The Cabin | Gunsmoke (12-27-52)

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Old Time Radio Westerns

Host: Andrew Rhynes
Episode: The Cabin | Gunsmoke (original air date: December 27, 1952)
Release Date: May 26, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Old Time Radio Westerns podcast features the classic Gunsmoke drama “The Cabin.” Digitally restored for modern clarity, the story transports listeners into the snowy wilds of the frontier. Marshal Matt Dillon struggles for survival during a blizzard, ultimately seeking refuge at a remote cabin—where he faces more danger from its desperate inhabitants than from the elements outside. The suspenseful story explores themes of isolation, moral decay, survival, and resilience.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Marshal Dillon Caught in a Blizzard

• [04:05] Dillon is traveling back to Dodge after testifying in a murder trial. He’s alone, braving the worsening winter storm.
• Blizzard Intensifies:
  • “This was blizzard weather, the kind of weather that kills the land and everything on it. I don't know why I went on. Maybe because of the wind. You know, a high wind will distemper a man, make him drunk like.” (Matt Dillon, 04:05)
• Nearly frozen, Dillon spots a ranch house through the storm.

2. The Cabin: A Hostile Welcome

• [06:30] Dillon knocks and is suspiciously greeted by two rough men—Hack (the leader, brutish and intimidating) and Alvy (bald, underfed, unstable).
• Tension Immediately:
  • Hack disarms Dillon and keeps him covered with a shotgun.
  • Belle, a wary young woman with a “half wild look,” also resides there, subdued and fearful.

3. Suspicion and Revelations

• [07:49] Hack and Alvy interrogate Dillon, worried he’s a threat.
• Dillon admits he’s a marshal after Hack suspects as much.
• [14:12-14:48] Hack and Alvy, on the run for murder after a failed bank robbery in Cheyenne, reveal their crimes.
  • “Me and Alvy are wanted for murder…It just happened that way.” (Hack, 14:12)
  • “All we wanted just then was some money. We didn't care about killing anybody. But you know how it is, Marshall, when you're robbing a bank and all.” (Hack, 14:36)
• [15:18] Belle reveals her father lived there; Hack and Alvy killed him about a month prior and buried him out back.

4. Threats and Power Plays

• Hack debates how to dispose of Dillon, planning to fake an accident and “let him freeze” so suspicion doesn’t fall on them.
  • “My idea is to knock the marshal on the head and throw him outside to freeze. Now, he'll keep real good that way.” (Hack, 16:29)

5. Psychological and Physical Struggle

• Dillon realizes his only hope is Belle, but she’s been beaten down by Hack’s threats and violence.
• Mealtime Tension:
  • Hack insults Belle’s food, orders her outside into the blizzard as punishment after the meal.
• Hack’s Cruelty:
  • “I want to punish Bell first.” (Hack, 21:25)
  • “Someday you're going to get caught without that shotgun, Hack. Somebody's going to tear you apart.” (Dillon, 21:29)

6. The Climactic Showdown

• [23:32] As Alvy prepares to attack Dillon with a branding iron, Belle creates a distraction by flinging the door open—letting in the blizzard and plunging the room into chaos.
  • “That was a smart trick, Belle, throwing the door open that way.” (Dillon, 24:36)
• In the confusion, Hack fatally shoots Alvy by mistake.
• Dillon and Belle team up: Dillon kills Hack with a pitchfork in a desperate struggle.
  • “I got in under him with a fork and lifted him off his feet...One of the prongs had reached his heart.” (Dillon, 25:45)

