It
had been a long journey for Jas. This time was
different from his other journeys. This time he was
on his way hoping to find someone he had been
looking for, for years. It was late and Jas decided
to bed
down
for the night. It didn't take him long to fall
asleep, and it wasn't long until he started to
dream. He dreamt of the Civil War and the battle of
Fredericksburg and the first man he killed. He could
hear the sounds of battle. The cannons going off,
the explosions. He dreamt of how he took cover from
an artillery blast in a shell hole. He heard a voice
call out....."Hey Yankee!" There stood a confederate
solider with his rifle and bayonet aimed right at
Jas. He took a shot at Jas, but the rifle was empty.
He then charged at Jas. Jas moved in time as
confederate soldier stuck his bayonet into the
ground. They were fighting for their lives. As Jas
went to stick the confederate solider with his
sword, he pushed Jas away. Again they fought
fiercely. The soldier hit Jas in the stomach with
the butt of his rifle; making Jas fall to the
ground. The solider charged at Jas again. This time
Jas had his sword ready and the soldier landed on
Jas's sword, then fell to the ground. Jas crawled
over to the soldier. The solider could see in Jas's
face that this was his first kill. "Your first
kill.....Yank?" Asked the solider as he struggled to
talk. He then told Jas 'the first kill' was the
hardest. Before he died he took something out of his
pocket. It was his father's watch and his father's
before him. "If you get through this.....you'd be
doing me a kindness.....by seeing my family gets
it." The solider died before being able to give Jas
his name. Jas then woke up. He later found out the
name of the soldier, and hoped that this journey
would lead him to the soldier's father, Sam Manning.
He traveled into the town of Reading and stopped at
the saloon before looking for Manning. There were
several men playing poker. Rand won the pot, and
told Adam Manning he owed him twenty dollars and
wanted the money now. Adam told him he was good for
it, but Rand didn't want to wait for his money.
"You're good for it!" "You ain't good for nothing
Manning!"
"You
play poker bad; you mouth off bad; you drink bad; I
want my money and I want it now!" Adam stood up and
went through his pockets only to confirm what he
already had told Rand, he didn't have the money.
Rand then grabbed Adam and shoved him right into the
path of Jas. Jas grabbed a hold of Adam and turned
him towards him. He couldn't believe the
resemblance, he must be Tad's brother, the soldier
he killed at Fredericksburg. Jas asked the bartender
where Adam lived. Rand told him not to trouble
himself, that he should just kick him out of the bar
and leave him be. Jas asked the bartender again.
"The first spread you come to.....about six miles
south of town," said the bartender. Jas got Adam to
his feet and started out the doors of the saloon
when Rand said....."You tell him.....I'll be around
to collect what he owes me."
Sam Manning welcomed Jas into his home. He was
grateful for Jas helping his son. Jas saw a picture
of Sam's son, Tad, the soldier he killed, and picked
up the picture and looked at it. While he was
looking at the picture and remembering back, Manning
told him....."That was his oldest son, Tad." "He was
killed at Fredericksburg." Jas told Adam they looked
a lot alike, enough to be twins. Chad was bitter, he
told Jas....."That's where the resemblance stops!"
Manning was proud of his son Tad, too bad he didn't
feel the Sam way about Adam. "He was a real
man.....he had great ambitions.....he was going
places." "Now he's just a picture!" "Not much to
keep a memory alive.....but it's all I've got!" Said
Manning. Adam heard enough as he had many of times
before. He threw his drink into the fireplace and
said he was turning in. Jas walked up to Manning and
said....."I think you have a lot more then a picture
and a few military mementos to keep that memory
alive," said Jas. Manning looked at Jas and
asked....."Adam?" Jas nodded. "Not one thing of that
boy reminds me of Tad." "How do you explain the runt
of the litter?" "It just happens!" Said Manning, the
whole time Adam could hear what was said through his
bedroom door. Adam knew how his father felt about
him, and about Tad.
It
had tormented him for a long time. "Their Ma died a
few years back.....it just left Adam and me." "I
tried pushing him in the right direction.....he just
won't see to measure up." "He just keeps going
downhill and all I can do is sit and watch," said
Manning. He told Jas he was going to bed and there
was an extra room out by the barn, and if Jas needed
anything else just holler.
The next morning Jas got up early and started to
chop wood. Adam came out and started telling Jas how
he could never live up to his brother's image. "I've
headed roundup, ridden fence, branded, busted
bronc's, that's not enough for the old man," said
Adam. "So I put in a days work, but at night I gotta
go into town, play a little poker, get a little
drunk.....get him off my back," said Adam. Jas told
Adam that it doesn't matter much what someone else
thinks, as long as a man know what he is, inside,
that's what matters. Jas went into the house to take
the wood in that he just cut. Rand rode up and
demanded his twenty dollars from Adam. Adam asked
him to give him a couple of days; he would have his
money then. Rand told him he came to get his money
from Adam's father. Adam grabbed Rand by the arm to
stop him. Rand told him he wanted his money.....now!
