Seeking to buy a meal after a long day on the trail, Cheyenne Bodie stops at a ranch house and is met by a shotgun pointed at his chest. The petite woman behind the large gun is Mary Wiley and she's expecting more than trouble. For one thing, she's pregnant. But the immediate trouble involves the man who's responsible for her husband's being injured in a cattle stampede. Rafe Donovan wants the Wileys' land and is determined for them not to make it to Salt Lake City, 50 miles away, where they can sell their cattle to pay off the money they owe him for the land. They have a 30-day deadline, and Cheyenne offers to help see that they get there in time. Donovan wants them stopped by any means and his hired gun, the unhumorous Smiler Jones, wants to "have that big feller for breakfast" after Cheyenne outdraws him and disables his favorite gun hand. So the stage is set for a very rocky road ahead.
Sure enough, that fifty miles is rife with difficulty at every bend of the road; but help arrives at every turn so that they manage to overcome the various challenges Donovan's men throw at them. From the unexpected timely intervention of a band of friendly Indians to the unspookability of the cattle to the appearance out of the blue of none other than Billy the Kid, seemingly miraculous help arrives. Yes, it's an adventure, all right, but Mary Wiley smiles serenely through it all, certain that even Cheyenne's considerable brawn and skill are a gift from a greater force.
The Wileys make it to Salt Lake City, he is finally in a doctor's care, and Mary is again determined, despite the odds, to get back to the ranch in two days to pay Donovan off and have her baby at home. Cheyenne's appalled at the idea and offers to take the money back for her, but she won't be dissuaded. Even though a buckboard isn't the gentlest way to travel for anybody, much less a woman about to give birth, she insists that her faith will carry them all the way; considering the events of the past couple of days, no one's going to argue with her. After another hair-raising setback or two, they at last reach the ranch, only to find Donovan and Smiler waiting, ready to try one last time to solve the matter with bullets. Once again, help arrives in the nick of time. Mary goes into labor and, assisted by the opportune arrival of a neighbor's wife, she delivers a healthy baby boy. She names her son Bodie William.
All the parts are well cast and well played, with the bad guys being sufficiently heartless and the good guys being especially benevolent. Clint Walker had a reputation for being genuinely kind and thoughtful, so it was only natural that for Cheyenne Bodie those qualities would come naturally. Mary Wiley is a true believer of the most dedicated sort. Although he respects her conviction that "everything in its place has a purpose," Cheyenne can't help but wonder what the ultimate purpose was for those violent men whose final 'place' was six feet under. Cheyenne Bodie's chance encounter with Mary Wiley and their subsequent adventures give him something to think about on those future long, lonely prairie nights when he's staring up at that endless sea of stars and wondering what his place is in it all.
Sure enough, that fifty miles is rife with difficulty at every bend of the road; but help arrives at every turn so that they manage to overcome the various challenges Donovan's men throw at them. From the unexpected timely intervention of a band of friendly Indians to the unspookability of the cattle to the appearance out of the blue of none other than Billy the Kid, seemingly miraculous help arrives. Yes, it's an adventure, all right, but Mary Wiley smiles serenely through it all, certain that even Cheyenne's considerable brawn and skill are a gift from a greater force.
The Wileys make it to Salt Lake City, he is finally in a doctor's care, and Mary is again determined, despite the odds, to get back to the ranch in two days to pay Donovan off and have her baby at home. Cheyenne's appalled at the idea and offers to take the money back for her, but she won't be dissuaded. Even though a buckboard isn't the gentlest way to travel for anybody, much less a woman about to give birth, she insists that her faith will carry them all the way; considering the events of the past couple of days, no one's going to argue with her. After another hair-raising setback or two, they at last reach the ranch, only to find Donovan and Smiler waiting, ready to try one last time to solve the matter with bullets. Once again, help arrives in the nick of time. Mary goes into labor and, assisted by the opportune arrival of a neighbor's wife, she delivers a healthy baby boy. She names her son Bodie William.
All the parts are well cast and well played, with the bad guys being sufficiently heartless and the good guys being especially benevolent. Clint Walker had a reputation for being genuinely kind and thoughtful, so it was only natural that for Cheyenne Bodie those qualities would come naturally. Mary Wiley is a true believer of the most dedicated sort. Although he respects her conviction that "everything in its place has a purpose," Cheyenne can't help but wonder what the ultimate purpose was for those violent men whose final 'place' was six feet under. Cheyenne Bodie's chance encounter with Mary Wiley and their subsequent adventures give him something to think about on those future long, lonely prairie nights when he's staring up at that endless sea of stars and wondering what his place is in it all.
