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Albiethy and I parted company on the edge of town. I had offered to buy him a good meal and whatever else he might want but he declined.
"Tell the Captain I'll be in someday for my pay. I don't feel like going out again right now. I think I used up my good luck for some time to come."
"I think we both did," I said while offering my hand in friendship. "Good luck to you, Albiethy."
Ass he started to go he turned back and said, "Hey Snake, you forgot something. Go on back to the canyon and finish if you're a mind to."
I was incredulous. Why would I want to go back to the canyon?
"What do you mean?"
"You were going to leave the record of our visit. You can if you want to."
I grinned and declined. "Hey Albiethy, how can I get in touch with you if I want to?"
"Send up a smoke," he said, and then he was gone.
"Quite a tale, Torrence, quite a tale." The captain looked up from my report and nodded. "You really did a good job. I wish I could have seen Albiethy imitating Cocopelli."
"He had me scared and I knew what the trick was. The Indians must have been amazed."
"They must have been or I would be calling you 'Baldy.' Like I said, good job. You've earned some time off."
As I smiled and turned to leave he added, "You were there for the start of Kirbyville, weren't you?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"There's a feud going on. A clan from back east moved close by. Looks like they must have had bad blood before that."
Kirbyville didn't look much different when I rode into it. There were a few more buildings and no evidence of folks still living in wagons. Noah Cross stepped out of a store and smiled when he saw me. He now sported a badge proclaiming him an official peacekeeper. I was glad to see it.
"Hey, Snake, it's been a while. How is the new job treating you?"
"I can't complain, Noah, I really can't. It's hard work but sometimes it is deeply rewarding." I told him of the little girl I had rescued and placed in a good home.
"That is really great. The only rescue I've done was to find a lost kitten. Then the damned thing clawed me when I took it to its owner."
"A cautionary tale," I told him, "It's good to know where potential troubles lay.
"Say, Noah, I heard there was a shooting feud starting up around here. What gives?"
"Yeah, I guess it is almost a feud. You remember Laura Smith, don't you? Yes, I thought you would. Well, she married my son Adam six months ago. She's settled down and is making him a good wife. He has started a short freight line and it looks like he is going to do pretty well.
"About three months ago a big family named Nason came through and saw Laura. It seems like she had been engaged to one of their boys when she was only thirteen. For her it was just a kid type thing, like playing make believe. The Nasons didn't see it like that. They figured she owed them a wedding and they were plumb put out when they heard she had married Adam.
"Sammy Nason is the actual lad involved, and he doesn't look like he's bright enough to mind the slight. But the old man, Moses Nason, is one of the Wrath of God types, and he figures we owe him. He's old and wiry and moves like a cat. He's an old timber beast and can sneak up within a few feet and you never know it.
"Most of the time you don't know he's even around. The other evening I felt like I was being watched, and all of a sudden he just stepped out in the open right in front of me. Then he disappeared just as fast. I never knew where he came from or where he went. When he starts taking scalps, he'll be a hard one to stop.
"He carries a long rifle like an extension of his body. It's only a thirty-two, but Jim Smith swears he saw the old man kill an elk with it with one shot. He's a deadly shot. My big worry is that he'll decide to shoot Adam when he's driving his team."
"Is Moses seeking revenge or trying to steal Laura?"
Cross thought for a second. "You know, I don't think he's moving in either direction right now. I think he's trying to wrap the town up in fear, and then he can do whatever he wants."
"Where do these Nasons live?"
"Over in those yonder mountains. A hunter passing through there said he saw some crude huts that must belong to them. He also saw gun muzzles sticking out the doors so he didn't hang around."
"Friendly bunch. I'll tell you what—I think Laura is the most vulnerable, so we show make sure she is protected at all times. Then we can branch out from there."
"You still don't waste much time. I'm glad you showed up. I thought of trying to get in touch, but, you know how it is."
"I think that's called false pride. I know I do the same thing myself. Let's see what we can do for the girl and then we'll work with Adam."
The Crosses had built a long ranch house, with living quarters for Adam and his wife on one end and for the father on the other. In the center were a large kitchen and a general living room. A nice long porch was on front. All in all, it was a very comfortable set up.
"How many doors in the living quarters?" I asked.
"I just have the one, but I made a back door for the kids in case of fire."
Noah looked sheepish when we examined the back door he had installed. "I've looked around since I built this and I see that it should have opened out. I've got it just backwards."
"That's good. It makes our job easier. Now were can just build a couple of brackets and a crossbar and nobody can push it open."
When we had finished this task Laura came in, and I voiced my concerns. "Do you keep your revolver handy?"
"I leave it under the pillow, but Adam made a belt and holster for it. I could wear it around the house."
"Yes, do that. For a while, anyway."
"Oh, and I could bring in my puppy too. He's so good, I bet I won't even have to house train him."
Noah kind of snorted when she said this, and I asked, "Oh, what kind of a pup have you got? There aren't many dogs out here."
"I'm not really sure. I found him in the brush and he was mighty glad to see me. I'll go get him."
"I'll let you decide what he is," said Noah when Laura had gone out."She don't believe me."
When Laura re-entered leading her 'puppy', I understood what Noah had been trying to tell me. The long hooked jaw, the big feet with the long toes, and the obvious wild spirit in those yellow eyes; this could only be one breed of animal - a wolf. I suppose he was about half grown at forty or fifty pounds. It was easy to see that he liked his surroundings.
"What do you think he is?" Laura asked me.
"There's no question—that's a wolf. He seems to take to you okay."
"Oh yes, he likes people. Here, come say hello."
I did as asked and found the animal to be affectionate. He wouldn't lap my face like most dogs, but he would shove his muzzle under my arm in hopes of getting more scratches. He got them. He knew an easy touch when he saw one.
"He's a good fellow. My only question is, will he bark at an intruder or welcome him in?"
"He'll protect me. I'm sure of it." Said Laura. I figured she was right.
It seemed like that was all we could do there, so we went down to where Adam had built the headquarters for his freighting outfit. I was surprised at what a sturdy building the boy had erected.
"The businessmen helped him put it up in return for lower rates for the first year. That works out well for he would be leaving Kirbyville empty at times. He's got one team here and another left over at Winslow. He switches on that run and on others he stays overnight and brings the same team back the next day. Here comes Adam now."
The wagon came running into town and when swung up in front of the stable the horses seemed to prance. Good horses know they're the center of attention and act it.
"Hi, Snake, good to see you." He held out his hand to shake. Then he doffed his hat and held it out for us to see.
Dead center in the crown was as neat a bullet hole as you could hope to see.
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