Mark and I were loading the wagon with supplies when we noticed a strange walking into town.  He looked somewhat weary and discouraged.  We saw him approach the printer of The North Fork Weekly.  "Hello. I was wondering if you'd like to hire somebody.  I, ah, been doing a little writin'."  He told him he didn't have much experience, but he'd sure like to learn.  He said he'd sweep or do anything for the price of a meal. The gentleman told him he didn't need any help and couldn't afford to take on anyone else.  We watched him walk over towards the hotel.  He set down on the side steps of the hotel.  I looked at Mark and without saying anything I headed towards the stranger.  I told him I wanted to talk to him.  He jumped up and started to hurry off.  "Hey wait a minute!  My boy and I would like to strike up a bargain with you.  There he is. [I pointed to Mark setting in the wagon.]  If you'd help us finish loading the wagon it would be worth me buying you a meal, and I count it a favor.  That is if you  haven't eaten already."  He told me I had it all wrong.  I was the one doing him the favor.  He was willing to work for a price of a meal, I'd bet he was hungry now.  "Maybe we better eat first, that boy of mine's hungry!"

His name was George Collins.  He also told us about what had happened out on the trail.  He mentioned his journal and how the cowboys made fun of his writing.  He didn't blame the cowboys.  He felt there was no place for him out west, he was scared all the time.  The people, the places, everything.  It was his way of telling us he was a coward.  He told us his father was a doctor.  He wanted him to be one to.  He sent him to college, medical school. He couldn't handle the blood and pain.  So he left for the west, hoping that he might be able to tuffin' himself up.  I told him maybe he wasn't cut out to be a cook or a doctor.  Was there something else he wanted to do?  He always wanted to be a writer, maybe for a newspaper or write books like Mark Twain.  He already started to write some things.  He got his book out of his pocket.  I asked him if I could take a look at it.  He said he hadn't written anything that good yet and put the book away.  Mark asked him if there was anything else he could do.  He told us on his way out he worked for a Magic Lantern Show.  A lot of little towns didn't have piano, so he would play the mouth organ.  That caught Mark's attention.  He wanted George to play something.  He coaxed him until he did.  He got nervous and couldn't handle the attention, so he stopped.  "Oh Mark, sometime when there aren't any people around I'll play for you again, alright?"

I asked him what he was going to do now.  He said the only thing he had left was to wire his father for passage back east.  I told him things weren't all that great at the ranch right now, but if he wanted to he could room and board at our place.  He agreed, as long as he could work for his keep.  I agreed.  I told him to help Mark finish loading the wagon while I finished up with something's in town.

George didn't know that the cowboys who gave him such a ruff time out on the trail was now here in North Fork.  Buddy and Dub was looking out the saloon door when they saw George.  They thought that Georgie boy should have a drink with them.  They were going to give him something to write about. 

Dub went out and surprised George with a slap on the back.  He told Georgie boy he wanted to buy him a drink.  He said he had a surprise for him.  George didn't want a drink.  But Dub grabbed his arm and took him to the saloon.  His surprise was Buddy.  Dub bought the bar drinks.  He was loud.  "A toast!  A toast to the toughest, roughest, fightest, meanest, cushiness man, critter that ever roped a bronc.  GEORGIE BOY COLLINS."  Everybody was laughing.  He wanted to leave.  He told them he had to get back to my wagon.  As he started to leave Buddy tripped him and he fell to the floor.  Sweeney told them to leave him alone.  Buddy told Sweeney he better keep his nose behind the bar as he put his hand on his gun.  Buddy took George's book from him and gave it to Dub to read.  He wanted to see what George had wrote about him.  Mark had peeked into the saloon to see what was going on.  He saw George was in trouble, he came looking for me.  Dub started to read George's journal. When he read the part about Buddy being a fighting game cock with some men who are wanting in stature,  Buddy didn't understand.  Dub told him it meant how tall or how short you are.  "I think he's calling you a runt," said Dub laughing.  Georgie tried to explain, but Buddy told him to shut up and told Dub to keep reading.  Dub read on, Link feels the necessity of makin' his height seem greater then it is thru acts of cruelty, malice and such behavior as would be fittin' a spoiled child.  Buddy Link struts and," this infuriates Buddy.  "Shut up!"  Yells Buddy.  He grabs the book from Dub and starts ripping it up.  Then throws it at George and starts beating on him.  By then Mark had found me and we were heading towards the saloon.  You could hear all the commotion going on.  I went into the saloon grabbed Buddy under his arm and dragged him up to the bar.  I grabbed his gun from his holster and stood there with it.  I then handed it to Sweeney.  I walked over to George and started picking up his paper when Buddy picked up a bottle of whiskey and started for me.  I heard someone holler "Lucas."  I told him with my rifle barrel in his belly to put the bottle down.  Everybody started laughing.  Buddy called to Dub.  But I warned him.  I grabbed a hold of Dub and I warned the two to leave George alone.  As I walked out of the saloon, Buddy started for me but Dub stopped him.  Buddy said, "Big man.  I'm not forgetting you, Big man."

George felt I wouldn't want him out at the ranch after what had happened.  He saw Buddy pick up the bottle and start after me, but couldn't say anything.  He felt he was a coward.  I told him I didn't look at it that way... and we better get goin'. 

We set George up in the barn and said goodnight.  He seemed at ease with being there.  He laid on his bed playing his mouth organ.  All of a sudden he heard "get up."  It was Buddy and Dub.  Buddy took George's mouth organ from him and smashed with a hammer, again and again.  Buddy then told him to call me out.  He wanted to cut me down to size.  He told them he couldn't.  Buddy hit him.  They didn't know I was outside the back of the barn and came in thru that door.  "I'm here.  Drop the gun."  I told George to pick up the gun.  Just then Buddy went for the gun that was laying on the barrel.  I stopped him with the barrel of my rifle on his hand and then hit him with it.  "Alright, now drag him back where he belong," I said to Dub.

