THE REFORMATION OF HARRY BRISCOE
(Another good episode requiring a bit of searching for an unfinished or missing scene. I would love to extend the boys conversation with Sister Julia about their childhood days, but that's another story, perhaps).
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"He's dead, Heyes," Curry said as both men squatted near the lifeless body of Sam, the man who, after tying Harry Briscoe to a Joshua tree, had run off with the thirty thousand dollars he had discovered hidden in Molly's veil.
"Well, let's check the barn for a couple of shovels. We can't just leave his body out here in the hot sun to bake into fine crisp for the wolves."
"You sure do offer up some mighty fine last words for this fellow, Heyes," Curry replied, a bit repulsed by Heyes description.
"Heyes shrugged. "True, ain't it?"
Kid stood up and waited for Heyes before making his way to the barn. "This is gonna leave Harry out there in that hot sun a while longer."
"You worried about that, Kid?"
A somewhat devious smile spread across Kid's face. "Not really," he replied.
Finding two shovels, they both removed their vests and shirts and rolled up the sleeves of their Henleys.
"There's a nice shady spot over there, Kid," Heyes replied, thinking more of his own comfort than of Sam's eternal resting place.
It took them over an hour to dig a hole deep enough to keep wild animals from digging up. Next they returned to the body and lugged it over next to the grave.
"Check his pockets for money, Heyes. It's a known fact you can't take it with you."
Heyes frowned at Kid. "You mean in addition to the thirty thousand dollars he stole?"
"Yeah, pocket change, Heyes. It would be a waste burying money with him."
Heyes sighed heavily but did check Sam's pockets and came up with two dollars and forty-seven cents.
"How about his boots, hat, and gun, Kid?" Heyes asked sarcastically.
"Naw, you're supposed to always bury a man with his boots on, don't you know anything, Heyes?" Kid asked, completely missing his partner's sarcasm. "What kind of gun's he got?" Kid added.
Heyes pulled Sam's gun from his holster and tossed it at Kid who caught it as though it was a stick of lit dynamite.
"Heyes, there's bullets in this gun. You could of killed me!"
"Sorry, Kid, wouldn't want to do that. It's too damn hot to dig a second grave."
Kid looked at Heyes, wondering why he would say such a mean thing to him. But the thought vanished when Kid began to examine the gun. Finally he handed it back to his partner.
"Might as well give the gun a proper burial, too. It's in worse condition than yous."
"We done ransacking a dead body?" Heyes asked. "Cause if we are, we might as well lower him into this hole and get him covered up."
"Alright," Kid replied, reaching for Sam's legs.
Once Sam was finally laid to rest, Heyes and Curry headed back to their horses, the thirty thousand dollars tucked neatly away in Heyes' saddle bags.
"You think Harry really has reformed?" Kid asked as they rode back to the Joshua tree.
"I hope so, cause he sure does give outlaws a bad name," Heyes replied.
"Think he'd go back to being a Bannerman if he could?"
Heyes smiled. "I hope so, cause he gives them a bad name, too."
"He's really sort of a poor soul, don't you think?"
"How's that, Kid?"
"Well, he really don't manage well on either side of the law."
"That's true."
"Too bad he can't just sit on the fence between the two sides of the law."
"Just exactly where is this fence, Kid? It might be a good place for you and me since we seem to have our own share of trouble staying on one side or the other of the law."
"We could never sit on that fence, Heyes. We'd be leaning back and forth all the time. Eventually once of us would lose our balance and probably fall off and break our neck."
Heyes was quiet as he mentally pictured such an image.
"You're right, Kid. Then the other one would have to dig another grave, and rummage though pockets looking for any spare change. Course if it was you that fell off the fence, I'd likely keep your gun, but I'd bury you with that hat."
"What's wrong with my hat?" Kid asked indignantly.
"Not a thing... for an old Kansas farm boy," Heyes replied and quickly spurred his horse on ahead of his very insulted partner.