The Searchers Page #4

DEBBIE:

Oh! LOOK! My gold locket!

She holds it high for mother -- and all -- to see. Martha

takes it and reacts at its weight.

MARTHA:

It's solid gold...Ethan, I don't

think she's old enough...

ETHAN:

Let her keep it...Just something I

picked up in Mexico.

Martha reluctantly surrenders it to Debbie's eager hand.

Aaron hasn't missed the word "Mexico" and looks sharply

at Ethan.

DEBBIE:

Oh, thank you, Uncle Ethan...

LUCY:

(to Debbie)

Come along...

The two girls leave the main room. Martha and Aaron both

look at Ethan -- half expecting some further explanation.

He turns from them and looks into the fire. Martha begins

to clear the table. Aaron gets up, takes a pipe and a

spill -- lights it at the fire.

ETHAN:

Passed the Todd place comin' in...

What happened to 'em?

AARON:

They gave up...went back to the

cotton rows...So'd the Jamisons...

Without Martha, I don't know...She

wouldn't let a man quit.

Ethan turns and looks at her -- still busy with her dishes.

AARON:

(change of tone)

Ethan, I could see it in you before

the war...

(Ethan looks at him)

You wanted to clear out!

Martha freezes in what she's doing -- listening.

AARON:

And you stayed out beyond all need

to...WHY?

Ethan can't answer, but he takes it as a challenge and

almost welcomes it.

ETHAN:

(hard)

You askin' me to clear out now?

AARON:

(straightening -- with

grave dignity)

You're my brother...You're welcome

to stay as long as you got a mind

to...Ain't that so, Martha?

MARTHA:

(almost a whisper)

Of course he is.

ETHAN:

I expect to pay my own way...

Martha resumes her activity. Ethan crosses to his pack,

reaches into it for a leather pouch, brings it back and

tosses it onto the table. It lands with a resonant clink.

Both Martha and Aaron draw close to the table.

(NOTE TO WINTON HOCH: This scene should be dramatically

back-lighted.)

ETHAN:

There's sixty double eagles in

there...twelve-hundred dollars.

He opens a waistline shirt button and hauls out a leather

money belt and drops that on the table.

ETHAN:

An' twice that in here.

He reaches into the belt and takes out a few mint-fresh

gold pieces which he slides across the table.

ETHAN:

...only these got the late

Emperor Maximilian's picture on

'em.

Martha picks up one of the gold pieces, staring at the

face on the coin: the same as that on the medal -- staring

sharply then at Ethan. Aaron is examining another coin

with a different interest.

AARON:

Mint fresh...not a mark on 'em.

He glances questioningly at Ethan.

ETHAN:

So?

Aaron shrugs and crosses to a barrel chair. He raises the

seat and lifts out a pair of old boots, some rags of

clothing and then raises a false-bottom lid and drops

pouch and money belt into it. Carefully he replaces

everything. During this Ethan's attention has gone to

Martha's hand, to one cut finger, its wound barely

healed. He takes the hand -- gently.

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