11x07 - The Medal

[bunniefuu]

Until I can dig my own wells,

I insist on being allowed to pay for
watering my stock on Ponderosa land.

There's absolutely no
necessity for that, Mr. Nagel.

I'd never charge any of my neighbors
for the use of Ponderosa water.

Every man has his own
rules, Mr. Cartwright.

- Absolutely.
- I'm new in Nevada.

If I accept no favors,
I'm under no obligations.

All right. You just use as
much of that water as you need

- and pay whatever you think is right.
- It'll be a fair price.

I need one of your stallions,
Mr. Cartwright, at a fair price.

Well, I think I have
two or three to sell.

I'll be in Carson City for
about a week or ten days.

As soon as I return
I'd like to see them.

Fine. Anytime you're ready.

A... a whiskey?

That'll be 20 cents.

OK, that's... that's reasonable.

I got a hole in my pocket.

I lost...

I'm broke. I need a drink.

I'm a good swamper.
I'll clean the whole place.

- Well, we got a swamper.
- Oh, just a minute.

This ought to be
worth something.

Not to me, mister. I've already
got a box full of those old medals.

I don't need any more.

Does that belong to you?

- Does that medal belong to you?
- Oh, yeah. Yeah. You want to buy it?

I'm surprised you'd be
willing to part with that.

Why not? You want
it, you can have it.

A couple of whiskeys, 40 cents.

When was the last time
you had something to eat?

Oh, eat?

I gave that up a long time ago.

A Yankee w*r medal.

What for? Being the
best drunk in the army?

This is the Congressional
Medal of Honor.

Welcome back.

How long was I gone?

Oh, you slept 24
hours, around the clock.

Where did I end up?

At my ranch, the Ponderosa.

I'm Ben Cartwright.

Matthew Rush.

You think I'll live?

Yes, I think you will, for a little
while, anyway. The doctor was here.

He said all you needed
was some rest and good food.

Oh, and no more
liquor for a while.

That sounds like something
a doctor would say.

And maybe he's right.

Oh, our cook, Hop Sing, is
a very good barber as well.

Where were you off to
when... this happened?

Just down the road.

Just down the road, hm?

Well, I'm afraid you're gonna
have to postpone your trip.

You're not gonna be
able to travel for a while.

Is there anybody
you'd like me to notify?

No, you've gone to a
lot of bother already.

- No bother.
- I can't pay you.

Have I asked you to?

I thought you might
want this back.

Go on, take it.

You're among friends, relax.

- No questions?
- No questions.

Yeah, I need a place
to catch my breath.

Good. I'll get you some
food. Be right back.

Oh, yeah. Here it
is. July 12, 1862.

"The president is authorized to
present in the name of Congress

a Medal of Honor only
to each person who,

in action involving actual conflict
with an enemy distinguishes himself

conspicuously by gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of his life

above and beyond
the call of duty."

Just about says it, don't it?

In... intrep...?

- Intrepidity.
- What that?

That means brave,
not afraid of anything.

Not for Hop Sing. sh**ting
start, Hop Sing run like a rabbit.

How many people have
been given the medal?

Let me see. Yeah, 47.

In four years of w*r,
that ain't many, is it?

- Well, they only give it to the best.
- And one of them winds up a drunk.

Why?

Only Matthew Rush
can answer that question.

He's made it very clear he
doesn't want to discuss it. Hop Sing!

Our guest is awake and hungry.

You'd better start him off
with soft boiled eggs, I guess.

Doctor tell Hop Sing soup first,
then egg, then steak and potatoes.

Soup ready long time.

Number one soup for intre...

Intre...

number one man.

Matthew Rush? Did he
say where he was from?

No. Nor where he's going,
nor what he does for a living.

Well, according to this
book he's lucky to be living.

It says here, "Most of the medals
had to be given posthumously.

Only a few men lived through the
combat action in which they won the award."

Hello.

