"Kurt, I'm going to the street and wait for you." "When you come out, you have two choices." "Wear no gun and walk over to the jail." "Or wear your gun and try it on me." ""teach me to quick draw and shoot." ""instruction desperately needed." ""will pay $1,000." "Only experts need apply." ""see kurt sprague," "Dixon road, rapid city, ca."" "I'm looking for sprague, kurt sprague." "I'm sprague." "My name is paladin." "I wrote to you about your advertisement." "You're late." "Job's filled." "That so?" "Well, I did sort of promise this man." "The advertisement said only experts need apply." "Served as peace officer in nevada and oklahoma." "Also served as deputy to matt dillon" "In austin, for five years." "That make me expert enough?" "No, that makes you a fraud." "Dillon never held office in austin." "What is this, anyway?" "You saw me draw." "Yes, he did draw." "And it did seem fast." "But you're not going to load that gun?" "Why, what for?" "Just do it." "Give the bullets to sprague." "Now what?" "You should have 12 bullets." "Six from each of us." "I do." "Now, mr." "Sprague'll count to three." "Suppose that gun were loaded?" "Wonder how fast you'd be then?" "Let's find out." "Put a bullet in it." "One." "All right, mr." "Sprague." "Anytime." "One." "Two." "Three." "Mighty pleased to meet you, mr." "Paladin." "Very happy to know you." "You got the job." "Now that depends." "On what?" "On your reason for placing that ad." "Why were you so anxious to learn how to use a gun?" "If I don't, I can't go back home." "No?" "My home's in new mexico." "A little town called right angle." "I was born there, grew up there," "Expected to live there for the rest of my life." "Something change your mind?" "A man named red harper." "Did you ever hear of him?" "No." "He's made himself quite a reputation." "A real bad one." "Killed four or five men in gunfights." "I used to see him, but I never had nothing to do with him." "That's what makes this whole thing so crazy." "How'd you get mixed up with him?" "A month ago, my father and I were going to church," "And we passed the saloon as harper came out." "Ugly and drunk." "Bumped into my father," "On purpose, then started insulting him." "You called him on it," "And he told you to go for your gun." "That's right." "I didn't have a gun." "He said I better get one or leave town." "I thought he was drunk and that'd be the end of it." "A man like that, it's just the start." "From that day on, he made it a point" "To insult me in front of the whole town." "If I answered back, he'd say, "put on a gun."" "I ain't ever handled a gun in my life." "Not like that." "When I couldn't take it no more, I left." "You can't go back to right angle" "Until you're good enough with the gun to stand up to red harper." "That's right." "Do you have a gun?" "Bought one yesterday in rapid city." "Get it." "You'll take the job?" "I'll try." "You better understand..." "Handling a gun is a very special talent," "With very special responsibilities." "That'll take care of itself." "You just teach me how to shoot." "There's one thing in your favor." "What's that?" "You want to do your own fighting." "Well, three out of six." "That's no good." "You've only been at it a few days." "Now this one and this one" "Are no good." "Why?" "They're hits." "They wouldn't stop a man." "This is where they all should go." "They will before we're finished." "You want to call it off?" "No!" "Man's got a right to defend himself." "How's that?" "That's pretty good." "But not good enough." "No." "You are a mighty fussy man, paladin." "All gunfighters this particular" "About caring for their weapons?" "Only the live ones." "How's that now?" "That's good." "We've been at it 12 days now." "That's right and tomorrow we start on the draw." "Well, hallelujah!" "That'll be a relief from doing nothing" "But shoot, shoot, shoot." "No use learning how to draw a gun unless you know" "What to do with it." "I'm turning in." "What time do we begin in the morning?" "7:00." "Why not 6:00?" "You're an eager student." "I want to go home." "Good night." "Listen, paladin." "This thing is jammed." "Really think I'll be good enough" "To go up against harper?" "You'll be good enough." "Matter of fact, you take to this gun" "Like you were born for it." "Good night." "Good night." "Hand away from it..." "Now!" "Oh!" "Once more." "And..." "Get your hand away from it." "Now." "Ohhh!" "Now." "That's better, once more." "And..." "Now!" "That's better." "Let's try this with live ammunition." "Come on." "You ready?" "I'm ready." "Now!" "Well, what do you think?" "I think it's time for you to go home." "You really believe I'm ready?" "If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't say it." "Thing is, you've never seen how fast harper draws." "I've seen many fast men draw." "You're the equal of most of them." "I am?" "You are." "But you may find it different when you face a man with a gun." "You may forget everything you've learned." "You might find you can't kill a man." "I've thought of that." "Can you go back with me?" "My job was to teach you." "That's finished now." "Harper travels with two or three friends." "If I walk in alone, your teaching" "Won't even those odds." "Wouldn't want that to happen." "You'll come?" "All right." "Thanks, paladin." "Now that it's getting down to it," "I really feel edgy." "Suppose we try and get your mind off things." "One of harper's friends." "Let's see how much you've learned." "Looks like we're expected." "He'll be at the saloon, he