by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Gentle, soft-spoken Cain Vestal (Harry Bartell) is told by Doc (Milburn Stone) and several other physicians that he is dying of consumption. En route to Arizona where he intends to end his days, Cain stops over at Dodge City--then confuses everyone by buying a six-gun and asking Chester (Dennis Weaver) to teach him how to shoot. It turns out that Cain plans to kill a local bigwig named Joel Adams (Mark Roberts), and he has no qualms about revealing those plans to Matt (Dennis Weaver). . .but refuses to explain why he wants to kill a man who claims never to have seen Cain before in his life. This episode is adapted from the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of October 3, 1952.