Adam told Rand he didn't want him talking to his
father. Rand pulled away from Adam and started
towards the house. Adam went after Rand and grabbed
a hold of him and a fight broke out. Rand got the
best of Adam, but Adam sure did put up a good fight.
When Jas saw what was going on he broke up the
fight. Rand didn't like that. He grabbed the axe and
started for Jas. Jas grabbed his broken saber and
was ready for him. Rand changed his mind and put the
axe down. Jas then took twenty dollars from his
pocket and threw it on the ground in front of Rand
and told him he was paid off. Rand picked up the
money and left. Jas then walked over to Adam and
helped him up. He thanked Jas and told him he owed
him another favor. As Adam started into the house
his father came out. "Well.....what is it this time
Adam!" Adam told his father it was nothing. "It's
always nothing," said Manning. "You come staggering
home drunk and it's nothing.....you get beaten up in
town.....it's nothing!"
"You loose your money gambling.....it's nothing!"
Adam told him it was his money and his life. "That's
right, it's your life.....you can throw it away if
you want." "But Tad didn't throw his life
away.....while he was alive he made something of
it.....not just a.....waste." "I'm not Tad
Pa.....you hear me? I'm not Tad!" He started to
cry....."I'm Adam!" "Look at me!" Adam got on his
knees and yelled....."Look at me! I'm Adam!"
Manning looked at
Adam, then Jas, then he turned and went into the
house.
That evening at supper, Chad wasn't hungry so Jas
and Manning sat down to eat. Jas and Manning both
didn't have much of an appetite. But Manning never
would have expected to hear what Jas was about to
tell him. Manning told Jas that his door would
always be open to him. "Mr. Manning.....there's
something I have to tell you, something I have
carried with me for a lot of years." Jas told
Manning that he fought in the war, for the Union at
Fredericksburg. He told Manning that in his first
battle he had his horse shot out from under him. Jas
told him how he took cover from an artillery blast
in a shell hole. He told him that there was a
confederate soldier in that shell hole. They fought
and Jas told him he killed the solider. "It was your
son Tad Mr. Manning," said Jas. Chad was in his
bedroom with the door open. He heard ever word Jas
was saying. He slowly approached the doorway. Jas
told Manning that before his son died they talked
and Tad gave him the watch to give back to his
father and that Tad wanted him to have it. Manning
was stunned. At first he didn't say anything. Then
he said....."You.....you sat here.....you ate my
food and all the time you knew?" "Well you
told me.....now get out!" "Get out of my home before
I kill ya'!" Jas got
up from the table and left.
Adam then walked out into the kitchen. Manning asked
Adam if he heard what Jas had said and asked Adam
what was he going to do about it. Adam told him he
was going to do what his father would do if he
could. Manning told his son that Jas was too much
for him and that he couldn't handle him. Adam looked
at him and said....."Your wrong Pa.....I'm gonna
measure up better then Tad. I'm going to do
something even he couldn't do....." Tad then grabbed
the rifle and started out for Jas. "McCord.....turn
around," yelled Adam. "Why Adam?" Asked Jas. "You the
man who killed my brother," said Adam. "A solider
who killed another soldier because he had to," said
Jas. "The business of war is to kill," said Jas.
Adam told him he didn't care about that. Jas asked
him if his father knew. Adam said he did. "The first
kill.....your brother told me the first one was the
hardest." "Go ahead Adam.....but you better check
that hammer first," said Jas. As Adam looked down at
the hammer to the rifle Jas threw his coat at Adam,
distracting him. They started to fight. Jas got the
best of Adam. Adam told him he better kill him,
because if he didn't, he was going to kill him. Just
then Manning came out onto the porch watching. Jas
then told Adam he was going to give him another
chance to kill him. Jas drug Adam over to his saddle
bags and pulled out his broken saber. "You should
use this," he said to Adam. He handed it to Adam and
told him it was the one he used on his brother. Take
it!" Yelled Jas. Adam grabbed the saber and held it
to Jas, standing there just looking. "Now use
it.....you live with the memory of it.....you let
the nightmare of it tear you apart for the rest of
your live." "You see if it sets things right for
you!" "All your doing is letting your father make a
murderer out of you," said Jas. Adam couldn't do it,
he knew Jas was right. He handed the saber back to
Jas and then turned to see his father standing
there. "I'm not sorry Pa.....I'm not ashamed," said
Adam. "I wanted you to love me.....that's all I ever
wanted." "Now's the time to stop living up to
Tad.....nobody could live up to the giant you made
of him." Manning knew he had been wrong all along
and told Jas that. "Tell him that," said Jas.
