Paladin is riding through the hills when a man, Moses Kadish, fires
at him with a rifle. The gunslinger's horse rears, throwing Paladin off,
and he hits the ground hard. When he wakes up, Moses confirms that he
only hit his head and apologizes for shooting him. He explains that he's
been holding off the McCandle brothers, who have been attacking him for
over a month. When Moses says that he has no idea why or what to do
about it, Paladin offers him his card. Moses eagerly accepts and
explains that while he can't pay money, he has something just as
valuable.
The two men go to Moses' cabin, which he explains
that he built out of the wreckage of an abandoned Army outpost. Inside,
Moses takes down one of several moonshine jugs and serves it to his
visitor. Paladin is surprised to discover that it's whiskey, not
moonshine, and confirms that it's an excellent vintage. Moses explains
that he drilled for water a few weeks ago so that he wouldn't have to
keep walking to the creek, but struck whiskey instead.
When
Paladin doesn't believe him, Moses takes him out to the pump and lets
the gunfighter see for himself. When Paladin confirms that Moses is
telling the truth, he hands the ladle to Moses, who pours it on the
ground. He explains that the whiskey is a temptation from God and that
drinking it would ruin him. Moses tells Paladin that he came out into
the wilderness to fulfill his pledge to his wife, Sylvia, to remain
sober for a year. She'll be there in five days, and he wants to hire
Paladin to keep him sober. Paladin isn't interested, figuring that it's a
lifetime job, but Moses says that he only needs to keep his promise to
his wife and then he can take it from there. Disgusted, Paladin says
that Moses is a weak man hiding behind an empty vow. However, he's still
intrigued enough to want to find an answer to the riddle of the
whiskey.
Paladin goes off into the hills and finally locates a
set of tracks. He follows them to the remains of an underground depot
where the Army outpost stood. Inside is a barrel marked for Capt.
McCandle, quartermaster, with a pipe running to the surface.
When he returns to the cabin, Paladin discovers that Sylvia has arrived
five days early. She's seen the jugs of moonshine and assumes that her
husband is drinking again. Paladin introduces himself and tells her what
happened. Sheila isn't surprised, admitting that her husband has a gift
for finding alcohol anywhere.
Paladin takes the couple to the
depot and explains that Capt. McCandle must have deliberately burned the
fort to the ground. Since then, he and his family have been selling the
supplies on the black market. Once they realized that Moses had tapped
into the whiskey supply, the McCandles must have figured that he
wouldn't leave on his own so they started attacking him. Despite the
logical explanation, Sylvia points out that of all of the people who
could have discovered it, Moses was the one who did. She tells Moses to
give up his vow and come home with him, saying that she loves him even
though he's an alcoholic. Realizing the root of Moses' problems, Paladin
asks the man if he wants to keep his promises, and Moses says that he
does. Paladin invites him to act on the promise and Moses smashes open
the whiskey barrel and then sets it on fire, destroying the depot.
Back at the cabin, Sylvia thanks Paladin for helping her husband but
clearly believes that he accomplished nothing. She tells Moses to break
his promise and come home rather than make himself miserable by trying
to be someone he isn't. Paladin pours Moses a drink and sets it down
before the man, and tells him that he might as well break his promise.
Sylvia agrees and Moses contemplates his first drink. He tells Paladin
that the first drink turns him into a man among men, better than
anyone... until he sobers up. Desperate, Moses gives in and drinks the
first mug.
Paladin asks what two drinks do to him, pointing out
that Moses is killing himself and wondering if it's worth it. Moses
dismisses Paladin as a casual drinker and explains that he can work
miracles with a second drink in him. He gulps it down and considers a
third drink, and Paladin tells him that he can still walk away without
it. Sylvia fills Moses' mug and angrily tells Paladin not to spoil
Moses' happiness. Disgusted with himself and his wife, Moses tells
Sylvia to be quiet. Paladin asks if a year of sobriety has taught him
anything, and Moses admits that the third drink shows him the truth:
he's an alcoholic. He shoves the mug way and as Sylvia prepares to urge
him on, Paladin tells her that she's the one who made Moses an alcoholic
by enabling him. Sylvia defends her actions, saying that Moses was an
alcoholic when she met him and that she was the one who took care of him
throughout the marriage. Paladin accuses her of making Moses weak,
taking away his strength and providing her own as a substitute. Moses
went to the saloons because they were the only place where he could be a
man.
Moses admits that Paladin is right, but still can't
resist reaching for the mug as Sylvia urges him on. However, the
McCandles open fire on the cabin, vowing to burn out Moses for burning
down the depot. Paladin calls out, telling the McCandles that Moses
isn't alone, but they continue firing. As Paladin shoots back, Sylvia
cowers in the corner, crying. When Moses offers her a drink to soothe
her nerves, she shoves it away. Shocked at his wife's reaction, Moses
grabs a rifle and goes to help Paladin. Paladin runs outside and manages
to kill two of their three attackers. As the third one prepares to
shoot Paladin from behind, Moses shoots him despite the two drinks that
he's had.
The two men go back inside and Moses tells Sylvia to
stop crying. He angrily tells her that he had enough of crying all of
the nights that he came home drunk, and now he knows that she's glad
he's an alcoholic. Sylvia wonders what they're going to do now, but
Moses doesn't have an answer for her. Paladin congratulates him on
refusing to take the third drink, and Moses says that the problem was
always him: not the alcohol, and not his wife. Paladin wonders if Sylvia
will appreciate her new husband and rides off. Sylvia hesitantly goes
to Moses and asks again what they're going to do. After a moment, he
tells her to start unpacking because they're going to stay.
Written by Gadfly on May 28, 2017