SILVERHEELS, A MUSICAL SCRIPT

SILVERHEELS A musical By KENNETH HARPER FINTON © 2014 Kenneth Harper Finton Email: kennethfinton@me.com Contact:

HELIOS ENTERPRISES

Theatrical/Literary Division

6406 Ralston Road
Arvada, CO 80002 USA
303-420-4888

ACT I 
OPENING: SCENE ONE
BUCKSKIN JOE, COLORADO. ABANDONED GHOST TOWN, DARK AND BARELY LIT ON STAGE. 1861. GHOST TOWN:   The song “Ghost Town” plays as a scene of an old long abandoned ghost town is depicted on stage. As the curtain lifts, a soft white see through gauze-like curtain remains as the same town comes to life with all of the hustle and bustle of a thriving mining town. As the song ends, the white see- through curtain unveils the present. THE SONGS IN THIS SCRIPT CAN ALSO BE HEARD AT: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1334796&content=music ENSEMBLE SINGS: GHOST TOWN

GHOST TOWN, GHOST TOWN,  TELL ME YOUR STORY.’WHAT MADE  YOUR GLORY OF OLD FADE AWAY?  GHOST TOWN, GHOST TOWN, GONE ARE YOUR MAKERS. THEY'VE GONE BACK TO NATURE  TO REST IN THE CLAY.

ACTORS: SILVERHEELS (Laura Dillon) is a lovely lady in her late 20’s, strikingly beautiful and charismatic. She exits a stagecoach wearing a long black dress with long pink scarf that drapes down to her silver-heeled dancing slippers. On her head is a large hat with a black veil  that masks her face. She sees Joe, the saloon owner waiting for her on the boardwalk in front of the saloon. Joe embraces her. JOE HIGGENBOTTOM, called Buckskin Joe, dapper with his silver-streaked-hair and dressed in fancy buckskins with fringe, now in his late 40’s, is waiting for Laura on the boardwalk in front of the saloon.
ACTION:
JOE Welcome, my dear. Welcome to our town, Miss Dillon. I trust your journey from Chicago has  been most satisfactory. SILVERHEELS And you must be the famous Joe Higgenbottom. Buckskin Joe himself, by the looks of you. JOE At your service, my dear. At your every beck and call. SILVERHEELS Be careful what you promise. I can be a very demanding woman, you know. JOE Your wish is my command, my dear. SILVERHEELS Joe the magic genie ... rub him and he grants your every wish. JOE Ah, my lady, it depends, you know, on where you rub. SILVERHEELS In my experience, most men rub ME the wrong way. JOE (SMILING BROADLY) Your audience awaits, my dear. Shall we explore? SILVERHEELS Let’s.
[They walk through the swinging doors into RUSTIC bar with a piano playing in the background.]

SCENE TWO: INSIDE THE BILLY BUCK BAR
ENSEMBLE SINGS: THE BALLAD OF SILVERHEELS

SILVERHEELS WAS A DANCER, A MIDNIGHT ROMANCER, GOOD FRIEND TO THE MINERS  AT OLD BUCKSKIN JOE. HER FACE, IT WAS PLEASIN';  HER MANNER WAS TEASIN', BUT SHE BROUGHT THE GOOD TIMES  WHEREVER SHE'D GO.

INTERIOR SCENE: Inside bar, miners and gamblers stand at bar and play cards at the tables. One other lone woman sways clumsily to the music. She struts over to Joe and Laura when Joe beckons her.
JOE Laura, meet Dottie, the only other member of the fair sex in our little establishment. DOTTIE Your pleasure, I am sure. I been tellin’ Joe here to get me some help for six months now. I can’t hardly be expected to take care on an entire town all by my lonesome now, can I? SILVERHEELS Yes, it is surely my pleasure, Dottie. DOTTIE Ever since Joe’s wife upt and died on us seems like nothin’s ever been the same here. Jeanette was her name, you know. A prettier lady you ain’t never seen. We miss our Jeannette deep, don’t you know. SILVERHEELS I could never pretend to take her place, Dottie. [SHE REMOVES HER LARGE BLACK HAT AND VEIL AND REVEALS A HER FINELY CHISELED FEATURES. THE MINERS AT THE BAR DO A DOUBLE TAKE AND HOOT THEIR APPROVAL]
JOE I am forever in your debt, Miss. The fame of your hallowed beauty precedes you. SILVERHEELS My dear Joe. Flattery, you know, has been known to get a man most anywhere. JOE (TO THE PATRONS) Gentlemen, hold your glasses high and observe. Miss Dillon, our Laura, will be working here from this time on to care for your every need.
(Cheers of approval and toasting)

ENSEMBLE SINGS: IN SEARCH OF DREAMS

WHERE THEY COME FROM, I DON'T KNOW, 

ALABAMA, OHIO.

SOME HAD SAILED THE SEVEN SEAS, 

ALL OF THEM IN SEARCH OF DREAMS.

Action:  Laura dances as the music plays on, calling attention through her slitted black dress to her silver dancing slippers. MINER #1 It is Silverheels herself that were are witnessing, mates. Silverheels her own self. JOE I drink to that, gentlemen. To Silverheels. To the goddess that has come from afar to grace our lives.
An 8 year-old boy, grandson of Joe, emerges from the side and comes over to the two women and Joe.
JOE (CONT’D) Meet my grandson, Billy, Miss Silverheels. His parents were killed on the road west a few years back and he has been with us ever since.
Billy makes an exaggerated bow to Laura, now called Silverheels.
BILLY I ain’t got nothin’ clean to wear. JOE Since when did little boys care about how clean their clothes are, Billy. BILLY Since I started smellin’ bad. JOE I see. Well, Billy, we will have to address that, will we not? BILLY I reckon so. Sooner the better, though. DOTTIE You ain’t lookin’ at me, are you, Joe. I ain’t your cleanin’ lady, you know. (Dottie begins her song and dance number) 
DOTTIE SINGS: TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS

GOT TWO GOOD ARMS, GOT TWO GOOD LEGS,  I TRY, I’M WORKIN’ EVERY DAY, BUT I DON’T LIKE TO WORK JUST TO GET BY.  IT’S SATISFACTION I AM SEEKIN’ GOOD CONDITIONS WEEK TO WEEK AND ALL TOO OFTEN THIS IS WHAT I FIND. THERE’S TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS, TOO MANY DREAMS WITH NOT ENOUGH IN THEM, TOO MANY BOATS AND NOT ENOUGH PADDLES, TOO MANY HORSES, NOT ENOUGH SADDLES.

(She dances comically but well to the instrumental melody)

I AIN’T THE KIND TO FOLLOW LEADERS,  OLD MISTAKES BECOME MY TEACHERS, I GET SO IMPATIENT WITH ROUTINES.  LIFE IS HERE FOR ME TO LIVE IT, I GET LOVE BECAUSE I GIVE IT. MOST OF ALL I DO IT NATURALLY THERE’S TOO MANY ROADS AND NOT ENOUGH MARKERS, TOO MANY RIDERS, NOT ENOUGH WALKERS, TOO MANY EARS WITH NOTHIN’ BETWEEN THEM  TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS.

