"This used to be the prettiest town in colorado." "Now the gunfighters have taken it over," "And if you can't stop them, turn in the star." "Only very few paper today, mr." "Paladin." "Man say train from east that bring other papers," "Maybe big accident." "That's interesting, hey boy." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Railroad companies clash." "Big spur colorado." "Bloody violence has flared" "Between the texas, colorado and overland," "And continental divide railroads in a clash over right of way." "Gunmen hired by both factions have destroyed property," "And intimidated town citizens." "The town of big spur is an armed camp," "And sheriff dave quinn admits he is powerless" "To prevent the lawlessness." "Dave quinn." "Ma'am, where is everybody?" "Don't answer him, clara." "Let him find out for himself." "You gunmen can have this town." "Ma'am." "Hey, like the look of that one." "I'll toss you for her." "I got a better idea." "Let's toss her for me." "Don't walk so fast, honey." "She's mine." "I'm sorry, miss." "Go away, please!" "Go home." "They won't bother you anymore." "He didn't do it." "He helped me." "All right, molly." "Go on home." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Dave, your molly grew up pretty well, didn't she?" "Paladin." "Been a long time since albuquerque." "Yes, it has." "What are you doing up this way?" "I'm looking for a job." "On whose side?" "I been in this town before." "This used to be a pretty town." "Nicest trees in colorado." "What are you getting at?" "You know what I'm getting at." "Gunfighters have taken over your town." "Your people are leaving every day." "The ones that stay are being hurt and killed." "Look at your street, dave." "Town's dying." "Not much I can do." "I'm not as young as I was." "Then turn in the star." "You know me better than that." "A little law's better than none." "With a little bit of help, you can save this town." "Where would I get this help?" "From me." "I owe you a favor." "You got a good memory." "I told you nine years ago in albuquerque," "I wouldn't forget what happened." "That's long past." "You're up for hire." "I can't pay a fee." "I said I owe you a favor." "The railroads that have taken over your town" "Can well afford my fee." "I'll let you know what I need." "I'm looking for charles foster," "General agent of the tc and o." "I'm foster." "My name is paladin from san francisco." "What can I do for you, paladin?" "I'm looking for a job." "Can you use that gun?" "When I have to." "When can you start?" "That depends." "Depends on what?" "I said that depends, mr." "Foster." "I'm paying 25 a day." "That's your top price?" "Standard for a good gun." "Not enough, friend?" "Good day, mr." "Foster." "Wait a minute." "I asked you a question." "I don't believe we've met." "My name is coe." "Ralph coe from abilene." "Mr. Coe, I've heard of you." "Where are you going?" "Across the street to the continental divide railroad." "You don't care which side you gun for, do you?" "Indeed." "In this case, the side that pays the most." "Does mr." "Coe work for 25 dollars a day?" "Coe's in charge of 35 men." "He's a deputy agent." "A deputy agent." "That's an imposing title for a gunfighter." "I'm well qualified for the job." "I'm sure you are." "There is a possibility we could use another..." "I don't think so." "Well..." "As you say." "In that case, I bid you good day again." "Gentlemen." "What can I do for you?" "Mr. Sukey?" "That's right." "My name is paladin." "I'm looking for a job." "The opposition turn you down?" "I saw you leaving their offices." "I'm shopping, mr." "Sukey." "What can you offer?" "The prevailing rate." "20... 