"These people are not peasants." "They take their living from a very hard, a very demanding land." "You know, it's a very good thing that nature did not give you as much brains as she did beauty because then you would both be geniuses instead of the most attractive..." "I understand you undertake certain types of employment, Mr. Paladin." "Under certain conditions, yes." "Good." "I am Otto Von Albrecht." "I have a title... meaningless here, of course." "I wish you to find a man for me." "May I talk to you in private?" "As I said, Mr. Paladin, I wish you to find a man for me." " Who and why?" " Sir, my reasons are personal, and between gentlemen, I fervently hope that you will permit them to remain so." "If your reputation is not distorted," "I'm sure I can convince you that this man should be found, quite apart from any personal motive I may have." "If you are a connoisseur, you will recognize its value even with the naked eye." "You may keep it as your fee." "You want this man very badly." "Now, to the man himself." "Carl Frome." "He has killed a dozen people." "He is not only corrupt, but he is a corrupter as well." "I have here a letter written by him only a month ago, postmarked Parrish, New Mexico." "Also, there are newspaper clippings, posters issued for his arrest, sufficient proof of what he is." "Hm." "All right, Mr. Von Albrecht," "I can see from these that Carl Frome is a man who should be brought to justice." "There is, however, one condition..." "I do not simply hire myself out to dispense justice with a gun." "I do not intend that you should." "We will leave in the morning, then." "Do not let these alarm you, Mr. Paladin." "When I am on a horse, its legs become mine." "I rode before I walked." "While other men had first to crawl, hm?" "You are a paradox, Sir Paladin... a gentlemen knight who risks lance and life for people he dislikes... or even hates... to get enough money to pamper his expensive tastes." "At the very best, or least, my dear Paladin, you are a spiritual assassin." "You do take advantage of your years, old man." "I take every advantage, and why not?" "I am the creation of all the Von Albrechts who ever lived." "In a sense, I'm 600-years old." "Six centuries of breeding and tradition." "Well, when the meek finally do inherit the earth, my very strong conviction is that none of your bloodline will flow in the veins of the property owners." "Excuse me." "Ladies, do study your chess." "Do." "A fit and filthy little town." "Today, yes." "Once, it was something quite different." "You fast with that thing, mister?" "Well, not quite as fast as you are with that door, son." "Hello?" "Anybody there?" "S-See, Mama?" "Two of them, like I told you." "I got eyes." "We'd like a room, please." "I suggest we make certain inquiries first." "First, I will have a hot meal and a bath... if that can be arranged." "Sure, the room and the hot meal, anyway." "The bathing will have to be on your own." "Well, it usually is." "No cooking done here." "You can get it at the cantina down the street." "I run that, too." "The room, please." "Waco, see to their horses." "This way." "You want any more, the well's out back." "Thank you." "Woman, we are looking for a man who calls himself Carl Frome." "Ain't none of my business who you're looking for, mister." "I know he's here or he's been here." "All we want from you is where to find him." "You can keep your impudence!" "Mr. Von Albrecht." "If this old Billy goat's your Pa, you'd do well to learn him some manners." "These people are not peasants." "They take their living from a very hard, a very demanding land." "That means they have strength, fortitude, and some amount of pride." "Where's the old coot?" "The old coot is resting." " Help yourself." " Thank you." "Now about Carl Frome." "Look, mister, this ain't much for a town anymore, but I make my living here, so I mind my own business." "I see." "What about you gentlemen?" "I'm looking for a man named Carl Frome." "Thank you." "Well, I guess that's all for now." "If you'd just get that food ready..." "Sure." "Food's my business." "I'll bring it over at the hotel." "Thank you very much." "Peg." "The other one, the old coot... what's he like?" "Ooh, different, like a play actor." "Stiff, snooty, treats people like they was his servants." "Does he walk with canes?" "Yeah." "Fact is, he does." "Mr. Carl... you gonna do more practice shooting' today?" "No." "Say, Waco," "I've got something for you." "Come here." "Now, it is time you earned your fee, Mr. Paladin." "That's agreed... providing your democratic attitude hasn't alienated the entire population." "Oh, I'll clean that up for you." "Oh..." "Madam..." "Madam, you could save us considerable effort." "Carl Frome is a cold-blooded killer." "He's taken the lives of 12 human beings." "And would take yours, too, if he thought it would profit him." "What you say a man is, don't make it so." "In this case, it does." "Is he here?" "I mind my own business." "That's the decent and human thing to do." "Carl Frome is neither decent nor human." "I mind my own business." "If you know Carl Frome, this is your business." "Listen to me, please." "This man uses people coldly without compassion." "He knows no loyalty, no gratitude." "In him there is no capacity to love, to pity, but only to take, destroy, murder." "Is he here?" "I know this man." "He's ugly, twisted inside." "He lives only to destroy, if not with a gun or a knife, then by twisting the decency in other people until they become warped, like himself." "Fancy words, but it's only your say so." "You said they were not peasants." "Well, they still have not learned the difference between loyalty and stupidity." "I'll be needing your room." "I'll thank you to be gone by morning." "If he's here, we'll find him." "Yes, let us find Carl Frome." "You all right?" "That was a shot gun." "Yes, ma'am." " Who..." " It was meant for me." "Are assassins who shoot from ambush also none of your concern?" "This wasn't Carl Frome, Mr. Von Albrecht, at least not in person." "What do you mean?" "Say it." "I saw the person who did that... just a glimpse." "Who?" "Your son." "Liar!" "No." "No, I don't lie." "Anybody could have took it." "But why?" "Waco's never been bad." "Well, he isn't as bright as other boys his age, but he's always been good." "Remembering his pa..." "I saw to that." "If somebody your son liked and trusted told him to do this, perhaps even bribed him..." "Yes, it is like Carl." "Right now your son is probably frightened, probably hiding with the man who sent him." "Where?" "Maybe..." "Maybe you're wrong." "Maybe." "Let's find out." "Waco plays in there, calls it his secret place." "Even if he did the shooting, he's not to blame." " Do you understand?" " I have no intention of harming your son." "If he's in there, get him out." "He'll come out for me." "Waco?" "Waco, are you in there?" "What do you want, Mama?" "Give me the shotgun, boy." "You did do it." "Why?" "You know why." "Waco... what did Carl pay you to shoot the old man?" "Carl said it'd be all right." "Everybody tells me what to do, slaps me." "Carl treats me good." "He's my friend." "Now see what you did?" "Waco..." "Waco..." "Waco... is Carl in there?" "Why, of course he is." "Come on, let's get the pennies." "You get him out of the way." "You keep him out of the way." "Frome!" "Frome!" "I want you!" "Old man, you hold this gun?" "Just keep him here." "It's been a long, long time, Carl." "Well, I'm sure that's extremely painful, but I think it'll be all right." " There a doctor in this town?" " Yes, sir." "Well, go and get him." "Not minding one's own business can be the most important thing one ever does." "It was something I had to do, Paladin." "When he was very young, he was a choirboy." "600 years for this... the hope of a great name destroyed... dead in the dirt of a strange land." "Now, I am the very last of the Von Albrechts." "Do you understand what I am saying?" ""Well may the children weep before you." ""They know the grief of man," ""without its wisdom," "They sink in man's despair, without its calm."" "Whose fault, Paladin?" "That's a question each man will have to answer for himself." "For your sake, I am sorry, boy." "Old man, those words came just about 600 years too late." ""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?" "Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home"