Mark and I were on our way to town to get supplies.  Along the way we saw a  wagon setting in plain site, along the side of the road.  I sat there looking the situation over when Mark said,  "Funny place to stop, maybe their lost."   I drove our buckboard closer to check out the situation.  "Hello, any trouble?"  No answer.  I told Mark to stay where he was while I checked out the situation.  When I got into the wagon I noticed a man and a women unconscious, they appeared to be sick.  I told Mark I would take them back to our ranch.  "Go to town and get the Doc, and hurry."  The woman was delirious, she kept calling out the name Clay over and over again.  I told her I was here and that everything would be alright.  I started down the road to our ranch, Maury Cass, a citizen of North Fork,  was approaching me on the same road.  I told him I was in a hurry.  He asked me what I was doing driving a Conestoga.   I told him I got a great deal on a used Conestoga in Santa Fe, one owner, whole family wiped out by Comancheros, very little blood stains.  I told him that it wasn't mine, that I found it on the flats.  I told him there was a couple of people in it, settlers I thought and they were sick. He wanted to know what was the matter with them and what I was going to do with them.  I didn't really have time for all this talk.  I told him I didn't know what was wrong with them and that I was taking them back to my place.  "The doctors on his way."  He just kept going on and on.  "Do you want me to haul this wagon around you Mr. Cass?"  He got the hint.  He drove his buggy around me and I headed towards the ranch. 

I put the two settlers in our bedroom.  I applied cold cloths to their heads and did what I could to make them comfortable until the Doc could get here.  Mark and I waited on the porch while he tended the two settlers.  When he finished he came out to talk to me.  I wasn't sure I wanted Mark to hear what the Doc had to say, so I told him to go turn their team of horses loose in the pasture.  "How bad Doc?"  He told me it didn't look good.  He said he hadn't seen this disease in these parts, yellow fever.  I was surprised.  I asked him if he was sure.  They had all the symptoms.  He had left some pills for them.  They needed a good rest and good care.  Time could only tell.  I told him I would do my best.  He warned me of the dangers involved.  I told him I had been tending to them for over two hours and if I was to get it, I would.  I quickly got Mark's school books together and packed him a bag.  I told him to go into town and stay with Hattie.  He didn't want to.  He wanted to stay here.  I had to tell him what was wrong and that I needed to stay and take care of them.  I told him to be good and do as Hattie says.

Mr. Cass saw Doc and Mark ride into town.  He questioned the Doc about the settlers. He wondered how sick they were.  He thought they had to be pretty sick for me to send Mark into town.  He wanted to know what was the matter with them.  "Hey Maury, you better stop by my office and see if I can fix your nose.  It's a bit lop-sided.  I guess that comes from stickin' it in other people's business."  Cass didn't find out what he wanted to know, so he went into the General Store to question Mark.  He tricked Mark into telling him what was wrong with the settlers.  When Mark said "yellow fever," Cass got upset.  He started to tell everyone.  Mrs. Porter was there when the news got out.  She looked at Mark and decided she would come back later.  Brett Conway was there too, but he had other ideas.  He wanted to profit from it.

I was tending to the Barkers, when Mrs. Barker came to. I told her everything was going to be alright.  She asked about her husband, Clay.  I told her he was getting better.  There was no reason he wouldn't, he was holding his own.  I heard a horse outside and went to check to see if someone was here.  I saw Brett checking out the Barker's wagon.  I went out and shouted "looking for something Brett?"  Brett was an ex-solider who fought in the Civil War.  He said he was available for hire. He had worked for was just about everyone in North Fork and every ranch within fifty miles. I hired him one time before and that was enough for me. He told me he had experience with yellow fever.  "I could handle it alone."  He told me the town people was getting skittish about catching the fever.  He said he could gentle them down or spook them.  That was up to me.  He told me he wanted to get out of North Fork.  He needed a stake.  I told him to work for it.  He was trading on sickness, trying to cash in on fear.  "Mount up, Mount up right now," I shouted.  As he was getting on his horse, he yelled, I'll see you McCain, real soon."  Then rode off. 