(instrumental)

THERE’S TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS  TOO MANY DREAMS WITH NOT ENOUGH IN THEM TOO MANY BOATS AND NOT ENOUGH PADDLES  TOO MANY HORSES, NOT ENOUGH SADDLES. THERE’S TOO MANY ROADS AND NOT ENOUGH MARKERS  TOO MANY RIDERS, NOT ENOUGH WALKERS, TOO MANY EARS WITH NOTHIN’ BETWEEN THEM  TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS.

BILLY Dottie, I’m still a-stinkin’.

SCENE 3
COWBOY COMING INTO BUCKSKIN JOE SITS ON BOARDWALK IN FRONT BILLY BUCK SALOON. 
THE COWBOY, CLINT, BEGINS TO SING: 

COWBOYS THE LOVE TO BE FREE

I LIKE THE SOUND OF THE WINDS AS THEY RUSTLE THE LEAVES.  I LIKE THE SMELL OF WOOD FIRES AND THE SHADE OF OLD TREES.  NO, I'M NOT LAZY, BUT I THINK IT'S CRAZY TO TRADE TOO MUCH TIME FOR REWARDS THAT SEEM HAZY.  I’M JUST A COWBOY AND COWBOYS, THEY LOVE TO BE FREE. I LIKE THE QUIET AND COMFORT OF MY SECRET PLACE.  I LIKE TO RIDE ON MY STEED AT A SLOW LOPING PACE.  I LIKE THE HIGH TIMES, I LOVE TO BRING GOOD TIMES.  I'VE WALKED A FINE LINE AND LIVED THROUGH SOME BAD TIMES.  STILL I'M A COWBOY AND COWBOYS THEY LOVE TO BE FREE. BRIDGE:  TIME PASSES SLOWLY, SOMETIMES I GET LONELY,  NO REASON!  I CAN RIDE EASY JUST KNOWING IT'S ONLY THE SEASON.  IT'S FLEETIN'.  (INSTRUMENTAL) I LIKE THE BUTTERFLIES TIPPING THEIR WINGS AS I PASS.  I LIKE THE MOVEMENT OF WIND ON A GREEN SEA OF GRASS.  I LIKE THE HIGH TIMES, I LOVE TO BRING GOOD TIMES.  I'VE WALKED A FINE LINE AND LIVED THROUGH SOME BAD TIMES.  STILL I'M A COWBOY AND COWBOYS THEY LOVE TO BE FREE. YOU KNOW I'M A COWBOY AND COWBOYS THEY LOVE TO BE FREE. 

COWBOY rises to and walks into the saloon, enters slowly through the swinging door. As he pauses in the doorway, he is pushed aside by an excited miner who has just made a strike.
SCENE 4
ENTER: BIG TOM, A BIG AND BURLY IRISHMAN WHO FANCIES HIMSELF A POET AND OFTEN SPEAKS IN RHYMES.
BIG TOM May the Pope be praised, yer souls be raised and the hard works of me hands be finally paid ... I’ve done it, lads. I found a nugget as big as me fist.
[He plops a giant rock, big as his fist, and gleaming with streaks of gold onto the bar. The patrons gather around excitedly.]
BIG TOM And there’s more to be had where that come from, I swear on me mither’s grave. DOTTIE Why this is the best news since that time old Joe was out huntin’ for deer, shot off his rifle and cracked open the vein that gave this miserable little town it’s grimy start. Why, Tom, I believe you might have come onto another vein. BIG TOM God will soon be praised and I will soon be laid. Dottie, it’s grog for all tonight. We celebrate ... CELEBRATE! CELEBRATE, I say! DOTTIE Now don’t be calculatin’ your winnin’s before the cards lay down, Tom, but this does look like the real article. Ain’t this the pig’s mittens? BIG TOM For safe keepin’, like always, Dottie, you go and stash it for me. DOTTIE My pleasure, Tom …
[SHE TAKES THE NUGGET FROM THE BAR AND HEADS UPSTAIRS WHILE THE MUSICIANS GATHER AND JOE PASSES OUT THE DRINKS.]
BIG TOM SINGS: LET'S DANCE ALL MORNING
[Big Tom joins in with the band as they start to play DANCE ALL MORNING instrumentally and the patrons all ramble around in free form dance. INSTRUMENTAL OF THE FIDDLE TUNE chorus PLAYS SEVERAL times ALLOWING THE DANCERS TO SHOW THEIR STEPS.] BIG TOM SINGS:

LET'S DANCE ALL MORNING,  LET'S DANCE ALL NIGHT!  SWING TO THE MIDDLE AND HOLD HER TIGHT! 'ROUND YOUR PARTNER,  TURN TO THE RIGHT!  DANCE ALL MORNING, LET'S DANCE ALL NIGHT! SILVERHEELS SINGS: EVERY GIRL DREAMS OF PEACES AND CREAM,  WHITE KNIGHTS AND GOWNS OF SATIN.  EVERY GIRL'S HEART SOARS LIKE A LARK  WHEN KNIGHTS WITH HORSES PRANCIN'  COME TO TAKE HER DANCING. CHORUS: LET'S DANCE ALL MORNING,  LET'S DANCE ALL NIGHT!  SWING TO THE MIDDLE AND HOLD HER TIGHT! 'ROUND YOUR PARTNER, TURN TO THE RIGHT!  DANCE ALL MORNING, LET'S DANCE ALL NIGHT! [SILVER HEELS CUTS LOOSE ON DANCE STEPS AND SINGS VERSE TWO, THEN GRABS COWBOY OUT OF THE CROWD, TAKES HIS COWBOY HAT AND SPINS IT ACROSS THE ROOM. THEY DANCE TOGETHER QUITE HEATEDLY AND VERY WELL.] SILVER HEELS SINGS: EVERY BOY DREAMS THAT SOME SWEET THING WILL FIND THAT HE ATTRACTS THEM.  EVERY BOY'S HEART SWELLS UP SO LARGE  WHEN A LADY’S EYES ACCEPT HIM AND DIES WHEN THEY REJECT HIM. CHORUS LET'S DANCE ALL MORNING, LET'S DANCE ALL NIGHT!  SWING TO THE MIDDLE AND HOLD HER TIGHT! 'ROUND YOUR PARTNER, TURN TO THE RIGHT!  DANCE ALL MORNING, LET'S DANCE ALL NIGHT!
CHORUS: INSTRUMENTAL CONTINUES, DANCING CONTINUES, LIGHTS FADE INTO NEXT SCENE ON THE DANCE FLOOR.
COWBOY Thank you for the dance, Miss. I can’t remember when I had such a pleasure. SILVERHEELS You’ve spent too much time romancing the cattle, Cowboy. COWBOY The name’s Clint. SILVERHEELS Clint is it? To me it’s Cowboy. What brings you to Buckskin Joe, Cowboy? COWBOY I lost my way. It’s an accident, mainly. I left the herd in Denver and just moseyed on up in the hills to see what all the fuss was about up here. I got another drive leaving next week. Maybe I came up here to fall in love. SILVERHEELS Fall in love! Not so many prospects in this town, Cowboy. COWBOY But I’m lookin’ at one right now. SILVERHEELS Love at first sight, Cowboy? You believe in that kind of thing, do you? COWBOY I never did before. But I never saw anyone as fetching as you before, either. SILVERHEELS Fetching? A dog fetches a stick. A sailor fetches his way to the sea. What am I, Cowboy. A dog or a sailor. COWBOY Neither. You are an vision of grace and beauty. You are the stuff of my dreams. SILVERHEELS (TO THE PATRONS OF THE SALOON) Why listen the that cowboy talk. I am the stuff of his dreams. I’d think he would dream of horses and ropes and campfires lit by the flames from his whiskey breath. But no, he dreams of me, he says. COWBOY A cowboy isn’t what he seems, a cowboy’s what he dreams. COWBOY SINGS: YOU CAN CALL ME COWBOY

