EXT. - A GRASSY FIELD -- AFTERNOON
CLOSE: A pair of boots walk deliberately towards the camera.
CLOSE: A hand squeezes again and again alongside a gun sitting in it’s holster. CLO
SE: Steel eyes focus dead ahead at an unseen target. The impression of a gunfighter about to face a deadly foe. Concentration intense.
CLOSE: A hand reaches for the revolver, like lightning, firing off two successive shots.
ANGLE: TARGET painted on a tree, exploding wood chips blasted away.
CLOSE: The gun spins in the hand of the shooter, before reholstering quickly and efficiently.
REVEAL: HICKOK
taking satisfaction at his marksmanship. He smiles. A man proud of a job welld done.
You have something against trees?
Hickok spins. A young woman has ridden up behind him.
Huh?
Hickok stands across from SARAH DOWNS, maybe twenty, a green-eyed, red-headed beauty. She sits upon her horse and Hickok can’t stop staring. This time, she says it louder.
I said do you have something against trees?
Hickok’s tongue-tied.
Well......No......What I mean is, I was just practicin’.
SARAH
Good idea. You never know when one of those mean trees is gonna sneak up on you from behind.
She backs her horse up a few steps and smiles flirtatiously:
Are you as good on a horse as you are with a gun?
HICKOK
What?....
But before Hickok can finish, Sarah pulls back on the reigns of her horse and rides off as suddenly as she appeared.
HICKOK watches as she disappears into the distance then holsters his gun, and runs for his horse. Hickok hops aboard, gives his pony a hefty slap and he’s off in pursuit.
EXT. HORSE TRAIL
Trees surround both sides of a trail as we hear a full gallop closing in. Sarah crashes through frame, as if she were one with the horse. there is a brief moment of silence as the gust of wind sends leaves scattering to the trail.
HICKOK suddenly bursts into frame. A man possessed, he’s gonna catch her if it’s the last thing he does - and it almost is- a low hanging branch sways just ahead, Hickok diving off his horse just before decapitation, and crashing to the dirt.
SARAH hasn’t slowed down a bit, her horse’s nostrils flared, it’s mane gracefully blowing up and down. A creek splits the path up ahead, but instead of slowing down, Sarah speeds up, her hrose taking air, and gracefully leaping the creek, coming up running in stride on the other side.
HICKOK slowly gathers himself, lifting his sore body off the ground. He wipes off the dirt as he stares out at the now empty trail. Finally, frustrated, he gathers himself, climbs back on his horse, and heads back to Emma’s.
EXT. EMMA’S WAY STATION - NIGHT - ESTABLISHING
INT. EMMA’S
Dinner’s halfway through. The Kid, Lou, Cody, Ike, Teaspoon, Emma and Hickok are gathered around the table.
(impassioned)
I’m tellin’ ya. She was the most beautiful woman I ever seen.
The Kid
Sounds like you made a hell of an impression of yourself.
CODY
Yeah. One close look at you and she took off for the next county.
Ike hand signals. Touches his nose.
He said most times they usually got to get a whiff of you before you sacre um that bad.
Laughter all around. Everyone’s having a great time at Hickok’s expense, except for Lou, who watches him carefully.
All I know is I wanna see her again.
CODY
Fast as she was travellin’, you might try California.
More laughter, then....
I don’t see what you guys are so jealous of?
KID
What do you mean jealous?
LOU
I mean, it don’t hurt seeing one of you takin’ a fancy to somethin’ besides yourselves.
Takin’ a fancy? What are you talkin’ about?
Lou speaks to Hickok, but her comments are directed to the Kid.
What I’m sayin’ here is you’ve got feelin’s stirrin’ up inside.
(look at the Kid)
...And you’re tryin’ to do something about it.
THE KID
There’s nothin’ wrong with being careful and goin’ slow. He doesn’t know anything about her.
LOU
(to the Kid)
Wait too long and sometimes the right time passes you by.
There’s some nervous tension. Emma doesn’t quite get why.
This all kinda reminds me of the story of the three frogs. One day, this here girl frog devised a jumpin’ contest ‘tween a couple bullfrogs that caught her eye. Well the first frog jumped like there was no tommorrow, while the second one was real careful and took his time.
LOU What happened?
TEASPOON
Well, the first bull frog, he overshot the mark and had to double back, while the second one plopped along nice ‘n easy and got there right about the same time.
CODY
So which frog got the girl?
TEASPOON
Neither. By that time she was tired of both of um and went on to the next pond. Funny thing about girl frogs. You don’t catch them. They catch you.
The table is silent. They all look at eachother. Huh?