At the Hotel Carlton, a man named Rod Blakley enters the lobby and
asks Hey Boy if Paladin lives in the hotel. Hey Boy prepares to go up to
Paladin's suite, and Hey Boy says that Paladin gave orders not to be
disturbed. He goes up to Paladin's suite and Rod goes with him. Rod
barges in and finds Paladin with a young woman, Della. The man shows
Paladin his card and says that he wants to hire him for $1,000. Paladin
says that he's busy, and Rod grabs his arm and demands that Paladin hear
him out. After a moment, Paladin punches Rod unconscious and has Hey
Boy put him into a room. Once he leaves, Paladin takes the woman out to
see the Barbary Coast.
The next morning, Paladin meets with
Rod. Rod apologizes and says that he lost his head, and explains that he
was going to marry a woman, Faye. He was ramrodder for Pete Hollister,
who sent him to Texas to buy some cattle. When Rod returned, Faye was
now married to Pete. Faye was a singer in Fresno, and Rod figures that
Pete forced her into marriage. Pete paid Rod a year's wages and had him
thrown off the ranch, and he never got a chance to talk to Faye. He just
wants Paladin to get him in so he can talk to Faye and find out if
she's Pete's prisoner, and only needs ten minutes. Paladin agrees but
warns that he's not being hired to break up another man's marriage.
Rod and Paladin ride to the Hollister ranch and find a closed gate.
They go in and two men ride up. Rod explains that they're the ones who
jumped him the last time. The leader, Curley, says that there's a law
against Rod being on the ranch. Rod says he's going in and pulls Curley
off his horse. When Curley and the other man go for their guns, Paladin
shoots them out of their hands. He has them take him and Rod to Pete,
and tells Rod to go around the back and talk to Faye while he talks to
Pete.
Pete comes out and Paladin introduces himself. He says
that he's just there to talk for ten minutes, and Rod is with Faye. Rod
comes out and says that Faye is gone, and Pete says that Faye heard that
Rod was coming and asked Pete to hide her out. When he tells Rod to
grow up, Rod attacks him and Pete punches him. Paladin casually draws
his gun, and Pete lets Rod up. Rod insists that he's going to see Faye
no matter what, and Pete tells them to both get off his ranch.
Later, Paladin and Rod sneak back onto the ranch and hear Faye singing
in a barn. Paladin knocks out the guard and they drag him inside. Once
they tie him up, Paladin hacks off the lock on the door to the next
room. Faye says that she's glad to see Rod, and Paladin gives them their
ten minutes alone. The singer says that she tried to run away to San
Francisco, but Pete caught her and has kept her locked up ever since.
Rod promises to take her to San Francisco if she'll marry him.
Paladin comes back in and says that they've noticed the guard is
missing. Pete arrives outside and yells at Faye to come in, and Faye
says that she'll leave Pete if Rod agrees to get him off the ranch. Rod
and Paladin go to the barn's main room, and Rod figures that they'll
have to shoot their way out. Paladin says that he knows a better way.
When they don't come out, Pete gives them two minutes to surrender.
When the time runs out, Paladin rides out on a carriage with a bundle in
the back. Pete tells his men not to shoot for fear of hitting his wife,
and they ride off after Paladin. Meanwhile, Paladin rides off the ranch
and locks the gate behind him, and then continues on. They come to the
overturned carriage and find the bundle and discover that it's a bag of
rock salt and some blankets.
Later back at the Carlton, Hey Boy
tells Paladin that Rod is back and waiting in Paladin's room. When
Paladin goes up, he wonders how Rod is going to support Faye while she's
waiting for a divorce. Faye is in the most opulent suite in the
Carlton, and Paladin figures that the most important thing to her is
launching her opera career. Rod tries to pay Paladin off, and Paladin
asks what he's going to do when Pete gets there.
Faye comes in
from the hairdresser, and Paladin points out that she's wearing an
expensive dress. Rod says that it's fine that she charged it to his
account, and Faye explains that her teacher arranged an audition with
her for the opera company. Paladin offers to put in a word with his
friend, Senor Vittorio Bottelini, and arrange a private audition. He
also offers to accompany her as well, and chuckles when he hears what
song she plans to sing. Paladin turns on the charm, complimenting her
full-body voice, and suggests that she sing The Marriage of Figaro.
He advises her to get some rest and kisses her hand, and Rod watches
the entire thing with mounting dismay. Once Paladin leaves, Faye says
that it's wonderful that Paladin knows Bottelini.
Later,
Paladin tells Hey Boy that Bottelini will come in looking for him, and
he'll be at the Old Theater at 3 pm that afternoon. Paladin is soon
playing for Faye. Pete comes in and finds Rod in the audience, and Rod
tells him to let Faye finish and they'll settle things afterward. Pete
agrees and sits, while Bottelini takes in Faye's performance. Once she's
done, Bottelini talks to Paladin privately. The impresario leaves and
Faye insists that she's going on with her performance. Paladin says that
perhaps with five or six years of intensive training, Faye might be
ready. He warns that being a good singer requires hard work and
humility, and Pete asks where she's going to get money. Rod says that
he'll have a ranch in a couple of years, but Faye doesn't want to hear
of it. She dismisses Rod as a cheap tinhorn and says that he makes her
sick with his talk of true love.
Paladin sarcastically applauds
and congratulates Faye on her performance. He says that she's a spoiler
woman, and Pete takes offense and leads her off. Paladin says that they
deserve each other, and Pete grabs a pair of swords and goes at
Paladin. When Rod tries to stop him, Pete knocks him aside and slashes
at Paladin. Paladin leaps onto the stage, grabs a stick, and knocks Pete
down. As he and Rod leave, Faye asks Pete if he's hurt. She admits that
she's ambitious and would be grateful to Pete for any chance he can
give her. Pete says that he'll do it but tells her not be grateful
because he knows what he's bargaining for. Meanwhile, Rod pays Paladin
off and says that it's the best money that he's ever spent.
The next day, Bottelini is at Paladin's suite giving him a trim. Paladin
pays him for the haircut and his performance at the theater. When he
says that Bottelini is a good actor, Bottelini says that he wasn't
acting and Faye's singing really was that bad.
Written by Gadfly on Jan 7, 2018