Prologue
Lansing Penitentiary, Kansas
The guard went to fetch Waco Thompson from this cell. "What's happeniing?"
"You're being released. One year off for good behaviour and the testimony of Marshal Dillon that you were helpful in the protection of the Cades' and a young Kiowa girl."
"Well, If I live to be three hundred I will never understand Marshal Dillon."
"Others have said similar about him, he has always made sure that he deals with people fairly."
"Don't I know it. Don't I know it," the guard led Waco to the yard.
"Outside the gate you'll find a saddled horse, rifle in the scabbard, gun and holster in the saddlebags. You wait until you're five hundred yards away before you get the gun and put it on. Where you figuring on going?"
"Spivy, maybe go by way of Dodge to thank Marshal Dillon and the Cade ranch to see if that Kiowa girl and her boy are alright."
"Well, from what I heard of the trial the Cades' seem to think they owe the girl for getting their girl Annie to talk."
"If I live to be three hundred I don't think I'll ever see the like again," the gate opened and Waco walked through, and mounted the horse, "you ain't the best horse I've ever seen but you'll do," he rode west, five hundred yards out he stopped and got the gun and holster from the saddlebags, he strapped the holster on. He continued west towards Dodge City, on the way he wondered if he might be able to get some honest work for a change and earn enough to buy some land and raise horses which was about the only thing he was good at other than stagecoach robbery and being a general pain in the behind. As he rode on he found himself thinking of the marshal's horse, a finer looking horse he'd never seen, but as a gelding it wasn't likely he'd see the like again. Of course he could always track and break wild horses, sell to the army until he had enough money to get some land to build a barn, corral and maybe small shack for him to live in.