Quiet Fear

Quiet Fear" is the 17th episode of The Rifleman Season Four, and the 127th episode overall. Directed by Gene Nelson and written by Arthur Browne Jr., it aired on January 22, 1962.
==Synopsis==
Lucas's old Army pal settles in North Fork with his deaf daughter. 
==Watch==
==Plot==
An old friend of Lucas's from the army, Jake Striker, comes to North Fork, bringing along his deaf and mute daughter Abbey. He purchases a farm from Brice Hornsby, a young man who has been gambling away his money to a man named Bud Martin in poker games. When Brice finds out Abbey is deaf and mute, he takes interest in her.
As Mark teaches Abbey how to write, Lucas and Jake discuss offering Brice a job on Jake's new farm, and Lucas warns Jake that he can't be too overprotective of Abbey now that she's a grown woman. Brice gets the job on Jake's farm, and he and Abbey grow closer.
While in town, Bud Martin approaches Brice and heckles him. When he puts his hand on Abbey's shoulder, the two men get into a fight before being broken up by Micah.
In a barn back at Jake's farm, Abbey tends to Brice's wrist, which he injured in the brawl. Brice tries explaining to Abbey who the man he fought was, and carves "BUD" into the wood wall, which Abbey understands thanks to Mark's lessons. After Abbey leaves, Bud jumps out from hiding and attacks Brice, knocking him out. Abbey runs back to retrieve something she left behind, only to also get assaulted by Bud; in the struggle she ends up getting pushed off a latter and getting seriously hurt.
Mark and Lucas arrive at Jake's farm for supper, and they and Jake spot Brice stumbling out of the barn holding his head. Upon investigation, they soon find Abbey knocked out on the ground in the barn. Jake immediately assumes Brice was the one who hurt her, and attacks Brice in rage. As Abbey awakes, Jake asks her who did this to her, and she points at the carved "BUD" on the wall. They then notice Bud still hiding in the upper rafter of the barn; he and Lucas fight and Lucas ends up throwing him off the rafter onto the ground, severely injuring him. Abbey and Brice embrace lovingly.
At the closing of the episode, Jake and Abbey are setting off for Denver together to learn sign language.
==Cast==
===Main===
*Lucas McCain - Chuck Connors
*Mark McCain - Johnny Crawford
*Micah Torrance - Paul Fix
===Guests===
*Jake Striker - Patrick McVey
*Brice Hornsby - Richard Rust 
*Abbey Striker - Enid Jaynes
*Bud Martin - Dennis Cross 
Category:Episodes
Category:Season Four episodes
Category:Episode pages with completed plot sections
Category:Episodes with no fatalities