YOU CAN CALL ME COWBOY WHEN I WEAR MY BROAD-BRIMMED HAT. IT SHEDS THE RAIN AND BLOCKS THE SUN  AND KEEPS MY HAIR PULLED BACK. YOU CAN CALL ME COWBOY WHEN I WEAR MY FADED JEANS A COWBOY ISN’T WHAT HE WEARS,  A COWBOY’S WHAT HE DREAMS. CHORUS: DO YOU DREAM OF OPEN SPACES WHERE THE MOUNTAINS TOUCH THE SKY EVEN IN CHICAGO WHILE LOVIN’ CITY LIFE  DO YOU LIVE TO GIVE IT ALL YOU’VE GOT  AND KNOW THE REASON WHY? A COWBOY AIN'T A MAN THESE DAYS  HE'S JUST A STATE OF MIND YOU CAN CALL ME COWBOY WHEN I WEAR MY HIGH-HEELED BOOTS  THEY ADD ANOTHER INCH OR TWO AND SETTLE STRANGE DISPUTES  YOU CAN CALL ME COWBOY WHEN I WEAR MY HOMESPUN SHIRTS  A COWBOY ISN’T WHAT HE WEARS OR WHAT HE DOES FOR WORK. DO YOU DREAM OF OPEN SPACES WHERE THE MOUNTAINS TOUCH THE SKY EVEN IN CHICAGO WHILE LOVIN’ CITY LIFE  DO YOU LIVE TO GIVE IT ALL YOU’VE GOT AND KNOW THE REASON WHY? A COWBOY AIN'T A MAN THESE DAYS  HE'S JUST A STATE OF MIND

SILVERHEELS So then, Cowboy, tell me of your dreams. COWBOY There’s nothin’ fancy, Laura. SILVERHEELS Tell me any way. Simple is good, they say. COWBOY There’s a ranch with a clear, clean river running through it. Not one of these streams full of mill tailings from mines, but an honest drinkin’ stream that’s good for both the stock and the folks. SILVERHEELS Just a ranch, Cowboy? COWBOY There’s a woods for shade from the summer sun. There’s a house at the edge of the woods in a clearin’. In the distance you can see the mountains layin’ purple in the evening sun. SILVERHEELS Go on. COWBOY There’s a proper garden and a stout corral. There’s a barn or two. There’s a bunkhouse for the hands. SILVERHEELS So what’s in the house, Cowboy? COWBOY The house has a white fence around it. Inside is a most beautiful woman. She’s easy on the eyes. Pleasin’ to the ears and pleasant to the touch. SILVERHEELS Pleasant to the touch? Tell me, cowboy, how long has it been since you touched a real woman? COWBOY I ain’t sure .., maybe never ... until today, I ain't sure I ever saw a real woman. SILVERHEELS And what happened today to make you say such a strange thing, Cowboy? COWBOY I met you. You can call me Clint, you know. That’s my name. SILVER HEELS Clint? I think I prefer “Cowboy”. COWBOY You can call me anything you want. Just call me. SILVERHEELS It is you, Cowboy, that must call on me. COWBOY Yes, Ma’am. That’s the way it is. [THE TWO LEAVE THE DANCE FLOOR AND HEAD UPSTAIRS, PASSING DOTTIE WHO IS RETURNING TO BE BAR. THE SPOTLIGHT FOLLOWS DOTTIE AND TURNS TO THE MINERS AND BIG TOM WHO ARE CELEBRATING AT THE BAR.]

SCENE 5: AT THE BAR WITH BILLY, DOTTIE AND BIG TOM
DOTTIE Billy, it’s past your bedtime. If you want, I can help you with those clothes. I was just joshin’ with Joe. We’ll put them in the tub tomorrow and I’ll show you how to do it yer own self. You might even want to crawl in that tub, Billy. I fill it with bubbles and hot water when I’ve a mind to do it myself. BILLY You get in that tub in even in the winter? DOTTIE I do. It is quite the setup, Billy? Joe got it for me last fall. All I got to do is heat some water and pour it in, just like at the barber’s place. Anyway, it’s bedtime for you now. Off with you. BILLY Do I have to? DOTTIE You have to. BILLY WALKS OFF TOWARD THE STAIRS AND DOTTIE TURNS HER ATTENTION TO BIG TOM.
BIG TOM Good you are with the boy, Dottie. To watch fills me with joy. DOTTIE A good woman is a mother to all children, Tom. BIG TOM And heals up a man with the touch of her hand. DOTTIE Then I’ve done a lot of healin’ in my day. BIG TOM That you have, lass. [BIG TOM TURNS TO THE MINERS IN THE BAR, BEER IN HAND, AND URGES THEM TO DRINK.]
BIG TOM Drink up, lads. Here’s to that pot o’ gold we seek. Here’s to the rainbow that comes so sweetly after the storm has passed. And here’s to the joy that comes when sorrow’s past. ENSEMBLE SINGS: IN SEARCH OF DREAMS:
WHAT THE LOOKED FOR, I’VE BEEN TOLD, WAS THE SHINING MOTHER LODE, GOLD TO BUY THEIR EVERY DREAM. JUST ENDURE THE IN BETWEEN. (MUSIC CONTINUES AS STAGE IS SET FOR UPSTAIRS SCENE)

SCENE 6
INT: THE BEDROOM OF SILVERHEELS WHERE THE COWBOY AND SILVERHEELS HAVE ENTERED.
SILVERHEELS [Takes her valise off the bed and stashes it atop the large trunk that was brought to her room.] I’ve had no time to settle in. In case you are  aware, I got here just before you did. COWBOY From Chicago. Yes, I heard. Why did you come? SILVERHEELS Why does the wind blow? Why is the sky blue? It is the way it is, no? COWBOY No. SILVERHEELS If it is not the way it is, then how is it? COWBOY You must of had some reason. SILVERHEELS I blow from here to there, Cowboy. Been doing it since I was a young girl. COWBOY SINGS: “SHE MOVES LIKE THE WIND.”  SILVERHEELS SINGS:  “GOES WHERE SHE IS NEEDED AND FINDS SHE HAS A FRIEND. COWBOY SINGS:  “SHE MOVES LIKE THE WIND.”  SILVERHEELS SINGS:  “SOMEWHERE THERE’S A LONELY HEART NEEDS FILLING AGAIN.”
WE MOVE LIKE THE WIND (COWBOY AND SILVERHEELS  DUET)

THIS OLD WIND IS LIKE A SPIRIT,  IT HOWLS, YOU CAN HEAR IT, YOU CAN FEEL IT, BUT IT REALLY CAN’T BE SEEN.  WHAT IS HIGH FILLS THE LOW, WE KNOW THIS IS SO,  THIS OLD WIND IS LIKE THE SPIRIT HERE IN ME WE MOVE LIKE THE WIND.  GO WHERE WE ARE NEEDED AND FIND WE HAVE A FRIEND,  WE MOVE LIKE THE WIND SOMEWHERE THERE’S A LONELY HEART NEEDS FILLING UP AGAIN.”