7. Aftermath and Emotional Resolution

• As dawn breaks, Belle makes coffee for Dillon, hinting at a wish for something more in her life.
  • “Are you married?” (Belle, 27:47)
  • “I'd make a poor husband, Belle, for any woman...In my profession, it's too chancy.” (Dillon, 27:53)
• Belle decides to leave the cabin and her painful past behind, looking for a new start in Hays City.
  • “I'm leaving this place, Marshal. Soon as you go, I've packed what I need and I'm clearing off.” (Belle, 28:13)
• Dillon heads back out, the storm passed, reflecting solemnly on the ordeal.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Surviving the Elements
  • “This was blizzard weather...the kind of weather that kills the land and everything on it. I don't know why I went on.” (Dillon, 04:05)
• Hack’s Ruthlessness
  • “All I got to do is wallop the girl and you'll talk. I don't have to do nothing to you.” (Hack, 10:44)
  • “We'll kill him, Alvy. We'll kill him and bury him somewhere.” (Hack, 13:44)
• Alvy’s Disturbed Nature
  • “Don't laugh at me, Hack. Now, stop it. I don't like laughing. You know that, Hack. Don't you do it no more. I got ways.” (Alvy, 13:25)
• Belle’s Steely Resolve
  • “Why shouldn't a man get out of the storm, even in here?” (Belle, 09:12)
  • “I'm leaving this place, Marshal...I've packed what I need and I'm clearing off.” (Belle, 28:13)
• Quiet Humanity
  • “You have [helped me],” Belle answers after Dillon says he wishes he could do more for her. (28:43)
  • “But, Belle, don't let all this make you bitter. There are a lot of good men in the world.” (Dillon, 29:13)
  • “So they say. So long, Marshal.” (Belle, 29:27)

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Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• [04:05] Marshal Dillon faces the blizzard; intro to life-threatening circumstances.
• [06:30] First confrontation at the cabin—Hack, Alvy, and Belle introduced.
• [14:12] Outlaws detail their murderous past and bank robbery.
• [15:18] Belle confirms her father’s murder and the outlaws’ occupation of her home.
• [16:29] Hack’s plan for disposing of Dillon is revealed.
• [23:32] Belle distracts Hack and Alvy; climax begins.
• [24:36] Hack kills Alvy by mistake; Dillon and Belle escape.
• [25:45] Dillon kills Hack with a pitchfork.
• [27:47] Belle and Dillon share a quiet, heartfelt conversation about their paths forward.
• [28:13] Belle decides to leave the cabin behind, seeking a new life.
• [29:13] Dillon’s parting advice and Belle’s bittersweet farewell.

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Tone and Final Impressions

The episode captures the stark, suspenseful atmosphere of the classic Western—harsh elements, hard men, quiet bravery, and the cost of violence. The digital restoration accentuates the immersive soundscape: wind howls, doors creak, and every word feels close and urgent. Performances are raw and compelling, especially in the tense standoffs among Dillon, Hack, Alvy, and Belle.

The story ends on a note of melancholy resilience, as Belle sets off to rebuild her life, and Dillon rides back into the endless cold—both changed by a night in “The Cabin.”

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Transcript

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[Hack (Outlaw)]

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[Hack (Outlaw)]

Foreign.

[Andrew Rines (Podcast Host)]

Welcome to the Old Time Radio Westerns. I'm your host Andrew Rines and let's get into this episode. This episode is going to be Gunsmoke original air dates December 27, 1952 and the title is the Cabin. Hope you enjoy and again, thank you. Thanks for listening.

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[Hack (Outlaw)]

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[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

What is this your first date?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Oh no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

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[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Liberty, Liberty. Liberty, Liberty.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Around Dard City and in the territory on west there's Just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers, and that's with a U.S. marshal. And the spell of Gun Smok. Gun Smoke Starring William Conrad. The story of the violence that moved west with young America. The story of a man who moved with it. Matt Dillon, United States Marsh.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

