Original subtitles

( mysterious theme playing )

( horse and buggy approaching )

Oh, Mr. West.

Mr. West.

( suspenseful theme playing )

( crate crashes )

Give me a hand.

He's dead.

Who are you, and what are you up to?

( mumbling )

Give me an answer, don't mumble.

Mr. West...

You're a secret service agent?

You've got to be kidding.

( upbeat western theme playing )

Colonel Richmond sent me up from Washington to help you.

Help me? Why?

Well, when I saw Mr. Gordon in Washington,

and learned that he would be there for some time,

I persuaded Colonel Richmond to send me.

Jeremy Pike has already been assigned to me.

Well, he said you'd find something for me.

Did he tell you what case we were working on?

Yeah, he said you were working on a huge opium-smuggling ring,

and that you'd been on the case for some time.

That's right, Mr., um, Mr. Cranston.

Bosley Cranston.

Did he also tell you

that we haven't had one single, solitary lead?

But then, just a few hours ago,

I spotted the courier for the ring.

That was the break we needed.

And now he's gone.

He's gone?

Gone.

Thanks for your help, Mr. Cranston.

Here.

I'm really sorry, Mr. West.

This is my first field assignment.

If you hadn't told me that, I never would have guessed.

My work has always been in the laboratory.

We haven't, uh...

Find something?

Shouldn't we call a policeman and report this?

( suspenseful theme playing )

( western theme playing )

I don't believe it. I just don't believe it.

Nobody could be that stupid.

I don't mean to minimize my mistake

in calling to Mr. West when he was following that man,

but if you're certain

he's a courier for the smuggling ring,

why didn't you just take him into custody

and interrogate him?

Because of the list.

The list?

Somewhere in this town, there's a list

of the smuggling ring's dealers

in every city in the country,

and we want to get our hands on that list

before the ring knows we have it.

Well, tell me how I can help.

You can help by catching the first train

back to Washington.

Oh, no...

Oh, yes.

Please, Mr. West.

Ever since I joined the service,

I've been after Colonel Richmond to let me go into the field.

It's not that I don't enjoy my work in the laboratory,

because scientific inquiry will always be my first love.

But you wouldn't believe

the staggering amounts of paperwork connected with it.

I just couldn't take it anymore.

Uh, Jim, maybe we've been a little too hard on Cranston.

I'll do anything I can to stay, anything.

Just tell me what to do.

I think I've got an idea.

Yes, of course.

Cranston, my good man, prepare yourself to go to work.

Well, what's all-- What's all this?

Reports.

Reports?

Yeah, to Washington.

Paperwork, Cranston. Paperwork.

You see, we're behind in our paperwork.

Oh, you don't, by any chance,

know how to use one of these, do you?

JEREMY: Excellent.

I hate to bother you,

but they are reports to Washington.

Would you mind getting at them?

Thank you.

Good man.

Well, it's all well and good to put him to work,

but what are we going to do?

We're right back where we started.

Maybe not.

Oh?

I took it off the courier.

What would he be doing with half of a broken poker chip?

Unless... Exactly.

And I know where to find the other half of that poker chip.

( traditional Chinese music playing )

Hey, what's all the clucking, Charlie?

Half a poker chip's better than none.

Hey, not so fast, doll.

Come with me, please.

My pleasure.

( whimsical theme playing )

( yells in Chinese )

( western theme playing )

Get him!

( whimsical theme playing )

Better get back to my typing.

Jim, I was getting a little worried about you.

Take a look at this.

Shafton's Reflections on Good and Evil, Volume 1.

First edition, published in England in 1575.

Must be extremely valuable.

Almost priceless. But not to us.

It's not worth anything to us unless we can break the code.

Code?

Take a good look at one of the pages.

You see anything?

Some of the letters are thinly underlined.

Right. Now, if we put the letters together,

they should spell out the names and the addresses

of the opium ring's dealers around the country.

Should?

But they don't.

They don't make any sense at all.

And I think I know why.

