Mark & I had been hunting up on the Ringtone. We got us a pair of the nicest ring neck pheasants. I took them in to Micah. He caught onto me right away. He knew there was a hitch, he could tell by the grin on my face. "No hitch
Micah, you cook 'em and Mark and I'll help you eat 'em." Just then Ben Tooker barged into Micah's office. "Hattie's store Marshal, got broke into. Me and some of the other boys have him trapped on the inside." We hurried over to Hattie's. As we entered Hattie's from the side door, I saw the shadow of someone running, then jumped over and hid behind the counter. I yelled, "Hold it!" I fired several above their head as a warning. "I can shoot lower. Come on out of there." We saw this person easing their selves up from behind the counter. Micah and I sure was surprised when we saw it was girl. We took her over to Micah's office. Micah tried to find out who she was, but she wouldn't tell him anything. Just then Hattie came in. She felt sorry for the girl. I thought she looked familiar. Yes, that's right, it was Heller Chase. Mark knew her younger brother David. They were a family of dirt farmers. Rock country up at Onion Creek. Dan Chase died, Heller's father. About a year later their mother married. "A whiskey soaked drifter named Andrew Bechtol," said Hattie. Micah remembered him. He had put him in jail several times. "Did he send you in here to steal? Your step father, did he send you in?" Asked Micah. He asked her what she was after? "A ribbon, a blue ribbon for my hair." Hattie didn't want to press charges. I told them I would take her home and talk to her parents.
When we got to the farm, 
Heller begged me to leave. As we started in I could hear Bechtol slapping David around, and Muriel trying to stop him. We walked in. Bechtol saw me and stopped hitting on the boy. He sent him to his room. "If there ain't a picture," said Bechtol. "A picture of what?" I asked. "Running off into the night, no word where. Leavin' her kin to fret themselves sick over what might have happened. Way youngins behave these days, no respect for their elders. Enough to make a body turn in his grave with worry. Ain't that right
Mr. McCain?" "Look Bechtol, if you've got something to say, say it!" I told him she had broken into Hattie's store. He got so obnoxious. Told me to git. Muriel thanked me. I tried talking to her but she rushed me to leave. After I left, all hell broke lose. He got nasty with Muriel and grabbed Heller by the hair. "Where have you been, tell me." "I was where he said, in that store." After what, I wanna know." "Whiskey, Whiskey for you." He called her a liar. "This time for you, all for you. Whiskey to burn out your insides, and maybe....." He took her by the hair and pushed her across the room. Yelling at her, he chased her to their room. "Did you get? Do you got it with ya'?" Asked David. She was trying to steal a gun. She couldn't pull it off, but she did get a chance to hide it in the apple barrel. They made a plan to go into town tomorrow and try and get it. They would get their stepfather liquored up, hoping he would fall asleep. Instead of hiding the liquor, they would give it to him. This would give them enough time to get into town and back before Bechtol would wake up. The next time he would beat their momma or the
m, they would be ready for him.
The next morning Mark was in the barn, getting his chores done. He had hope to go along to town with me. I'm sure it had something to do with Hattie getting in some licorice sticks. He said it was to keep me company. We got to talking about Heller. Mark was surprised that Heller would break into Hattie's store. He always thought she seemed so nice. He never thought she'd break into a store. I told him, that didn't make her a criminal. She was only after a hair ribbon. "You know son, sometimes people get pushed into doin' things they wouldn't ordinarily do by circumstances beyond their control." "You know pa, I'm kinda lucky. I know Dave can't talk to his Pa like I can talk to you. It kinda helps a fella when he can talk things out. Instead of havin' to keep them to yourself. You know what I mean." "I know what you mean. Well come on sprout, I thought you were going to keep me company." We headed for town.
