Trama

A rich widow woman uses her influence to get Bart into a high stakes poker game in which he wins both stock in a railroad and a colossal headache.

When Bart rejects Belle Morgan's job offer after romancing her, she suckers him into taking shares of a rival train company, Brasada's, stocks as winnings in a poker game. The shares make Bart liable for Brasada's losses, so he sets out to con Belle back and get his money back.—Gislef

Bart arrives in Kings City and goes to the Union Hotel in town. He's going by "Colonel Maverick", and goes to the hotel barber shop and asks if there's any action in town. The two barbers assure him that there is, and mention a high-stakes poker game that Bart has never heard of. The man warns that the players are big property owners and ranchers, and they don't let strangers in. Bart claims that he rarely plays poker, and soon discovers from the bell boy that Belle Morgan is the owner and the widow of Cyrus Ray Morgan.

That night, Belle goes to the hotel dining room. Bart is nearby and watching Belle, and a man tries to approach her. The waiter refuses him, saying that all of Belle's appointments have to register with her secretary.

Later, Bart calls Belle's dog Yom Yom to him using scraps from the dining table. When that doesn't work, he uses a squeaking noise by scratching a water bottle and lures the dog into a closet before locking it in. Soon Belle's aides, Dorritt McGregor, and the bell boy search for the dog. Bart is in the lobby and gets word that everyone is searching for Yom Yom. Bart soon "finds" the dog" and says that he doesn't want the reward. He only wants to deliver the dog directly to Belle.

Belle's secretary refuses, but Belle comes out and takes her dog. Bart claims that he drove off another dog and his hand was bitten. He makes it clear he won't accept a reward for finding the dog.

The next day Belle brushes Bart off in the lobby. He is soon wearing a sling on his "wounded" arm and tries to catch Belle's attention. He passes her dining table and overhears one of the owners, Rufus Elgree, talking about how Roy Stafford is in town and trying to keep his railroad from falling apart. Belle says that she is one of Roy's creditors.

Bart tries to cut his roast beef one-handed, and Belle sees him and comes over to help. He claims that he has a slight infection, and Belle invites him to join her at her dining table. Belle introduces "Colonel Maverick" to her fellow owners, and they soon leave to play poker. Bart tries to get invited into the game but they quickly refuse. Belle asks the name of his doctor, and Bart "accidentally" spills his water on Yom Yom to keep from answering. She insists that Bart dine with her the next night.

Belle goes to her suite, and Belle tells her secretary Mrs. Martha Abbott to find out which doctor Bart is using so she can pay the bill. Abbott calls down to the lobby clerk and tells Barnes to get the doctor's name. Barnes goes to Bart, who is sitting in the lobby. Bart refuses to give the doctor's name, saying it wouldn't be ethical, and when Barnes explains why he's asking, Bart insists that he can pay for his own dog bites.

The next morning, the bellhop--Terry McKenna--tries to get the doctor's name from Bart. Bart isn't fooled, and says that the doctor was just passing through town. When McKenna reports the lack of information to Belle, she goes to Bart's room and says that she's had another doctor, Ellis, to treat Bart. Belle says that she feels responsible, and insists that Ellis see Bart.

Ellis soon arrives and checks Bart's "injury, as Belle looks on. The doctor doesn't find any injury, and Bart claims that a Dr. Tuckeroo put mud on and was working from a medicine wagon. Ellis isn't impressed and cleans off the mud, and the only scar there is an old one. Ellis assumes that Tuckeroo's "quack cure" work, and tells Bart to have Tuckeroo communicate with him.

Once Ellis leaves, Belle tells Bart that she's not sure if there was something wrong with Bart's hand. However, she says that she's flattered and leaves. Later, Bart goes to Belle's suite and asks to speak to her. Abbott refuses to let him see Belle, but Bart convinces her otherwise and Belle agrees to see Bart. Via Abbott, Bart invites Belle to go horseback riding with him. He gets on the line and says that he's asking because it's a beautiful day.

Belle soon goes riding with Bart, and out of town she points out the landscape and says that's why she stayed. Bart kisses her and then tells Belle that he stayed there because she's an uncrowned queen in Kings City. He kisses her again and Belle kisses him back.

Bart and Belle soon spend all of their time again. Belle asks Bart what he would like, and he half-jokingly says that he'd like to play poker with her associates. She soon invites him in, and Bart wins quite a bit. he has Barnes lock his winnings up at the front desk.

Later, Bart and Belle ride out into the county and Bart talks about how the months have been great to remember. Back at Belle's suite, Belle offers him a job and is offended when he turns it down. He says that he doesn't want to play consort to Belle, and he'd like a woman to be a woman. Bart tells Belle that she'll never be a woman as long as she remains in Kings City. He says that he'd be happy if Belle would come to New Orleans with him, but figures that she can't. They kiss and Bart says goodbye. Belle asks him when he's leaving, and says that she'll be seeing him again when Bart tells her that he'll be leaving on the next Tuesday. Once Bart goes, Belle calls Abbot to summon Adam Sheppley.

