IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
DON'T MAKE SENSE
By; Gerald A. Polley
All rights reserved.
Part 2
The marshal went on a ways and then began to call,
"Frank! This is Marshall Walker! I'm following your
trail. If you can hear me watch your back! There's a cougar
trailing you. It might be rabid, mad! If you can hear me,
whistle." He got no response. He went a ways further
and repeated the warning, this time he got a whistle. A ways
further heading towards it, he heard two shots. He hurried
on. He came out on ledges. A ways down them a man lay on
the rocks, a dead cougar a few feet away. The marshal got down as
quick as he could. The man's head was bleeding, and, his
arm.
"Did it bite you?" the marshal asked.
"No," the man answered, "but it knocked me over. Hit my head and cut my arm on the rocks."
"It's not too bad," the marshal remarked, taking off
his bandanna and taking the man's. "This will do for a bandage
until I can deal with it proper. Stay here and rest Frank, while
I go get our horses. I may have to sew that. Damn!
The edges of these rocks are like knife blades!" The
marshal checked the cougar. Sure enough, there was froth around
its mouth. It was rabid all right! But thank goodness it
was a male and he wouldn't have to be looking for any kittens. A
few minutes later he got back with the horses. Birds were already
beginning to circle. This was one meal he couldn't let them
have. His main concern now was to deal with Frank's wound.
When he finally got that taken care of, he took his trail ax off his
horse, broke his shotgun, and loaded it with bird shot, giving it to
Frank. "If they won't shoo off," he instructed, "shoot a
couple. Can't let them feed. I'm gonna start gettin' some
wood. We've got to make a pyre, burn that carcass."
"I still got one good arm!" Frank insisted, "I can
drag in the kindling and still keep the birds away. There's
plenty near by."
The marshal agreed. In a short time they had a
pile of wood and brush about four feet high, criss crossed so the fire
would get going real good. The marshal got the cougar and hefted
it up on top, then they lit it and backed off. They stayed until
the fire had burned down to coals. Even if anything tried to eat
what was left the rabies was burned out of it.
"Mighty glad you showed up, marshal!" Frank remarked. "What brings you out here?"
"Somebody framed you for murder, Frank! Made it look
like you murdered the bank president and stole $10,000. Your
brother's already proven to me it couldn't have been you. But I want
you to come back down with me and stay close until I can prove for sure
who it was."
"You know, marshal?"
"Yeah!" the marshal answered, "Pretty obvious.
But knowin' and provin' is two different things. I think I know where
to look."
Frank nodded. It was too late for them to make
the ranch so they made a camp and enjoyed the night. Frank played
the harmonica which the marshal really enjoyed. And the marshal
read to him from a novel.
"Ain't it somethin'," Frank remarked, "that a person
can just make up a story like that, and make them people so real?"
"It sure is!" the marshal answered. "It is
definitely a talent! But I like science books, too. Folks
are findin' out all kinds of incredible things, and the world is
changin'. I think this electric thing is going to be really
somethin' in time!"
They had a quiet night, made the ranch the next day, spent
the night and two days later were approaching town. A traveler
they had run into had taken a letter to the sheriff and he'd spread the
word that nobody was to be going after Frank. They found
themselves riding into the yard of the bank clerk's girlfriend.
"Nice place!" the marshal remarked. "Pretty
good spread! Going to be valuable land when the town grows."
The owner met them, all smiles. The marshal looked at her and her smile faded.
"What's gonna happen to you," he remarked, "is going
to depend on how well you cooperate. You've got a horse, a light
colored one about as big as mine, a mare. Have it brought here,
now!"
The woman got a look of desperation on her face, but
sighed and nodded to a hand that was nearby. A few minutes later
he returned with the large, light colored horse.
"I think what you're lookin' for, marshal," the man remarked, "is in the mane."
The marshal examined the horse. Sure enough,
deep in the mane was red coloring of some kind. It had obviously
been washed out of the rest of the horse. But some of it had got
caught deep in the mane. The marshal sighed.
"Where's the money?" he snapped.
"Honest," the woman pleaded, "I didn't know he
intended to kill anyone! He just said he was gonna take the
money, make it look like Frank did it. He said if I didn't help and he
got caught he'd tell everyone it was my idea! The money's in a
niche down in the side of the well."
The helpful hand snapped "Neither one of you two is gonna be climbing down there! I'll go!"
A few minutes later he signaled to pull the rope
up. They got a bonus! Besides the money bag was a sack
containing clothes and a hat that were a match for Frank's, with a
pistol that resembled his! "He sure went to a lot of trouble!" the
marshal remarked. "Well, I think we got that proof. I think
this is enough with her testimony to convince the jury." He
looked at the hand. "If she was put in your custody would you see
she stays out of trouble?"
"Well," the man answered, "I would if she was my wife! Otherwise than that I wouldn't want the job!"
The woman looked at the man in wonderment. "Why haven't you said something before?" she asked.
"Had nothin' to offer," the man answered. "But
now bein' able to keep you out of prison I believe is somethin' that
would make me of value."
The woman looked sad. "You've always been of
value!" she remarked. "I should've known that sooner!"
"Well," the marshal sighed, "I really gotta
get headed for home! Baby's due any time. Hopefully the
second one will be easier for my wife than the first. Let's get
in town and get this taken care of!"