The first edition of Shafton's Reflections

was published in two volumes.

So half the code is in the first volume,

and the second part is in volume two, wherever that is.

For instance, top of page 29,

"Pleasure is the chief or sole good in life."

Now, if you'll notice,

the "p" in the word "pleasure" is underlined.

CRANSTON: Excuse me, Mr. Pike.

Uh, the sentence you quoted isn't on page 29.

What?

It's on page, uh, 37.

Have you read this book, Cranston?

No.

He's right. It's on page 37.

I thought you said you didn't read the book.

Well, I haven't,

not in the accepted sense of the word.

I have flipped through it.

You just flipped through it?

Yes. I have what you might call a photographic memory.

I'm able to look at a page of a book

and it becomes indelibly imprinted on my mind.

That's very interesting, Cranston.

I-I can't account for it. It's just the way I am.

Let's see.

You tell me what you read.

Wait a minute.

Would you, uh... would you do that again?

Okay.

Now, you ready?

Mm-hmm.

All right. Let's have it.

You want it from the beginning?

No. Page 22. Fourth paragraph from the top.

"It was a cold, ominous night when Hiram Harp

"arrived at the country estate of Lord Bushnell.

"Rain was threatening.

"However, Hiram felt under the circumstances..."

He did it. He can actually do it.

It's nothing but a great, little parlor trick.

It's not getting us any closer to volume two.

Now, my plan is this:

Bosley makes a typewritten copy of the book,

and we take a newspaper ad offering the volume for sale.

The opium ring sees the ad, realizes it's their book,

and they try and buy it.

And they'll want it so bad

they won't let anybody outbid them.

Then I follow them with the second book.

You see anything wrong in that?

I'll let you know after I try it.

( suspenseful theme playing )

MAN: Howdy, friend.

Say, this the place they gonna hammer down that rare book?

If you're referring to the first edition of Shafton--

That's the one, yeah.

Well, come right on in, Mr...

Uh, Langham. Leroy Langham.

You can just call me Longhorn. Most folks do.

Say, who are them jaspers over there?

They're your competitors for the book.

Competitors?

Don't look like they'd be competition for a sick mule.

Come this way, please.

Gentlemen, may I introduce Mr. Langham of Texas?

How'd you know I was from Texas?

Baron Kyosai of Japan,

bidding for the Daichi Literary Museum of Tokyo.

Don Carlos de Mendoza Garcia, Barcelona, Spain.

And Mr. Gideon Stix of San Francisco.

Well, howdy, friend.

My pleasure, Mr. Langham.

I trust we shan't find our friendship strained

when the bidding starts.

Isn't it time, señor?

Well, not until Mr. Langham

has had a chance to examine the volume, Don Carlos.

As I've already told the others,

uh, I'm not the principle in this sale,

only the agent for the owner.

Uh, who's that?

Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to divulge his identity.

But upon examination of this volume,

I'm sure that you will, as the others have,

find it to be a genuine, first edition of volume one

of Shafton's Reflections on Good and Evil.

Well, I'll just have to take your word for that.

Back home in Langham, Texas,

we figure on startin' a little ol' library.

This here book will start us off right nice.

Uh, gentlemen?

If you are ready, we will proceed with the bidding.

I must remind you first,

before I entertain the first bid,

that nothing less than $20,000 will be accepted.

May I have the first bid?

Twenty-one thousand.

Thank you.

Twenty-one thousand, one hundred.

Can you tell which one is from the opium ring?

We'll know soon enough.

Twenty-two thousand, eight hundred.

Ah, Don Carlos bids 22,800.

Gracias, señor.

MR. STIX: Twenty-five thousand.

Thirty-thousand dollars.

Thirty-one.

Forty-five thousand.

Fifty-thousand.

Fifty-one thousand.

Fifty-five thousand.

Mr. Langham has bid $55,000. Any other bids?

Mr. Stix?

I'm afraid this is a bit too rich

for my blood and my pocket book.

All I can bid you, gentlemen, is good evening.