"Thanks Jason.....thanks for giving me back my son,"
said Manning as he walked over to his son.
*This episode is something like
the episode from The Rifleman -
'Face of Yesterday'
down
for the night. It didn't take him long to fall
asleep, and it wasn't long until he started to
dream. He dreamt of the Civil War and the battle of
Fredericksburg and the first man he killed. He could
hear the sounds of battle. The cannons going off,
the explosions. He dreamt of how he took cover from
an artillery blast in a shell hole. He heard a voice
call out....."Hey Yankee!" There stood a confederate
solider with his rifle and bayonet aimed right at
Jas. He took a shot at Jas, but the rifle was empty.
He then charged at Jas. Jas moved in time as
confederate soldier stuck his bayonet into the
ground. They were fighting for their lives. As Jas
went to stick the confederate solider with his
sword, he pushed Jas away. Again they fought
fiercely. The soldier hit Jas in the stomach with
the butt of his rifle; making Jas fall to the
ground. The solider charged at Jas again. This time
Jas had his sword ready and the soldier landed on
Jas's sword, then fell to the ground. Jas crawled
over to the soldier. The solider could see in Jas's
face that this was his first kill. "Your first
kill.....Yank?" Asked the solider as he struggled to
talk. He then told Jas 'the first kill' was the
hardest. Before he died he took something out of his
pocket. It was his father's watch and his father's
before him. "If you get through this.....you'd be
doing me a kindness.....by seeing my family gets
it." The solider died before being able to give Jas
his name. Jas then woke up. He later found out the
name of the soldier, and hoped that this journey
would lead him to the soldier's father, Sam Manning.
"You
play poker bad; you mouth off bad; you drink bad; I
want my money and I want it now!" Adam stood up and
went through his pockets only to confirm what he
already had told Rand, he didn't have the money.
Rand then grabbed Adam and shoved him right into the
path of Jas. Jas grabbed a hold of Adam and turned
him towards him. He couldn't believe the
resemblance, he must be Tad's brother, the soldier
he killed at Fredericksburg. Jas asked the bartender
where Adam lived. Rand told him not to trouble
himself, that he should just kick him out of the bar
and leave him be. Jas asked the bartender again.
"The first spread you come to.....about six miles
south of town," said the bartender. Jas got Adam to
his feet and started out the doors of the saloon
when Rand said....."You tell him.....I'll be around
to collect what he owes me." 
It
had tormented him for a long time. "Their Ma died a
few years back.....it just left Adam and me." "I
tried pushing him in the right direction.....he just
won't see to measure up." "He just keeps going
downhill and all I can do is sit and watch," said
Manning. He told Jas he was going to bed and there
was an extra room out by the barn, and if Jas needed
anything else just holler.
"You loose your money gambling.....it's nothing!"
Adam told him it was his money and his life. "That's
right, it's your life.....you can throw it away if
you want." "But Tad didn't throw his life
away.....while he was alive he made something of
it.....not just a.....waste." "I'm not Tad
Pa.....you hear me? I'm not Tad!" He started to
cry....."I'm Adam!" "Look at me!" Adam got on his
knees and yelled.....
e
man who killed my brother," said Adam. "A solider
who killed another soldier because he had to," said
Jas. "The business of war is to kill," said Jas.
Adam told him he didn't care about that. Jas asked
him if his father knew. Adam said he did. "The first
kill.....your brother told me the first one was the
hardest." "Go ahead Adam.....but you better check
that hammer first," said Jas. As Adam looked down at
the hammer to the rifle Jas threw his coat at Adam,
distracting him. They started to fight. Jas got the
best of Adam. Adam told him he better kill him,
because if he didn't, he was going to kill him. Just
then Manning came out onto the porch watching. Jas
then told Adam he was going to give him another
chance to kill him. Jas drug Adam over to his saddle
bags and pulled out his broken saber. "You should
use this," he said to Adam. He handed it to Adam and
told him it was the one he used on his brother. Take
it!" Yelled Jas. Adam grabbed the saber and held it
to Jas, standing there just looking. "Now use
it.....you live with the memory of it.....you let
the nightmare of it tear you apart for the rest of
your live." "You see if it sets things right for
you!" "All your doing is letting your father make a
murderer out of you," said Jas. Adam couldn't do it,
he knew Jas was right. He handed the saber back to
Jas and then turned to see his father standing
there. "I'm not sorry Pa.....I'm not ashamed," said
Adam. "I wanted you to love me.....that's all I ever
wanted." "Now's the time to stop living up to
Tad.....nobody could live up to the giant you made
of him." Manning knew he had been wrong all along
and told Jas that. "Tell him that," said Jas.
"Thanks Jason.....thanks for giving me back my son,"
said Manning as he walked over to his son. 