It was over a hundred miles back

[Hack (Outlaw)]

to Dodge, but I figured I could

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

make it easy in a day and a half. I'd been in Hayes City as a government witness in a murder trial and I was anxious to get back. So I rode out of Hayes one morning a couple of hours before light. The ground was clear as snow, but it was mid winter and it was sharp cold. When the day came, there was no sun, only dark gray sky drilled by a high, cold, searching wind. The air was as thin as I could ever remember it being. Behind me in the north lay a great slab of blackness. When I saw that, I should have turned back, for the wind stood out of the north too. And sooner or later it would drive that black slab right down on top of me. This was blizzard weather, the kind of weather that kills the land and everything on it. I don't know why I went on. Maybe because of the wind. You know, a high wind will distemper a man, make him drunk like. Anyway, I didn't turn back. About noon the sky began to turn white with snow and I could smell a touch of moisture in the air. And finally it came, the sleet shrillin in on the wind like small buckshot as the blizzard howled on the prairie. I couldn't look right or left without being stung blind, but as long as I kept the wind on my back, I knew I was headed south. Two hours of this and I could feel my horse slowing down and weakening under me. My own body stiffened with a cold. Men died when they got caught in a thing like this. They died easy. Another hour passed and my horse was carrying his head close to the ground. I figured he'd stumble soon, so I kicked my feet out of the stirrups and braced myself against the horn. By now the wind had really gotten into me when I saw the blur of a ranch house up ahead. I thought maybe it was a trick, but a few minutes later we rounded a corner of the place and stood at last in the lee of the storm. I slid down and got up to the door and pounded on it. And I waited. Then I pounded again. Then the door came open and the figure stood in the light.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Who are ya?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Bring him in, Alvy. Any man out in that weather's been made harmless. Get Inside. Out of the way, Alvie.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

A fool.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

All right, stranger. Hands in the air, Kai. That's better. Unload him, Alvy.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Nice gun, Hack. Real nice gun.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Shut up. Take him down, stranger. You can come up to this stove now, but don't try nothing. I'll cut you in half with buckshot.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

He was a burly man with flushed cheeks and a wild red beard and a great shock of red hair. Even his hands and fingers bristled with it. He sat on a stool by the stove, a shotgun across his knees, and his eyes never left me. The other one, Alvy, had a body of an underfed boy, but he was completely bald and his skin was tight and dry. He looked like a naked skull, and his eyes felt something had touched Alvrey.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You look half froze, stranger. You must have wanted something real bad to go out in weather like this.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

I never saw him around here before, Hack.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

He's a stranger, Alvy. He don't belong around here.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Of course, we don't know anybody, but I seen a few, and I never seen him before.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Maybe he's seen you, Alvy, somewhere.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Not me. He never saw me nowhere.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

How do you know that?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Maybe he was just looking for some cows and got lost in the storm.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You're just a kid, Alvy. I always said you don't know much.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Belle.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Belle, get on out here.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

She was a pretty girl, but with a dark, half wild look that I'd never seen before in a woman. Her eyes jumped from man to man and then came to rest on me, fixed and curious. And then, after a moment, she looked away and moved into a chair across the room.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Supper ready, Belle? It's awful cold out.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You recognize him, Bell? You ever see him before?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Nope.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You're sure now? Maybe. Hayes City. Maybe you saw him up there sometime.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

I don't know him.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You sure?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Yes.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

If you're lying to me, you know what I'll do to you.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Never saw him before.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

He come in here half froze, right. Right out of the blizzard. Must have been looking for some cows and got lost.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Shut up, Albie. We don't know what he's doing here, Bill.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Why shouldn't a man get out of the storm, even in here?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

That's enough. All right, stranger. We never saw you before. We don't know who you are. And as soon as I think you're lying, I'm gonna blow a big hole in you.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

What about my horse? I like to put him in the barn, if you've got one, Alvy.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Oh, no, Hack. I ain't going out There I'd freeze.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

And the horse will freeze if you don't.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

It's his horse.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

We might need it. Go on, Alvy, before I get cross. All right, I'll go. Helve's a good boy.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

He'll put your horse up. Thank you.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Supper's about ready.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Leave it. I want to talk to our friend here first. Maybe we won't have to feed him.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Potatoes will get mealy.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

They better not, that's all. I'm right curious about you, mister.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I've noticed that.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