When we got to Hattie's store, Heller and David where standing outside looking in the window. I was surprised to see them in town. They told me that their step pa had sent them for some chicken feed. I told them the feed store was across the street. She was admiring a ribbon in the window. I told her I'd buy it for her. That was their way into the store. She was really keeping our attention, going on about all the shoes and clothes and food. Hats and sacks and even a barrel of apples. I told Hattie we wanted to see ribbons, blue ones. Hattie saw David rooting thru the apple barrel. She went to help him find a good one. As she started looking thru the barrel, Heller got her attention. "This one," said Heller. 
"Miss Hattie, can I please have this ribbon, please? Would you tie it in the back for me in a bow?" Hattie went to tie the ribbon for Heller while David found the gun and stuffed it in his shirt. Mark saw what was happening. Suddenly Bechtol walked in the store, drunk. He told them to get back to the farm. "She don't need no hand outs from you McCain. She wants something, I'll buy it. Your a hypocrite McCain. You hear my words, a hypocrite." He just kept mouthin' off. I told Hattie I'd be back later. I felt it was better not to stoop to his level and just leave.
The sun was going down early so I thought we better unload the wagon before we loose the light. Mark seemed distracted. I asked him what was bothering him? "What it is, if someone sees something and it's none of his business and if what he sees is wrong, does he keep shut up about it, or does he tell?" "Well if it's wrong, what do you think?" "Well, it wasn't the apples he was after. David Chase, today in Miss Denton's store. He pulled a gun out of the apple barrel. He stuffed it into his shirt. I saw him. He told me how Heller was holding Hattie's and my attention while David snuck over to the apple barrel and pulled out the gun." He was sure it was a gun. I told him he did right to tell me. I left him unloading the wagon and I went on over to the Chase's farm.
Muriel and Heller was in the kitchen. Muriel was concerned. Bechtol wasn't home yet, he never stayed away this long. She was afraid he might have stumbled and hurt himself on the way home. 
"He'll come home, Momma, he always does." "Heller, baby. You gotta understand. I ain't a pretty woman. I've never been. I was something to your Pa. But when he died, I got so lonely. I wanted to make a home for you and David. Kids need a Pa to guide 'em." They could hear him hollering and goin' on. He was so drunk and down right mean as always. He told them they weren't good for anything. That all they did was bleed him of his strength. How much he had done for them. "A wife that's next to worthless, a daughter no better then a teasin' flirt and a lazy good for nothing son....where's that boy?" He told David to come to him, but David wouldn't budge. He took off after him. Muriel and Heller tried to pull him back, but he was way to strong for them He grabbed David and shoved him into the house yellin, "your gonna get the lickin' of your life". Heller went running to the barn to get the gun they had stolen. He hit Muriel and got the rope and headed for David. Aiming the gun at Bechtol Heller said, "get away from him". When he turned to tell her to stay out of it, he saw the gun. "You beat us, you make us into something not even human. You call us names you are yourself till there no escape from the fear of you. Not even in sleep." Bechtol told her to put the gun down before he took the rope to her. She cocked the hammer. He started for the gun. She told David to get away from him. The gun went off. He told her he was doin' the best he can. That no man was perfect. She cocked the hammer again. He kept going on about being a father to them. The gun went off again. He ran to Muriel to save him. He was on his hands and knees, pleading with her to make Heller stop. She walked away from him and went over and stood with David. She cocked the hammer again. Now he was pleading with Heller. He told her he'd change, he'd never lay a hand on them again. He'd do 
anything, he'd steal a ribbon for her. "No please don't shoot me I beg you". I then rushed in. "Don't do it!" "Kill him, kill him", screamed David. "You do and you'll spend the rest of your life suffering for it." I don't
care!" Cried Heller. "Muriel, for heavens sake, tell her!" She started to cry. "I can't Lucas!" This family sure has been thru a lot. "What is it you want Heller, to make him suffer the way he's made you suffer?" "Yes!" "Look at him, don't you see what he is? A freighted terrified man. You let him live and he'll suffer the rest of his life. That's why he turns on you. He tries to make you fear him the way he fears everything and everybody. Terrible thing, fear, it gnaws at ya'. Eats away what strength you've got till there's nothing left. The cruelest punishment you can give him." As I reached for the gun, she handed it to me.