Bart is soon playing poker with the owners again. Sheppley is in the game, and offers 5,000 shares of Brasada Spur railroad to cover his bet. Elgree vouches for Sheppley, saying Sheppley is his only major competition in the area. Bart accepts the shares and wins, and Sheppley signs them over to Bart with a certificate of transfer.

The next Monday night, Bart comes to see Belle. He offers her the shares, and Belle says that she owned it and Bart has $40,000 in liability. Bart realizes that Belle rigged him, and she says that she realized his set-up was a fake and all he wanted from her was a seat in the game. Bart claims that it started that way, but Belle doesn't believe him and says that she's one of Brasada's principal creditors. Belle has had the sheriff Bart's cash, to punish him for using her. Bart points out that it's illegal, and Belle agrees but warns it will take him a year to prove it in court. Belle repeats her job offer, and Bart says that he can't go to New Orleans because Belle has all of his cash.

Later, Bart goes to the Brasada office. Roy is there, and says that he's the president. Bart shows him the certificate, and Roy says that it might be worth money in 15-20 years. He warns Bart that the only holder of capital stock is Belle, and advises Bart to cut and run. Bart says that he can't run out because of the lien on his cash. Roy shows him the Spur to connect with the spur to ship cattle. The railroad did fine until Elgree brought his competitive line, the Great Western, through Kings City. There isn't enough freight for both railroads until a few years when the territory grows. Until then, Brasada only gets the crumbs. Great Western undercuts him because they can run at a loss. Roy makes enough during peak season to stay in business. Bart asks for more information about his new business.

Later at the hotel, Bart has Barnes send a telegram, and he'll be back in ten days at the latest. Barnes shows Belle the telegrams, just as Bart figured. Bart takes a train out, and Belle and Elgree go over the telegrams. The telegrams show that Bart is on a first-name basis with every millionaire in Chicago and New York, and Elgree figures that Bart meant Belle to see the telegrams.

An operative, Horace Hogan, comes in and reports that Brasada is shipping cattle at a loss, undercutting Great Western and losing $2 a head. Elgree tells the operative to lower their rates by 20%, even though they'll lose $6 a head. He insists that they can afford it, but Brasada can't.

Bart return a few days later, and advises Roy to cut their rates under Great Western. Elgree and Belle worry about their losses, and Hogan comes in to tell them that Brasada isn't moving a single car. Belle worries that Brasada will raise their prices if they do. Hogan also has a telegram from a man in Chicago named Blackburn about Brasada manipulation. He asks Bart to meet him at the Union Club in Chicago, and Elgree and Hogan head there to find out what's going on.

Roy is soon making arrangements to ship more cattle.

Hogan and Elgree return to Kings City, and Elgree finds shipping contracts waiting for him. They're for future contracts, and Hogan undertook them thinking that's what Elgree wanted. Elgree insists he only wanted contracts for current business, and tells Belle that they've been supplying the money to Brasada. He explains that the cattle all belonged to Bart and Roy: Bart has been buying cattle and having Great Western ship them, at a loss to Great Western and a profit to them. They got Elgree out of town so they could stick him with the contracts for future delivery.

Elgree says that they're stuck only as long as Brasada is still in operation. He tells Belle that he's going to do whatever underhanded schemes he can because Brasada has it coming. Once Elgree leaves the suite, Belle looks nervous and has Bart comes to her suite.

In his office, Elgree has Hogan up to $25 a man for two hundred men, and plant stories about labor troubles. He tells Hogan to make sure nothing is traced back to him.

Bart comes to see Belle, and she says that she'll be glad to return his cash... if he stops playing railroad and bilking people out of their money. Bart says that he's the one who has been bilked, and it's too late for Belle to return his money. She warns that Bart will lose to Elgree, but doesn't know what Elgree has in mind. Belle admits that she's trying to help him and scare him off, and Bart tells her that he's not going to back down. She says that she won't leave, and they kiss briefly before Bart leaves.

Later, Bart tells Roy what happened. Roy confirms that Elgree plays hardball. A letter comes in that someone has commandeered one of their trains. Bart and Roy hire fifty men, offering them triple, and soon Bart sends them on a Brasada train where the intercepted train is. The two trains collide on the same track, after the men aboard both trains jump clear. The two sides fight hand-to-hand amidst the wreckage, and Bart is injured in the melee.

Later, Bart returns to the hotel with Roy and Hogan. He tells Elgree that he's going to sign a paper, and they have statements from the two leaders that Elgree hired as well as Hogan, who refuses to go to prison for Elgree. The paper states that Elgree will pay all damages to Brasada along with $50,000. Elgree refuses, but his attorney advises him to sign it. Belle is listening in, and says that they've been beaten and she doesn't want to come out in court. She orders Elgree to sign it, and he does. Bart and Belle exchange looks, and they both look regretful before Belle leaves.

Bart goes after Belle and thanks her. She says that his money is waiting for him at the desk, and Bart renews his invitation to New Orleans. Belle makes her offer of a job again, and Bart refuses. Once Belle walks off, Roy comes out with the signed paper and Bart leaves with him.

Later on the train to New Orleans, Belle finds Bart and says that it's a surprise to find him there, and they're both going to New Orleans. Happy, Bart kisses her.