Good evening, Mr. Stix. Thank you for coming.

One down, three to go.

KYOSAI: I bid 60,000.

I bid--

Seventy-thousand dollars.

Don Carlos?

Gracias. I, too, must retire.

Buenos noches, caballeros.

Buenos noches.

Well, there goes another one.

Seventy-six thousand.

Eighty thousand.

Have a listen.

I need my glasses.

Baron?

My principle, the Daichi Literary Museum

has authorized me to go as high as $100,000,

No higher.

I now enter that bid.

PIKE: Mr. Langham?

( sighs )

One hundred and ten thousand.

Mr. West, it's over. The book's been sold.

The Texan.

There's sure gonna be some mighty happy folks

back in Langham.

( suspenseful theme playing )

I paid good money for that book.

( dramatic theme playing )

( bell ringing )

What tripped the alarm?

Couldn't find anything.

Caught them checking the system.

All right.

( door closes )

Stix?

WEST: That's right.

He just attended the auction

to verify that it was the right book.

He didn't care if Langham, Baron,

or Don Carlos bought it.

He was gonna take it back.

Gideon Stix, he's in the social register.

He's a patron of the arts.

And he also happens to own an export/import firm,

which is undoubtedly the front for the opium-smuggling ring.

Incredible.

Well, now you know where volume two is.

Why don't you just get a warrant for Mr. Stix's arrest?

CRANSTON: Oh, that's right.

You have to have the book

in order to break the code

without the opium ring knowing it.

PIKE: And we also have to make a copy of volume two

right in Stix's own library.

CRANSTON: Impossible. That would take hours.

Take days.

Even if you did photograph it,

you'd have to get all that equipment in and out

without it being discovered.

We have a plan.

I think you ought to be sitting down

when we tell you about it, Cranston.

( whimsical theme playing )

Yes?

( British accent ): Good evening, my dear fellow.

Would you inform Mr. Stix that Captain Cecil Smythe Allenby,

Second Earl of Southby, is calling?

Mr. Stix sees no one without an appointment.

Ah, quite so, quite so.

And a very wise policy too. One which we follow ourselves.

We men of position

mustn't make ourselves too accessible, should we?

However, we have something here which we feel your employer,

as a very devoted art collector, might wish to examine.

Come, come, come, my good man.

Certainly there is nothing to be lost

by informing Mr. Stix of our presence, is there?

You're first.

Where is he?

Waiting in the foyer, sir.

Let him wait.

( applause )

Excellent. Excellent.

Ah, my dear Stix. Good to see you again, sir.

But perhaps you don't remember.

We met three years ago, I believe it was,

at the Queen's Fusilier Ball at Buckingham.

Charming place you have here. Absolutely charming.

Cecil Smythe Allenby.

Second Earl of Southby.

Mm-hmm.

I understand you have something to show me.

Indeed I have, my dear Stix. Indeed I have.

PIKE: Breathtaking, isn't it?

It was once the property

of the Dowager Empress of the fifth Ming dynasty.

The center stone is the Burmese star ruby,

the reddest in the world.

( suspenseful theme playing )

( sneezes )

Shh!

( quietly ): I'm sorry, Mr. West.

This is my first assignment in the field.

I'm allergic to grass.

Swell.

Unfortunately, the family fortune

has suffered severe reverses of late.

The cards, the dice, the horse...

being the fickle things they are.

Wait here.

Let's go.

Why that--

Look at that.

Paste.

Do you see what I mean?

Mm-hmm.

( sneezes )

Luck. Just luck.

There are two kinds of luck, Mr. Allenby,

or whatever your name is.

Indeed. Indeed.

I'm quite accustomed

to taking the bad along with the good.

My-my glasses are broken.

If I can't see, I can't read.

If I can't read, I can't photograph the book.

We might as well forget the plan, Mr. West.

Wait a minute.

What are you gonna do?

( suspenseful theme playing )

No one, no one plays Gideon Stix for the fool.

Teach him a little lesson.

Then turn him over to the police.