I was looking for something
to do, some little chore.

I found a piece of
this over in the corner.

Yeah, I've been intending to
have that fixed for some time now.

Sure glad I waited
till you came along.

My father was a cabinet maker.

I used to watch him a
lot and I learned a little.

We could use a man with your
skills around here. Interested in a job?

No, I was gonna move on
as soon as I finished this chair.

Mr. Cartwright.

I took a bottle out
of your liquor cabinet.

Hope you don't
mind. I needed a drink.

Thanks for telling me.

Morning.

Good morning.

My daughter, Lori.
Lori, Ben Cartwright.

- My pleasure.
- Thank you.

- I've come to look at your stallions.
- Oh.

Well, they're in the corral up the
road about a mile. I'll get my horse.

No need. Plenty of
room for two in the buggy.

- Well, your daughter...
- No, Mr. Cartwright.

When Father is talking or buying
or selling horses, I stay clear away.

Let me help you.

Thank you.

- You have a very nice house.
- Well, thank you very much.

If it's all right, I'll stay
here and look around.

Why, certainly. Make
yourself at home.

- I'll get Hop Sing our cook to...
- Oh, don't worry about me.

Just take Father to see your horses
before he explodes from pure impatience.

All right.

Hello.

If you're looking for
Mr. Cartwright, he's probably...

He's in a horse trading dicker
with my father in the north pasture.

I'm Lori Nagel.

Matthew Rush. Do
you live around here?

Father bought the
Bocksay. We just moved in.

- Where from?
- Georgia.

Oh, I thought I detected some
Georgia or South Carolina in your voice.

If I get a guess, too, your
voice says... New England.

But we're both Nevada now.

Well...

An old friend.

My mother had an armchair
something like this in her sewing room.

It was one of her favorites.

Mine, too.

- It's a good chair.
- Was.

Ours are ashes now.
We were b*rned-out.

That's why Father
moved the family out west.

Mr. Cartwright, I
like this chestnut.

- There's some Tennessee Walker in him.
- Yep, for steadiness.

And gait.

I've owned some Walkers made you
think you've saddled a rocking chair.

I think I see how you
achieved your bloodline.

A careful selective crossing
of Walker, Morgan and Arab.

And Texas cow pony.

Texans are breeding and raising
very fine cutting and quarter horses.

I know that.

A young Texan once
bet me his burr-tailed pony

could b*at one of my
thoroughbreds to the quarter pole,

winner take both horses.

That's how the Willow
Bend bloodline went to Texas.

Did you say Willow
Bend? Willow Bend Farm?

A well-known name once.

Oh, it still is, still is, in the record
and stud books, jumpers and hunters.

Didn't you enter one of your
horses in the Grand National?

Two of them.

They ran out of the money, but
I'm proud to say they both finished

and neither refused a jump.

We were going to saddle
up a winner next time out.

Sherman's men put
the torch to that dream.

They b*rned my house and barns,
stole my horses, butchered my beef.

The shock k*lled my wife.

My apology, sir. I didn't mean
to start fighting the w*r again.

Well, some wounds
take a long time to heal.

I have a few of those myself.

Some never heal.

I like clean
simplicity of design.

This would be a
very pretty house.

This is the main room,
bedroom, kitchen.

- Doorway.
- You must be a bachelor.

Yeah, how'd you know?

'Cause that's a man's house.
Women like big kitchens.

Oh. Well, here. We can fix that.

There's a big one!

Well, we'll have some extra rooms
added on. One, two... As the family grows.

And white curtains
and red window boxes.

- Sure. All right. White curtains...
- When do you start building?

Oh, I don't know. I don't
really want to or need to.

I thought everybody
wanted a home.

Lori?

- What are you doing in here with him?
- Talking.

Mr. Rush was just showing me the
plans to a house he wants to build.

Get away from him!

I don't understand. Why?

I'll tell you why.

This Mr. Rush is a w*r hero.

