"Mr. Paladin." "Telegram." "Thank you." "Let me see if there's an answer for this." "Well, there's no answer, but..." "The dinner for two, will you ask the chef to cancel that?" "And give him my regrets, please." "Yes, I will." "Gentlemen." "Evening." "Evening." "Whiskey." "Passin' through?" "That's right." "There was a day people didn't just pass through." "They stayed." "Mines run out?" "Not enough silver left to fill a tooth." "Beautiful, ain't she?" "That's a very interesting painting." "More than that, mister." "More than that." "My name's elmer jensen." "Paladin." "Glad to know you, mr." "Paladin." "These are my friends." "Rafe adams," "Ezekiel becket," "Double g." "Phillips," "And jack foster." "Gentlemen." "He was admiring annie." "She's our girl, mister." "Fella that painted her had real talent." "And eyes in his head." "What'll he think?" "A bunch of fools mooning over a painting." "You think we'd stay in this town full of empty houses" "If it weren't for annie?" "There's been no amusement here since the mines closed down." "Wasn't always that way." "Used to be a lot of friends here." "Oh, the good times we had." "Seems like people have lost the knack of having good times." "Was pretty dangerous, though, bonanza in the old days." "I collected the first tax ever collected" "With my hat in one hand, gun in the other." "Now bonanza's a ghost town, and we're almost ghosts." "But you still do have annie." "that's right." "Gentlemen, may I buy the drinks?" "Well, well!" "I don't see why not!" "Mr. Foster." "Oh, here, mr." "Paladin." "This is miss felton." "She takes care of the place." "Miss felton." "And where are you from?" "San francisco." "Mr. Paladin?" "Oh, yeah." "To annie." "to annie!" "To annie." "Ahh." "Now, how do I go about getting a room?" "Miss felton, show mr." "Paladin the presidential suite." "That's a little joke we have." "The rooms are all the same." "Take your pick." "Six bits." "Thank you." "Come on, mr." "Paladin." "I'll bring your saddlebags up in just a little while." "Boys, let's give another toast to annie, huh?" "to annie!" "Staring at a painted woman." "They're out of their minds." "That's happens when you get old." "It's all they have left." "And don't you criticize." "You city people..." "We had our day." "I'm sure you did." "Come on, mr." "Paladin." "Miss felton, you recommend this presidential suite?" "This one will suit you fine." "Thank you." "that's mr." "Boucher." "We're just a capital of big-city culture." "He leaves tomorrow." "This is the bed." "Oh, thank you very much." "The stage to virginia city comes through" "Between 3:00 and 4:00." "You flag it, and they'll stop." "Pleasant dreams." "Thank you." "Good night, miss felton." "All right, boys, go to it!" "Now, let's see..." "We'll take this place apart." "I'll take looking' over here." "Wait a minute!" "What's this all about?" "Find anything in there?" "This here..." "Well, where is it?" "Where is what?" "You know what." "You better come downstairs." "First, you're gonna have to explain to me." "You're gonna have to come down, or we'll have to take you." "Mr. Jensen, I have a gun here." "It don't matter." "It don't?" "Oh." "Well..." "If you boys go downstairs," "I'll come down as soon as I'm dressed." "All right." "Come on, boys." "Ah-ah." "You be on down there now." "Coffee, double g.?" "No, thanks." "Becket?" "Elmer?" "I couldn't drink a drop." "Rafe?" "No." "Take a look, mr." "Paladin." "You think I stole it?" "Stranger comes to town, sees our annie, drinks a toast to her." "Next morning, she's gone." "What's that add up to you?" "Wrong answer, mr." "Adams." "I didn't steal your painting." "Why would I want it?" "You was mighty taken with her last night." "She's gone." "Annie's gone." "Did you report the loss?" "Report to who?" "We ain't got no law in bonanza." "I may possibly be of some help to you gentlemen." "How's that?" "It ain't a gun we're after." "It's annie." "It ain't a gun I'm offering you." "It's my help." "Which one of you first discovered" "That your painting was gone?" "their painting?" "It's mine." "I came down here about 6:30 this morning, and it was gone." "Anybody could've walked in here." "No, they couldn't." "I put the storm doors up and locked them." "Well, let's get to it." "Somebody go and check for missing wagons." "Check the stage office" "To see if any large packages have been sent out." "All right, come on." "We're wastin' time." "They really are unhappy about this, aren't they?" "Yeah, it's ridiculous." "You really believe that?" "Of course." "Don't you?" "No." "That painting was about the most important thing in their lives." "Who do you think it was?" "How should I know?" "Confidentially, mr." "Foster..." "Between you and me," "Where's the painting?" "That picture's my own property." "Why should I steal something I already own?" "I wouldn't know." "But those four old gentlemen have asked me to return property" "They don't even own, except in spirit," "And I'm going to return it with your help or without it." "Everybody's gone loco." "Mm-hmm." "What are you doing in here?" "Jack, what are you trying to do?" "Hiding your own property's no crime, but murder is." "You're leaving bonanza right now." "Why don't you want them to know?" "It's none of your business." "Get moving." "Jack..." "Upstairs." "Get your things." "Those old men are gonna think I took their painting." "You're wastin' time." "Come on." "That's the idea, isn't it?" "It's gonna be a unique experience being run out of town" "For discovering a man was taking his own property." "Come on." "Move." "Now I'd like the truth." "I didn't think they were gonna make such a fuss over it." "They got so riled up, I..." "I was afraid to tell 'em." "Tell 'em what?" "That I sold the painting to boucher." "I have my ticket for the stage." "I'm leaving this afternoo" "You sold that painting to boucher?" "For how much?" "I'd like to know what a lifelong friendship is worth" "To a man like