30 dollars a day." "I'm not interested in pin money." "Do you have an opening for a deputy agent?" "I might have." "You know what this fight's all about?" "For control of the transcontinental route." "Specifically, for control of a rail right of way" "From this town across raymond gorge." "Which we say the tc and o leased to us." "They claim they didn't." "Now it's deadlocked." "We have the gorge but they have the depot." "One's no good without the other." "You need a man capable of unlocking the deadlock." "The depot's heavily guarded." "The man in charge is ralph coe." "You know him?" "We've met." "He's smart, tricky." "Very fast with a gun." "The man I hire would have to be smarter." "Trickier, faster." "We want that depot." "That's an old frontier story, isn't it?" "You hire the guns to spill the blood" "And you and mr." "Foster pay the bills." "You here to moralize or do you want a job?" "What kind of a fee would you pay?" "You'd have to show me you're worth it, of course." "I uh..." "Might go a thousand for a good man." "But you're talking more like a preacher than..." "Where's the cash box?" "Come on." "Open it." "Hmmm." "Would you pay two thousand?" "All right, you're hired." "Thank you." "I'll let you know how many men I need" "When I've seen the depot." "Mr. Coe, that's quite a delegation you've got." "They're just here to see the fun." "I hear you joined up with continental divide." "Don't push, we'll be fighting soon enough." "Maybe soon enough for you isn't soon enough for me." "It'll have to be." "Foster thinks you might be tough." "I want to find out." "Not now." "I don't think you're tough." "I think you're yellow!" "Coe, look at it logically." "I kill you, one of your men kills me." "And neither of us would have a chance" "To spend our deputy agent's fees, would we." "Draw." "In due time, mr." "Coe." "Paladin!" "Paladin!" "You gonna shoot me in the back, mr." "Coe?" "Paladin, the gunfighter from san francisco!" "Coe made quite a fool out of you yesterday." "I don't think so, mr." "Sukey." "I signed on to take that depot, and I mean to." "I'm no longer sure you're the man for the job." "Oh, why not?" "I'm not paying $2,000 to a man that walks away from guns." "Sukey, you hired me and you're going to pay me." "You might as well get your money's worth." "But I'll do the job in my own way." "I got 20 men for you." "They just got here." "They're in the bar." "How do you figure to do the job?" "First, I'll get a legal eviction order." "A legal..." "Oh!" "You may want it but you won't get it." "The sheriff in this town won't get involved." "He's staying right on that fence." "I'll get the order." "Yeah?" "Even if you do get it, you try to serve it on coe" "And you'll be carrying your head in your hands." "That's what you're paying me for, sukey." "Let's take a look at those men." "Morning, dave." "You find a job yet?" "Workin' for sukey." "Too bad." "I guess that puts us on opposite sides of the fence." "No, it doesn't." "I told you this town could be saved." "I need something from you." "What would that be?" "An eviction order to get coe's men out of that depot." "An eviction order?" "Who's gonna serve it?" "I am." "I've seen those men of sukey's." "How far do you think you'll get?" "That's my worry." "It's mine too." "There's been enough killing' in this town." "Your main worry is enforcing the law." "I've offered to help you." "Do I get the order?" "I don't want to be responsible." "I know." "That's why I've taken responsibility." "All right, I'll give you an eviction order." "You may even serve it on coe." "But you'll never get out of that depot alive." "Here's the eviction notice signed by the sheriff." "Well..." "You got quinn off the fence." "Maybe you'll earn your fee after all." "Now, who serves the order?" "I do." "You'll earn your fee but you won't live to spend it." "That's funny, that's just what the sheriff suggested." "Answer me one question." "How much is this fight costing continental divide?" "That's no concern of yours." "In lost passenger and freight revenue," "Payroll for your gunmen, damages to stock and equipment," "How much a day?" "Maybe seven, eight thousand." "Why?" "With this eviction order, I want to offer coe" "$10,000 to surrender the depot to you." "$10,000..." "Less than two days of what you're paying now." "Well..." "Do you think he'd listen?" "There's no way of knowing 'til he's asked." "Yeah." "That's not a bad notion." "Not bad at all." "Who'll make him the offer?" "I will, under certain conditions." "That I can assure him the deal is for cash," "That it's firm," "And there'll be no haggling about the price afterwards." "Agreed." "All right, let's get it done." "What do you want, paladin?" "A word with you." "In private." "You don't have much in the way of brains, do you?" "Standing out there in the open." "Will you hear what I have to say?" "All right." "Throw your gun down