Kitty’s heart leaped in her chest and she could feel it beat faster as she recognized the owner of the voice. Her head bolted upward and she saw him standing on the rim of the bank just behind the two bandits. It was Matt Starr. He stood spread legged just behind the outlaw that had been backing up Frankie the Kid. His pistol was firmly in his grasp and the muzzle was pressed deeply into the outlaw’s back. The dandy she had seen Matt with earlier was standing beside them.
Frankie the Kid half turned in surprise; two guns still in hands, but a bit lowered in semi submission.
“Drop it!” Matt ordered The Kid. “Your friend here will get it no matter who shoots first. Then you get it.” Pete Gibbons had already dropped his gun. “You down there,” Matt shouted to Bud and Garth. “Ditch your guns too!”
They complied quickly. Garth also dropped the saddle bags.
Suddenly, Frankie the Kid no longer felt brave and tough. His knees were shaking. His hands trembled and the guns felt very, very heavy. Oh, how he wished he was Francis from East Sedalia again.
“I said, drop it!” Starr repeated to Frankie. He pulled the gun out of Pete’s back and reached around him.
Frankie stared into the bore of the muzzle. Sweat dripped down his apple cheeks. He let his weapons fall from his fingers and he raised his hands. His arms felt so heavy.
“Now get down there with your friends,” The marshal said to Frankie. Then he shoved Pete Gibbons forward, nodded to the gambler to follow and started down the bank.
“What’s going on here?” Matt Star asked, directing it to Cyclone, as they all got their footing at the base of the bank and stepped into the trail.
“These are the fellas that tried to hold up the stage this morning’,” Cyclone said. “They thought we robbed the stage. Didn’t believe me when I told him there warn’t nothing’ on that danged stage.”
“He’s right there, boys,” Matt said to his captives. “There wasn’t anything to get. Looks like you were all fooled.”
“Then what’s in those saddlebags?” Frankie blustered.
“Yeah, Cy. What’s in them?” Starr asked wryly. He had a good idea what it was.
“Like I told these young fellas, here,” Cyclone said. “Just things I need for the trail.”
“I’ll bet,” He glanced, knowingly, at Kitty. She regarded him haughtily.
He was sure the saddlebags contained the bank loot, but did not want to let on to the bandits that there was something to be gotten here after all. He had enough to contend with; trying to get Dandy Jim Butler back to town and then on to Tucson. He had no time to deal with a bunch of punk kids trying to be outlaws.
“Looks like you boys made a couple of big mistakes here today.” The marshal said to the boys.
“You gonna arrest us, Marshal?” Frankie asked. There was a bit of a quiver in his voice and he didn’t sound so tough any more.”
“No.” Starr answered flatly. Frankie sighed deeply; tried not to show his knees were shaking. “Today’s your lucky day boys. I got other business to tend to and I can’t be bothered with the likes of you. So, I’m going to let you ride out. But I’m warning you to stay out of any more trouble. If I come across you again, you’re all going to be in jail or worse. You get my drift?”
Frankie nodded; didn’t look at his companions who were nodding too.
“Now get out of here, before I change my mind,” Matt ordered.
“Y…yes sir,” Frankie stammered.
“Then what are you waiting for. Get moving.”
“You gonna let us have our guns back?” Frankie asked.
“Just leave them where they are and get out of here?” Matt brandished his pistol at them. “Now get!!” He fired; the bullet kicking up dust at Frankie’s feet
Frankie jumped back, then took off running up the bank. The others took off and followed after.
“Look at them run?” Rap Brown said, smiling broadly. Then everyone broke out in laughter until the young outlaws disappeared out of sight beyond the bank.
When they were gone, Matt said to Kitty, “You going to give back what you stole from me, this morning?” He said, referring to Kitty’s earlier greetings outside the stagecoach. He smiled.
“No can do, Marshal,” she said. “I’m afraid it’s all spent.”
“I’m sure there’s more where it came from.” Matt suggested.
“Maybe,” she said coyly. “Maybe not. You want to search me, Marshal?”
“Might not be a bad idea at that.” Matt answered.
“Oh for Lordy’s sake,” Cyclone groaned. “You two gonna start that consarned nonsense again? If’n you are, you might as well arrest us right now, Marshal. I can’t take much more of this.”
“Well now that you mention it, Cy,” Matt said, becoming more serious and letting his attention drift away from Kitty. “I guess I should.”
“Well you don’t need to, just ’cause I suggested it,” Cy said.
“You shouldn’t have held the bank up,” Matt sighed. He gazed up at Kitty. The smiles had disappeared from her face.
