"Don't men die fast enough in this town?" "Ainslee's worth a dozen of the best of you people." "And if I kill him, I won't be proud." "Mr. Cortwright looking for you." "] hey boy, he hasn't seen me yet, has he?" "Come out of the underbrush, paladin." "Cortwright!" "I just got in from carson city, paladin." "Mr. Cortwright buys and sells books." "Can't understand it." "Never catch you reading a book." "You're always out with beautiful women or chopping up outlaws." "I don't understand how you got to know so much." "Take a look at that." "Well." "That is interesting." "Keats." "1817 edition." "Mm, it's beautiful." "If anyone had told me I'd go to a gunslinger" "To authenticate a rare book," "I'd say he was crazy." "It's inscribed by keats himself," ""to my friend, joseph severin."" "Old tannic and iron ink." "Beautiful." "Give you $500 for it." "It's not mine." "Ainslee gave it to me to give to you." "Ainslee?" "Now, who's ainslee?" "Ainslee's a gunslinger." "He reads books." "Looks like he'd die of excitement at a faculty tea." "And he's killed nearly a dozen men in carson city." "But gunfights sort of to cheer the people up on dull Sunday afternoons." "Paladin." "Why, why...?" ""please accept this book as a token of my sincerity" ""in an unusual request." ""winston ainslee."" "You gunfighters are turning classic, paladin." "Either that, or the bookworms are turning." "Hey boy!" "Yes, mr." "Paladin?" "A ticket on the stage to carson city." "Paladin?" "Hm?" "When you find out what it's all about," "Write me a letter." "Ah..." "When you find out what it's all about," "Write me a letter!" ""woman, I behold thee flippant, vain, inconstant," ""childish, proud and full of fancies."" "That's very good, mr." "Paladin." "Keats." "Whoa, whoa!" "Aah!" "Carson city!" "Driver, you tell me where I can find a mr." "Ainslee?" "Ah!" "Let me get my..." "The lousy four corners, isn't it?" "yeah." "Andy!" "Andy baker!" "What do you want with andy baker?" "My brother." "He's my brother." "Andy!" "You know, he's supposed to meet me." "Listen, you better come inside for a minute." "Oh, what was it you wanted?" "I want to see a man named ainslee." "Bring him inside." "Ainslee will be looking for baker here." "Speak with him." "Ainslee will find you." "Andy!" "Hey!" "Didn't know what to do with this stuff." "Just holding it here 'til somebody called for it." "Storage." "Cluttering up the place." "What is this?" "His brother's dead." "These are his things." "Andy." "What happened to you, andy?" "There's money due on these." "For storage." "What happened to his brother?" "Fellow you're looking for shot him." "Andy should never have called him out." "Who?" "!" "Ainslee." "Mr. Ainslee." "I didn't shoot him!" "I just gotta collect for storage." "I want ainslee!" "And I got to have $4.28, plus coach fare." "I'll give you the $4.28 plus coach fare." "I'll pay the charges, tom." "I'll pay for my own brother's things!" "I'm sorry, baker, you've had to have this terrible shock." "I want ainslee." "Well, who's this ainslee that shot my brother?" "I'm ainslee." "you're ainslee?" "Your brother forced me to defend myself." "We'll talk when you're sober and have thought about things." "How'd you kill him?" "Outdrew him." "I know it's difficult to believe, but..." "Don't try me." "Come on." "Draw." "Come on, draw!" "You're drunk." "I'd just murder you." "You...!" "What's the matter with you?" "I'm not gonna kill you until you're in a fit state to defend yourself." "You...!" "That's all." "This is my business." "That man is doing his best not to murder you with a gun" "And he's obviously no match for you with his fists!" "I'm gonna break his back and you ain't gonna stop me!" "He killed my brother." "andy." "Don't you get up." "Sheriff, put him on the stage out of town." "I'll pay the ticket." "Ainslee, anything you do is on your head." "You don't like it in carson city, you get on the coach." "Thank you, sir." "Reward him, anyway." "Will you do that much?" "You, you awake?" "Yeah." "That man there don't look like much." "But he's a clean shot." "Faster than 11 other fellows." "Including your brother." "You wanna try him in a fair fight," "You'll have the long end of the odds." "That all right, mr." "Ainslee?" "Well, thank you, anyway, mr...?" "Paladin." "Paladin?" "I'm gonna kill you, ainslee." "I'm gonna kill you." "Looks like we're gonna have us a sure attack, don't it?" "What's the matter, sheriff?" "Don't men die fast enough for you?" "Come on, get up." "Come on!" "Show him where to get something to eat." "I want some coffee, too!" "Hey, barkeep!