COWBOY So you’ve come here to find a friend? SILVERHEELS More than that, Cowboy. I always make friends. COWBOY Then you’ve come to find a man? SILVERHEELS Men are everywhere. COWBOY Not that special man. SILVERHEELS True enough, Cowboy. That special man has never come around. COWBOY But here I am. SILVERHEELS Oh, yes. I can tell by what you wear. Just look at that shiny suit of armor. Did you come to be my knight, Cowboy. Do you have a castle in some far off land? Are you pretending to be a drover? Are you the prince that can carry me away on a white steed? COWBOY And what if I am? SILVERHEELS (Laughs.) “A cowboys’s not a man. A cowboy’s what he dreams?” WITH SARCASM) COWBOY You laugh like a bell from a distance. SILVERHEELS Oh, Cowboy. You are inscrutable. COWBOY I wouldn’t know about that, Ma’am. SILVERHEELS You need not call be “Ma’am”. COWBOY What would you prefer? SILVERHEELS My real name is Laura. Laura Dillon. If you want to be real with me, call me Laura. COWBOY Of course you would be Laura. I sing of Laura on the trail. SILVERHEELS How? COWBOY SINGS: THE COLORADO TRAIL
   

EYES LIKE THE MORNING STAR,  CHEEKS LIKE THE ROSE, LAURA WAS A PRETTY GIRL,  GOD ALMIGHTY KNOWS! WEEP, ALL YE LITTLE RAINS,  WAIL WINDS, WAIL, ALL ALONG, ALONG, ALONG  THE COLORADO TRAIL.

SILVERHEELS That’s lovely, Cowboy. COWBOY Clint. If you want to be real with me, call me Clint. Clint Tudor. SILVERHEELS Tudor? Really? COWBOY Really. SILVERHEELS And you know about the Tudor family? COWBOY I do. SILVERHEELS As I live and breathe. COWBOY And you do it so very well. Cowboy sweeps Laura (Silvrheels) into his arms and they share a long, sensual, prolonged kiss before tumbling onto her bed. The lights dim and the stage goes dark.
ACT 2
SCENE 1:
INT: IN DOTTIES ROOM UPSTAIRS AT THE SALOON. DOTTIE HAS JUST FINISHED WASHING BILLY’S CLOTHES AND IS HANGING THEM OUT TO DRY IN A VARIETY OF PLACES IN THE ROOM. BILLY IS WEARING HIS ONE PAIR OF LONG JOHN’S. DOTTIE Now that you know how to wash your duds, it’s time to wash yourself, Billy. BILLY But the tub is all soapy now. DOTTIE How much water do you want to tote up the stairs, boy? [Dottie takes a kettle from the pot belly stove and adds some more hot water to the tub.]
DOTTIE (CONT’D) This’ll help some. Leastwise, it’s warm. BILLY Do I gotta? DOTTIE Yes. Hop right on in there duds and all. We’ll get them clean too. BILLY How? DOTTIE You get in the tub and take off them duds. Take the soap and scrub yer duds, then use the brush yer own self. ENTER BUCKSKIN JOE WHILE BILLY CRAWLS IN TUB AND REMOVES GARMENT: JOE Good morning all. Thank you, Dottie, for your aid with my grandson. DOTTIE Ain’t nothin’, Joe. Nothin’ at all. JOE Ah, but it is, Dottie. I cannot imagine how I could succeed here without your help. DOTTIE Oh, shaw! JOE Not a day goes by that I do not think if it. If I do not speak of you often, just attribute that omission as a fault in my character. DOTTIE I always do. BILLY Papa, how did you come to own this place? JOE I went hunting some years back and took aim at a big buck that had come down to drink. As luck would have it, I missed the shot, but when I went down to look, I had hit a rock and split is open. Inside that rock was the prettiest vein of gold you ever saw. BILLY So that rock was worth a lot of money? JOE Indeed, Billy. But I am not the kind that wants to dig for gold. When I showed that rock, people from all over the territory started coming up here to look for gold. They lived in tents and panned the creek. They started digging up gold in the side of the mountain. Before long, I knew, a town was going to be built right here. When Horace Tabor opened up the post office, I has a talk with him about helping me build this establishment. Horace knows his way around business and mining towns, so he loaned me some money to help get this place up and running. BILLY Mr. Tabor and you was partners? JOE So to speak, yes. He was what they call a silent partner. Horace loves music and entertainment, so when I told him that I was bringing in show girls and entertainment, he liked the idea very much. Business was immediately brisk. I will be able to repay Horace for that loan in a very short time. Horace has dealings over in Oro City and other places. He cannot be bothered with the day to day running of Billy Buck. BILLY So why is it called “Billy Buck”. JOE I named it after you, son. That’s your name out front and the Buck comes errant shot that did so much to cause the town to be built. BILLY You named it after me? JOE Who else? How many people named Billy bless my life? BILLY I bless your life, Papa? JOE You surely do, son. DOTTIE C’mon, boy. Get a move on. I ain’t got all mornin’ to sit here chat tin’. JOE Dottie, a couple sheep herders came in this morning. One is not feeling so well. He might have the influenza. He says he’s got a temperature and nausea. He came up to see a doctor, but since we do not have a one, you are elected to take look at him. DOTTIE ‘Lected, you say. I should make a run fer high office with all the things I’m ‘lected t’do. JOE (Laughs) No one does these things better than you, Dottie.
SCENE 2
INT: Inside Silverheels cabin ENSEMBLE SINGS AND INSTRUMENTAL ALLOWS FOR CHANGE OF SCENE
IN SEARCH OF DREAMS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SLOPES SO STEEP, PLACES ONLY GOATS AND SHEEP DARE TO WALK THE PATHLESS STONES, 'TIL THE MINERS SEARCHED FOR GOLD.