I'll blow your guts all over the wall, you make fun of me. Don't get me mad, mister. I got the shotgun.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Meat will be boiled to shreds if we don't eat.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You just won't understand any other way, will you, Belle?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

What is it you want to know about me?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

I can tell, mister. I can handle you. Easy now.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

What do you mean?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

All I got to do is wallop the girl and you'll talk. I don't have to do nothing to you.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

All right if I take my jacket off? Have warmed up now.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

I mind you might have a gun hid out in there.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

He can raise his hands. I'll unbutton it.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Well, now, that's right smart of you, Belle.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Oh, I'll hide it.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

No, leave it be.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Bell, come over here. Belle. Drop the jacket, Bell. Now hold out your other hand. Open it, Bell. Open your hand. That's real bad what you did, Belle. Real bad. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna put you outside for a spell. Out in the weather. After supper. After you've cleaned up supper. You can be thinking about it till then. United States Marshal. You're in bad company, Marshal. You shouldn't have come here.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Oh, it looks to me like I sort of struck gold coming here.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Now, why do you talk like that, Marshal? I still got the shotgun.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Let me get that stove.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Seems like it's getting colder and colder.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You didn't see sign of nobody outside, did you, Alvie? What?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Who?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Somebody might have come along to cover the marshal here.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Marshall. What Marshall?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Me?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I'm a marshal. Alvy, shoot him hack.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Shoot him.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Shut up and answer me. Was there sign of another horse, footprints, anything like that?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Ah, I didn't see nothing.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Maybe you didn't look.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Would I have walked in here the way I did if I'd been after you people?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Maybe your head got muddled with the cold. Where'd you ride from, Marshall?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Hayes City. Left there this morning.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

It was a fool thing to do with a blizzard coming up. Maybe did you think you could get the jump on us easier in a storm? Was that it, Marshall?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Yeah. You knew we'd be trying to keep cozy in here.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I'm curious, Hack. What are you and Alvy on the run for?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Don't you tell him, Hack. I don't trust him at all,

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Alvy. It'd be mighty dull without you, boy.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Don't laugh at me, Hack. Now, stop it. I don't like laughing. You know that, Hack. Don't you do it no more. I got ways.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Yeah, I seen you and your ways, but don't try them on me, Alvy.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Maybe I won't.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Look, Alvy, now, you don't understand. It's all right to tell the marshal about us. He ain't going nowhere. No, no, of course not. We'll kill him, Alvy. We'll kill him and bury him somewhere.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Sure. Now, why didn't I think of that?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Because I do the thinking for us, Alvy. That's why. Now, what was it? You like to know, Marshall?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Stop playing games, Hack.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Me and Alvy are wanted for murder

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

up in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Seems a might unfair, though. We didn't aim to kill nobody. It just happened that way.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

We was robbing the bank.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Yeah, and a couple of the people there wouldn't do what we told them, so Alvy used his knife on one, but it just made the man holler.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

You could hear him all over town.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

And we had to shoot our way out after that. Must have killed three or four people.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

I know I killed two.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Worst of it was, Marshall, all we wanted just then was some money. We didn't care about killing anybody. But you know how it is, Marshall, when you're robbing a bank and all.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Yeah, sure.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

No, I don't suppose you do it then. Anyway, we're wanted for murder. And we didn't even get any money, nary a dollar. So he rode out here and lighted for a spell.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I see.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

What about Belle?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

And whose place is this anyway?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

My place, now that Pa's gone.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

You mean you were living here alone?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

No.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

They killed your pa. Is that it?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Yes.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

How long ago?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

I don't know. Maybe a month.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Yeah, it's been about a month, hasn't it, Alvy?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

35 days.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

There, you see? Alfie always knows just how long everything's been.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

No, that's fine. Tell me, what'd you do with him?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Who?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

The old man.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Oh, we buried him out back. We couldn't afford a funeral, could we, Alvy?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Hack, Hack, we told him that. Now let's shoot him.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

No. No. I've been thinking it over. People in Hayes City know he started for dodging. When he don't show up, they might come looking for him. But you.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

