Mark and I were on our way back to North Fork.  We picked the stage up at Dobie Wells.  There on the stage was this elderly lady, 'Miss Bertie'.  Miss Bertie was from Philadelphia.  She had this scrapbook full of wanted posters.  Mark loved it!  They were talking Wild Jack Malone and Billy the Kid.  She sure knew her stuff.   She was on her way to Elizabethtown, Santa Fe and Tombstone.  I told her they were some mighty wild towns.  Not the best place for a lady.  She assured me she wasn't afraid.  I told her it was still a pretty ruff country.  "Is that why you carry that rifle?" Asked Miss Bertie.  "A rifles a pretty good friend if it's used right," I said.  She asked if she could look at it.  "You done something with that trigger, haven't cha'?" She asked.  "That's right. It fires automatically as you cock the lever."  Mark then asked her if she would be staying in town.  He would like to show her scrapbook to some of his friends.  She said she wasn't staying over, that she would be moving on.

When we got into North Fork, we wished her good luck and then said good-bye.  She told Mark she would send him a present when she got to Santa Fe.  We headed towards the hotel.  Mark and I wanted to get supper at the hotel before heading home.  Suddenly I hear Miss Bertie call to me.  "Mr. McCain! Mr. McCain, I've changed my mind. I think I'll stay in North Fork after all."  We didn't know at the time what made her change her mind, but Mark was sure glad she did.  Miss Bertie went to get a room and Mark and I headed into the dinning room.

As Mark and I entered the dining room, I heard someone say "Lucas McCain.....well...it's been a long time."  Yes it had been a long time.  The last I heard, Duke Jennings was in Oklahoma Territory.  He invited us to supper.  I told him thanks, but no thanks.  I was eating with my boy and a friend.  I told Mark to go get us a table.  Duke was watching Mark.  I walked up to him, standing my rifle on the table, leaning on it and said, "We don't have any celebrities here Jennings. It's just a nice quiet town."  "That's what I figured Luke. Not too many places a man can vacation with a price on his head." he said.  I nodded my head.  "That's right. Be seeing you." I said.  I then went over to join Mark. 

Wasn't too long when Miss Bertie came in.  Mark was the perfect gentleman.  He helped Miss Bertie get seated.  She was glad to have supper with us.  I'm sure it isn't much fun eating alone all the time.  Mark asked me who that man was I was just talking to.  Before I could open my mouth right Miss Bertie said, "That's Duke Jennings. He's thirty-two years old. He was born in Kansas. He prefers poker to pharo and always works alone. He killed a man two days ago. Fair fight."  She told us she saw him do it.  She assured us he wasn't wanted in this jurisdiction, but he was wanted.  She was glad about that.  She didn't want our Marshal to be able to arrest him.  She wanted to help him.  She felt it was a stroke of luck for her and Jennings.  Now the pieces were fitting together.  This must be the reason for the sudden change in her staying in North Fork.

Later that day, Miss Bertie approached Duke and asked him to turn himself in.   She told him that she had been following his career. She told him she'd like to do business with him.  She mentioned to him that being an outlaw must be lonely and that he would be much happier in Leavenworth.  She was offering him a chance never to be lonely again. "Leavenworth is full of lonely men like you."  He assured her he wasn't lonely.  She told him that paying for his crimes was the only way to find happiness.  "Why don't you let me turn you in?"  "Oh, so that's what you are ma'am, a bounty hunter."  "People should help each other and I need $2,000.00 very, very much."  "Well ma'am, if I ever decide to visit Leavenworth I shall let you turn me in."  He tipped his hat to her.  She thanked him and they parted ways.

