"Do you kill for profit, mr." "Tuttle, or pleasure," "Or your reputation?" "If that's where your vanity hides," "Draw that gun." "You gentlemen tell me where I'll find the room clerk?" "We're all filled up, mister." "Another hotel down the road a piece." "The next hotel's a 57-mile ride," "Assuming I can get across two flooded arroyos." "Ah!" "Throw him out." "Ah." "Before you did that, cowboy," "You should've asked my name." "It's kovac." "Who?" "Kovac." "Syd kovac." "Kovac?" "Kovac?" "Yeah, you're some sort of a minor gunman, huh?" "Minor?" "I find it good business to study gunfighters." "For instance, mr." "Kovac, I know this about you:" "If I hesitated for one instant," "If I took one step backward, you'd draw." "So I'm gonna give you some advice." "Some advice that may save your life." "If you ever have to face a vicious crowd," "Or a bully...!" "You hesitate, you get into trouble." "Stop." "This way, you can avoid trouble." "Stop, stop!" "It ain't me that's keeping you from a room." "This place has been reserved for someone." "Who?" "What's his name?" "I'd like to meet him." "He works for tuttle." "Sam tuttle." "You say you know all about guns, mister." "It happens I work for the biggest gun of them all, and he's on his way here." "What time's he get here?" "That kind of worries you, don't it?" "If I was to tell him..." "Kovac, I thought I taught you some manners." "Now, I asked you a civil question." "Look, you ain't laying for him, are you?" "What time does he get here?" "About nine in the morning." "Look, he gave me orders..." "I've got to catch a stage for san antonio." "I'll be out of here by 8:00." "Well, ain't no use in us fighting." "I mean, as long as you leave early." "Logan, give him a room!" "I hope you have nothing foolish in your mind." "Upstairs." "First door on your right." "My horse?" "I'll be glad to take him to the stable for you." "Make up for all the trouble, you know?" "Thanks." "That's my table, sir." "The name is tuttle." "Paladin." "You arrived early." "Mr. Logan was kind enough to send word about kovac." "Look, I don't blame you for killing kovac." "I've been tempted a few times myself." "But why in the name of joseph didn't you leave town last night?" "Why?" "I did everything I could to discourage kovac." "Don't you understand?" "Doesn't matter what happened, it's done." "Now, whether I want to or not, I'll have to kill you." "On this day, of all days." "Three long years since I've been able to get back, and now" "Blast that slimy little man." "You know why he was so anxious for me to come back here?" ""step right up, folks." "Sam tuttle's 30 second gun fight." ""right on this spot!" "Stand up to the bar and buy drinks, folks." ""and see the actual blood stains."" "Well, I suggest you disappoint him." "You suggest that I-?" "Do you actually think you can beat me?" "Do you have some crazy idea about trying to outshoot me?" "Is that it?" "No." "No, I won't be able to beat you." "But I'm fast enough to hurry your shot." "And I promise you, if your aim's a quarter of an inch off," "My reflexes'll kill you as I go down." "I believe you." "Does that change anything?" "It does unless you're a fool." "You come over here and take a look." "Then you show me a way out, if you can." "Call me anything you like." "But take a good close look at them." "A bunch of latter-day savages." "Waiting for the body to be carried out." "If I let you ride out of here," "They'd say I was afraid." "Or that my eyes, or my hand, or something had gone bad." "Then every saddle tramp in the state would start wondering." "Let one man go and I have to fight ten." "I wish I could live another hundred years." "I think they'll all wipe themselves out." "And I'd like to be there laughing when it happens." "Well, that's one way out." "For both of us, go ahead, pull the trigger." "I was thinking about using the butt on you." "Then I'd have to follow you." "And I don't think you're the kind who can spend the rest of his life hiding," "Any more than you could shoot a man in the back." "Thank you." "I, I know this may sound sort of crazy," "I mean, to a man I have to kill," "But, I wonder if we could just sort of sit down and talk for a spell?" "You know, like nothing was gonna happen?" "Let's have breakfast." "It ain't cold, mr." "Tuttle," "But if you say you want champagne," "Then here it is." "Ah, logan?" "The people in this town," "What do you think of 'em?" "Oh, they're nice people." "Nicest little town in the state, mr." "Tuttle." "A nice town." "You saw them." "Don't trust any mother's child out there." "And, uh, what do you think of paladin here?" "Mr. Paladin?" "Well, uh..." "Ah, you mean, you and him, sir?" "It's alright, you can speak your mind." "I'm gonna kill him when we're through here." "Well..." "I think you ought to be more careful, mr." "Tuttle." "You mean, he might jump me unexpectedly?" "He's the sneaky sort, is that it?" "Now that you come to mention it..." "Yeah." "I knew I could trust you like a brother." "And, uh, myself, logan?" "Tell us about me." "Well, sir, uh..." "I've always said you were a gentleman." "A fine gentleman." "Which means I'm a killer." "I've killed 31 men, paladin, I'm not fit to" "Get out of here, will you?" "Yes, sir." "Will you get out, or I'll-!" "Ha, or I'll kill you." "That's the only way I can think anymore, paladin." "Sam, the thing that ruins most banquets, is the speeches." "Trouble is, murderers, like me," "Don't usually get a chance to make one." "Well, I'll admit there's a local unfairness there." "On the international scene," "Killings and speeches are practically inseparable." "It's no good." "The best havana money can buy." "You know what I mean." "The more we talk, the harder it gets." "Sam..." "I