"If you've been hired to kill me, starrett," "Remember the recipe for tiger stew." "First, you have to catch the tiger." "Thank you, hey boy." "Playing chess alone is dull stuff, hey boy." "I always know what I'm going to do next." ""fred horn strikes again." ""last night judge o'reilly was murdered," ""shot-gunned in the back like sheriff ostler last week." ""it's rumored that still another man" ""connected with the hanging of jacob mordain's son" ""is to die this way."" "Oh, trouble brewing, I think." "Hey boy, it's boiled over." "A murderer who uses the name of fred horn" "Has killed two men." "He's hunting a third." "Me." "Who?" "No one's ever seen him." "He only kills his victims when they're alone," "Asleep," "Or with their backs turned." "Will you shoot this fred horn?" "Hey boy, there's an old recipe for tiger stew." "Do you know it?" "No, sir." "First, you must catch the tiger." "Put my horse away?" "Rub him down?" "Barn's outside, mister." "You want him dry, you dry him yourself." "Are you paladin?" "That's right." "Mordain said you'd come." "I didn't believe him." "It's ten dollars for the night, in advance." "I'll take care of the horse." "Like he was your own." "Only if you die, mister." "Otherwise, you keep him." "Upstairs." "They're all empty except one." "Who else is here?" "Just a drummer, gun salesman, came in this morning." "Uhh, mister?" "Would you like her to bring you up some hot water?" "That'd be fine." "Come in." "I thought you might need some extra towels." "Thanks." "They say you hunted billy mordain down for money." "Is that right?" "No." "No, I took a murderer, turned him over to the law which hung him." "It was a job somebody had to do." "Why'd you come back?" "This man mordain's hired, he might never have found you." "And he might've." "Some dark night, alone," "In the back with a shotgun." "I don't have the stomach for that kind of waiting." "And as the great scholar erasmus said," ""fortune does favor the audacious."" "You always do jobs someone has to do?" "No, not always." "Like most people, I have to eat and I like to eat well." "You're not like most people." "What is it?" "You want me to do something for you?" "Droggan says I owe him and I got to pay him before I can get out of here." "Pay him?" "I ran away from home, mr." "Paladin." "A drummer, clean shirt, nice smile." "He sold me to droggan as a kitchen maid..." "For fifty dollars." "Well, I'd say that comes under the category" "Of jobs someone has to do." "I'll speak to droggan." "But mordain's bringing more men." "Couldn't we just get out of here now?" "And wait for the shotgun in the back?" "First, fred horn." "Well..." "Thanks for the good thoughts, mr." "Paladin." "But if they kill you..." "Is the drummer fred horn?" "I don't know." "Like droggan says," "If you want anything, my name's mary." "Mister!" "It's not loaded." "Why do you stand in doorways with a gun in your hand?" "I sell guns, mister." "You like the feel of a gun so much in your hand" "That you keep one there, is that it?" "I figured I'd like to see how you handled yourself." "I didn't figure you'd have fired." "You're edgy, mister." "You sell these?" "I sell them." "What about this one?" "It's well worn." "That one's not for sale, that's my own." "That drummer?" "That's right." "I heard it was a gunfighter." "No more." "But you still do know how to use it, don't you, starrett?" "It was my trade." "Mine, too." "You been hired to kill me, you bear that in mind." "I still practice it." "Like I said," "You're edgy." "That's right." "Your friend starrett's not hurt." "Yet." "Serve his food." "Thank you, mary." "Man on my right, abe huston." "I saved his life during the war." "He figures he owes me his." "This is walt dunne, my ramrod." "Been with me a long time." "He figures loyalty to me goes with the job." "The drummer upstairs," "Has-been gunfighter who doesn't like being has-been." "Any one of them would kill you for me, paladin." "You only have to worry about one..." "The one I'm lying about." "One of 'em's fred horn." "The man that's gonna kill you for me." "Only if I turn my back." "Like my son did, paladin?" "Your boy wasn't taken or killed from behind." "A thousand dollars." "He was worth more than a thousand dollars." "So was the man he murdered." "Which one, paladin?" "If you can begin asking yourself." "Which one?" "I like mordain, mister." "I don't want to see him dirty his hands on you." "Why don't you get on your horse and ride out?" "No." "Mordain told me to kill you, mister." "I don't like it." "But I'm going to do it." "Get rid of your gun." "Which one is it?" "Is it starrett?" "!" "Is it dunne?" "!" "He is your friend." "He is at that." "Mister," "No man would ever do that to me." "Nor to me." "I'll bring you some hot water." "Well, huston's not fred horn." "Before horn took a beating like that, he..." "Would've used a gun." "And then it would've been all over." "I see." "Huston alright?" "He'll live, that's all." "Let me have a bottle of whiskey." "That drummer asked for some..." "Towels." "You better go on up." "Mary." "Go on, girl." "How much is the whiskey?" "Five dollars." "Here's five dollars for the bottle." "And I believe..." "That's what you paid for her." "You be out by morning." "There's no free room and board here." "I'd better go pack." "Mary." "You better take this, just to be safe." "If they kill you, he won't let me go anyway." "Mr. Dunne, you walk very quietly." "Take the money, girl." "If he dies," "I'll see you on your way." "See them all over the west." "Children." "Family's too big." "Not enough to eat." "Father's dead." "Mother..." "Worn beyond her strength." "Don't leave much for the children." "This for the girls, gun for the boys." "I don't know, mister." "They didn't ask to be born, did they?" "Don, I didn't ask for that fight." "And I don't take any pleasure in beating a man that way." "I get no pleasure from my end." "Mordain's kid was no good." "I don't pretend different." "Huston tried to kill you." "You should've killed him first." "Or run." "You could still run." "Fred horn could back away." "He could." "But I'm told he's never been known to." "It's all right." "I thought you might like some breakfast." "I was hoping he might come." "I should've known better." "Which one?" "We'll find out now." "Five thousand dollars, that's what mordain offered me for you." "He knew I used to have a big reputation, once." "That money'll take some earning." "Front, back, he doesn't care." "Well, apparently, you do." "That's purely right, paladin." "I saw you working the hall, remember?" "I've seen faster." "I've been faster." "The worst day of my life, I could take you." "Like you took pat turney." "He was a gunfighter, wasn't he?" "They say he made you crawl in the mud." "Is that when you became fred horn?" "That when you became a back-shooter?" "All right, you put that gun on." "I suppose you had to try again, sometime, someplace." "I don't think I'm even gonna have to kill you." "Go on, fred horn." "That sheriff ostler and the judge o'reilly, they were decent men." "Go on, gunfighter." "Put it on!" "I'm not fred horn." "I didn't kill them, not that way." "I'm not" " I'm not fred horn." "I think you got fred horn's kind of courage." "It doesn't take much to be a back-shooter." "Ah!" "I did have to know." "Fred horn wouldn't have tried." "And then there was one." "My gun's in the shed, paladin." "You're wearing a gun." "Not the one I work with." "Get it." "Back-shooter, I never thought I'd see you in front of me." "Sign of respect, paladin." "Nothing personal about the job." "I like you." "I hate the sight of you, dunne." "Horn." "Fred horn is the name." "Next time, gunfighter." "Next time." "Where will you find another fred horn?" "What you need is a woman to take care of you in san francisco." "Mary..." "First you must catch the tiger." "¶ 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?" "¶"