Far North

Mel!

You meathead!

Mel! You're going to kill us both!

Whoa!

You son of a bitch!

God damn it!

You're going to be dog meat when this is over!

I'm selling you at the killer's price!

Mel!

Whoa!

Pregnant?

Dad?

You are, aren't you?

I can smell it.

Pregnant women have this sweet smell they put off.

Could you at least open your eyes when you talk to me?

I mean, it makes me feel like we're in the same room together.

I do not need my eyes! I can smell it!

Well, we're off to a good start.

Here.

I brought you some lemon drops.

Your favorite kind, you know, those hard kind, that stick to your teeth.

When are you going to get married?

Or is that still too old fashioned for you?

It don't matter.

Just try to make it a boy, if you don't mind.

Too damn many girls in the family as it is.

The family is thick with women! Never used to be like that.

It used to be men! All men!

Would you mind opening your eyes?

I have been flying for hours. I'd like to see your eyes.

Thanks.

Drop one in my mouth, would you? I'm seized up.

You had a wreck, huh?

Bastard tried to kill me.

Mel? Yeah, Mel. Who else?

He's had a grudge against me since the day he was foaled.

Well, it's no wonder, the way you treat him.

I treat him like a horse! I don't pamper horses the way you women do!

What do you know about horses anyway?

You're a big city girl now, aren't you?

Oh, come on, Dad. Knock it off, will you?

You're gonna have to shoot him for me. You know that, don't you?

You are the only one I can trust to get it done.

I am not going to shoot your horse!

Dad, I left my work.

I dropped everything to come here and see you.

That's what a daughter is supposed to do.

Yeah, well, I'm not shooting your horse!

You're the only one mean enough!

Now you take that .30-06 out of the cupboard...

Get Uncle Dane to do it or something.

You honestly don't think that I am going to get a gun...

That drunk!

Uncle Dane. Ha!

He's across the hall right now in detox.

He couldn't hit a horse with an A-bomb!

Well, I'm not doing it!

I didn't come all this way to shoot a horse!

Look, Dad, you just got to relax now.

It is not good for you to get so excited.

I mean, you are supposed to be taking it easy now. The horse can wait.

It can't wait!

He won't know what he's getting shot for if we wait!

Well, I'm not shooting him!

You were my last hope.

What I deserve for not having a son, I suppose.

How is the rest of the family?

Anybody else in the hospital?

Not the ones who deserve it most.

Oh, like Mama, for instance.

She is beyond the hospital.

Gramma, I suppose.

There you go. On the brink of a hundred.

About to turn a round century this weekend. Can you believe that?

Oh, God! I forgot her birthday!

Katie, Katie... Huh, what?

I haven't asked you for many favors in my time, now, have I?

Now, don't start up with that again!

Well, somebody's got to avenge me! You're the only one left!

Avenge you?

It's just a horse, for Christ's sake!

It's a dumb old horse. He didn't know what he was doing!

He knew, all right.

Here's what you want to do.

You draw an X. You take a piece of chalk,

and you draw a line from one ear to the opposite eye.

Then you do the same on the other side of his head.

And where those two lines intersect,

that is where you want to put the bullet!

I'll be back to see you tomorrow, Dad.

You try and get some rest now.

You take the panel off of the kitchen cupboard. You know that secret panel?

Mmm-hmm. The rifle is in there.

Eat your lemon drops.

The ammo is down in the basement.

Make sure you get the right ammo.

I don't want any slip-ups now!

Oh, boy!

Oh, my God. Oh! Look at that move! Oh!

Oh, man! All Right! Now you got it! Come on! Come on!

Through the turn! Through the turn!

Come on! You got it, Manila! Come on! Come on! Come on!

Come on, Manila! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! You got it!

Uncle Dane! Oh, look at that!

Uncle Dane?

Manila! My Manila! Did you see that, honey?

Oh, I knew he could do it.

That was a horse race.

It's me!

It's me! Katie!

Well, of course it's you.

Katie! Oh!

Beautiful, beautiful Katie!

Well, who else could it be?

You don't think I'd dance with any old gal

that comes down the hallway, do you?

Oh, I'll get that.

Well, what are you doing in here, Dane?

Me? Oh, nothing, just a little check up, you know.

The usual. Routine. Heart, lungs, liver. Yeah.

Nothing major. How about yourself?

Oh, you know. Dad.

Oh, yeah. Mr. Horseman.

Serves him right.

That horse should have killed him, the way he treats animals!

One of these days, a horse is going to kill him.

You wait and see. He has it coming.

Did you put yourself in here, Dane?

Me? No, no, not me. A friend of mine.

I just went along with it, figured, what the hell?

A few free meals, a chance to watch the big race.

Now and then, you need a breather from the outside, don't you think?

Slacken the pace.

Yeah, I suppose.

Well, you look fantastic!

How come you haven't been up to see us in so long?

Well, it's only been a month!

A lot can happen in a month.

Yeah, it looks that way.

Don't you let that big city steal you away from us, now.

Dane.

Have you ever shot a horse before?

Only the losers!

My goodness, Katie, where did you find this?

Well, I found the negative up in Mama's old suitcase. So I had it printed up.

I thought maybe we could give it to Gramma for her birthday.

Oh, my goodness! Would you look at that dress!

I cannot even remember owning that dress!

We'll have to get this framed.

Gramma will just love it.

Thanks so much, Kate.

Kate, what are you looking for, anyway?

Got it.

What are you doing up there, honey?

Well,

Dad wants me to shoot his horse.

What?

The horse he got in a wreck with.

Mel?

Yeah. Mel.

Well, you... He just bought that horse, didn't he?

No, Mama, we've had Mel for a long, long time.

Don't you remember Mel?

Well, he wants me to shoot him.

Well, you're not going to do it, are you? You are not going to shoot Mel?

Well, I don't know.

I mean, I have never shot anything before in my life,

I do not even know how to shoot a gun.

Well, you can't shoot Mel! That's murder! It's not the poor horse's fault!

Of course it isn't!

I'm surprised you would even consider this, Kate!

It surprised me, too, Rita.

He told me I had to avenge him.

Oh, my goodness! The cookies!

Katie, you are not serious about this, are you?

I mean, you know how he is! He is always wanting to shoot something.

As soon as something goes wrong, he wants to shoot it. Doesn't mean he will.

He shot all our dogs.

No, Mama.

Do you know, is this the .30-06?

I'm not telling you if it's the .30-06.

Mel used to be my horse, don't forget.

I learned to ride on Mel. Don't point that thing in the house, it could be loaded!

Are you crazy?

Oh, Katie, don't play with guns in the house!

We do not do that in the house!

All right. Take it easy.

Let me see this. He is always leaving loaded guns around

and you shouldn't take a chance with it.

Well, now, what is the trick to it, anyhow? I mean...

You know, say somebody wanted to shoot something with it.

You mean, like a horse?

How do you aim it?

You see that bead up at the end of the barrel?

Yeah.

You line that up so it's right in the middle of the backsight.

That is this V thing right there.

Dane?

That you?