It's mid day as Sarah and Ethan tend the garden. Inside the house, Gus is beginning to stir. He slowly blinks his eyes open. He's confused and disoriented and tries to sit up, but quickly realizes that he's been wounded and he grimaces in pain, "Aah!" Gus falls back on the bed.
Just then Ethan comes into the house and notices that Gus is awake. Surprised, Ethan stops dead in his tracks and stares at Gus who's in a foul mood. Gus snaps at Ethan, "Who are you kid?" Ethan continues to stare at Gus but says nothing. Gus growls at him again, "Well who are ya, speak up!" Ethan stutters out his answer. "I'm, I'm Ethan."
Gus forces himself to sit up as he groans and takes note of his wounded arm. Then Gus looks back at Ethan and snarls, "Where am I?" Ethan manages an answer. "This here's our house." Gus looks around. "Who's here sides you kid?" Ethan answers right away, "Jus Ma. She's out tendin the garden." Gus grits his teeth, then snaps, "Git her!"
Ethan quickly turns bolts for the door. Gus looks around some more and spots his gun belt on the side board. Just then Ethan runs back in and proclaims, "Ma's comin". A moment later, Sarah enters and looks at Gus for a moment before asking, "How ya feelin Mr. Baxter?" Gus is a mite puzzled and squints his eyes to size up Sarah. "How'd you know my name?" Sarah motions toward the side board. "Yer names carved inside yer gun belt." Gus is still sizing up Sarah as he asks, "Since you seem ta know my name, what's yer's?" Sarah continues the conversation with, "My names Sarah and this here's Ethan." Ethan can't stand it, he has to ask, "Are you Gus Baxter the famous gunfighter?" Gus ignores Ethan's question and turns to Sarah. "How long have I been here?" Sarah answers, "Yer horse drug you in late yesterday. You were hurt pretty bad. Ethan an me brung ya in here an fixed ya up best we could."
Gus looks at his bandaged arm, then back at Sarah. "Well whoever it was that ambushed me, chewed up my arm pretty good. Did ya git the bullet out?" Sarah answers with, "The bullet passed clean through yer arm". Suddenly, Gus starts struggling to get off of Ethan's bed. "Well ma'am I thank ya fer takin me in, an fer all the doctorin." Gus manages to stand up. "I gotta head out directly, but I'm powerful hungry. Could I trouble ya fer some vittles?" Sarah half smiles as she answers, "We'd be glad ta share some food with ya, but yer too bad hurt to go ridin off somewhere."
Gus is grouchy, hurting and has no patients for Sarah as he snarls, "Jus get me some vittles woman and let me tend ta how bad I'm hurt." Sarah takes Gus's temper with a grain of salt. "Like I said, we'd be happy ta share our food. If ya want ta be foolish that's up ta you." With that, Sarah goes to prepare a plate of stew while Gus slowly walks across the room. Then Ethan asks again, "Well, are ya? Gus looks over at Ethan. "Are I what?" Ethan continues. "Gus Baxter, the famous gunfighter?" Gus half smiles and answers, "Yeah kid, such as I am." Ethan's eyes get big and he can hardly contain his excitement. "Golly! A real gunfighter, an right in our house!" At Ethan's outburst Gus snaps back quick and stern, "Ya keep yer trap shut about that kid. Don't be tellin nobody I'm here." Sarah turns to quickly save Ethan from Gus's anger. "Ethan, that'll be enough. Never you mind all that gunfighter talk. Now go on."
Gus slowly takes a seat at the table and checks his painful arm again as Sarah serves Gus a plate of stew. Ethan doesn't leave, he just stands there staring at Gus. Gus quickly grabs a fork with his left hand and starts attacking his food. Ethan is surprised and asks, "Ain't ya gunna say a blessin Mr. Baxter?" Gus continues attacking his food and talks with his mouth full. "Blessin fer what?" Ethan answers, surprised by what he sees, "Ta thank God fer yer food". Gus keeps eating, then wipes his left sleeve across his mouth. "God didn't give it to me, yer Ma did." Ethan looks at his Ma who says, "Go on outside Ethan." Not wanting to leave, Ethan says a low, "Yes ma'am" as he turns and shuffles outside.
