The Pet

"The Pet" is the 15th episode of The Rifleman Season One and the 15th episode overall. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Ken Kolb, it aired on January 6, 1959.
==Synopsis==
Mark takes in a homeless horse after its owner is killed in a gunfight, as Lucas investigates the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
==Watch ==
==Plot==
Outside of the saloon in downtown North Fork, Ward Haskins approaches Joe Flecker and tells him to give him something that belongs to him. When Flecker refuses, the two draw on each other and Haskins shoots Flecker. Lucas sees the shooting as he comes out of the store, and carries Flecker to Doc Burrage's office.
At Doc Burrage's office, Doc determines that Flecker doesn't have long to live. As he lay dying, he asks Lucas to take care of his horse. Lucas tries to get Flecker to tell him why Haskins shot him, but all Flecker says is "my boots" and "I'd die with my boots on" before dying.
Lucas and Mark take Flecker's now orphaned horse home with them and put it on their ranch. Haskins rides onto the ranch and tells Lucas that Joe Flecker had a paper that belonged to him, and he figures Lucas has it now and he'd like it back. After Lucas insists he doesn't have it, Haskins draws a gun on him, but Lucas is able to knock it out of his hand and punch him and tells him to get off the ranch. As he leaves, Flecker's horse bites Haskins' hand.
Flecker's horse starts getting ill for no apparent reason. Lucas goes down to North Fork to Doc Burrage's office and looks through Flecker's things, which Haskins had already torn through. Remembering that Flecker kept mentioning his boots before he died, Lucas inspects his boots to find a hidden piece of paper - a wanted poster of Haskins, wanted in Kansas for two killings.
Noticing that Doc Burrage is drinking early in the morning, he asks what's wrong. Doc Burrage tells him that he just had two children die under his care from anthrax, and there's an epidemic of it starting, infecting animals as well. He has a cure for it, but the families don't call for him in time to use it to save them. Lucas urgently rides back to the ranch, taking the wanted poster with him.
At the ranch, Mark is taking care of Flecker's sick horse when it bites his hand. He goes into the ranch house to find Haskins there. Haskins start rifling around Lucas's house looking for the wanted poster. Lucas arrives home, and Haskins holds him at gunpoint when he walks in and forces him to hand over the wanted poster.
Haskins tells Lucas he's going to kill him because he is the only one who saw the wanted poster. As Mark stands outside the house and listens, Lucas tells Haskins he won't turn him in, because there's no need to - Flecker's horse that bit him is infected with anthrax, which is always fatal.
At gunpoint, Haskins commands Lucas to take him to the barn to show him the sick horse, in order to verify the story. After they leave the house, Mark slips in and grabs Lucas's rifle. In the barn, Haskins sees that the horse has anthrax and shoots it. He and Lucas get in a scuffle when Mark walks in and throws Lucas the rifle, and he shoots Haskins dead.
Lucas notices that Mark is on edge over something, and Mark reluctantly shows Lucas the bite on his hand, tearfully saying that he heard him tell Haskins people always die from anthrax and he didn't want to worry him over it. Lucas tells Mark that he was just stalling Haskins, and that Doc Burrage has a cure. The two go to Doc Burrage's office where Mark receives the anthrax cure.
==Cast==
===Main===
*Lucas McCain - Chuck Connors
*Mark McCain - Johnny Crawford
===Recurring===
*Doc Burrage - Edgar Buchanan
===Guests===
*Ward Haskins - Robert Wilke
*Joe Flecker - Bill Erwin
*The Father - Hal Jon Norman
==Footnotes==
Category:Episodes
Category:Season One episodes
Category:Episode pages with completed plot sections
Category:Episode pages with overly long plot summaries