You said we'd bury him, Hack. That's what you said.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Yeah, that's right. But we can't bury his horse, too. Not in this ground. It's froze solid. And if we turn the horse loose and they find it and can't find the marshal's body, then they'll suspect something.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

You're pretty smart, Hack. Too bad you don't know enough to stop killing people.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Too bad for you, anyway.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Well, what are we gonna do, Hack? I'm getting hungry.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

That supper won't be fit to eat.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Shut up. One more word out of you, Bella. Now.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Whoop. You good.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Come on, Hack. I'm really hungry.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

No, no.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Listen to me, Elvy.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Now, my idea is to knock the marshal on the head and throw him outside to freeze. Now, he'll keep real good that way. And when the storm breaks, we can carry him off 20 mile or so and dump him on the ground. Look like he got throat and hit his head and froze.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

That's fine, Hack. That's just fine.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Then we'll break his horse's leg. Make it easier for them to find them.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

You just don't care about anything, do you, Hack?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Just me sometimes, Albie.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Sure. Me and Hacker are friends, ain't we, Hack?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Of course, if it don't want snowing, we'll have to think of something else. Can't leave tracks for them to follow but back there.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Oh.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Ha.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

We're gonna kill him now.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Sure. Sure we are. Alvy, I didn't mean that.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Let me hit him, huh? You keep the gun on him, and I'll get up behind and hit him. There was a Brandon iron around here somewhere. I'll hit him with that.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Hack, you sunk pretty far, but I'm sort of wondering just how far.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

What do you mean?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I'm wondering if you're low enough to kill a man before he's been fed.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Here. Here it is, Hack. Here. See, I found it.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Leave it be, Alvy. We're going to eat.

[Narrator/Announcer]

We will return for the second act of Gun Smoke in just a moment. But first, this Sunday night, Lionel Barrymore is your host and Joseph Cotton the star on Sunday Night Playhouse's gripping historic drama based on the life of Peter Marshall. Hear how a Scottish immigrant lad rose to the position of chaplain of the United States Senate, A story you'll agree is far more fascinating than fiction. Remember, it's tomorrow Night, when Lionel Barrymore introduces another Sunday Night Playhouse on most of these same CBS radio stations. Now for the second act of Gun Smoke.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

It was only five in the afternoon, but the blizzard had darkened the land and its blackness showed in at the windows here and there along the walls of the ranch house. Tricklets of snow blew in through the warped timber. In the kitchen, Hank sat directly behind me while I ate, later, changed places with Alvy, and fed himself heartily as though he had nothing at all on his mind. Hack was just a nerveless brute born with no conscience at all. His intelligence was the instinct of an animal that snapped at or killed whatever got in its way of survival. Every living thing was his enemy. And Alvy. There was no way to figure Alvy. Too much of him was missing. My only chance lay in the girl, Belle, even though Hack had pretty well beaten all resistance out of her. Supper was over soon enough, but Hack seemed in no particular hurry to get on with his plans.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

I've eaten better food on the trail than that.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Can't blame me for it Now.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Get it cleaned up, Bell. You can talk your head off when you're outside alone and you're going outside. I'll learn you to heal if I have to break your neck.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

No, don't do that, Hack. Not till we're ready to pull out, anyway.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Why?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Well, I ain't gonna do the cooking.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Well, I hope not. I've eaten your cooking.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

My sister was a good cook.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Yeah, we should have brought her along. Now we.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

No, I don't like her.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Where are you from, anyway? Which?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Me or Alvy to start with?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Wyoming. Place called Crowheart.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

I didn't stay there long, though.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

What about you, Alvy?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Now, where were you born, Alvy? I never did know.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Republican River.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

That's not a place, you fool.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Well, that's what they told me.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Republican River.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

They always lived in a wagon. My ma and PA had a lot of kids, too. Of course, most of them died. I'm about the only one that made out any good at all.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You did fine. I'll be fine. Give me the shotgun. All right, Marshall, let's get back by the stove while Bell cleans this mess up.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Shall we hit him and throw him out to freeze up now, Hack?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Not yet. I want to punish Bell first.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

You know, someday you're going to get caught without that shotgun, Hack. Somebody's going to tear you apart.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

That's fair enough, Marshall.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Give me a fair chance at you then, huh? Bare handed?