“We didn’t do it, Matt,” she said.
“Everyone in town says you did. They recognized you. Besides, I heard you say you were going to do it.”
“We were…….,” Kitty started, but Cyclone cut her off.
“You don’t need to say nothin’, girl. He ain’t gonna believe us, anyhow. The fact of the matter is there is five of us and only one of him. If he wants to take us in he may not be long for this world.”
“You going to shoot me, Cy?” Matt asked.
Cyclone glanced at Kitty. She shifted uneasily in the saddle. Then glancing back to Matt Starr he said. “No. I’m not gonna shoot you.”
He heard Kitty sigh with relief. Then he said. “Rap! You shoot him,!”
“Huh?” Rap grunted. “What’d you say?”
“You can’t hear any better than Henry can see, can you Rap?” Jeremy put in. “Grampa said, ‘Shoot him.” He smiled with amusement at Kitty. She grimaced and glared at him.
“Really?” Rap said wide eyed.
“Really,” Cy said. “Shoot him.”
“Naw. I meant, really, I can’t hear any better than Henry can see?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Cy moaned.
“Looks like you’ve got to shoot me yourself, Cy,” Matt mused.
“You know I can’t do that.” He glanced at Kitty. She smiled.
“See what I mean,” Cyclone said. “Besides, like I told you. We didn’t rob that bank“
“He‘s telling you the truth, Matt,” Kitty said. “We were going to, but we were too late. Just as we got to town, the bank was already being robbed. The bandits were dressed like us with similar horses. They wanted us to be blamed for it.”
“That’s right, Marshal,” Rap put in. “We was already there when we got there. I saw us.”
“Now cut that out, Rap. I done told you…….” Cyclone was really irritated now.
“No. No, Cyclone,” Matt interrupted. “Coming from Arapahoe, that makes sense. I guess.”
“So. What’s it gonna be, lawdog?” Cyclone demanded. “You gonna try to take us? We gotta shoot you?”
“Well since you’re putting it all into perspective, I guess, I’m in no position to arrest you this time. And, as you heard me tell our young friends before, I have other business to attend to.” He jerked a thumb toward Dandy Jim, who had been watching and listening with amusement.
“Then you best be getting’ to it,” Cyclone advised.
“Well, you see, Cy, I’ve got a problem and that’s what brought us here in time to save your worthless hides from those boys.”
“Hell, you didn’t save us from nothin’ They was nothing’ but kids. Couldn’t even wipe their own noses.”
“I don’t know, Cy. They seemed mighty interested in those saddlebags.”
“Like I told you. There’s nothing’ in there but trail things.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I take a look.”
“No.
Not unless you’re figuring on arrestin’ us. And if’n you are, I guess we’re right back where we started from.”
“I swear to you, Matt,” Kitty put in. “We didn’t rob that bank.”
“That’s the truth,” Jeremy added.
“That’s right, marshal,” Chief Henry said. “They were made up to look like us. But it wasn’t us.”
“How would you know?” Rap put in. “You’re too blind to see anything.”
“Me gottum good glasses,” Chief said affecting his Indian lingo and adjusting his half inch thick glasses.
“We don’t need to rehash that all over again ,” Matt said. “Like I started to tell you about the problem that brought us here. We’ve only got one horse and my friend here,” he indicated Butler, “is a slow walker. At the rate we’re going we’re never going to make it back to town before that rain starts.” He glanced briefly at the darkening sky.
“Those boys that held you up had tied their horses back in the brush on the other side of that bank. I thought maybe we could hitch a ride with them before we found out what they were up to. The fact of the matter is, we still need to hitch a ride with someone.”
“You don’t think we’d be dumb enough to ride into town with you, do you?”
“No, Cy I don’t. But there is a homestead a few miles from here. If you could help us out getting us there, I’d be right obliged.”
“And, why should I help you out? You cussed lawdog.”
Matt smiled at Kitty, “There’s a matter of stolen property, I may want to get back.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Cyclone groaned.
Matt retrieved his horse from where he had tethered it on the other side of the trail, and brought it alongside the dandy. “Okay Butler. You’ve got a horse for now.”
“You’re giving me your horse? What are you going to ride?”
“I’m riding double,” Matt grinned and stepped to the side of Kitty’s pinto. She kicked her left foot free of the stirrup so Matt could step in and swing up behind her.
Butler frowned. “I thought you wanted to be all comfy in the saddle,” he called after the lawman.
“I do,” Matt chuckled “I do.”
Chapter Ten