and come in slow and easy." "Talk." "Coe, I volunteered to serve you this." "Paladin, you amaze me." "You just take this and you'll be a lot more amazed." "$10,000 more." "$10,000 for what?" "Just to honor this eviction notice." "Who pays me?" "Sukey." "Cash?" "My men..." "I'd have to give them something." "That's up to you." "Two or three thousand would hold them." "That'd leave me..." "Seven or eight." "That's a lot of money." "Seven, eight thousand." "It's a fair sum." "All right, you got yourself a deal." "Where's the money?" "You get it when sukey's in the depot." "You know, paladin..." "You bought yourself out of a lot of trouble." "Larry, round up the rest of the men." "Fast!" "Come on." "Coe!" "What's going on?" "I was served this." "Why, it's worthless!" "Looks legal to me." "Something stinks here, coe." "You sold out to continental divide!" "That's an eviction notice!" "And those are the fortunes of war, mr." "Foster." "Paladin." "I've been looking for you." "Where's sukey?" "We seldom dine together." "Why?" "I went to his office to collect." "He's gone, moved out." "Try the depot?" "Wait a minute." "I'll go with you, he owes me my fee too." "Paladin and coe." "We want to talk to sukey." "what do you want?" "We want our money!" "What are you trying to pull, paladin?" "I already gave you both yours and coe's." "Now you don't believe that, do you?" "What is this?" "You trying to cheat coe out of his money?" "Don't play games with me, I want that money!" "I'm warning you, paladin." "Get out of here before I have clary open fire on you!" "Paladin!" "I want my money." "The money!" "You're not as smart as I thought you were." "You owe me $10,000." "Use your brain!" "Would I be casually walking down the boardwalk" "Waiting for you to find me if I had your $10,000?" "I told you to use your brain!" "Do you have my money?" "If you're lyin' to me," "I'm gonna kill you one way or the other!" "You're gonna start that again?" "Coe, just how strong is that depot?" "Plenty strong." "Food and water supply?" "Enough for two weeks." "We could wait them out." "Well, coe..." "This is mining country, isn't it?" "Yeah, why?" "All we need is a little fuse," "Some blasting powder and muscle to move this thing." "You with me?" "Every step of the way." "Well, come on." "Enough?" "All right, that's enough." "I don't know about this." "We're not the first ones" "To place great store by our cannons." "Napoleon had great faith in his." "When's the last time he tried to take a depot" "With one cannon and two men?" "I don't know, but if this doesn't work," "We're gonna have a chance to ask him personally." "All right." "I got nuts, spikes, old bolts... ] this barrel is rusted through." "It'll blow up right in our faces." "You men in there listen!" "I got a one-minute fuse on this thing!" "We want sukey, not you!" "But if he doesn't surrender," "We'll blow that depot to pieces." "You've got 45 seconds!" "We'll blow those walls down and fill that depot" "With blind scrap metal." "Come here!" "Larry!" "You can have sukey!" "Come on and get him!" "The key!" "Come on!" "Paladin!" "You dirt!" "You cheap dirt!" "You sold me out." "What'll you do about it?" "Hold this." "What'll you do about it, huh?" "Turn righteously indignant?" "Feel justified?" "Bring your men back into this depot?" "Take your hands off!" "You want to repeat this cycle again and again and again?" "Until this town is only fit for the likes of you?" "Oh no, gentlemen." "This argument is about a lease." "And a lease is words." "What words mean can be settled by a court of law." "And that's the way it's gonna be!" "I think I owe you one of these, mr." "Paladin." "So you do, mr." "Coe." "Your money." "Thank you." "You're a good man." "At least we had the decency to fight among ourselves." "Let's go, coe." "Paladin..." "You know, I can't figure this thing out." "This is the first time I've ever been on the right side," "And ended up with $10,000." "See you around." "Mr. Paladin." "Package for you just come." "That feels like a box of cigars." "Dear paladin, I hope these cigars" "Don't blow up in your face like some I've seen." "10,000 thanks." "Your friend, coe." "Lots of thanks." "10,000, mr." "Paladin." "Each thank is worth one dollar." "Put those in my room, will you?" "Each thank?"