[Narrator/Announcer]

No.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

You're bigger than I am, Hack. Might be fun for You.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

I don't know nothing about fun. I ain't gonna kill you. Cause it's fun.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Oh, come on, Hack. I want to go to bed.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Belle.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Belle, come out here. Get outside like I told you. And don't open that door so wide. You'll blow the lamp out.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Belle had walked through the room and out the door without a glance at any of us. I figured she'd go down to the barn where she'd be all right. For a little while anyway. But I knew I'd have to make a move soon. I sure wasn't gonna sit there like a fall hog. And let Alvy knock me in the head whenever he got ready. But it didn't take much more sense to try to jump Hack. And that shotgun let him blow me all over the place. It was a beggar's choice. And the more I thought about it, the madder I got.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Hack, I'm sleepy. I'm gonna hit him and go to bed. You can do what you want after, but I ain't staying up all night.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Alvy's got his mind made up, Marshall. I can tell.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Just what do you call his mind, Hack?

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

I got ways to fix you, Marshall.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Never mind, Alvy. Wrap something around that iron. Otherwise it won't look like he hit his head on a rock.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

What difference it makes?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Do what I say, Alfie.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

All right, Hack. Here, I'll use this. Perfect.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Now keep your eyes on me, Marshall.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Alvy moved around behind me and was getting a good grip on his brand and iron. I leaned slightly forward in the chair. And was tensed and waiting for the split second when my instinct had told me to jump. And then suddenly the door was flung wide open. And the wind roared in, almost lifting the room as it came. The lamp flared and then went out as I punched sideways from the chair.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

You hit him, Alby. Did you hit him? You bloody fool. Don't you try nothing, Marshall. I got some more shells right here. Don't you move now.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I crawled across the room and was out the door before Hack could reload in the snow outside. I stood up and turned to find Belle waiting by the side of the door, a pitchfork in her hand. I couldn't see her face very well in the dark, but I could tell she was shaking with cold. I reached out and took the port from her and then felt flattened myself against the wall and waited.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

I was afraid it was you he shot.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

That was a smart trick, Belle, throwing the door open that way.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

He shot Alvy, didn't he?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Yeah.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Good.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I think he's Found out I'm not in there.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

What are you gonna do?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Wait.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Marshall.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Marshall.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

I'm going to kill you and the girl both.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Now, I waited, praying he'd come through the door before my hands got too cold to hold the pitchfork. And finally, the barrel of the shotgun appeared waist high and began to poke its way around in our direction. It was stupid of him, but the man behind a gun often gets a false sense of power. I let him shove it out 3 or 4 inches, and then I slammed down on. Then I jumped into the room. Ax tried to club me with a gun, but he missed. And I got in under him with a fork and lifted him off his feet. And he struggled for a moment like a spirit fish, and then went limp. And I let him fall. One of the prongs had reached his heart.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Did you get him, Marshall? Is he dead?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Lights.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

A lamp.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

I can't do it, Marshall. My fingers are too stiff.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Here, I'll.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I'll do it. There. Quite a mess in here. Why don't you wait in the kitchen, Bell?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

I'm all right, Marshall, but I can't help you much till I get warmed up some.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Well, then you stay by the stove, huh? I'll lug these people outside.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Thank you. Marshall. Marshall. Marshall. Dylan.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

What? Oh, Morning Bell.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Come on out in the kitchen, Marshall. It's warm there, and I got some hot coffee waiting.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

That sounds good. Say, it looks like the storm's lifted.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

It has. The wind's gone, but it's mighty cold out.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Well, I don't mind the cold. It's that wind that breaks a man down.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

There. Get some of that in you.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

You make mighty good coffee.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Tell me something, Marshall.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Hmm?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Tell me the truth now.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Oh, sure, Belle. What is it?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Are you married?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I'd make a poor husband, Belle, for any woman.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Why?

