New Orleans prepares for the hanging of vice-king Mike Carter. Yancy and Pahoo go to John's office and Yancy asks the administrator if he's going to go through with the hanging. There's a note pinned to John's office door telling him not to, and John insists that Mike is one of the most vicious criminals in the city. A bomb goes off in John's chair before he can sit down, and he and Yancy are fortunately unharmed. Yancy warns that Mike is still the leader of the Levee Gang, the most powerful group of cutthroats in New Orleans. He warns that they'll plant a more effective bomb if John hangs Mike, but John refuses to bow to threats.
Mike's brother, Lance, , comes in and says that he came by to warn John that someone found out that John's sister Agatha is arriving in New Orleans via the Sultana that afternoon. He advises John not to hang Mike or someone will hang Agatha. John orders him out, and Lance readily goes. Once they're alone, John, Yancy, and Pahoo go out to watch the hanging from the window.
John tells Yancy that he didn’t know that Agatha was coming. Yancy suggests that John give her an armed guard, and suggest that he be there when John meets her. John refuses, worried it will reveal the fact that Yancy is his special agent., but Yancy points out that he owns the sultana and the dock,
Later, the Sultana arrives early and John and his armed guard arrive a few minutes later. there's no sign of Agatha, Yancy and Pahoo arrive as Agatha comes out on the deck with the other passengers. John presents Lt. Bacon, and Agatha says that she forgot her luggage. As Bacon prepares to go back for it, a crewman "accidentally" drops a boom and Yancy pulls Agatha out of the way just in time. he tries to run but Pahoo easily subdues him, Agatha demands to know who Yancy is, and John introduces him. He quickly leads her away, and Lance approaches Yancy and warns him that if Yancy stays close to Agatha, he may get hurt as well. Unimpressed, Yancy goes after the Colton siblings.
Out on the street, Agatha complains about Yancy as a criminal type. As Yancy and Pahoo arrive, John objects to Agatha's low opinion of the city, and he leads her to the carriage. Yancy sends Pahoo to follow Agatha and then goes to the club. He asks her to provide a bodyguard for Agatha, and Francine agrees to di it herself. Yancy warns that Lance might kill her if he finds out Francine is helping, but Francie is undeterred. He sends her to the King Louis to pose as a maid, while he goes to Waverly and then John's office.
Later at John's office, John and Yancy meet and John says that Agatha is ailing for England the next day. He refuses to lock Agatha under guard and knuckle under to the Levee Gang's threats. He wants Agatha to have no idea of her predicament, and Yancy asks to be her escort. John refuses, and Yancy hears a ticking sound. He finds a new bust on the table, and tosses it out the window. It explodes and Yancy wishes John luck. John quickly reconsiders and agrees to let Yancy escort Agatha. Yancy demands Lt. Bacon and twenty of John's best men as an armed escort.
That night, John goes to the King Louis and is surprised to see Francine dressed as a maid. She explains that Yancy offered her the job and shows him her hidden revolver, and John thanks her for her help. She brings Agatha n, and he explains that Yancy will escort her. Agatha is less than thrilled to be associated with a Confederate rogue, and Francine assures her that Yancy is a divine dancer. Agatha quickly dismisses her and John points out that Yancy did save Agatha's life. He explains about Pahoo but Agatha dismisses it as pagan philosophy. When John notes that Yancy feels the same way about Agatha because he saved her life, Agatha is shocked that Yancy plans to protect her the entire time she's in New Orleans. She agrees to "indulge" Yancy, and John promises to have Yancy shot if he lays a glove on her.
Yancy arrives via the patio and tells John that one of Lance's men is at the door. Agatha comes in and Yancy offers her flowers from Waverly, and John gives Yancy tickets for the opera. He assures Yancy that he'll be up when Yancy brings Agatha back. Francine offers them drinks before they go, and takes a strong one herself after they're gone.
Outside, Yancy tells Agatha that the opera house is close enough that they'll walk. When Lance's man comes at him, Yancy kicks him back through the door and tells Agatha that the doorman was clumsy and slammed the door too hard. More of Lance's men are waiting, but Pahoo disposes of them.
After arriving at the opera house safely, Yancy and Agatha enjoy the performance. As the diva takes her bows, a gang member prepares to shoot Agatha from backstage. Yancy spots him and swings down, knocking the man out. He swings back up to the box and tells Agatha that it's an old New Orleans custom to perform a feat in appreciation of an excellent performance.
Yancy takes Agatha to John's office and he wonders why they're there. Agatha says that she wanted a gentleman to escort her home and abruptly thanks Yancy for his time. He leaves and John goes after him. Yancy irritably says that he wouldn't touch Agatha with or without gloves, and it’s the last time he'll volunteer for action beyond the call of duty.
John takes Agatha back to her hotel room and Agatha says that she told Francine not to wait up. She quickly ushers John out and locks the door, and finds Francine tied and gagged in the net room. Lance and two of his room step out.
Yancy arrives outside and tells John that he's there to make sure. Pahoo is on the balcony and signals to Yancy, and Yancy climbs up to the balcony. Lance and his men come out, ready to hang Agatha from the balcony. Yancy and Pahoo take them on and easily take them out, and Yancy frees Agatha. John comes in via the door and Agatha tells him not to get excited. He goes to get bacon, and Agatha thanks Yancy for saving her life. She knew all the time that Yancy was her bodyguard, and she went out knowing that John would have been disgraced if she hadn't. Agatha asks why Yancy chose to protect her, and Yancy tells her that it's because there's no resemblance between her and John. Agatha kisses Yancy just as Francie kisses the door open and glares at Yancy. He has Pahoo untie Francine and continues kissing Agatha. She tells Yancy that he's wanted at the club immediately and storms off. Agatha addresses Francine y her real name, thanking her for her help.
The next day, John escorts Agatha to the boat. Yancy arrives and Agatha insists on talking to him, and tells a protesting John to go off and make himself important. He reluctantly does so, and Agatha gives Yancy her grandfather's snuffbox. As they start to kiss, Yancy asks Agatha why she treated him as a cad. Agatha says that she heard about Yancy's reputation with the ladies and wanted to be remembered. John watches as Yancy kisses Agatha, and Francine is watching as well. She and John both go over to stop them, and John escorts her onto the boat. John sees the snuffbox and wonders if Agatha gave it to Yancy, and he says that Agatha dropped it during the opera and suggests that John keep it as a remembrance. Francine grabs Yancy and quickly takes him away.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 1, 2017