may know a way." "Don't beg, paladin." "I have too much respect for you to hear you beg." "Any time you're ready." "Go ahead." "Make your move." "I'll protect myself." "I can't wait you out." "I have important business to take care of this morning." "Draw the gun." "You're wasting my time, too." "I won't have time to come again." "Oh, it's alright." "We're just standing here, talking." "Come in, dear." "You can have that sarsaparilla mother promised." "It ain't Sunday, is it?" "No, it ain't Sunday, it's uh..." "It's Saturday, isn't it?" "Yeah." "Then how come it's so empty here?" "You two ain't gun fighting, are you?" "Oh, no." "Maybe it's a gun fight." "No, I wouldn't fight with my friend here." "Logan!" "Logan, get your, uh, get yourself behind the bar." "We've got a paying customer here." "Ah, not too much syrup, mr." "Logan." "He has a bad enough sweet-tooth as it is." "We know just how to fix it, don't we, son?" "Mrs. Smith," "I'd like you to meet my friend, paladin." "How do you do?" "You have one hour." "Mrs. Smith?" "Would you like to sit down?" "Mind if I join you, partner?" "Oh." "Seeing as how I invited myself in," "Why, I guess maybe I should pay for the freight." "How's that?" "Guess how old I am today?" "Oh, you have a birthday, huh?" "Well, what do you know?" "Big and good-looking." "Logan, ain't he good-looking?" "Yes, sir." "Best looking boy in town." "There you are, son." "I'm nine today." "Nine?" "Well, by jonah." "Just so happens, I ran across a friend of mine," "Sort of a gypsy fortune teller," "And he, uh..." "Said I'd run into somebody who had a birthday." "And I was supposed to give him this." "Twenty dollar gold piece!" "Hey, mom, I just got twenty dollars, from a gypsy!" "That's nice, son." "Just one thing, he asked for you to do." "He wants you to sit down with me and just..." "Tell me all about yourself." "Then you'll tell him." "He must like me, huh?" "Oh." "Oh, he" "He thinks quite a bit of you." "It's just that, he can't, uh..." "Well, you know, just sort of what..." "What you do with yourself all day," "And what kind of games you play, and..." "Just everything." "You know, just, everything." "You might find a glass of sherry helpful, mrs." "Tuttle." "Perhaps you're right, mr." "Paladin." "Ten o'clock, ma'am." "You said something about one hour." "Ah, yes, I did, didn't I?" "Thank you." "Yes, yes." "We can always depend on logan." "Remind me to thank you, mr." "Logan." "Well, we had our talk, anyway." "Nice one, wasn't it?" "Yes, sir." "Now, you go out and wait in the buggy, son." "I want to have a talk with your friend." "Sam." "Goodbye." "Mister, thank the gypsy for me, huh?" "We've had a talk about you, sam." "No one asked you to butt into this." "I did." "It's the boy." "I guess you noticed, he's no fool." "He'll find out who you are this time." "No, he won't, I promise you." "Oh, I know." "You'll kill every man in this town who talks, won't you?" "Well, that won't stop them." "And if you think any different," "You're a bigger fool than I thought you were." "I've advised mrs." "Tuttle to go on to san francisco," "Without leaving a forwarding address..." "I told you to stay out of it!" "I didn't ask to be brought into this." "But I'm in just about as far as a man can get." "Or had you forgotten that?" "If you don't leave any forwarding address," "How will I know where to send you money?" "How much longer could you, anyway?" "When a man gets as big as you, sam," "His years shorten." "I'll find a man." "What kind of a man?" "I'll take whatever I can find," "On whatever terms I can make." "I should have done it a long time ago when I had more to bargain with." "This don't sound like you, eileen." "Of course, you could go with her, sam." "I didn't want you to say that!" "I don't want him!" "It's just about time you stopped lying to yourself, too." "I've seen you with your eyes on him since the moment you walked into this room." "You're a frightened, lonely woman," "With more pride than common sense." "You're perfectly willing to" "Take a gamble on a complete stranger in san francisco," "But you're not willing to take the same gamble" "With the man you love." "All right, sam." "If you can do it." "If you can be part of the family again." "If you can really do it." "What would I do?" "A man's got to make a living." "Does that matter?" "If you have to dig a ditch, does that matter?" "It matters a lot!" "She don't understand how a man is." "I'm, I'm important now." "People stand back for me." "They tip their hats!" "It ain't like it used to be." "People point out to me as I walk down the street!" "It's funny," "Funny how a town like this will pull the truth out." "Things a man never even admitted to himself." "I like being number one!" "I like being sam tuttle!" "And there's nothing, nothing I want bad enough to give that up." "Oh." "Now you both know." "I guess I'll be going now." "Hope you find a better man next time." "I couldn't do much worse, could I?" "If you were alive," "Maybe you could sort of look after her in san francisco?" "Give her advice, maybe?" "No bargains." "I don't buy my life that way, sam." "Mr." " Mr. Tuttle." "Any way you want it." "Mr. Tuttle." "Get out." "I got this whole hotel reserved." "Ain't I?" "You can't let him go!" "Shut up!" "Or you'll be the dead one around here." "You called me once too often, mister." "Can you still hear?" "Folks'll ride for miles to see where you died." "And the last sound you're gonna hear is this." "Logan!" "We been waiting out here." "What happened?" "The woman that came out, which way does she live?" "One that calls herself mrs." "Smith?" "Down that way a little bit, 'bout a mile." "Little white house..." "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?" "¶"