Episode Details

Originally Aired: August 9, 1959

Gunsmoke #383, "Mavis McCloud," a mysterious telegram arrives in Dodge City announcing that someone is coming to get married and requesting Marshal Matt Dillon meet the noon train. When young Mavis McCloud steps off that train, she surprises everyone by explaining she doesn't know whom she'll marry yet—she's simply come west looking for a husband, and believes the marshal should help her find the right man. Matt and Kitty are bemused by the unconventional arrangement, but within days Mavis meets and marries Barney Wales, a hardworking young cowboy with his own spread near Dodge.

The newlyweds' happiness is threatened when a dangerous man named Lou Staley arrives from St. Louis, tracking Mavis down and vowing to kill her husband. Matt learns that Mavis has been hiding secrets about her past, including her real name and her connection to the menacing Staley. When Barney refuses to run from the threat, insisting he'll stand his ground despite Mavis's pleas, Matt faces the challenge of protecting the young couple while unraveling the mystery of why Staley is so determined to destroy Mavis's new life.