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Episode Seventeen concluded with:
A sudden wallop
hit Lucky from behind. The outlaw stumbled outside of the building as Judy’s
voice shouted, “Now, Vicki!” Lucky was hit by a second impact, this time
directly to the head. Counterfeit money began to rain over Lucky as the second
sack to hit him split open.
Lucky could hear the two women
running off. He spotted them through a multitude of red blotches and raised his
gun for a shot. He’d show those…
Dehner’s fist slammed into the
outlaw’s face. Lucky fell onto a sack of money; the sack which Judy had hit him
with, the sack that didn’t break. Beside the unconscious outlaw lay the second
sack which Vicki had applied to his head. A breeze now played with the contents
of the open sack as well as the bills that lay on the ground.
Dehner did a quick survey of the
people around him. Except for Zack and Lucky, everyone seemed okay. But the
entire scene was oddly subdued. Everyone remained quiet, almost frozen, as they
watched an array of ten dollar bills dance playfully over the barren landscape.
Episode Eighteen:
***
Sheriff Stephens and Reverend Martin
stood outside the sheriff’s office, joking with Rance Dehner as he mounted his
bay.
The sheriff was almost gleeful, “You’ve
made this small town lawdog a hero, Rance. Them outlaws are blabbing plenty.
That counterfeiting operation in Tombstone is being closed down.”
“Careful, Buck,” the pastor laughed.
“Next time Rance is in town, he’ll expect to be paid for doing deputy
work.” Martin’s demeanor suddenly
changed, “Rance, there is one thing you need to remember.”
“Uh, oh,” Dehner smiled from atop
his horse. He was trying to maintain the light mood.
David Martin looked at Rance
intensely. “You were right, a lot of our citizens were acting like wild animals
when you rode into town. But many of those same people are going to help Judy
and me build onto our house. Vicki and her aunt will be able to live with us.
Many folks have pledged to help provide food and clothing for Ruth and Vicki.
Don’t just remember the bad stuff, Rance.”
Rance broadened his smile. “As
sermons go, I guess that wasn’t so bad.” He gave the men a two fingered salute,
then turned his mount to ride out of town.
The trail was dusty and lonely that
day, giving Dehner plenty of time to think. He had wanted to ask Reverend
Martin about Vicki. The girl had been born…well…different. Why? The kid would
probably never live anything close to a normal life. Why did a thing like that
have to happen?
Of course, he had heard folks try to
explain such matters. Some of those explanations made sense, but meeting
someone like Vicki made it personal and hard to understand.
Dehner laughed quietly at his own
reticence. David Martin had suffered through a lot in his life. He may have
been able to provide some good insights.
“Guess I can’t blame the man for not
answering a question I didn’t ask,” Rance said to his horse.
The restlessness stayed with him for
the whole journey. Rance Dehner wasn’t
content until he was back on the trail with another case.
Tomorrow: A new Rance
Dehner western adventure,
The Robin Hood of the Range
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