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Barkeep!" "Hey!" "Hey, could I have some coffee, please?" "You got money?" "coffee costs you." "Won't anybody feel sorry for andy baker's poor old brother?" "You're andy's brother?" "I just want some coffee, please." "Black." "Sure, sure." "Plenty of it." "Plenty of it." "You come here to kill ainslee?" "What do you say?" "You come here to kill ainslee for sure, huh?" "Ainslee?" "Ainslee, for sure." "My oasis, paladin." "Walls of books to keep out the wild animals." "Ainslee, what's wrong with that sheriff?" "Why doesn't he like you?" "Like all the rest of 'em, he waiting for the day" "When I get too slow, or just give up." "Carson city's a shooting gallery, paladin," "And I'm the hardest target and the biggest challenge in it" "For any fool with delusions of grandeur." "Oh, he got here." "Mr. Paladin, my daughter, anna." "How do you do?" "How do you do?" "Well, he looks like he could do it." "Who was it this time?" "Ah, matt baker." "Brother of that andy baker, or whatever his name is." "The one I killed last month." "Ainslee, what's wrong?" "Why won't one man in this town help you?" "He likes to play games and they like to watch." "Mr. Paladin?" "Miss ainslee?" "I think it's very clever and sensible of you" "To make a business out of gun fighting." "It's, uh, it's sort of like butchering hogs." "Well, I didn't come here to butcher hogs." "No?" "Oh, of course." "Paladin." "Your business is to slay dragons?" "Well, I'm not sure I like the choice you give me." "Oh, how arrogant you all are." "Pretending there's justice and a fair way to kill man." "Instead of a shooting gallery, you'd prefer carson city as a slaughterhouse?" "Oh, there's no hypocrisy in a slaughterhouse." "And a lot more honesty and usefulness." "you're done." "You're a back-shooter and a dry gulcher." "Oh?" "Oh, and mr." "Paladin is a man of honor?" "How can you be sure he'll stop at what you pay him for?" "Ainslee, what is it you want me to do?" "Stop me from killing matt baker." "Today, he's humiliated." "Tomorrow, he'll burn with revenge," "And a day after, he'll demand justice." "And I'll sacrifice him on the altar of my own instinct for self-preservation." "And there'll be others." "Save him!" "Save the others." "I want you to shoot me in this blasted hand." "Wha...?" "Well, there is a stage coach for san francisco." "You could join me on that." "My reputation would follow me." "There'd be other matt bakers and more after them." "You could change your name." "It's not too hard to lose yourself in a big city." "I have asthma." "Do you think I wouldn't trade all this to be back in the east?" "Cold and sick and poor and drilling latin into wet-nosed school boys?" "Another winter in a cold climate would kill me." "Why couldn't you hire paladin to kill baker?" "Anna's so sure she knows all the answers." "I've asked myself over and over," "Why should they die so that I can live?" "If I agree...?" "We stage a gun fight." "You shoot me in the hand," "And you walk out of here with my reputation." "No." "No." "If I was a little off, I could kill you." "Ah." "Unless I drew a little faster than you." "Why the charades?" "Why don't you just shoot him in his hand now?" "Oh." "Well, put your hand on the book." "Now, miss ainslee." "Take the gun." "Now, let's see how coldly realistic you can be." "Go on, pull the trigger." "Pull it." "Go ahead, pull it." "Oh, no!" "No?" "Well, so much for youthful realism." "You'll do it?" "Before baker gets here." "Well..." "I'd have to be sure I could outshoot you first." "Indeed." "Would you like to take a little side bet on it?" "I have a little test in mind." "Now, what sort of a test?" "As you well know, any ten-year-old school boy" "Can hit a target if nobody's shooting at him." "I have a target, paladin." "One that kills." "Matt." "Tomorrow, daylight." "I can show you where he shot your brother." "Crying there in the dirt, he was," "Whilst I went to get the doc." "You show him where the sun comes up." "Ainslee get it full in the face round about 11:30." "Matt here'd have it over his shoulder." "He gotta catch ainslee by surprise or he won't know when it hits him." "Now, you don't have to do that." "I know what's right." "And I'll kill him in my own way." "But I'm doing this for andy." "I'm doing it for him." "Yeah?" "How you gonna do it?" "Well, I'll- I'll kill him." "That's all." "I made up my mind and I'll kill him." "Well..." "I'll get more coffee." "I'll kill him any way I can." "The rattle snake strikes by heat