DOTTIE ENTERS SILVERHEELS CABIN WITH BASQUE SHEEPHERDER.
DOTTIE Sorry to be a bother, Laura. Joe said I had to help Miguel here. He’s feelin’ poorly. My doctorin’ is not the best. I need somebody else’s idees. SILVERHEELS What is wrong Miguel? MIGUEL I speak not so much the English. SILVERHEELS That’s fine, Miguel. Try to tell me what is wrong. SILVERHEELS FEELS HIS FOREHEAD SILVERHEELS (CONT’D) You have a fever. What else is wrong? MIGUEL Estómago. Vómito. SILVERHEELS You’re sick to your stomach. How long have you been vomiting. MIGUEL No entiendo. SILVERHEELS STRETCHES HER HANDS IN AN ATTEMPT TO SIGNAL ‘HOW LONG’
SILVERHEELS ¿Cuántos días? MIGUEL Cinco días. SILVERHEELS He has been vomiting for five days, Dottie. He must be hydrated. We need hot soup and liquids. DOTTIE Ya got the makings? SILVERHEELS Yes, there’s some broth in the kettle and we can melt some more snow for water. Lay him down here on the bed. DOTTIE C’mon, Miguel. Lay down here and get comfortable. We’ll fix you up. SHE HELPS HIM TO THE BED AND COVERS HIM WITH A THICK COMFORTER.
DOTTIE You ain’t done so bad for yerself, Laura. In town for just a while and you got yer own cabin already. SILVERHEELS That was in the bargain, Dottie. Joe had this set up for me before I arrived. DOTTIE We need some whiskey. I’ll get a bottle from Joe. SILVERHEELS And some honey. Get some honey too. DOTTIE He’s gettin’ a rash on his neck and face. Might be catching’. SILVERHEELS We cannot worry about that now. We’ll wear a scarf over our faces. I will put on my veil on as well. DOTTIE I’ll git the whiskey from Joe. SILVERHEELS And the honey. Don’t forget the honey. DOTTIE Yes,m. EXIT DOTTIE COWBOY KNOCKS ON DOOR SOON AFTER DOTTIE LEAVES. SILVERHEELS ANSWERS THE KNOCK AT THE DOOR
SILVERHEELS Cowboy, how did you find me? COWBOY There’s no secrets in Buckskin Joe. SILVERHEELS What do you want? I have a sick man here. It might be dangerous to come in. COWBOY I gotta see you, Laura. SILVERHEELS What is so important this early in the day? COWBOY I gotta tell you I love you. SILVERHEELS Oh, Cowboy. Didn’t we go through this last night? COWBOY This is not a one night thing with me. SILVERHEELS I never thought it was. You made that clear to me. COWBOY Then you’ve thought about it? SILVERHEELS About what? COWBOY About the two of us getting together and raisin’ a family, SILVERHEELS When would I have had time to think? COWBOY You’ve had a lifetime to think already. SILVERHEELS I have thought about settling in. I had it good in Chicago, you know. All the men have always gathered around me. COWBOY You are a beautiful woman. SILVERHEELS I will not always have my looks. There will come a day when the men will surround someone else. COWBOY And that is the day I want the most to be with you. I even look forward to that. SILVERHEELS You say that now, but it will not be the same tomorrow. Besides, I’m not the marrying kind. (MUSIC SWEEPS IN, COWBOY SINGS:)  YOU CAN DEPEND ON ME

I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT TIME IT WAS,  NEVER EVER REALLY CARED TOO MUCH. COME TAKE A CHANCE, A CHANCE ON ME.  I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU DOWN, YOU SEE. I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT I WOULD BE;  SOMETIMES LIFE SURPRISES ME. I THOUGHT IT ALL WOULD BE SO CUT AND DRY,  HOPED MY EVERY LITTLE LOVE WOULD FLY.

CHORUS:

YOU’RE LIKE THE MOON ON THE MOUNTAIN.  YOU’RE LIKE THE WIND IN THE TREE. YOU’RE LIKE THE RAIN IN THE SUMMER HEAT;  YOUR PRESENCE STRENGTHENS ME.

SILVERHEELS SINGS:

IT ISN'T PAIN THAT MAKES ME CRY.  IT ISN'T HURT THAT MAKES ME SIGH. IT ISN'T GRIEF THAT MAKES ME SAD.  IT ISN'T JOY THAT MAKES ME GLAD.

COWBOY AND SILVERHEELS SING THE CHORUS: 

YOU’RE LIKE THE MOON ON THE MOUNTAIN.  YOU’RE LIKE THE WIND IN THE TREE YOU’RE LIKE THE WIND IN THE TREE. YOU’RE LIKE THE RAIN IN THE SUMMER HEAT;  YOUR PRESENCE STRENGTHENS ME.

COWBOY SINGS:

THE PLEASANT PASSING OF A WORTHWHILE DAY,  SILVERHEELS SINGS: THOSE QUIET MOMENTS IN THE TRIPS WE’LL TAKE, 

BOTH SING:

MAGIC FEELINGS THAT WE CANNOT BUY,  THESE ARE THINGS THAT MAKE ME TRY.

COWBOY AND SILVERHEELS SING THE CHORUS:'

YOU’RE LIKE THE MOON ON THE MOUNTAIN.  YOU’RE LIKE THE WIND IN THE TREE. YOU’RE LIKE THE RAIN IN THE SUMMER HEAT;  YOUR PRESENCE STRENGTHENS ME.

COWBOY SINGS:

I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT TIME IT WAS ...  NEVER EVER REALLY CARED TOO MUCH. YOU TOOK A CHANCE, A CHANCE ON ME  I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU DOWN, YOU SEE.  YOU CAN DEPEND ON ME.

COWBOY  [COWBOY kisses Laura, then moves away toward the bed where Miguel is resting.] Let’s take a look at your patient. SILVERHEELS I have not had the time to treat him yet. COWBOY (Walks over to the bed and looks at Miguel.) See those pustules on his face and neck? SILVERHEELS We noticed. COWBOY He’s got the smallpox, Laura. SILVERHEELS How do you know? COWBOY I’ve seen it before. Some of the cows had it on their teats. They call it cowpox when it’s in the herd. I even had a small case myself. You can catch it too. We’ve got to get you out of here. SILVERHEELS I can’t go. I have a job to do here. I promised I would take care of him. COWBOY But, Laura … SILVERHEELS I cannot leave a man to die when I am able bodied and healthy myself. COWBOY But, Laura … SILVERHEELS Go on over the Billy Bucks and talk to Joe. (She embraces Clint (COWBOY) and gives him a long kiss.) SILVERHEELS Be gone with you. I will get this man some broth and wait for Dottie. COWBOY I love you, Laura. SILVERHEELS Shooo -- begone.