Brett was in the saloon stirring up the townfolks.  He got Cass and everyone else worried.  He told them how he had seen the fever when he was in the army.  He saw people were dying on the street.  Just burning up.  The only thing he could do was bury them.  He told how they burned their house.  He then said that was the only way to get rid of it was to burn it out.  Micah was outside making his rounds when he overheard what Brett was saying.  He went into the Saloon.  They told Micah if he didn't protect them, they would have to protect themselves. 

I had gone into town to get some of that good soup stock of Hattie's.  I was surprised to find Mark out of school.  The teacher sent him back.  She was afraid he would make everyone sick. Everyone in town was scared half out of their wits.  Hattie told me that Doc was up all night with the townfolks having every symptom imageable.  Hattie pointed to the left side of her and said "that's where the fear is, it's worst then any fever."  Mark wanted to know how soon until he could come home.  I told him a couple of days.  Just as I was ready to head out, Micah came into Hattie's.  We could see the townfolks gathered together.  I told Micah I had to get back.  They told me to get out of town and stay out.  I was exposing them to the fever.  They told Micah again, if he didn't do something about this they would.  Micah shouted to them to break it up.  "You better leave Lucas, you look like a red shirt to a bull."  Micah walked over to Hattie.  "Just one little push, that's all we need, Hattie.  Just one little spark and it'll explode."  "And their supposed to be friends and neighbors," said Hattie.  Ask them to face bandits, face guns and bullets, they'll stand right up next to ya'. But give them something they can't see or grab a hold of."  Just then Mrs. Porter rode up looking for the Doc.  She told us her boy was sick. He was sent home from school feverish and sick to his stomach. Micah suggested that maybe it was something he ate.  She said that he was playing with Mark McCain just before classes started.  That was all the crowd need to hear.  Brett said they were going to handle this in their own way. 

The Barker's were feeling somewhat better.  They were grateful I hadn't turned them away.  I gave them some of Hattie's soup.  Clay told me they had been on a wagon train.  When they found out what they had, they made them leave.  Just then I heard someone ride up.  It was Micah.  He came to warn me.  The townfolks went crazy when they heard the Porter boy was sick.  He couldn't stop them.  "Their your neighbors Lucas."  "No, I don't know them at all."  I picked up my rifle and went out to confront them.  They came to burn my place down.  I flipped my rifle and told them they had one minute to get off of my property.  Cass told me it was the only way, they would make it up to me.  They'd help me build a another house, a better one.  "I like this one just the way it is."  They thought they were protecting their wives and families.  I only know that I needed to help these people.  Micah started to remind everyone about the times we all stuck together.  "What about the time your store was wrecked in that Tornado?  Lucas, Carl and Roy pulled you out.  Even tho they knew the roof could come down on them any second.  How about that time you were bitten by that rattlesnake Carl?  Did Frank stop to mention when he sucked the poison out of your leg.  Sucked it into his own mouth.  And who ended up when that little girl got lost in the blizzard and every man in town went out to find her.  Do you think Frank Thomas thought about it before he froze to death?  Maybe you all better think back always when you first came out here and depended on each other for help without reckonin'.  Because you all knew you'd get back double.  That's why Lucas is helping these young folks now.  They've come out here fresh and new, you've given them a fine taste of what to expect."  Brett thought that was mighty big talk coming from Micah.  He said that none of that had anything to do with this.  "Words ain't gonna keep us from getting the fever, only this," [pointing to a torch not yet lit].  That's all Brett had left, what the war taught him, violence and  trouble.  "Your nothing without it, so you build it up just to make you look good again, said Micah to Brett."  "We're wasting time," shouted Brett. He started to give orders what to burn first.  Nobody wanted any part of this.  They had changed their mind.  They turned, got back in the wagon and left for town.  "I was wrong Micah, these are the people I knew, thanks."