you." "$500." "I haven't made a dime since the mines closed." "I don't wanna hurt my friends." "Boucher will be leaving." "I gotta go on living with these boys." "What am I gonna do?" "I don't know, foster." "That's your decision." "All right." "$500." "My own painting." "It's getting so a man can't even sell his own property." "Come with me, paladin." "If I'm left alone with this cash, I might not give it back." "What a fool I am." "$500." "My own cash." "I tell you, paladin, I just don't know." "You swindler." "What's wrong?" "What's wrong?" "The painting's been stolen." "Whoever did it didn't come up this way." "You sure you locked this door when you left this morning?" "Yes." "What business is it of yours anyway?" "How do you happen to be here?" "Is this a divine accident?" "Accident?" "Hardly." "I've been ruining my health" "Scouring the west for the paintings of henry sutell." "Sutell." "Of course." "I thought I recognized that technique." "Are you an art dealer, too?" "No." "I'm from san francisco, and we have a number" "Of excellent museums and galleries there." "Since it is sutell," "Wouldn't you say that $500 is a little bit on the low side?" "Not at all." "Its value is historic, not financial." "I may have allowed for some slight margin of profit," "But it is a minor one." "Anyway, that's my affair." "Foster." "Who had access to this room?" "Boucher, myself." "And miss felton." "She has a key to clean up." "Then she took it." "That's crazy." "We have to start someplace." "Let's talk to miss felton." "Why did you show up here?" "I was happy being poor." "I have nothing to say to you." "Miss felton, it's me, jack." "Yes?" "Yes, mr." "Foster?" "Something's been stolen from mr." "Boucher's room." "Oh!" "What's the matter?" "I was afraid to tell you." "Tell me what?" "I lost my keys last night." "Well, then, anybody could've stolen the painting." "That's the whole story." "I don't know why I've got to apologize for selling my own property." "I'm giving mr." "Boucher back his money." "I warn you, if you help him swindle me..." "Boucher." "What now, mr." "Paladin?" "Keep an eye on 'em." "I'll be back." "who is it?" "It's mr." "Paladin." "I found the painting." "Oh!" "How did you find it?" "Oh, that's so underhanded." "He's been up there a long time." "What's he doing?" "How should I know?" "it's about time." "What's been going on?" "Gentlemen, if you please." "Miss felton has a statement to make." "I thought those keys were lost." "That is exactly what miss felton wanted you to think." "she did steal my painting." "I didn't steal it." "I took it." "I hardly see the difference." "Where is it?" "Tell him your name." "What's that got to do with it?" "What you tryin' to tell us?" "Yeah, come on out with it." "Miss felton." "I'm annie." "Annie?" "Oh, no." "Can't be." "Not annie." "Oh, no." "Preposterous." "This old woman?" "Why..." "When sutell was in bonanza, miss felton was not..." "A preposterous old woman." "Thank you, mr." "Paladin." "These gentlemen don't even know I'm alive anymore." "But mr." "Sutell," "He could never get enough of painting me." "Over and over he'd do it." "I thought they were all fine, but he was never satisfied." "Where are they?" "Where are they?" "Where?" "He burned them." "Oh!" "This one here was the last one, and he gave it to me." "Then he said, "annie, I'm not the marrying kind," "And you'd be miserable."" "Then he went out, through those doors." "Before he'd got ten feet," "They brought him back and put him in jail." "For owing money to your father, mr." "Foster." "And I said," ""take the painting and let him go."" "So they did." "Mr. Foster, last night I watched you and mr." "Boucher" "Take the painting down and carry it in the back room." "And I heard everything you planned." "Mr. Sutell said this would happen." "He said, "annie, men will come for that painting." "Men with big-city talk and shiny boots and lots of money."" "And he was right." "Mr. Boucher came." "As far as I can see," "That painting was never available for sale at all." "What are you talking about?" "It's clear the painting belongs to miss felton." "You heard what she said." "She gave it in payment for sutell's hotel bill." "Well, I'll tear up that bill." "It's no good." "Annie, where is it?" "It's locked up..." "In the upstairs closet." "Come on, boys." "Let's get it!" "Yeah!" "I need the 500 like my lungs, but..." "I'll give it to you." "I wouldn't touch your preposterous old cash." "You're all in this together." "All right, $5,000, but that's tops." "$5,000?" "Boucher, why not offer what it's really worth?" "You've proved you're nothing but a cheap swindler." "Why don't you offer the $50,000 the painting is really worth?" "50..." "All right, annie." "$50,000." "You'll be famous." "Your portrait will be hanging in a great gallery" "With thousands of people to see it." "No, thank you." "You're out of your mind." "I'm offering you wealth and immortality." "Mr. Boucher, you can't offer me immortality," "Because henry sutell gave that to me." "It's beyond belief." "Paladin, $500 is one thing," "But 50,000?" "Your decision." "Boucher's still upstairs." "You're asking an awful lot." "I'm not asking you." "The boys aren't asking you." "It's you that's asking it of yourself." "Her name ain't even annie." "It's genevieve or something." "Evanita, as a matter of fact." "We got her." "We got her." "Don't scratch it." "Put her up back of the bar where she belongs." "In her rightful place." "Right there, huh?" "Boys, this is an occasion to celebrate." "The drinks are on the house." "Oh, mr." "Foster!" "Oh, yes." "Boys, let's toast our annie." "to annie!" "Oh, gosh!" "Ain't she pretty?" "To annie." "Thank you, mr." "Paladin." "Thank you." "¶ "have gun, will travel" reads the card of a man ¶" "¶ a knight without armor in a savage land ¶" "¶ his fast gun-for-hire heeds the calling wind ¶" "¶ a soldier of fortune is the man called ¶" "¶ paladin ¶" "¶ paladin, paladin where do you roam ¶"