and sound, paladin." "Kick over a rock, and if you see one," "Draw and shoot before it strikes." "All right?" "All right." "The target that has a fair chance of killing you, paladin." "After you." "You can do it, paladin." "How did it come to this?" "Oh, when I first came here," "It was considered funny to make the little man with the goatee" "Stand up on the bar and spout latin." "It was considered even funnier" "If a man took more than one punch to knock me unconscious." "I'm a scholar, paladin." "I taught myself to shoot." "Same way I learned greek and latin." "Stopped being funny." "Well, I'd have to have the same story." "You say that you've discovered I came here to kill you." "You throw me out of the house," "And then you ask the sheriff for protection." "Well, he'll refuse." "Of course." "And then..." "We'll fight." "Ainslee, you have a beautiful daughter." "It's really a shame we can't all three of us" "Get on that stage to san francisco." "I've been looking for you." "Oh?" "Mr. Ainslee's got a complaint you come here gunning for him." "If I did?" "Well, if it's a fair fight," "You're safe as far as the law in carson goes." "We don't tolerate bushwhacking." "Hey, you're a professional, ain't you, mister?" "Ainslee asked for your help this afternoon." "Mr. Ainslee's been getting a little slower every year." "He's taken to consulting us plain mortals lately." "Like he's beginning to feel mortal himself." "He asked for your help, but you won't give it to him." "You won't help him until he begs." "Ainslee's killed men without waiting for the law." "And they all ain't been bad." "Some had families, children." "You did come to kill him?" "If I did, I came here with a decent regard" "For the fact that ainslee's worth 12 of any man in this town." "And if I kill him, I won't be proud." "Hey!" "The dude on the stage is gonna shoot ainslee." "Ainslee'll pop the fellow before he gets off the hotel steps." "Don't be too sure." "He's professional." "I tell you what." "I got it in my bones." "I'll bet you five the dude takes ainslee." "Done." "Where'd you get this?" "Well, the sheriff." "Ainslee wanted to get the fellow run off." "Looks like we been wasting good coffee on you, baker." "Don't be too sure." "Give me a shot." "You got money?" "Give me a shot!" "Gonna be a fight tomorrow!" "There'll be whooping it up some tonight, to be sure." "I'll kill him myself." "But, why?" "Just let the gunfighter do it." "I'll kill him for andy's sake." "With the gunfighter on our side," "The odds'll be evened up a little." "Even?" "They're gonna be all against ainslee." "Hey, sam!" "I'll double the bet that ainslee gets it tomorrow." "You that sure the gunfighter will take ainslee?" "I'm just betting ainslee dies, that's all." "Another two high will make it more comfortable." "Man, this'll be something to tell your grandchildren..." "That what you want your children to hear?" "Coward stories about men dying?" "I" " I wish you good luck anyway, mister." "Thanks." "Come get it, ainslee!" "I asked the sheriff to tell you to leave." "I refused." "My employer hired me to do a job here." "You got him nervous, gunfighter!" "Ain't nobody scared ainslee before!" "Yes, well, let us proceed." "Neither one of you fellas can lose your cover" "Without I get a shot at each of you a piece!" "Now, you just watch this." "Soon as that water runs out, ain't gonna be nothing between you and me" "But a couple old boards, ainslee!" "I wanna get you first, old ainslee." "And we'll wait just a little while for you, gunfighter." "We can afford to sit you a while." "You ain't even got any water." "Reach for it!" "I can't, paladin." "I can't reach it." "You'll only expose your arm." "He'll have the sites of his rifle on that gun." "He'll shoot my..." "It's what you wanted, ainslee." "Yeah." "Reach for it!" "Daddy!" "Thank god." "It's over!" "You won't shoot with that hand no more, mr." "Ainslee." "You've still got a left hand, ainslee." "I'll fight you left-handed, if you want." "Paladin..." "Let him alone, please." "Get up." "Why, left-handed, he couldn't hit the floor with his hat." "You'd murder him." "That's right." "Get on that stage coach tonight." "I don't know if I could take a professional killer." "But there are a hundred other people in this town." "You can't take 'em all." "Just cause we don't like a man," "Don't mean we let him get murdered." "I see." "I'll tell my employer that mr." "Ainslee's shooting days are over." "Think that'll satisfy him?" "I think so." "¶ 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?" "¶"