The marshall didn't acknowledge any of the compliments, but
merely walked around the corner. A moment later he appeared,
leading a horse, which now carried the rifle and shotgun. For the
first time the Doctor noticed the young man limped.
"These folks got caught right in the middle of the
shooting," the marshall remarked to the crowd about the
three bemused travelers. "Not a very good welcome to the
town. Why don't someone show them to the hotel so they an get
cleaned up?"
"And I do declare," said one woman, "we have to
find this young lady some proper clothes."
"And this young feller some britches," a man laughed.
"I ain't never seen no man in a skirt before."
"That isn't a skirt," the marshall remarked. "It's
called a kilt. He's a Scotsman, and that's what the menfolk wear
in Scotland."
"We're a little short of money," the Doctor remarked.
"I was hoping to trade some goods or services for some
materials we needed."
"Don't worry," the young marshall answered. "Folks
around here know how it is to be short of cash. Run along! We'll
have a talk after I get the street cleaned up."
As the Doctor passed one of the bodies he noticed large gold
cufflinks, which held a good-size diamond. A glimpse at the other
sleeve told him a similar stone rested there.
"Mr Diamond-Back, I presume," the Doctor remarked to
himself.
Everyone freshened up and enjoyed a pleasant meal in the little
hotel's dining room.
"Now What?" Jamie asked the Doctor.
"I need to find out what the marshall intends to do with
that dead outlaw's diamonds," the Doctor answered, "and
what I might do to acquire them. Then all we will need is five
pounds of copper. I could have the TARDIS repaired in an hour or
so."
A rustling sound caught the Doctor's attention. He looked up to
find a beautiful pair of blue eyes staring down at him,
surrounded by long, golden blonde hair hopelessly trying to be
held captive by a bonnet. A pleasant smile told him this person
was a friend.
"Ah, excuse me," the young woman said, "I'm Jane
Birch. William told me you were looking for work. Do you know
anything about organs? Our church organ is broken and he thought
you might be able to fix it. He also wanted me to give you these.
He said he didn't know why, but you needed them."
She put the two diamond cufflinks in the Doctor's hand.
"Why, yes!" the Doctor remarked. "I'm sure I can
fix an organ. And this is definitely overpayment. Do show us the
way."
In the darkening twilight they were led through town to the small
church on the hill overlooking the valley floor. Inside, the
Doctor examined the wooden instrument, laid out the tools he had
been given, and told the young people to go chat. He would join
them when his work was finished.
"Come down to the house," Jane invited. "I'll
bring you some lemonade."
They sat silent for some time. Finally Zoe spoke up. "Are
you and the marshall friends?" she asked.
The young woman smiled. "Of sorts," she said.
"He's not easy to get close to. A lot of people think he's
cold, but he's not. He's just good at what he does."
"Aye, that's the truth," Jamie interrupted. "I've
ne'er seen a man shoot like that before. He stopped those
vagrants like a warrior!"
"That he did," Jane continued. "He always seems to
be in town when there's trouble. He can be away for days, but
when he's needed he's always there."
"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Zoe cooed,
getting a dreamy look in her eyes.
Jane didn't answer, the look in her own eyes was answer enough.
Jamie's eyes, on the other hand, tended to look skyward toward
the first twinkling stars that appeared after dusk.
From the church there was a sudden blast of noise, followed by a
stunning rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The young
people rushed to the church to find the Doctor happily playing.
When he was done, he leaned back and patted the old instrument.
"Well done, old girl," he said. "You've got a lot
of life left in you yet."
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