Micah ended up arresting Bechtol for wife beater, child beater and for sending those kids thieving. Mark and I was getting ready to head for home when Heller and David approached us. They wanted to tell me how grateful they were for what I had done for them. "It gives me a, sorta a powerful strong feeling," said Heller. "Well thank you Heller, I'm mighty glad to hear that. If I would ever have a daughter I would like to have her be like you."
Piddlin' stuff.....Peter Whitney has appeared in nine episodes of "The Rifleman." 'Eddie's Daughter' as Tracey Blanch. He's the big dude. 'Mail Order Groom' as John Jupiter. He was the 'Mail Order Groom' ~ the one that Jess Profit (John Anderson) kept 
picking on. 'Heller' as Andrew Bechtel ~ the mean stepfather. 'Strange Town' as Ott. 'The Queue' as Vince Fergus - again he was the bully. 'Long Gun From Tucson' as John Holliver. 'Lou Mallory' as Neb Jackman. 'Gun Shy' as Vantine. 'Which Way'd They Go?' as Ned Jackman - he played this character in two episodes and the father of this clan. Another guest star on the "Untouchables." He was on just about everything back then. From "Superman" to "In the Heat of the Night."
Gigi Perreau played in two episodes of "The Rifleman." 'Heller' as Heller Chase. In 'Heller' she almost killed her evil step father and in 'Death Trap' she played Carrie (Vicki) Battle. She was the daughter of an ex-gunslinger turned doctor.
She was in two TV series ~ "The Betty Hutton show" as Pat Strickland and "Follow the Sun" as Katherine Ann Richards. She later appeared with Don Grady again in "My Three Sons." She was in many of TV shows back when. Rarely seen on film or TV since the late 60s, Gigi has continued on as a stage director and college prep drama teacher. Her birth name is Ghislaine Elizabeth Marie Thérèse Perreau-Saussine. Her father was French and her mother American.
Johnny & Gigi appeared together in "The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, "(Johnny played the Italian boy with groceries - uncredited) before "The Rifleman"
Don Grady was in two episode of "The Rifleman". In 'The Patsy' he played Jeff Barrows, the boy that kept trying to beat of our Mark. In 'Heller' as David Chase. He's the boy that stole the gun from Hattie's store to kill his stepfather. He was one of "My Three Sons." He played Robbie Douglas, next to the oldest of the boys. Don [1957-58] and Johnny [1955-56] both were Mouseketeers, but not at the same time.
K.T. Stevens was in several episodes of "The Rifleman." 'Heller' she played Muriel Bechtol. She was married to that evil Andrew Bechtol. Molly Fenway in 'The Fourflusher' where she was married to a sharecropper who enters his colt in a horse race, hoping to win enough money to buy his farm from the owner. 'Face of Yesterday' as Nancy Clay. Lucas thinks he has seen a ghost when a young man, similar to a man he killed in the Civil War, challenges him to a gunfight. 'Honest Abe' as Emma Lincoln. She is the sister to Able Lincoln who claims that he's the Great Emancipator. 'End of the Hunt' as Granny Mede. She appeared in several soaps ~ "General Hospital" ~ "Paradise Bay" ~ "Days of our Lives" ~ "The Young and the Restless". She was a former child actress, graduated to leading-lady roles in Hollywood pictures of the 40's and 50's and played quite a bit of character parts thereafter.
Sid Gilman played Ben Tooker. He was the man in the beginning of the episode who told Micah and Lucas that somebody had broke into Hattie's store and that they had him trapped on the inside.
Sid also had appeared on "The Donna Reed Show" as himself.
Gilman was a head football coach at the University of Cincinnati, Miami of Ohio, the Los Angeles Rams (1955-59; Winn-Loss Record: 28-31-1), the Los Angeles and San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL), and the Houston Oilers'. He also spent time as an assistant coach with Ohio State University, Army, the University of Pittsburgh, the Dallas Cowboys, the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Los Angeles Express of the USFL. Sid Gillman is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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