The next day we were out working on the wagon when Buddy and Dub came riding in with the Whiplash boys.  He held a shotgun on me and told the cowboys to take me.  I hit the one and we all started to fight.  Mark went for Dub.  They all ganged up on me and kept beating me.  Buddy stopped them and told them to drag me over to him.  It was payback time for Buddy.  He first hit me in the jaw for last night.  Then the stomach for the saloon.  He started hitting me.  Mark broke loose from Dub and attached Buddy.  Buddy threw him aside.  Mark pleaded with Buddy but he didn't listen.  He just kept beating me.  George couldn't watch.  He turned to look away, when he did he saw the hammer laying in the wagon we we're fixing.  He picked up the hammer and hit Dub with it and took the shotgun from him.  "Alright stop it, stop it right now!"  Said George.  They didn't stop.  George then shot into the air.  That got their attention.  He cocked the triggers and told them to get out. Buddy told him if he didn't put that rifle down he kill George.  George warned him he would shoot.  He's had enough.  While George had their attention I sent Mark for my rifle.  Buddy told George he only had one shot.  George asked him if he wanted that 'one' shot.  Buddy stood there studying George.  This wasn't "The Coward" George he knew.  Or was it?  Just then Dub come to.  He ask Buddy if he was afraid of George?  Buddy and George still studying each other.  I'm prepared now with my rifle, just in cause something went wrong.  Dub wanted Buddy to shoot George.  When he wouldn't, Dub rode off.  So did the Whiplash boys.  Then Buddy.  Mark was proud of George.  "You sure did made him back down," said Mark to George.  "I couldn't pull the trigger.  I know I couldn't do it.  I'm still a coward."  He went to get his things.  I sent Mark in the house to get George's book.  I went into the barn.  "Are you sure you won't change your mind?  Mark handed me his book.  We mended his book last night.  I had to admit, we did read some of it.  He painted some mighty clear pictures with his words.  He grabbed the book from me and told how he wouldn't have the courage to tell them to their face.  "If they are true, they needed to be said.  It takes a lot of courage to write about what you see, without being afraid."  The kind of courage he showed against the Whiplash boys.  He knew he couldn't pull that trigger, but he had the courage to stand up to them anyway.  "That's courage."  "Pa's right.  That is being brave, in a different way."  George was not 'The Coward' he thought he was.  He started to leave.  "The country around here could use your kind type of man.  There must be some towns around here that need  men to work on their newspapers."  "I'm gonna try it," said George.  We shook hands on it. 

piddlin' stuff.....Carleton Carpenter played George Collins in this episode.  He's the writer Lucas helps.  Carlton is an actor, songwriter ("Christmas Eve"), composer and author.  He has appeared in show from "Studio One" ~ "Perry Mason" ~ "Trackdown" to "The Ropers."

Steve Rowland played Billy Lehigh in 'Home Ranch'.   He was one of Jackford's bullies.  He helped burn down the McCain's home.   He played Buddy Link in 'The Coward'.  He's the one who beat on Georgie Boy Collins in the saloon and Lucas at his ranch. In both episodes, his initials was B. L. He has appeared in several westerns and movies.  He also appeared in "Battle of the Bulge."  Today Steve is a record producer.  He lives in London England.

When I asked Steve about his experience working on the set of "The Rifleman," this was his reply....."my experience when shooting those two episodes was a great deal of fun. I had met Chuck Connors before at one of the many parties that I attended in Hollywood back there in the 50s. We hit it off straight away---probably because of our mutual interest in sports. I was into motor racing and he had been a star baseball player. When they started production on "The Rifleman" I was called by the casting director to read for a part on 'Home Ranch.' I got the part. They must have liked my performance because they cast me in 'The Coward' soon after. Chuck and I had a lot of laughs on set during the shooting. I really can't remember much more. It was too long ago.

I do remember, however, that I got the chance to meet one of my heroes, Sam Peckinpah."  Check out Steve's website  — You'll be surprised what all this guy has achieved!

John Milford appeared as Dub in this episode 'The Coward.'  When he reads George's journal, watch him close, he really is having a good time.  Love this part!  He has appeared in more episodes of "The Rifleman" then I thought.  11 episodes! [gee, does that break any records?]  'The Assailants' ~ 'The Journey Back' ~ 'The Clarence Bibs Story' ~ 'Dark Day at North Fork' ~ 'Baranca' ~ 'The Pitchman' ~ 'Meeting at Midnight' ~ 'A Time for Singing' ~ 'The Horse Traders' ~ 'The Coward' ~ 'The Blowout'.  Remember him in the episode of 'Dark Day at North Fork?"  He played Jack Solby, he tried to kill Lucas when he was blind?  He was another guest star on "The Untouchables."
He was credited with the original design for the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Robert Bice as Ben Smith in 'The Coward.'  Joe Hallager in the 'The Mind Reader'.  He was Lucy's father.  The man that Billy Mathis [Michael Landon] was accused of killing.   'Deadly Image' as Len Richards.   He was the one who accused Lucas of killing his brother, he also appeared in 'Seven' as the warden of the New Mexico Territorial Prison - uncredited.
He was a regular on "The Untouchables" - Captain Jim Johnson.  

Donald Elson played in two episodes of "The Rifleman." In 'The Coward' he was the Printer of the North Fork Newspaper. In 'Outlaw's Shoes' he was the man at the livery stable. He has done many television episodes, anthologies and movies of the week as well as countless television commercials.

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.

'The Coward' — The Video - a snippet
This is the scene from the saloon.

*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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