everybody said I'd be a homemade. Even my mother said it. But I won't. Not now. Net will take me with him. He'll marry me. I know he will. Jenny, listen to me. Don't you understand? I can't let you take him away. No matter what. Not even if I have to. Killing me won't help, Net. It's the only way I can keep him. I've got to stop you somehow. You and the others out there. Now, there's no way you can keep him, Jenny. He's dead. What? Now turn around. Turn around. Look, I'm not trying to catch you off guard. Just turn around. He hasn't been breathing since I came in. Oh, he loves me. Net loves me. All right, boys. Come on in. You all right, guys? I'm hungry. Oh, there he is. I might have known you'd take care of him. It was me, Sheriff. It was you. Huh? Your bullets from this afternoon. Well, be darned. I told you I was sure I'd hit him. Remember, Tom, I told you. Then how come he was able to hold us off just now? Well, he was a tough one to kill. He wouldn't give up. The strain of shooting at us must have finally finished him. Ain't that the way you figured, Brit? No, something like that. What's the matter with her? Does gunplay bother you, Jenny? Come on, come on. Get a hold of yourself. It's all over now. Well, sure is funny how women are scared of gunfire, every one of them, even Jenny. Well, she just goes to show you that underneath they're all pretty much alike. Yeah. Yeah, I guess they are. Well, that was buried the next day, and there was one bunch of flowers at the funeral, wild daisies. Folks just couldn't figure out who sent them. And, you know, they tell me that it was right about then that Jenny Garver started acting different. Oh, I don't mean she got prettier or anything like that, but she did seem more confident. She just seemed a little more sure of herself. People said if they didn't know better, they'd swear that a man had something to do with the way she changed, but of course they all knew better. I'd like to take a minute here to remind you about some of the great entertainment in store for you later in the week on NBC Radio. Next Friday night marks the fall return to the air of both the Bob Hope Show and the Phil Harris Alifay Show. Both these great comedy programs, formerly heard on different days, now join forces to make Friday night a top listening night on NBC Radio. The new Bob Hope Friday Night Show will feature well-known guest artists, the music of Les Brown and his band of renown, and the vocal talents of lovely Margaret Whiting. And, of course, Bob will be in there delivering his rapid-fire topical humor. You'll find that the Bob Hope Show is most enjoyable listening each Friday night on NBC Radio. And immediately following Bob Hope, listen to the Phil Harris Alifay Show. And Alice has her brother William to keep her informed of Phil's hilarious actions. Also in the talent-filled cast, you'll hear Julius Abruggio and little Alice and Phyllis. You'll hear wonderful comedy every Friday night beginning this Friday night on NBC Radio. Yes, for the best in Friday night radio entertainment, remember to tune where you hear the familiar three chimes for the Bob Hope Show and the Phil Harris Alifay Show. Two great programs returning this Friday to NBC Radio. Music. 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. The Six Shooter is an NBC Radio Network production in association with Revue Productions. It is based on a character created by Frank Burke, and today's transcribed story was written by him. Special music was by Basil Adlam, and heard in the cast were DJ Thompson, Jeff Kirkpatrick, George Neese, and Harry Bartlett. 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. How get me speaking?