President Lincoln gave him the highest
decoration they have. He's a Yank!

Like the one k*lled your brother,
Billy Wayne, and two of your uncles.

- Father, please.
- b*rned Willow Bend to the ground.

Caused your mother's death.

A man wins the big Yank
medal, he had to do a lot of k*lling.

I know this is your place,

but there's a time when a
man has to say what he thinks.

You said a little while ago you
didn't want to go on fighting the w*r.

And I meant it.

What Sherman's
men did wasn't w*r.

There was no possible
m*llitary reason or excuse

for the burning and the
looting and the destruction.

That I'll never forgive.

You keep away from
me and mine. Clear away!

Coming?

No, I don't think so. I can
start getting the supplies.

Oh, we can load
those after the service.

No, that's all right,
Mr. Cartwright. Give me the list.

I'll go get them.
I'll get it started.

- Father, will you excuse me, please?
- What for?

The bazaar... The minister
asked me to go back.

All right, don't be long.

Hey, mister!

My pa says you won a medal
for k*lling soldiers in the w*r.

- How many did you k*ll, mister?
- Go on, w*r hero.

Tell him. How many was it?

- Hello.
- The church bazaar next week.

- Oh, Thursday? I'll be gone.
- It's for a very good cause.

New books for the school.
Barn dance, games, prizes.

Will you be there?

I have charge of one of the
booths serving cakes and pies.

We waited at the ranch as long as we
could. We got to be in Concho by noon.

It's always nice to see you boys, but
didn't we say our goodbyes last night?

Yeah, we did, but we got
to packing the chuck wagon

and we found some
supplies was missing.

Well, you did send the chuck
wagon on ahead, didn't you?

Yeah, three hours ago.

That's why Hoss brought
an extra packhorse,

to carry the supplies
we're gonna get from you.

What took you so
long, long sermon?

No, not overly long.

It just took a while to read
all the plans and prizes

- for the bazaar and the street fair.
- The street fair? When's that?

Next Thursday
afternoon and evening.

Oh, you mean
we're gonna miss it?

Are they gonna have a barn
dance, like they did last year?

Yeah. And a sh**ting gallery,

with 30 donated prizes,
including a solid gold watch

and a booth with the prettiest gals
in the congregation selling kisses.

Hey, Pa, don't you think
I ought to stick around?

I mean, don't you figure the
Ponderosa needs to be represented?

Well, Matthew and I'll
represent the Ponderosa, Hoss.

Well, there goes the
pancake-eating championship.

Hoss, why don't you take the
buckboard and leave us the packhorse?

I think we'd wind up
with more supplies.

Well, I thought about that, Pa,

but I don't know what we'd do with
three kegs of nails on a trail drive.

Hey, Matthew,
supper's on the table.

- Can you spare me a minute?
- Sure.

Hey!

I was gonna move
on in the morning.

- Any special destination?
- No, just down the road.

But if the offer's still open,

I'd like to work for you
until after the bazaar,

for room and board
or for this old chair.

Well, I'll be glad to have
you, Matthew, at top hand pay.

As far as this chair is concerned, I
was figuring on throwing it out anyway,

'cause I didn't think it was worth
anything, so it's all yours, no charge.

We'd better have some supper before Hop
Sing decides to feed it to the chickens.

Come on. Looks good.

Whoa.

Now, sh**ting
gallery is that way.

The barn dance is that way.

And here's an advance
against your pay.

Advance? That's
more than an advance.

And the pie and cake booth is just back
there where we passed it, if you saw it.

Miss Lori?

Lori will be away for a few moments.
Is there anything I can do for you?

Well, I brought this chair as a gift for
her. Would you tell her that, please?

Your name? She'll
want to know who left it.

She'll know who
left it. Thank you.

Draw!

Three bottles in five seconds.

That's the fastest and
best sh**ting of the day.

All right, gentlemen.
Five sh*ts for one dollar.