Micah saw her talking to Duke and took her to his office to talk to her.  I too went along.  We tried talking to her, but she already had her mind made up.  Miss Bertie explained to us that in order to get into Happy Acres, a rest home where all her friends were, she needed $2000.  She wanted to collect the reward money for Duke. "That's no business for you, Miss Bertie," I said.  She looked at Micah and said, "Do you know what it's like to be lonely, really lonely?"  She told us how beautiful Happy Acres was compared to her small room.  It was a real home.  This was important to her.  She wanted to live there more then anything in the world.  I told her there must be another way to get the money.  She was too proud, she didn't want to accept any charity.  "I have to earn the money, and helping Mr. Jennings is the only way to do it.  So you see, it benefits everybody, the community, Mr. Jennings and me. You see gentleman, I'm being completely realistic." "Good day gentleman."  "Pestering Jennings is like grabbing the bull by the tail," said Micah.  We didn't like it, but there was nothing we could do about this little old lady being a bounty hunter. 

           Duke was over at the North Fork Saloon when Miss Bertie came in.  She sure turned everyone's eye.  Sweeney, the bartender tried to tell Miss Bertie she made a mistake.  He told her generally ladies didn't come into the saloon.  She was well aware of it and found it to be a nice, cool and pleasant place, so she said.  She then ordered a glass of sas-a-parilla.  Miss Bertie planned on harassing Duke by watching him play poker and giving away his hand to the other players.    

She then left and went over to the General Store to buy some jelly beans.  While she was there she bought some candy for Mark and wanted some oil for her handcuffs.  Millie tried to talk her into staying and visit for a while.  Miss Bertie told her she'd come back later, when her business was finished.  She then left.  "What does she want with handcuffs," asked Mark.  "Mark.....where's Lucas?" Asked Millie.  "At the counsel meeting. Anything wrong?" Asked Mark.  "Mark.....you run over and tell him that Miss Bertie has gone into the saloon again. Only this time she has a pair of handcuffs with her."

She went into the saloon and offered candy to the card players.  She then sat down at a table and got out her handcuffs.  Duke was trying to watch her and his hand.  She was setting there drinking her sarsaparilla when suddenly she gasped.  "Oh, I'm sorry, very sorry. It's such an unlucky hand," said Miss Bertie.  "Poor Bill Hickok was holding a hand just like that when he was shot."  That did it.  This angered Duke.  "Ma'am, you have done it again. Everybody knows that hand."  He threw the cards on the table and walked over to Micah.  "Sheriff, you tell that woman to stay away from me. I am losing my patients."  "What is it now Jennings?" Asked Micah.  "She won't leave me alone, she's always pestering me at my elbow, it's gettin' so.....you just tell her.....leave me alone."  I told him she wouldn't pester him if he left North Fork.  "I'll see what I can do," said Micah.  Duke looked at me and walked away. 

Micah and I went over to talk to Miss Bertie.  "Miss Bertie, Duke Jennings claims you've been bothering him.  He's quite upset about it." said Micah.  "His consciences are bothering him," she said.  I picked up the handcuffs that were lying on the table.  "Miss Bertie, are these part of his consciences?" I asked.  "I'm just oiling them," said Miss Bertie.  "If you keep nudging Jennings conscience, well then he's liable to start trouble," said Micah.  "Isn't that what you want? An opportunity to arrest him?" Asked Miss Bertie.  "Yes, if he breaks the law." said Micah.  "Well I'm helping you marshal."  "I don't want your help," said Micah.  She said she knew her rights.  There's was no law against her sittin' and sippin'.

The next day Miss Bertie was sitting in the saloon oiling her handcuffs.  In walks Jennings.  A gambler walks up to Jennings and asked him to play two-handed game of cards.  Jennings wanted to set away from Miss Bertie, but the gambler insisted on the spot by Miss Bertie.  He said it was his lucky seat.  Sweeney then sent a cowboy over for Micah.  The gambler was winning.  Now it was Jennings deal.  Miss Bertie watched him close.  The cowboy opened at $100.  Jennings raised him $100.  "Mr. Jennings, how could you have the eight of clubs in your hand? I thought the bottom of the deck was a card for cut," said Miss Bertie.  She was accusing him of dealing from the bottom of the deck.  Jennings insisted she didn't know what she was talking about.  She insisted her eyesight was excellent.  The gambler asked him if he had the eight of clubs.  He wanted to see Jennings' hand.  Micah told them to fold their hands and split the pot.  Jennings said he wasn't splitting anything.  He then drew on Micah.  He told him to raise his hand and get back by the window.  Jennings then told the gambler to pick up his cards.  "I've got a hunch I'm gonna make a killin' on these cards," said Jennings.  Miss Bertie then started towards Jennings with the handcuffs in her hands.  He told her to step back.  She did.  I was looking for Micah and happened by the saloon.  I looked in the window to see what was going on.  I then entered the saloon.  Jennings told the gambler if he wanted to see his hand, it would cost him a hundred dollars more to do that.  I then yelled "Drop it!"  Jennings jumped from his seat and turned to shoot at me.  I shot him in his right shoulder.  I then took my rifle and turned it and it appeared as if I was going to use it like a club.  "Go on, try it, go for it," I said.  I then took his gun.  Micah put Jennings under arrest. It was quite an event for Miss Bertie.  She needed to sit down.  "Oh, I think I need some sas-a-parilla," said Miss Bertie.            