SCENE 3

INT: INSIDE BAR, MINERS AND GAMBLERS STAND AT BAR AND PLAY CARDS AT THE TABLES. COWBOY comes rushing up to the bar to speak with Joe.
COWBOY Joe, that sheepherder you sent over to Laura’s got smallpox. JOE What? COWBOY The smallpox. He’s got smallpox. (Everyone stops what they are doing to listen to what Clint is saying. The silence is suddenly palpable.)
JOE How do you know? COWBOY He’s broke out in pustules all over his neck and face. I’ve seen it before. It’s like what the cattle gets sometimes. JOE My God, this is serious. (The people in the bar crowd around and begin talking loudly.)
COWBOY You gotta help me get Laura out of here. JOE I will do what I can, of course. MINER 2 He ain’t the only one. I know half a dozen men who’s sick and running a fever right now. JOE This is terrible. We need to send for a doctor. MINER 3 Ain’t no doctor gonna come up here. It’s fixin’ to blizzard soon. JOE Is there not a doctor in Fairplay? MINER 2 I don’t know. Maybe. JOE This could become an epidemic and destroy the town. How do you treat this? COWBOY Far as I know, you don’t. I got a dose of cowpox once and the doctor said I could not get the smallpox ‘cause I had it. JOE What else did he say? COWBOY I’m tryin’ to remember. There was something about drying up the scabs from cowpox. They grind it up into a powder and put it in some whiskey. Drink that and it’s supposed to keep you from getting the pox, but we don’t have any cowpox here. Besides, it takes a while for it to work. JOE How long? COWBOY Takes a week or more, I guess. JOE How many do you think has the pox? MINER 2 Like I says, there’s half or dozen or more right now. JOE So it has spread already. MINER 2 Might be more. Hard to say. BIG TOM Joe, I want to get Dottie and Billy out of here. I was just fixin’ to ask for Dottie’s hand. JOE But there’s a storm coming. BIG TOM Snow never stopped Big Tom. MINER 3 (The crowd murmurs their approval of the plan.) We can all go together and try to make Fairplay before the snow comes if we go it together. If there’s enough of us, we’ll be able to cut a trail. BIG TOM I can lead the way with my mule team. MINER 3 And that can break a trail for the wagons. BIG TOM I’m with you, boys. The sooner we go, the better. MINER 3 Can’t do much work in the mines ‘til after the storm passes, anyway. Might as well take a whole train of wagons out of here. BIG TOM Pass the word. Make sure it’s heard. JOE You think it will be safe for Billy? BIG TOM You’ve got my word on it, Joe. Dottie too. There won’t be much action here until this passes. JOE It might be best. I don’t think the storm will get here for a while. It’s only half a day to Fairplay. If you get started soon, you’ll beat the storm. BIG TOM I’ll get Dottie and Billy. We’ll be leaving’. COWBOY I don’t think I can get Laura to leave. BIG TOM We can’t wait for them that come late. JOE Somebody needs to go and bring a doctor back here if there is one. BIG TOM I’m not coming back any time soon. That’s why we’re leaving. JOE Cowboy, how about you? Can you bring a doctor back here? The Almighty knows, we’re going to need some medical help. BIG TOM If Silverheels won’t leave, somebody needs to come back with a doctor for her own sake. JOE So how about you, Cowboy. You seem to have taken shine to her. COWBOY More than just a shine. JOE Then you should be the one to go. Somebody’s got to go and come back with some medicine or some help. Enter Silverheels, loudly stamping the snow from her feet. SILVERHEELS Dottie was supposed to come and bring some whiskey and honey back to my cabin. Have you seen her? JOE She went up to her room. SILVERHEELS Let me have a bottle, Joe. If you don’t have the honey, I’ll pick some up from Harvey. BIG TOM I was just fixin’ to get Dottie and Billy and start to Fairplay before this place is full of disease. SILVERHEELS Billy should go. It would be best for him, I think. BIG TOM There are others that will be comin’ with us. You’re welcome to come as well. SILVERHEELS Not me. Somebody has to stay. COWBOY But, Laura, it ain’t safe. You need to go too. SILVERHEELS I have always known my place, Cowboy. This time is no different. JOE We were just talking about somebody going along to fetch a doctor back here. SILVERHEELS Of course. We need a doctor. JOE I was asking your cowboy if he would volunteer. SILVERHEELS You could go, Clint. I’ll be fine. It would hrlp to have a doctor. COWBOY But I can’t leave you here. SILVERHEELS Of course you can. I’m not going anywhere. I can help take care of things until the doctor gets back. Who else can do that? COWBOY You ain’t a nurse. SILVERHEELS No, but I CAN help Miguel. COWBOY They say there’s half a dozen more. SILVERHEELS All the more reason for me to stay. COWBOY All the more reason for you to leave. You might come down with the pox yourself. It’s dangerous to stay here, Laura. SILVERHEELS Living is dangerous, Cowboy. It’s always fatal. Nature made it that way. COWBOY You don’t owe anybody anything. You can go if you’ve got a mind to. SILVERHEELS But I do. I own Joe and the town. I have a contract to entertain. COWBOY But you can’t entertain is you get sick. It won’t help anybody if you die here. SILVERHEELS But I won’t die here, Cowboy. That’s not part of the plan. COWBOY Whose plan? Your plan? The Almighty’s plan? My plan? SILVERHEELS My plan, Cowboy. I make the plan for myself. COWBOY Stayin’ here is a bad plan. SILVERHEELS But it is my plan, Cowboy. That’s what I will do. COWBOY Then I might as well go get the doctor. But I might have to wait ‘til the storm clears to get back here. JOE Laura will be safe here with me. COWBOY Dammit, Joe, you ain’t helpin’ me none. JOE Maybe I am. Maybe more than you know. COWBOY Everybody’s full of ‘maybe’. Maybe this, manybe that. SILVERHEELS Every single day is a maybe, Cowboy. We all have to get used to that. COWBOY Maybe I’ll go then. Maybe I’ll just go and fetch that doctor. SILVERHEELS That’s a good plan. COWBOY I want to take care of you, Laura. SILVERHEELS And that is what you will be doing. We need that doctor. I need that doctor. COWBOY Then I’ll go, dammit. Maybe I’ll go right now with Big Tom and Dottie. SILVERHEELS That’s good, Cowboy. Clint moves toward the door, slowly taking hesitant steps, looking back as though Laura might change her mind, bur she just stands there as the music begins to play. COWBOY Then how come it feels so wrong? Instrumental plays before ENSEMBLE SINGS: IN SEARCH OF DREAMS

SOME WILL COME AND SOME WILL GO.  WHAT WILL COME IS NEVER KNOWN.  LOVE CAN MAKE A MAN FEEL SMALL  LOVE CAN MAKE HIM TEN FEET TALL.

Instrumental plays out the scene change.

SCENE 4 

A DESERTED BILLY BUCK BAR WITH ONLY SILVERHEELS, BUCKSKIN JOE AND A FEW COTS WITH SICK MINERS ON THE DANCE FLOOR. BALLAD OF SILVERHEELS SUNG BY ENSEMBLE

THEY GOT THOUGH THE WINTER,  BUT SMALLPOX AND FEVER RAN THROUGH THE GOLD CAMP   AS SPRING MELTS THE SNOW.  SILVERHEELS LOVED THE MINERS  ALONE YOU COULD FIND HER FROM CABIN TO CABIN SHE TENDED THEIR WOES  BUT HER LONE DUTY ENDED WITH THE MINER’S ALL TENDED  SHE FELL TO THE SMALLPOX WITH NO PLACE TO GO.

JOE I am so pleased we were able to get Billy and Dottie out of here when we did, Laura. Now that the snow is melting, perhaps we’ll hear something from those who left. SILVERHEELS I think I’m exhausted, Joe. JOE It is little wonder. It seems that half the town is down and in bed. You’ve been a gem, Laura. I do not know what we would have done without you. Not many would have done what you have done these past few weeks. SILVERHEELS All I could do was calm the fevers and feed the spirit. I see those swollen sores all over their faces even while I sleep. Their faces haunt me. JOE Your efforts have saved some from death, Laura. God knows, we lost a lot of men. Haw Tabor told me that the shack behind his place is filled with bodies that we cannot bury until the ground thaws. SILVERHEELS How is Augusta taking to all this? Haw Tabor is not a lot of help to his wife. JOE She is still baking her bread and running the store. Her preaching to the men has stopped. No one wants to gather together. Haw has not delivered a letter since the big snow began to fly. SILVERHEELS Haw Tabor delivers only dreams and cash, Joe. Augusta does all the work. She would be postmaster herself if the law would allow women that title. (She pauses, reflectively.) I think she and I are the only women left in Buckskin Joe. JOE The few women that were here left with Big Tom and Dottie. It is a good thing that they did, too. Even if one survives this pox, the face and body is scarred for life. It is a genuine horror that we’re dealing with. SILVERHEELS The worst might be over now. I am so tired. I feel a bit feverish myself. I have barely seen my own cabin for weeks. JOE Why? SILVERHEELS I have been staying in one cabin after another making grape leaf tea and helping to cool down and feed these poor men. Joe hands Silverheels a glass of whiskey and begins to toast. JOE Here is to the hope that Spring will bring us. I hope the worst is over. I hope that business will resume. I hope to hear you sing and dance again and fill the room with laughter. SILVERHEELS And I hope to get some good rest in my own bed, in my own cabin. JOE Here’s to us, Laura. Here’s to the healing power of Spring. Joe sits his glass down before addressing Silverheels. Laura, is that a rash breaking out on your neck?
LIGHTS DIM AND FADE.