Now, just wait a minute, Stix.

You know, this doesn't do justice

to your reputation as a sportsman.

Who are you?

Who I am strikes me

as being just a little unimportant right now.

What I am? I'm a gambler, a little down on my luck.

You know, I would have expected

that my feeble attempt at deception

would have been nothing more

than a minor source of amusement to you.

Well, I trust the police will be more amused than I am.

I'm tempted to offer you a proposition, Stix.

What proposition?

One game of pool.

Stakes being this: if you win, your associates

can, "teach me a lesson," as you put it.

If I win, I'm permitted to walk out of this house,

physically unharmed.

I thought as much.

Get rid of him.

Stix.

PIKE: Stix!

Maybe it would be more interesting

if we threw in $5,000 as a sort of side bet?

What have you got that could possibly be worth $5,000?

Just myself. I told you I was a gambler.

My life is collateral for a $5,000 loan.

( chuckles )

Oh, you can't be serious.

Completely.

All right.

STIX: All right. You've got yourself a bet.

Your life against my 5,000.

Good.

Here you are. My $5,000 against your life.

You break.

Get me a cigar from the library.

That's a scratch.

I hoped you'd at least give me a little competition.

Good shot.

Time to pay the piper.

Mr. Stix--

Uh-uh. No welshing.

I wouldn't think of it.

I'd just like to sink one last ball, even the cue ball.

What for?

Oh, as a last tribute, salute,

to one who took the ultimate gamble, and lost.

All right. All right. It's cost you enough.

Come on. Come on. Shoot. Get it over with.

How much longer?

Just a few pages, Mr. West.

Forget him!

Anything wrong, Mr. Stix?

Oh, no. Nothing.

I probably should find a safer place for these.

( dramatic theme playing )

What's his name?

A John Smith.

He died in Hong Kong.

His body is being sent to his family in Denver.

Denver?

This is the fourth one from Hong Kong in a month.

Things are booming in Denver, boss.

Well, let's open it up, have a look at him.

STIX: Little fellow, isn't he?

The littler they are,

the more stuff we can pack in with them, boss.

Hmm.

All right. Let's get him down to the train.

Get my carriage, will you? I think I'll go to the club.

Very well, sir.

One moment, Mr. Stix.

You're under arrest

in the name of the United States government.

( action theme playing )

Karate?

Jim, do you think it's possible

that we could have underestimated Cranston?

"Nationwide raids complete success.

"all of Gideon Stix's dealers under arrest.

Good work. Richmond."

Congratulations are in order. We congratulate you.

We couldn't have done it without you, Cranston,

and we really mean that.

You're much too generous, Mr. West.

PIKE: I think this calls for a celebration.

Cranston's all dressed up.

What do you say we go out,

find out what this town has to offer

in the way of feminine companionship?

I'm way ahead of you, Mr. Pike.

What do you mean?

Well, I just happen to know

three girls here in San Francisco:

the Gaffney sisters.

They're old friends of the family,

and three of the most intelligent young ladies

I've ever known.

So?

Well, I took the liberty of inviting them

to have dinner with us tonight at Delmonico's.

I think you'll find them most stimulating.

They can converse on almost any subject

with the most amazing erudition.

( horse and buggy approaches )

I think that's them now.

Can you imagine what those girls look like

if they're friends of Cranston's?

"Old family friends."

"Who can converse with amazing erudition"?

Swell.

( door opens )

That was them. They're waiting for us.

Uh, Bosley, Jim and I,

we just remembered that we can't go out tonight.

Well, why not?

Well, it's an urgent message from Colonel Richmond.

We have to be here when it arrives.

You sure?

PIKE: Positive.

Yeah. Sorry.

Well, if you say so. Good night.

Good night.

You're positive you won't change your mind?

Well, we'd like to, but we can't.

It's impossible tonight, Cranston.

Okay.

( laughs )

The Gaffney sisters. Heaven spare us.

( giggling )

Jerry, you were right. We underestimated him.

( upbeat western theme playing )