A Ranger's Time by Edward Gates

Author:Edward Gates [Gates, Edward]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780996145701
Published: 2015-04-19T04:00:00+00:00

17

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On the ride back to town from the cowboy’s encampment Charlie told the marshal he had some tasks he needed to attend to and that he would meet the marshal back in town. Charlie left the marshal north of town and headed to his cabin with his supplies. Marshal Cook returned to his office.

The marshal was still riled over a wasted trip to the cowboy’s encampment and letting Mac Sherman slip through his grasp once again. He pulled the key from his desk, unlocked, and swung open the cell’s heavy wooden door. Like a caged animal, unsure of the open door, a dirty, unshaven, and tired Abe Walker slowly emerged from the stone cell followed by the other wounded cowboy. The marshal blocked the path of the cowboy. “You stay put.” He closed the door and locked it again.

Walker looked at Marshal Cook, apparently a little confused.

“You’re free. You served your time. Get out of here,” Cook growled.

He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and removed Walker’s hand tooled leather gun belt and holster. From it he pulled Walker’s nickel plated Colt .45 with the hand carved ivory grips.

“So you made yourself judge and jury now, too,” Abe Walker said. “You made a big mistake, Marshal.”

“Yeah, I did.” Marshal Cook emptied the cartridges from Abe’s gun. “But locking you up wasn’t one of them.”

“What about my man in there?” Walker pointed to the cell.

“You can have him back when the circuit judge gets through with him.” Marshal Cook shoved the holster and the empty gun into Walker’s hands and stepped up close to him. “Now get out of my town and stay out. Take your crew and your cows and get your business done. The next time you drive cattle, you take them North to Dodge or East to the Chisholm. But you stay clear of Amarillo. Now get out of here!”

“I’ll go where I damn well please,” Walker shot back, “And you, or any army like you, won’t ever keep me from it!”

Marshal Cook took another step forward, which forced Abe to take a step back. Abe put his hand on Cook’s chest to halt his advance, but the marshal slapped it away and took another step forward. Abe backed up until his back was against the front door.

Walker opened the door with the marshal standing right next to him. He stopped in the doorway, glaring at the marshal, and, in defiance of the law, strapped his gun belt around his waist.

“The next time we meet …” Abe began.

“The next time we meet,” the marshal interrupted, “you’d better have your guns out because if I see you within rifle distance, I’m gonna kill you.”

Then the marshal gave Walker a final shove out of his office and slammed the door shut. He kicked one of the wooden chairs as a release of his anger, but it didn’t help. Turlock had better be right about this. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.

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