always is." "Some deep breaths might relax you." "You did come back." "I told you I would, pa." "Harper knows you're here." "I figured that." "You're wearing a gun." "Didn't think I'd come back without one, did you?" "Can you use it?" "Yes." "Harper's not alone." "Toby and clark are with him." "I'm not alone either." "This is mr." "Paladin." "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be back here." "He taught me how to use this." "I guess we better get on with it." "Good luck, kurt." "God be with you." "From here on, it's your show." "Harper!" "Harper!" "Harper!" "Wasn't no need to repeat yourself." "Bad luck for you I heard you the first time." "So you come back?" "But I don't see much different about you." "Same yellow-belly." "Same chicken heart." "Oh, well..." "I see now." "You're wearing a gun." "Just like a growed-up man." "And you brought a friend." "Harper, get rid of those two." "Or I help sprague." "All right." "Let's don't get all excited." "Better get to one side, boys." "Sprague's liable to get off a shot." "And lord knows where it'll land." "You through talkin'?" "Just about." "Now it's your turn." "Got any last words?" "Fill your hand." "You first, sonny." "Well..." "Now don't tell me you changed your mind." "While we're waiting," "Let me tell you about your ma." "I heard she was..." "I did it!" "And it was just like you said it'd be." "I felt like I was born to it." "You've certainly earned your fee on this job." "As agreed." "Thank you." "I wish there was something else I could do," "Besides money." "I mean, as a friend." "There is." "Name it." "As a friend..." "Take that gun off." "Put it away." "And forget about it." "What?" "Harper's dead." "You're home to stay" "And you don't need that gun anymore." "I guess you're right." "I know I'm right." "Take it off." "There, make you feel better?" "Much better." "Here's to a long and happy life." "Goodbye, kurt." "Good luck." "Goodbye." "Paladin?" "You've been a good friend." "Oh, mr." "Paladin?" "You taught him well." "I just wanted to thank you." "For nothing." "Goodbye, sir." "Goodbye." "Your friend just left." "Mr. Paladin." "A gentleman to see you." "Oh?" "Will you wait for me?" "Excuse me." "Oh, mr." "Paladin." "You probably don't remember me." "We met briefly three months ago in right angle." "I'm sorry, sir." "It's all right, I remember you." "You're mr." "Sprague." "That's right." "How's kurt?" "Kurt?" "Kurt's why I'm here." "What's wrong?" "Here." "These'll explain things better than I can." "They're all from the right angle newspaper." "I made him take that gun off." "He promised me he'd put it away and forget it." "He never took it off." "I'm afraid he can't forget about it now." "How did these things happen?" "All his doing." "He singles out a man, then keeps provoking him." "Until the fella has no choice except to fight." "That's what harper did." "That's right." "Mr. Paladin..." "Kurt was one of the nicest boys in town." "Everybody liked him." "Now in three months," "I've watched him change into a killer." "That's why I'm here." "When kurt was in trouble before, you helped him." "Now he's in much worse trouble." "And I'm asking you to help him again." "It's a little late for that, isn't it?" "I hope not." "He likes you." "He'd listen to you if you talked to him." "If you could make him quit now," "He could still be saved." "Well, I guess I do owe kurt that much." "Who died?" "Sheriff hayes." "Shot down." "By who?" "Kurt." "I'm sorry, mr." "Sprague." "Where's kurt now?" "Saloon, I guess." "Why isn't he in jail?" "Nobody here wants to go up against his gun." "Paladin." "I'll go see him." "Where is everybody?" "Guess they're down at the funeral." "You said this was a new deck." "They're greasy, get me another one." "They were new." "I opened them..." "You callin' me a liar?" "Hello, kurt." "Paladin, you old son of a gun." "What are you doing here?" "Well?" "What's the matter?" "I guess you're the matter." "You've been talking to my father," "About all the men I killed." "No sense you fretting yourself about it." "Fact is you should be proud." "You taught me how." "I taught you how to defend yourself," "Not how to be a public executioner." "When did you start notching that gun?" "Kurt, you put the gun back on..." "Why?" "Because it makes me feel good." "Like I'm somebody." "But I don't have to explain it to anyone." "Not even you, paladin." "School's out." "What does that mean?" "Means I'm going out in the street and wait." "When you come through those doors," "Either you wear no gun and walk to the jail," "Or you wear that gun and try it on me." "You sure you want to go through with this?" "That's up to you." "I always thought of you as my one friend." "I should've known it'd come to this." "Come to what?" "You know," "Pupil gets too good, so the teacher figures he better use a yardstick." "Only you ain't the teacher no more." "Call it off." "Not a chance!" "You forced this play, now you're gonna back it up." "I don't want to kill you." "You don't understand, paladin." "You ain't got a chance." "You just don't know how good I am." "All right, kurt." "Then you show me." "I'm sorry." "So am I." "I did everything you taught me." "Everything, except remember" "The most important thing I ever said to you." "I told you to take that gun off," "And forget it." "No..." "I couldn't do that." "I wanted very much to be his friend." "You were his friend." "You were the best friend he ever had." "¶ 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?" "¶"