SCENE 5: 


THE MINERS HAVE RETURNED TO BUCKSKIN JOE AND BILLY  BUCK BAR IS ONCE AGAIN FILLED WITH MEN PLAYING CARDS AND DRINKING AT THE BAR. INTERIOR BILLY BUCK BAR ENSEMBLE SINGS: THE BALLAD OF SILVERHEELS

SILVERHEELS WAS A DANCER,  A MIDNIGHT ROMANCER, GOOD FRIEND TO THE MINERS  AT OLD BUCKSKIN JOE. HER FACE, IT WAS PLEASIN',  HER MANNER WAS TEASIN', BUT SHE BROUGHT THE GOOD LIFE  WHERE EVER SHE'D GO. THE RESULTS OF HER DUTY  DISFIGURED HER BEAUTY, THEY RAISED A COLLECTION  A PURSE FULL OF GOLD …

FADE INTO SCENE WITH INSTRUMENTAL PLAYING IN BACKGROUND
BIG TOM It’s been two weeks since anyone’s seen our Silverheels, lads. We’d best be taking up a collection. She might not be far from Heaven’s gate her own self. Dig in, lads. Dig deep. Pass this pail around and let’s make a donation worthy of her sacrifice. MINER 3 I would be dead now if it hadn’t been for her. I’m in. Hand me that bucket. BIG TOM Pass it around, lads. Fill it to the brim. COWBOY I been by her cabin more than once. She won’t come to the door. JOE Like as not, she is shamed. If the pox left her face scarred like some of these others, she will not allow anyone to see her. COWBOY It wouldn’t matter with me. I love her, Joe. Whatever happens, however she looks, nothin’s gonna change that. JOE We all love her, Clint. COWBOY But you won’t keep her on here if she’s all scarred up, Joe. Her days as a dance hall girl would be over. JOE I have not given that much thought. I am waiting to see how she really is. COWBOY Even if those days are over, she can come along with me. I been wantin’ to git me a ranch and raise stock instead of drivin’ them to market. JOE (Nods his approval.) In the long haul, perhaps that is best for her. COWBOY Damned right, it is. I been tryin’ to get her to come with me for maybe a month or more. I’ll watch over her. BIG TOM See here now, lads. Look at the size of this pot. Give the lads her a halo It’s like the end of the rainbow. The bucket’s full. COWBOY I’ll take it by if you like. I’m gonna try to see her today even if I have to break down the door. BIG TOM It is not that I have no faith in you, Cowboy, but we’ll both go. COWBOY That’s fine with me. Let’s go. Clint and Big Tom walk offstage. ENTER BILLY. BILLY Grandpa, Dottie and I was just down at the cemetery and we seen a ghost. JOE What makes you say so? BILLY There’s this woman walking around looking at the stones and crosses. She’s got a black veil over her face and she moves like a ghost! JOE How does a ghost move? BILLY They glide ... she don’t really walk. You can’t see any motion at all. She just glides between the graves. JOE You have a good imagination, boy. BILLY No, really. I saw this woman dressed all in black. You can’t see her face. She just glides around like a ghost. JOE Enter Dottie What’s this about, Dottie. Billy says you saw a ghost. DOTTIE As sure as I’m standing here. We did. Like to scare the devil right out of me. There’s a presence there. It floats around eerie like. JOE Billy said it was a woman. DOTTIE Dressed all over in black. She’s got a veil over her face so we can’t see who it is. JOE Why do you think it’s a presence? DOTTIE It’s the way it moves, Joe. You cain’t see no feet walkin’ on the ground. I wouldn’t find no footprints at all. Even where there’s still snow on the ground, there’s not a print to be seen. BILLY It’s true, Grandpa. Just like she says. JOE How close was she? BILLY Close as you. DOTTIE Maybe not that close. More like 20 yards or so. JOE And what happened to her when you saw her? BILLY She just upt and glided away. JOE Glided away? DOTTIE She floated out into the trees when she heard us comin’. JOE Looks like I’ll have to look myself. DOTTIE Ain’t nothin’ to see now. It was gettin’ dark and she upt ‘n left. MINER 2 A ghost you say? DOTTIE Sure as I’m a-standin’ here today. MINER 2 I saw her too in that very cemetery. I was out walkin’ a week ago. I was not expectin’ to meet the woman of my dreams, but there she was strolling along in the moonlight beside the cemetery. She was dressed in black and her face was covered up with a black veil. I quickened up my pace tryin’ hard to catch up to her, hopin’ for to see a glimpse of her face under her veil. I moseyed right up next to her and talked about how the beautiful the night was just to git her to talk to me. Then, sudden like, she stopped and turned to face me. I caught a glimpse of her dark eyes glinting behind the veil. “What is it you want?” she asked. “I want to know you,” I says to her. Just a meeting and a maybe a poke.” She stopped and said, “I don’t know. Ask me again in this place at this time tomorrow night. We shall see.” Well, I am a-tellin’ you this old heart just leapt up in my chest. I would come back tomorrow, and then she would fall right into his these here arms! The next night I went back to the cemetery. She was not there yet, so I entertained myself. I was picturin’ her in my mind ... a beautiful bride, she was. I was to take her to live in our new cabin. And then, there she was ... right there in front of me. The moonlight was just enough to see, so I says: “Now we get together, sure enough! But first, show me your face!” It was then she pulled that black veil to the side and showed me her face. I gasped at the look of her. Her face was all pocked and swollen. Hideous, it was. I froze to the spot by the power of the evil-lookin’ specter. And suddenly as she had come, she left while I just stood there frozen. DOTTIE I didn’t get close enough to see her face. JOE What makes you all think she was a spirit? MINER 2 Glide, she did. Just like the boy says. I never seen no one move that way. DOTTIE ‘cept for Silverheels. She glides about the dance floor like she was made to float. MINER 2 But Silverheels is a beautiful lady. This one here was hideous. Her face was like a bad dream ... all swelled up and scarred. Cowboy and Big Tom return.
JOE So what did you find, boys? BIG TOM Nothin’ at all. Nobody was there. COWBOY I went in the window. Not a thing is in the cabin. No trunk, no clothes, nothin’ at all. BIG TOM Disappeared, she has. Simply gone. Moved on. ENSEMBLE SINGS: THE BALLAD OF SILVERHEELS