Gus half watches Ethan as he continues eating his stew. "Nice kid, but a mite too many questions." Just then Sarah sets Gus straight about a thing or two. "Mr. Baxter, this here is a Christian home. When we take food, we give thanks ta God fer providin it." But Gus has no patients for all this and snarls, "Then you'd best thank God yerself" snaps Gus. With that, Sarah bows her head and prays silently as Gus finishes eating his stew. After a moment, Sarah looks back up.
Gus looks at her and says, "I expect you go ta Sunday meetin an the only fun ya have is readin bout all them dead folks in the Bible. Everythin else is pretty much a sin." Sarah says nothing. "Then when ya talk it's, Bless the Lord, an God's will be done, an Amen this, an Amen that." Sarah is determined not to let Gus get to her so she asks, "Then I take it Mr. Baxter, that you've been around God fearin folks before?" Gus shoots back an answer with, "Time er two. Jus enough ta put me off." Gus pushes away his empty stew plate and gives Sarah a cold look.
As Sarah reaches out to take the plate, Gus offers, "That was mighty tasty, I ain't had home cookin in a spell." Sarah takes the plate and says, "Thank you Mr. Baxter." Sarah heads over to the side board as Gus asks, "What was yer name again?" Sarah doesn't look back at Gus as she answers. "Sarah, Sarah Johnson." Gus asks her more. "Whar's yer man?" Concerned, Sarah pauses a moment before she answers. "He caught the fever last year an the Lord saw fit ta take im." Gus looks at Sarah for a moment then says, "There it is agin, the Lord saw fit." Sarah becomes angry, she turns to look at Gus and her eyes bore into Gus's eyes as she sternly says, "Mr. Baxter, like I said before, an just in case you weren't listening. This is a Christian home. Now yer not beholdin to us an all, cause we took ya in, but I will not stand fer any more ah yer makin fun of our Lord an savior. Not while yer in this house. Which will be no longer than you have ta be."
Gus doesn't like being talked to that way by anyone, and especially not a woman. In pain, he grabs his wounded arm as he gets to his feet and barks back with, "Well that suits me jes fine. I'm headin out." "Where's the nearest town?" Sarah takes a deep breath, calms down and answers "Logan's bout five miles east ah here." Sarah is trying to smooth things over a bit as she says, "Yer welcome ta stay the night so's you can heal up a mite more." As Gus walks over to the side board to get his gun belt he says, "I best be headin out." Just then Ethan comes back in and see's Gus at the side board getting his gun belt. Not understanding, Ethan asks, "Mr. Baxter, you leavin?" Sarah looks over at Mr. Baxter and can't resist making a remark. "Mr. Baxter is a stubborn man Ethan. He thinks he has to get on his horse an head fer Logan. Even if he might start bleedin again."
Ethan really wants Gus to stay a while longer as he says, "Mr. Baxter, if you stay here tonight, that means you can have breakfast with us, and Ma's griddle cakes are real good." Gus looks at Ethan and asks, "That right?" Ethan happily adds, "There real good, specially wif sorghum, and lots of it." Sarah chuckles and adds, "Ethan likes griddle cakes with his sorghum." Gus just says, "Well I can't stay kid. Is my horse in yer barn?" Disappointed, Ethan answers in a low voice, "Yes sir, I put him there yesterday and fed him some hay." Gus grimaces a bit as he tries to tighten his gun belt with his right arm, "Well saddle im him up." Unhappy, Ethan answers, "Yes sir Mr. Baxter." Gus continues trying to tighten his gun belt with his right hand. He winces a bit, but somehow manages to get it buckled and ready. As Sarah watches, she can't resist a comment, "Yep, yer a stubborn man." Gus looks up at her. "Well you ain't the first ta say so, but who ever it was that ambushed me is likely right on my trail, an I don't want him catchin up with me here." Gus snugs up his gun belt one last time and starts heading for the door, then stops and turns toward Sarah as he says, "Thanks, I'm much obliged." And with that he walks out the door.