Miss Bertie was getting ready to leave on the stage.  Micah told her when she gets to Santa Fe to go to the Marshals office there and he would see she got the reward money.  He told her no more bounty hunting.  She promised.  She gave Mark her scrapbook.  He was thrilled.  Mark really liked Miss Bertie.  He told her he would miss her.  "You know Miss Bertie, $2,000.00 is a mighty big stake to put in someone else's place. The west needs folks. Why cowboys would ride fifty miles just to taste your apple pie and to see your smile," I said.  "You think I'm needed here?" She asked.  "You've got enough to buy your own home and with that apple pie of yours and that smile, you'd never be lonely."  She then boarded the stagecoach.  "You really think I could?" She asked.  "If you want to?" I said.  The stage then took off with Miss Bertie waving and yelling, "I'll be seein' ya!"  "Gosh, I wished she lived here, don't you Pa?"  "Well to be honest son, I love Miss Bertie too, but she could be kinda hard on the nerves."  Mark laughed.    

piddlin' stuff.....Agnes Moorehead as Bertie Olcum. Alberta 'Bertie' Hoakam from Philadelphia.  She's the old lady who arrives in town hot on the trail of a notorious bandit—and the reward money for capturing him.
This lady certainly needs no introduction.  She is best known for her role as Samantha's mother, Endora in "Bewitched."  She initially turned down the role of Endora in "Bewitched", but reconsidered when Elizabeth Montgomery asked her in person, when they met in a department store. Moorehead joined the cast not expecting the show to last more than one season - let alone become a long-running hit.
Won A Golden Globe for "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte" - did you see her in this?  I remember her in this movie.  Excellent actress!  How about "Wagon Train" as Mary Halstead in 'The Mary Halstead Story'?  She did the voice of the goose in Charlotte's Web.  Loved her in "The Singing Nun" as Sister Cluny
Another guest star of "The Untouchables."
She was called The Lavender Lady because she adored the color purple and drove a lavender car and her home and dressing rooms were lavender her favorite color.
First woman to co-host the Academy Awards (with Dick Powell) in 1948.

Richard Anderson has appeared in 6 episodes of  'The Rifleman' . 'One Went to Denver' as Tom Birch.  [The Rife in which Lucas threw at Tom Birch at the end of the episode was a 'rubber rifle.'  Chuck took it home and left his kids play with it] - 'Lariat' as Lariat Jones [He was a close friend of Lucas' and was once in love with Margaret] - 'Miss Bertie' as Duke Jennings [He was a gunslinger with a bounty on his head.  Lucas takes the rifle and threatens to hit him with it like a club] - 'Flowers by the Door' as Jason Gowdy [He was a door-to-door book salesman who assaults and kills woman]  - 'The Bullet' as Griff  [He was a crooked gambler and the murderer] - 'Millie's Brother' as Harry Chase - [one of my favorites] "Just who is the better man, Harry Chase?"  "We all know the answer to that one, don't we?"   He also was on "Hardcastle & McCormick" [love that Hardcastle and McCormick!!!!!] ~ but the most rememberable part I would have to say was Oscar Goldman on the "Six Million Man" and "The Bionic Woman"