SILVERHEELS WAS A DANCER,  A MIDNIGHT ROMANCER, GOOD FRIEND TO THE MINERS  AT OLD BUCKSKIN JOE. HER FACE, IT WAS PLEASIN',  HER MANNER WAS TEASIN', BUT SHE BROUGHT THE GOOD LIFE WHERE EVER SHE'D GO. THEY GOT THROUGH THE WINTER, BUT SMALLPOX AND FEVER  RAN THROUGH THE GOLD CAMP AS SPRING MELTS THE SNOW. SILVERHEELS LOVED THE MINERS,  ALONE YOU COULD FIND HER FROM CABIN TO CABIN,  SHE TENDED THEIR WOES. BUT HER LONE VIGIL ENDED WITH THE MINERS ALL TENDED,  AND SHE FELL TO SMALLPOX WITH NO WHERE TO GO. (VERSE INSTRUMENTAL) THE RESULTS OF HER DUTY DISFIGURED HER BEAUTY, SO THEY RAISED A COLLECTION A PURSE FULL OF GOLD, BUT NO ONE COULD FIND HER,  SHE LEFT NO REMINDERS,  THIS LADY OF MERCY HAD LEFT BUCKSKIN JOE. THE LEGEND GREW BIGGER,  A VEILED WOMAN'S FIGURE PLACED FLOWERS ON THE GRAVE SITES  NEAR OLD BUCKSKIN JOE. THE VEIL HID HER FEATURES  SHE LET NO ONE SEE HER, THIS VEILED APPARITION OF OLD BUCKSKIN JOE.  SILVERHEELS WAS A DANCER, A MIDNIGHT ROMANCER, GOOD FRIEND TO THE MINERS OF OLD BUCKSKIN JOE. HIGH UP PAST THE FOREST, A MOUNTAIN'S NAMED FOR HER,  BUT NO TRACE REMAINS   OF OLD BUCKSKIN JOE.

ACT THREE

21 YEARS LATER IN SUMMER OF 1884, JOE HIGGENBOTTOM AND HORACE GREELEY RUN INTO ONE ANOTHER IN A WASHINGTON DC BAR. HORACE IS NOW A COLORADO SENATOR.
JOE It’s good to see you again, Haw. Perhaps I should address you as Senator Tabor. I understand life has been good to you. HORACE TABOR Joe Higgenbottom, my old friend. Haw is fine between you and I. How have you been these long years? JOE I have managed, Haw. Not as well as you, but I have managed. HORACE TABOR I have a new bride. I married Elizabeth McCourt here in Washington earlier this spring. JOE That is what I heard. They call her ‘Baby Doe’. What happened to Augusta? HORACE TABOR We were divorced, Joe. She never liked what I wanted to do. She was a strong woman of deep belief. We were so very different. It made life hard. JOE But the money must have helped. I heard you sold the Little Pittsburg Mine for over a million dollars. HORACE TABOR Money always helps (he laughs). I supported Augusta for a long while, but she was never a real wife to me. Elizabeth loves beautiful clothes, but there was a time when she donned a man’s work clothes and went down into the mine herself. JOE The mines played out in the old town, Haw. Everybody left and Buckskin Joe is abandoned now. I finally had to leave Billy Bucks myself to the elements and make my way to Denver. HORACE TABOR That is the story of many towns from that time, Joe. Consider yourself lucky to have had the good sense to leave at the right time. JOE Nothing was ever quite the same after the pox came to town. It took the spirit out of the folks. HORACE TABOR I met Elizabeth in a restaurant in Leadville where she was working in a clothing store. She was married and had given birth to a stillborn child a few years before. She told me her story and I was smitten on the spot. I wanted her so very much that I gave her $5000 in cash. The rest is a part of our personal history. We moved back to Denver, but there was scandal because she was not yet divorced. She did not take to scandal well. People can be hard on one another, Joe. JOE As the poet said, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” HORACE TABOR “A joy forever.” Yes, I hope so. One never knows. Whatever happened to the girl with the silver slippers that used to dance in your bar? JOE Silverheels? We don’t know, Haw. She took care of the miners when the pox came to town, then suddenly vanished completely. I think she fell in love with a cowboy that was passing by. He disappeared as well. I keep hoping that the two of them ran off together and lived a happy life. HORACE TABOR The reason I asked is that girl up on the stage who is dancing right now reminds me a lot of the woman back in Buckskin Joe. I brought her with me from Denver where I found her dancing in the street in front of my hotel. She won’t say where she came from of relate anything about her parents. She was broke and needed a job, so I put her on the train with me and brought her to Washington. JOE (Looking closely at the dancing girl.) She does bear an uncanny resemblance to Silverheels. Perhaps you will introduce me? HORACE TABOR Not a problem at all. (He motions to the girl.) Laura, would you come here a moment. I would like for you to meet an old friends of mine from out west, Joe Higgenbottom. LAURA My pleasure. Glad to meet you, Joe. JOE (Looking down at Laura’s feet.) Where did you get those lovely slippers? LAURA My mother gave them to me years ago. JOE Who was your mother? LAURA I can hardly remember. She died when I was very young. JOE Did you know your father? LAURA He raised me for a while. He used to sing to me now and then, but he died too. He was a rodeo rider and a bull broke his neck. JOE What was his name? LAURA I don’t know, really. It was too long ago. He always dressed for the rodeo, so most folks just called him Cowboy. JOE You don’t remember anything at all? LAURA Not really. I remember the song he used to sing to me when I went off to bed. JOE Can you sing it for us? LAURA If you wish. I’m not good at cowboy songs, but this is what I remember. She picks up a guitar and begins to sing.
LAURA SINGS: THE COLORADO TRAIL

RIDE ALL THE LONELY NIGHT RIDE ALL THE DAY, KEEP THOSE HERDS A-ROLLIN' ON,' ROLLIN' ON THEIR WAY; WEEP ALL YE LITTLE RAINS, WAIL, WINDS, WAIL; ALL ALONG, ALONG, ALONG THE COLORADO TRAIL. EYES LIKE THE MORNING STAR, CHEEKS LIKE A ROSE, LAURA WAS A PRETTY GIRL, GOD ALMIGHTY KNOWS; WEEP ALL YE LITTLE RAINS, WAIL, WINDS, WAIL; ALL ALONG, ALONG, ALONG THE COLORADO TRAIL. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE HAVE YOU FELT THE PAIN I'D RATHER DIE IN A LONESOME JAIL THEN FALL IN LOVE AGAIN WEEP ON YE LITTLE RAINS WAIL, WINDS, WAIL ALL ALONG, ALONG, ALONG TH COLORADO TRAIL STARS SINKIN’ IN TH WEST DAY’S GONNA BREAK SUN WILL BE A RISIN’ SOON EVERYTHING WILL WAIT WEEP ON YE LITTLE RAINS WAIL, WINDS, WAIL ALL ALONG, ALONG, ALONG THE COLORADO TRAIL

JOE That is lovely, Laura. I have heard that song before. A cowboy used to sing it back in Buckskin Joe. He sang it for another girl named Laura that wore silver slippers just like yours. LAURA It is a small world after all, isn’t it, Joe. JOE Yes, Laura. It is a small world indeed. But the longer I live, the more I realize that this is not only a small world, but a wonderful world as well. LIGHTS DIM AND THE ENSEMBLE SINGS GHOST TOWN

GHOST TOWN, GHOST TOWN, 

GHOST TOWN, GHOST TOWN,  TELL ME YOUR STORY. WHAT MADE YOUR GLORY OF OLD FADE AWAY? GHOST TOWN, GHOST TOWN, GONE ARE YOUR MAKERS. THEY'VE GONE BACK TO NATURE TO REST IN THE CLAY.

 (END)