Chapter 4 – A Dire Premonition

The morning after Matt left Kitty awoke with a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't put her finger on the exact cause, but she was certain the solution was to follow after her man into the open prairie. She knew he could take care of himself, but since she couldn't shake the feeling, she decided to tell Doc and Chester about it over breakfast.

While Doc protested that it was too dangerous for her to go all that way across the prairie to the Republican River even if she hadn't suffered a beating at the hands of Jasper Quinton, Chester decided if she were determined to go, he'd accompany her. As the three friends exited Delmonico's still arguing over Kitty's plan to follow after Matt, Jake Worth rode up with three of his men.

"Is Matt in his office?" he asked them. "There's been a murder out at my ranch; actually two murders and some stock rustled."

"Mr. Dillon ain't here, Mr. Worth. He's gone after Jasper Quinton for murderin' one o' Miss Kitty's girls 'n' beatin' up on Miss Kitty."

"He needs to know the man he's chasing is the same one I'm complaining about. Matt can't deal with him alone. His father controls everything up that way, but he might listen to me. We go back a long way to when all of Kansas was open prairie. I'll take some of my riders and follow Matt to Quinton country to help him out."

"Doc, there goes your objections. I'll be safe riding with Jake and his men."

Chester insisted on going with Jake's posse as well but needed to find someone to look after the town while they were gone. Jake agreed that one of the men with him could stay behind to look after things in Dodge while he, his other two men, Chester and Kitty rode back to his ranch to collect more men and then follow the marshal's trail.

On the way back to the Worth spread Kitty and Chester learned what happened from Les Durham, one of the men who rode in with Jake. The young cowboy had seen Quinton shoot his pal Dale Worther for protesting against the attempt Quinton, Watkins and Harley Fitznoble made to cull out some of Jake's finest stock in exchange for the beefs Quinton and his men delivered. Fitznoble, who had joined the drive near Oakley, decided he didn't cotton to murder, so Jasper turned his gun on him as well and rode off with 20 head of Jake's cattle before young Les could get off a shot.

By midday 20 men and one woman, dressed for the trail, were riding toward Cheyenne County and the Republican River from the northwest edge of Jake Worth's land. As she rode along, Kitty couldn't shake the feeling that if they didn't hurry it would be too late for Matt. She knew the reason and certainly had no desire to be cruel to the horses, but it still worried her that by stopping to rest them and their riders she was increasing the chance she wouldn't get to him while he was still alive.

Three days later the riders caught up with the three men escorting the wagon with Kyle Watkins remains. Matt Dillon, who'd passed by the same wagon five days earlier, was still well ahead of them. At Kitty's urging, the party led by Jake Worth left the wagon and its escort behind. They still had three more days of hard riding before they reached the town of Quinton.

Halfway through the remaining distance, Jake called a halt. There was a party of Indians in front of them and when they looked more closely, they realized they were surrounded. Suddenly, two riders broke off from the rest of those in front and headed toward them. Jake, Chester and Les were prepared to shoot until Jake halted them when he realized it was a white man and a squaw riding towards them, not warriors. He let them approach.

"Hello there, I'm Frank Reardon the new sheriff over in Hays. I've been visiting with Maria's folks before taking on my new duties. Her pa's the medicine chief. Anyhow, the chief of this clan agreed that I could find out who you are before they attacked. Are you with Quinton? If you ain't, did you ever hear of Matt Dillon?"

Chester started to speak, but Kitty, who was just behind him, spurred her horse forward as soon as she heard Matt's name. She pulled up directly in front of Frank and Maria.

"I'm Kitty Russell. Let's just say I'm a very special friend of Matt. If you're really Frank Reardon, you'll tell me the truth about where he is. He claims you're his best friend. Is he in trouble?"

"Matt's not one to write and neither am I, miss, but I sure won't lie about what I know of him. I reckon he's reached Quinton's town by now and stated his purpose. Chief Blue Horse escorted him to within a half-day's ride of there, two days ago. I doubt Holden Quinton will take kindly to Matt wanting to arrest his son Jasper for murder. I'd say he's in for a spot of trouble."

Frank, now that he knew their loyalties or the redhead Matt had told him about the last time they saw each other was with them, invited the entire group led by Jake Worth to join the small hunting party traveling with their families that was escorting Frank and Maria toward Hays. While Kitty became acquainted with Maria, Frank briefed Chester, Jake and his riders on just what they should expect when they reached Quinton.

Frank and Matt had first met as young deputies in Arizona. They later served in the war together and then traveled through the various towns from Texas to the Dakotas taking jobs as deputies and sheriffs or city marshals along the way. Sometimes they met up while serving as lawmen in the same towns and so kept in touch. Frank had been working as sheriff in Fort Collins, Colorado when the chance to be sheriff in Hays came up. It was while traveling from Durango to there that he met Maria at an Indian school in Loveland and fell in love. The young Cheyenne woman daughter of Follows Soaring Eagle was pleased to meet the woman that captured the heart of Frank's brother in war, the one who kept Blue Horse from death. Even before they learned of his deed, Frank had told her of Matt Dillon of the Dodge City camp and of the redheaded woman who came to that camp and stayed for him.

Like Matt's escort, the hunting party left the small army of 20 a half-day's ride out of Quinton. They would reach the town just at noon if they didn't dawdle over breakfast.