After a while, the Barker's were all better and were ready to start on their journey again.  They had thanked me for everything.  Before they left, they wanted to know if we found out what was wrong with the boy who took sick.  "Ted Porter had green fever, from eating green apples.  He was afraid to tell his Pa."  We all laughed as they drove off.

piddlin' stuff.....Enid Jaynes played Amy Barker in this episode of 'Panic.'  She also appeared in 'The Wyoming Story' - part 1 & 2.  She played Aggie.  She's the woman who wanted Lucas to take her with him when he returned to North Fork.  She and Dabbs Greer played in two of "The Rifleman" episodes together.  'Panic' and 'The Wyoming Story.'   In the 'Quiet Fear' she was the woman who was deaf—Abbey Striker.  In 'Waste' - part 1 & 2 - she was the pregnant woman.  She's the one who slapped Lucas's face at the end of the episode.  She did not have one speaking line in 'Waste' or in 'Quiet Fear.'    
She also appeared with Chuck in "Geronimo" (1962) as Huera. 
 She was married to Jules V. Levy, he was one of the producers for
"The Rifleman."   He also produced "Geronimo."

 Dabbs Greer is one of your most well known character actors. He has been in the business for over five decades.  He has appeared in "The Rifleman" eight times. 'The Stand-In' as Taylor, one of the prison guards - 'The Wyoming Story' (1&2) as Finny - 'The Promoter' as Jack Scully - 'The Jailbird' as Farley Steel - 'Panic' as Brett - 'Boomerang' as Sam Elder - 'Outlaw's Inheritance' as Marcus Trimble.  I think out of all of them I liked him best in 'The Wyoming Story.'
He had many recurring appearances - "Perry Mason" - "Gunsmoke" as Mr. Jonas the storekeeper - "Picket Fences" as Reverend Henry Novotny - "Little House on the Prairie" as Reverend Alden - "Untouchables."  I especially like him in "The Green Mile."  He is remembered for being in those oldie but goodie 1950's sci-fi movies like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" - "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" - "The Giant Claw" and "The Vampire".  I tip my cowgirl hat to you for a job well done!

Bill Joyce played Clay Barker.  He was Amy's husband and the man who was sick in this episode.  He appeared in the soap "Days of Our Lives" as Kellam Chandler (1980-1981).  "Another World ~ Somerset"  as Jack Wheeler.  He was in the movie "Lifeguard".   He was on "Cannon" several times.  I found very little on him.  But yet he sure did look familiar.  I would have sworn he had done a lot more.

Charles Watts played Maury Cass in 'Panic'.  He was the man who tricked Mark into telling him about the yellow fever.  He also appeared in  'The Brother-in-law' as Alvah Kemper.  He was the one who offered Johnny $100 in prize money if he could stay on Lucifer.  In 'The Mescalero Curse' as Joe Beasley.   He was on everything from "The Lone Ranger" to "Dennis the Menace."  Another guest star on the "Untouchables."
Taught Business law and Drama at Chattanooga High School, Chattanooga, Tennessee 1937-1938.

Hope Summers as Hattie Denton, owner of The General Store.  Hope Summers appeared in 16 episodes as Hattie Denton.  Hattie was first introduced to "The Rifleman" in 'Eight Hours to Die.' 

Lynn Cartier played Mrs. Porter.  She was the lady in the General Store who overheard Cass and Mark's conversation.  She also was in another episode - 'The Hero' as Colly Van's girlfriend and Sam Bedford's daughter.

Fay Roope appeared in 4 episodes of "The Rifleman."  Two episodes as Doc Burrage, 'The Legacy' and 'Panic.'  He appeared as Baynes Barton in 'The Spiked Rifle' and as Jeff Stacey in 'The Brother-in-law.'  There were two doctors before Doc Burrage although neither of them were ever named or given credit.  Those two episodes were 'The Sharpshooter' and 'The Marshal.'  In 'End of a Young Gun' Lucas told Hank he would go get Doc Sedley?  Doc Burrage was first introduced to 'The Rifleman' in 'The Pet.'
Doc Burrage was a regular character ~ how many different actors played Doc Burrage?
Can you name them?
Chuck and Faye also were in the 1954 movie "Naked Alibi" which was before "The Rifleman."

Bill Quinn as Sweeney the owner/bartender of The North Fork Saloon.  Sweeney was first introduced to "The Rifleman" in 'The Marshal.'  He has appeared in 39 episodes of "The Rifleman" as Sweeney the Bartender.  

In the part where Mark is in the buckboard with Doc, Mark says to his Pa, "Ill see you tomorrow, Dad."  "OOOOOPS!"  ;-)
You can hear the sound byte on odds n' ends6

*If anybody has any information on any of the stars, and would like to share it, please get in touch with

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updated 10/18/08