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Well, in my profession, it's. It's too chancy.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Thank you, Marshall. Thanks for putting it that way.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Now, Bell, I didn't mean.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Forget it. I'm leaving this place, Marshall.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

What?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Soon as you go. I've packed what I need and I'm clearing off.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Where'll you go?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

I got three horses. I'll ride up to Hays City and sell them.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Lend what?

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Buy some pretty clothes and I'll find a place. Won't be hard after this.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I. I wish I could help you, Belle.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

You have.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Oh, but, I mean, I can take

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

care of myself, Marshall. I just want to get away from here, that's all.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I'll stop at the nearest ranch and tell the men to come over here and Take care of hack and Alvy, soon as it warms up.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Whatever you like, Marshall.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Well,

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

goodbye, Belle.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

Goodbye, Marshall. Look me up in Hays City next time you're there.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Sure, sure, I will. But, Belle, don't let all this make you bitter. There are a lot of good men in the world.

[Belle (Ranch Woman)]

So they say. So long, Marshall.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

I. So long, bill. A few minutes later, I'd saddled up and was on the trail to dodge. The sky was low and a slate gray all over, but there was no wind. The blizzard had gone, leaving the land still white and bitter cold. There wasn't a sign of life anywhere. It was like riding through a vast tomb. I found myself feeling like a trespasser, as though something had gone wrong and I wasn't supposed to be there at all.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Gunsmoke, under the direction of Norman McDonald, stars William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U. S. Marshal. Tonight's story was specially written for Gunsmoke by John Meston with music composed and conducted by Rex Corey. Featured in the cast were John Dana as hack, Harry Bartel as Elvie and Vivi Janis as bell. Gun smoke is heard by our troops overseas through the facilities of the armed forces radio service. Join us again next week as Matt Dillon, U.S. marshal, fights to bring law and order out of the wild violence of the west in gun smok. Starts this Monday, a new run for road of life. Returning to CBS radio to join the rest of your daytime listening favorites at the stars address road of life, telling the day to day story of surgeon scientist Dr. Jim Brent will keep your interest at a high point every Monday through Friday on most of these same stations. Remember, starting this coming Monday, road of Life in its 16th year will be heard again on CBS Radio. Roy Rowan speaking. America now listens to 105 million radio sets and listens most to the CBS Radio Network.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Sam foreign.

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[Hack (Outlaw)]

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[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

What is this, your first date?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Liberty, Liberty. Liberty, Liberty.

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[Andrew Rines (Podcast Host)]

This has been a presentation of otrwesterns.com and we hope you enjoyed. Please take some time to like and rate our shows in your favorite podcast application. Follow us on Facebook by going to otrwesterns.com Facebook subscribe to our YouTube channel by going to otrwesterns.Com YouTube and send us an email podcasttrwesterns.com you can call and leave us a voicemail. 707-986-8739. This episode is copyright under the Attribution Non Commercial Share Like Copyright. For more information go to otrwesterns.com copyright have a great day and thanks for listening.

[Hack (Outlaw)]

What's up baby? It's Bretzky and I'm here to tell you that spinquest.com is giving out free sweeps coins. All you got to do is purchase a ten dollar coin pack and guess what? They're gonna give you the coins from a thirty dollar coin pack that lets you play all your favorite games like Blackjack, Wanted, Dead or Wild. And we're talking real cash prizes, baby. Spinquest.com Spinquest is a free to play

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

social casino void where prohibited.

[SpinQuest Announcer]

Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

What is this your first date?

[Hack (Outlaw)]

Oh, no.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Together we're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Matt Dillon (Marshal)]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Alvy (Outlaw)]

Liberty, Liberty. Liberty, Liberty.

[SpinQuest Announcer]

If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H VAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.