At the Carlton, a woman Margaret Thorndyke is yelling at Paladin as she tries to walk off. Hey Boy watches ass Paladin manages to calm her down by whispering something in her ear, and Margaret smiles and walks out. When Hey Boy wonders what he said, Paladin refuses to tell him. The house boy shows Paladin an article in a Texas newspaper about the Wilder brothers Sim and David waiting in a cell in Clovis. No law officer has managed to bring them without getting killed along the way.
Paladin rides to Clovis and prepares to take the manacles Wilders to their final destination. The sheriff explains that he took them after they passed out drunk. As Paladin prepares to ride out, the sheriff offers him a shotgun but Paladin passes. He takes the Wilders through the mountains and it starts snowing. They hole up in an abandoned shack for the night and Dave tells Paladin to build a fire. He assures Paladin that there are people out there with rifles, waiting to kill Paladin when they get a clear shot. He advises Paladin to turn them loose in return for his life, but Paladin isn't interested. Dave just chuckles, kisses his watch, and smiles.
Later, Paladin and his prisoners ride into Derby to catch a train. He tells them to pull up and turn around, and points out an Indian working on a wagon nearby. Paladin then orders them to the railway station and warns that if they stop then he'll kill them. A man runs out of the saloon and the Indian draws a rifle. Paladin kills them both, and Sim tries to choke Paladin. Paladin manages to kill him, Dave agrees to pay for his dead brother's funeral, but he promises that Paladin will pay for killing him.
A snow storm hits Derby and Paladin takes Dave to the station. There are three people waiting for the train, and Dave taunts Paladin, asking which ones he thinks are there to rescue him. Paladin shoves him down and studies the three people, and notices that there's no station master at the desk. An Indian woman comes in and Paladin orders her over to the fire. He lets Dave go over, and the man chuckles as he walks over. Dave tells the nervous saloon girl that he likes his women. He then points out that he kills for pleasure and power, but Paladin kills for money.
The undertakes comes in and asks what he should do with Sim's body. Dave wants his brother with him, but Paladin tells the undertaker to put him outside or he'll chain Dave to him. The outlaw immediately agrees, saying that he respects the dead. The undertake takes him through and assures Dave that Sim's body is embalmed. The saloon girl wonders what he did, and Dave jokingly says that Sim ate women like him. One of the other people, Bill Ren, threatens to knock Dave down if he talks to the lady again. Dave apologizes and pays the undertaker, who asks Dave to recommend his services.
Dave continues to taunt the saloon girl, who admits that her favorite brother used to taunt her the same way. She asks Paladin what he did, and Paladin says that Dave killed people The stationman master comes in with firewood and Paladin aims his rifle at him. Irritated, the stationman tells them to get their own firewood from now on and notices Dave's manacles and the coffin. He tells Paladin that it will be full fare for the coffin and it rides in the cargo car. Paladin orders Dave over from the fire, and Dave tells him that when the train pulls out, Paladin will be dead.
Paladin buys two tickets to Denton, TX, and the stationman writes down the transfers and adds up the fare. Paladin pays and asks about the girl. The stationman says that he's not nosy and not afraid of Paladin. When Paladin asks for his help, the stationman says that she's a saloon girl from a local farm going to San Francisco to make her fortune. The older woman is a Choctaw, and the stationman has no idea if the Indian Paladin killed earlier had a wife.. The third passenger, Moses, is heading home and has been working at the hostler's for three months. The stationman knows Bill as a drifter who has been working locally for a few months, and points out that no one would know if he's been working there for five years as he claims.
As Dave chuckles, Paladin puts his manacles up on a hook. He notices Moses looking disgusted and asks why he bothers him. Moses tells him that only a devil would keep another man in chains. Dave unhooks himself and hands Moses some coins, and Paladin hooks him back up.
The train arrives and the stationman asks for help taking the coffin out. Paladin tells Dave to do it, and then asks for Bill's gun for a few minutes. He tells Bill that it might save his life, and Bill points out that Paladin has no right to ask for his weapon. Paladin drops the matter and tells the girl to step outside. When Paladin tells the Indian woman to get on board, the stationman says that she's not getting on without a ticket. Paladin realizes that he'll need to take the stationman's place at the coffin, and he and Dave start to carry it outside. Dave slips and falls, When the gunfighter orders him back on his feet, Dave charges at him and Bill runs over. Paladin draws on him, but Bill shouts a warning as a man opens the coffin lid and prepare to shoot. Spinning, Paladin kills the man before he can fire..
As Paladin tells the stationman that he's not paying for the dead shooter's transport, Dave comes over. He says that he has "children" all the way to Texas and walks out to the train with Paladin behind him.
Written by Gadfly on May 14, 2017