And every man that can hit three
bottles in five seconds wins a cash prize.

And the man who sh**t the
fastest and the best for the day

wins a solid gold watch.

- Who's got the best time so far?
- You have.

Well, all right. Who's next? Ah!

- Ben! Ben Cartwright. How about you?
- Oh, no.

Well, how about
your friend there?

Sure, the medal man.

Big w*r hero. Come
on, show us how to do it.

I'm sorry. I don't have a g*n.

No trouble at all. We brought g*ns
and belts for all who forgot to wear them.

All paid-up here. Be
worth it to see you sh**t.

You don't have to do
anything you don't want to.

Ah, that's all right, Mr. Cartwright.
It's all in fun, and for a good cause.

Are you ready?

Draw!

Well, sorry. Strange g*n.

You probably could do
better with your own w*apon.

No, it felt fine. I just missed.

Wasn't the p*stol that
bothered him. It was the targets.

w*r hero like that doesn't
want to pop away at bottles.

He needs live
targets to g*n down.

That's enough of that now.

It's true.

You put men in there for
targets, I'll bet you he doesn't miss.

You don't know when
to quit, do you, Walt?

I haven't even started
yet, Mr. Cartwright.

I'm not about to quit till I
run that medal-wearing Yank

clear out of the
state of Nevada.

All right, gentlemen, let's see
who can win a solid gold watch!

Fastest and best sh*t of the
day wins a solid gold watch.

That's right, sir.
Step right up here.

You dance as pretty
as you look, Miss Lori.

- Why, thank you.
- Gonna dance every dance with you

- the rest of the evening.
- Oh, well I'm sorry.

I've already promised the
next dance. Mr. Cartwright?

I think this is our
dance, isn't it?

Oh, yes, of course.
I... I'd forgotten.

Excuse me, ladies.

- Thank you for saving my life.
- My pleasure.

- Will you tell me something?
- If I can, yes.

Well, somebody left a chair for me at
the booth today, a beautiful armchair.

I think I know why, but
after the terrible things

that my brothers and father
said to him, why would he?

Young lady, have you had a
good look at yourself in the mirror?

Well, if you doubt that, I suggest
you ask the young man himself.

He's sitting in our
wagon over there,

at least that's where I
left him a little while ago.

I... I do have to say thank you.

- Oh, Miss Lori. Good evening.
- Mr. Rush.

- Thank you for the chair.
- Oh, it was nothing.

But it is. It's lovely.

Well, if you say so.

Uh... I know you don't
want a drink, do you?

Do you mind if I do?

It's a beautiful chair.

That's the Yankee way of saying
I'm sorry your house b*rned down.

Please. That wasn't
your fault or mine.

That was just something that
happened, like the thunder, the lightning.

Besides, it's over and done.

Well, some people
haven't been so informed.

You bought one of my pies.

Yes, I went by your booth a
couple of times, and I bought one.

- But you haven't even tasted it.
- I will, if you'd care to join me.

No, I can't stand
my own cooking.

Well, in that case I'll
save it for breakfast.

Well, now, that's a
silly time to eat pie.

I do silly things all the time.

To tell you the truth, I went looking
for you. I wanted to say goodbye.

- When are you leaving?
- In the morning.

Well, maybe you'll find a
place to build that house.

It's not likely.

You know, your folks back at the
party are gonna be missing you.

If you belonged to me, I'd
be concerned about you.

That music sure sounds good
when you're away from it, doesn't it?

Makes you want to dance. It
just keeps asking you to dance.

Here, by yourself?

Here, but not by myself.

Oh, well, Miss Lori,

if you're willing to take a chance
with a man who's had one too many...

- Or two too many.
- Or two too many.

I'd be honored
to dance with you.

I'm sure I can put up with you.

Guess it's not my day.

Gentlemen.

Where's Lori? Time
we headed home.

She's not dancing. Maybe
she's over at the cake booth.

