Friday, April 20, 2012

Now Playing: The Robin Hood of the Range
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Episode Seventeen of The Robin Hood of the Range

Episode Sixteen concluded with:

Cissy took a step closer to her father. Her entire body began to shake uncontrollably. The girl suddenly broke into tears, dropping the gun to the floor.
Dencel pushed the gun away with his foot as he slammed a fist into his daughter’s jaw. The blow sent Cissy into a fast twirl. She tried to stay on her feet but collapsed to the floor.
A look of grotesque amusement appeared on Dencel’s face as he looked down at his daughter.“I guess that kick to the head I gave your boyfriend didn’t do much good. Maybe I can kick some sense into you. It might take a few, but you ain’t gonna be doin’ no more talkin’ about killin’ your pa.” 


Episode Seventeen

Rance Dehner rushed into the barn and tackled Dencel Runyan. Both men hit the floor. The saddle bags and sack fell from Runyan’s shoulder but he still had the Henry. He gripped it with both hands and used it as a club, bringing it down on Rance’s neck. Dehner delivered a hard punch to Runyan’s throat, causing him to gasp for breath as he dropped the rifle and pushed Rance off.
Dencel grabbed the Henry and ran outside the barn. Dehner sprinted after him. When Dencel turned to fire the rifle, Rance was directly behind him and assaulted the large man with a whirlwind of punches. The Henry dropped to the ground, but Dehner deliberately didn’t try to knock his opponent down. That would end the fight. Having witnessed what he had done to Cissy, Dehner wanted to inflict as much punishment on Dencel Runyan as he could.

***

Cissy staggered to her feet and looked out the barn door. Her father and the detective were still fighting, but the outcome wasn’t in doubt. She hastily turned toward Ricky, who was on his feet but, like her, none too steady.
Ricky spoke in a loud whisper. “Bring me the saddle bags and the gun.”
Before carrying out the instructions, Cissy took another glance out the door. Her pa was on the ground. The Rance fellow was shouting at him to get up and fight some more. The girl smiled broadly. Pa didn’t seem to care much for the notion.
The girl’s playful thoughts quickly vanished. Both she and Ricky were in no shape to resist the law. The detective was pretty much in charge. But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Cissy weaved a bit as she picked up the saddle bags and the Derringer and carried them to Ricky Cates. “That man who beat up on pa, he’s the detective I told you about. We can’t get away from him, we’re both too hurt.”
The man she loved didn’t seem to be paying much attention to Cissy. He grabbed the saddle bags and gun from her and immediately looked inside the bags.
“Ricky, surrender to the law. You never took too much money from the banks and you never hurt anyone. Not serious. Everyone knows you’re a wonderful man. You’ll only have to do a little jail time, a couple of years. I’ll wait for you…”
The Robin Hood of the Range smirked and tossed the saddle bags over his shoulder. “Why, that’s right sweet of you, girl. Before I turn myself in, why don’t you give me one more kiss. Something to remember you by while I’m sittin’ in a cold cell.”
The moment they kissed, Cissy knew something was wrong. As soon as their lips parted, Ricky grabbed her by the hair as her pa had often done, held her against his chest and placed the Derringer at the side of her head.
“Ricky, please, you’re…”
“Shut up and move. We’re goin’ outside. If you try to get away, I’ll kill you.”
Ricky shouted as he paraded with Cissy toward the open barn door. “Mr. Detective, I know you’re out there. You’d better be in plain view when I reach the doorway or Miss Cissy gets a bullet in her head. You hear me?!”

Monday: Chapter Eighteen, the conclusion of The Robin Hood of the Range