DEED
Smitty pushed through the saloon doors.
The place was full of cowboys that looked like they just got off a cattle drive.
Drunk and hanging on the saloon girls like it was their last love..
Smitty shook his head, letting his eyes wander through the crowd he found what he was looking for "Sam" picking his way throughout teh cowboys he pushed his way into a space next to Sam.
"Hey what the hell" one young cowboy said but when he looked at the man who had shoved him aside, he just muttered "Sorry" and turned away.
"What took you so long and where is Jake? " Sam asked
Smitty had his story ready after walking 10 miles, he had thought it out very nicely he had to admit to himself
"What took us so long is that Farmer bushed whacked us and killed Jake"
"Your shitting me" Sam said
"No I'm not that Son of a bitch, shot Jake out of his saddle and I thought I had killed him but when I went to check him he hit me with a dam log and dam near took my head off"
"That son of a bitch, Big John going to be pissed about Jake"
"I know but I must of winged him, there was blood"
"You did" Sam said
"What do you mean?"
"He rode in this morning and was dam near dead"
"Where is that bastard now?" Smitty asked
"Laying up at Ben's widows room"
"Your shitting me, you were suppose to kill her?"
"Only if I got the word"
"You didn't?"
"Nope" Sam said
"That means something happened with Big John, that dam Sheriff must of put him and Frank in jail"
The noise didn't seem to bother the two as they talked, Smitty did keep watching the comings and goings, he was a man who like to watch his back trail.
"In jail?"
"Yea Frank got ansy with the Farmer and dam near lost his head, that Farmer hit him so hard that Frank was picking himself us across the room?" Smitty said
"Your kidding and Frank didn't shoot him?"
"didn't have a chance the Sheriff showed up" Smitty said
"Well anyway, let's go get the widow and kill that bastard" Smitty grumbled
"No need"
"Why?"
"I've got the Deed" Sam smiled at him
Smitty laughed "Well I'll be"
"Yea I heard the commotion of him falling off his horse and when I got there the widow Gabriel and Doctor where there, So I volunteered to take the horse to the livery station but before I did I found the Deed in his saddle bag"
"So now what?" Smitty asked
"I telegraphed the General and I'm waiting on an answer"
"So in the mean time we could have some fun" Smitty asked
"Sure tonight, or we could go up to the widows room and have more fun" Sam said
"Yea count me out of that idea "Smitty said
"Your turning yellow over a log being laid up against your head?"
"It's not that"
"Then what Smitty"
"Well, The Farmer does have a name" Smitty replied
"What could be in a name that has made you yellow"
Turning to face Sam
Staring Sam in the Eyes Smitty said, "I'm not Yellow and if you think that or say it again you better be grabbing Iron"
"Whoa, Partner calm down, So what was his name" Sam asked trying to defuse Smitty's temper.
Never takening his eyes off Sam he Said "Michael D'Angelio"
Sam stood there for a minute trying to wrap his brain a name that hasn't been spoken or heard of for four or five years.
"Michael D'Angelio is a myth, a campfire legend"
"You really believe that Sam?"
"Well Yea"
"I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone"
Sam just stood there trying to decide if what was coming was one of Smitty's tall tells or?"
"I was part of a gang that had robbed a Bank and some people got killed, that was suppose too, I mean bullets where flying and a strare bullet I hit the school and a little boy was killed, Mind you it wasn't mine."
"Shit Smitty I didn't know you were a Bank robber"
Smitty grabbed Sam's shirt with both hands, pulling him close Smitty said, And you will forget it after tonight if you want to live another day."
"Yea, yea no problem, we all have stuff in the closet"
Letting go of Sam's shirt, Smitty went on with his story.
"Well we started to feel like we were being followed so we set up a little ambush."
Sam, back up a step and ordered them another round
Smitty went on "I was high up on a ridge with my rifle since I best shot, I was watching the camp when a lone rider entered the camp"
Smitty eyes went out of focus for a minute as his brain went back to those moments before all hell broke lose.
"Before I knew it all my Men were down, Sam"
"I mean down, shot to the ground, dead.
Sam thought for a minute
"How many?" Sam asked
Smitty looked away for a minute
"12"
"What?"
"Twelve men dead"
"Noway Smitty something isn't right"
"Thats what I was telling myself high on that ridge until that Devil looked up at me"
"What? no way, how far away?"
"I must of been 200 yards in the middle of the night, pitch black, Sam"
"He looked at me and started to load his guns, I could feel Hell's hand on me and I ran"
"You ran?"
"When you face the Devil that is all you can do"
Sam wasn't sure he believed ever word of Smitty's story but he knew the Man was shaken up,
"So Sam we are going to hit the trail first thing"
"Look Smitty, Whoever killed your men, is long gone and your here and how do you know who it was."
"Stories of a man called Michael D'Angelio whose only son was killed by a Bank robers bullet during a robber killed all but one of the robbers..."
"Holy Shit Smitty I'm sorry"
Smitty looked hard a Sam "You trying to be funny?"
"No Sam, I'm with you, lets get out of here at first light"
"Good"
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