Could be getting
her fortune told.

Well, find her. I'll
meet you at the wagon.

You get out of the way.

- Pa will take care of you.
- Walt, stop it.

There's a fight!
There's a fight!

Pa warned you to stay
clear of her, of all of us.

Walt, I asked him
to dance with me.

I asked him!

'Cause you're a big Yank w*r hero,
you think you can walk right over us.

Well, blue-belly, I'm
gonna prove you wrong.

- Now get up.
- Walt, wait!

- Get her out of here and keep her out.
- Lori, come here. Lori.

- Get up.
- I'm not gonna fight with you.

You'll get up and you'll fight.

You get up, or I'll drag you up and
down every street in Virginia City.

It's over. You hear that?

It's over, I don't care who
started this or why, but it's over.

I proved what I wanted to.

Oh, tell me, will you?
What did you prove?

- That I'm better than you are.
- That you're better than me?

That's some ambition.

Walt, no!

Lori don't need
none of your trash.

Did you hear that, Ben? He said
he wanted to be better than me.

No bones broken.

I guess the bruises and
the cuts will all heal up nicely.

- Want some of this medicine?
- No, that's all right.

I'm sorry you had to
go to all that trouble.

I'm sorry I didn't
get there sooner.

Well, if you had, you would
have disappointed a lot of people.

Why, do you think they enjoyed
watching you getting b*at up like that?

They all stayed and watched.

Are you surprised that a man who
won't go to church owns a Bible?

Yes, a little.

Take a look at the inscription.
You'll be surprised even more.

"Presented to Matthew Rush
from his fellow graduates...

Yale University, 1860.

The honor student in
an honored profession."

- Are you an ordained minister?
- You're half right.

I was an ordained minister.

My father wanted me to be a
builder, but I had another star to follow.

The proudest day of my life
was the day I was ordained.

Then came Fort
Sumter and the w*r.

And that turned me
away from the ministry.

Why?

Well, how could I stand
in front of a congregation,

and preach about loving my
fellow man when all I saw was hate,

and I was part of it?

Yes, most soldiers have had to
force themselves to forget that.

But most haven't
forgotten or forgiven.

You take Seth
Nagel and his sons.

They carry their hate
around like a flag.

- Well, not everybody's like that.
- Well, perhaps not.

But all those good people tonight,
they wanted to see a fight in the dirt.

The North against the
South, the w*r all over again.

Yeah.

Yes, there are some.

There'll always be some.

The rest of us just keep trying.

And praying for some
miracle to help up along.

Well, I for one
am out of miracles.

I think I'll be leaving
in the morning.

This isn't the same way we went
to Virginia City the other day, is it?

No, no. It's just a little
longer, but it's pretty country.

And since you're leaving, I thought
you should have a chance to see it.

Some trappers passed through
this spring, got drunk, set fire to it.

Ah, that's too bad. A
beautiful place to build.

The people who lived here
must have been awfully unhappy.

Yes, they were.

Strange looking building for a
home. It was all one big room.

It was, but one room was enough.

This was a church?

Did you bring me
out here deliberately?

It was just a little
out of our way.

Is it gonna be rebuilt?

Yes, I think so.

What happened to the
minister that was here?

Oh, he went on to another
town, another church.

- Well, I wish you luck with it.
- Matthew.

You say you saw
the destruction of w*r.

The... the waste.

You see it right here.

But after a w*r, man
rebuilds, like this will be rebuilt.

With sacrifice and courage.

If we give up on ourselves...
we have no place to go.

Well, if we don't see
each other again, goodbye.

Good luck to you.

Morning, Sam.

- Morning, Ben.
- How's the missus?

Complaining. She'll live to be 100,
and still complain about all her miseries.

What can I do for you?

I want to send a telegram.

- Who's it go to?
- The w*r Office, Washington, D.C.

- Good morning, Mr. Cartwright.
- Morning, morning.

- What brings you out here?
- That, uh... That Yank, that Rush.

He's building right
next to my land.

Yes, he's building a church.

I don't care what it is. Let
him build it somewhere else.

Well, it's an ideal location. The road
runs right past and it's close to town.

Cartwright, that's your
land. You can run him off.

- Well, what is there about a church...?
- It isn't the church!

It's the man that's building it, the
man that won that k*lling medal.

Cartwright...

Cartwright, I commanded
a company of men, 250,

and I sent 36 survivors
back to their families.

36 out of 250.

And all for what? For
nothing. We lost it all.

And you're asking me

to let a man like that build
a church facing my land?

Let it stand there and remind
me of what he, and others like him

did to all but a few of my men?

No, no. No!

Mr. Nagel, there are a
lot of men in this town

who fought against each
other in that same w*r.

Now they're
neighbors and friends.

Give it a chance to
work. Make an effort.

I'll ask you one more time.

Take back that land,
send him packing.

He stays.

And the church gets built.

Father, I've asked
very little of you.

The answer's no.

Has it gone so far that you won't
even let me ask before you say no?

Look, what harm has he done you?
And I don't mean the Yankee army.

I mean Matthew Rush.

He wore the uniform.
That's harm enough.

There are a thousand people in
Virginia City who wore that uniform.

Are you gonna try and
run them all out of Nevada?

Only the one that got
the top medal for k*lling.

- And if he won't go?
- He'll go.

One way or another, he'll go.

- Pa, wagon's all loaded.
- Got everything we need?

Everything we need.

You stay in the house till we
get back. Do you hear me, Lori?

I hear you.

Ugly looking stuff, isn't it?

About ready now, Pa.

Did you ever see a
man tarred before?

- Time for talking is over, Pa.
- I'll say when it's over.

Have you?

It's not a pretty sight.

A man carries the
scares of it to his grave.

I'll give you one more chance.

Pack up tonight and
get out, I'll call this off.

Stubborn, mule-headed Yankee!

Told you time for
talking was over.

Well?

Get on with it.

Hold it!

Untie him.

Do what he says.

This won't stop it, Cartwright. It
may set it back, but it won't stop it.

- What will? A k*lling?
- If it takes that.

You ought to know something about
the man you're so intent on k*lling.

This came to me in
reply to a telegram I sent

- to the w*r Department in Washington.
- Ben, I wish you wouldn't read that.

I want them to know.

"Subject: Citation to
Lieutenant Matthew Rush,

Army of the United States.

On July 2nd, 1863,
at Chancellorsville,

an a*tillery barrage had forced both
Union and Confederate forces to retreat

leaving behind their wounded.

It was considered
impossible to re-enter the area.

Lieutenant Rush,
although severely wounded,

and with disregard for his own life
entered said area again and again

under heavy bombardment,

and pulled to safety
those wounded soldiers,

both Union and Confederate,
he was able to find.

He remained with them, giving
them medical aid and spiritual comfort,

Lieutenant Rush being
an ordained minister,

until his own wounds
rendered him unconscious.

For this heroic
and unselfish act

his grateful government is proud to
award to Lieutenant Matthew Rush

the Congressional
Medal of Honor.

Abraham Lincoln, President
of the United States."

Why? Why didn't you tell me?

This, all of it, wouldn't have
happened if I had known. Why?

I'm Matthew Rush, a
human being, my friend.

I want to be accepted for what
I am, not for something I did.

It's over. Build your church.

Thank you, Ben.

Well, you can start
work in the morning.

No. It's no use.

Why? They're not gonna
give you any more problems.

You mean they'll tolerate me.

No, it's not the right
foundation to start to build on.

Matthew, how do you think I
knew what was going on here today?

When she came to me and told me,

she had no idea how
you had won that medal.

Now, it doesn't take too
much to start a miracle.

One step at a time.

Show me what you're building.