Two Of A Kind pt 2
Both men stood facing each other, men around the room, scraping chairs, trying to get out
of range, and others moving away from the bar. The bartender, in the middle of cleaning a glass
with a rag, stopped and watched.
Scott looked from one man to the other, he knew he couldn't stop what was to happen.
He moved away himself, out of range, but close enough to his brother. There was dead silence in
the room, as the last sound of the piano died. Excitement was in the air, as the men, waited to
see Ringo, in a gunfight with a fellow gunslinger.
"Madrid, you dare come into my town?" His voice deep and dark.
"I go where I wont Ringo, you know that."Spoke Johnny in his soft steely voice.
Both men went for their guns, stopping in mid motion, and smiles broke out on their
faces. Both moved closer and began to shake hands, and slapping each others shoulders. Scott
breathed a sigh of relief.
"Its good to see you Johnny, I haven't heard anything about you in awhile. Glad to see you
still alive."
"Well I have been busy on my families ranch. Didn't expect to find you as a sheriff."
"Well I got tired of the other life, now I use this gun, only to uphold the law. A rancher did
you say? You Johnny Madrid a rancher? Never thought you would give up the life."
"Well I found my family, and a home. I am Lancer now."
"Well Johnny let me buy you a drink, and lets get caught up." Johnny saw his brother, and
grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him forward. His smile brightened, and there was pride there as well..
"Johnny this is my brother Scott." Scott smiled and shook hands with Ringo.
"Pleasure to meet you sheriff."
"Same here Scott, its good to see that my old friend here has a family, he always wonted
one." The three men sat down at a table, as the rest of the room went back to normal, shaking
their heads, at the two gunfighters.
" Now Johnny tell me about this ranch of yours."
"Well Ringo it's the most beautiful place anywhere. It has rolling hills, and mountains, and
the clearest streams. The house is larger than a hotel. Its is something to see. So much land and
cattle. Even the air is special, there is nothing like it."
Scott smiled at his brother, how proud he was of his new home, and Scott felt the same.
"It sounds like paradise, Johnny, good for you. Do you miss the old life?"
"No, I like being a rancher, and a part of me will always be Madrid, its just not all that I am. I still have men coming after me. I doubt I will ever have a chance to let Madrid go all together."
"I know what you mean, as a sheriff, I thought that I would have it easier, and the past could
be forgotten. It didn't work out that way for me either."
The men picked up the drinks put before them, beers. Johnny wished for his usual, but
didn't speak up, not this time. Scott sat back listening to the two ex-gunfighters.Maybe he
would learn something new about his brother. He looked at the sheriff, the tall well built man,
a little older than him, was well dressed. He seemed to be well read, and intelligent, not like
most lawmen, or gunfighters. Except maybe Doc Holiday.
'Last time we ran into each other, was out in Laredo. During that little war. "
"Yes, it was a bad one, so many of the little ranchers were burnt out, before we got there.
Then we faced some of the most famous of our kind. I remember you getting laid up, with a
bullet in your thigh, and one in your back., and that pretty little lady who took care of you."
"Yeah, well you got shot too, and was the worse patient."Said Ringo.
"That's my brother alright, he can't stand to be in one place too long, even bed."
" Well I don't like being stuck in bed, and having people fuss over me."
"Yes, we know, and that time you were worse. You gave the doctor a hard time, you
dressed and went out after everyone went to bed, you spent hours playing cards at the saloon,
then returned just before breakfast. He hid his medicine under his pillow, he also had a bottle of
tequila under his pillow." Johnny smiled at the memories, Scott watching him, smiled, nothing
had changed in that.
Later that night in their room, Scott and Johnny were in their room, lying on their beds.
Johnny lay with his hands under his head, his brother lay on his side facing his sibling.
"Johnny? That sheriff Ringo, he seems like a real good man. This time you ran into a real
friend instead of a enemy." A slow smile touched Johnnys lips.
"Yeah, he is a friend. We didn't start out that way. We were on opposite sides in the
conflict. But Ringo changed sides, after several families were killed, including children. He
couldn't stay on that side. That's how he got shot, he went up against them when he saw what
they were doing. I was there, too but on the other side, it was me that brought him to our camp.
We became friends. He is like you Scott, he's smart, educated. "
" You and he seem to be unique in the kind of men you are,compared to the usual
gunfighter."
"Well, there are bad and good ones, like in any job. I could have gone either way. But I
made a choice, as did Ringo."Johnny pulled the covers up and turned over. Scott lay on his back,
both men going off to sleep.
The next morning the two brothers were at breakfast. When Ringo walked in
followed by a shorter dark haired, handsome man. They walked over to the table. Scott saw Johnnys eyes taking in the new comer, sizing him up.
"Morning Johnny, Scott. This is my deputy Cully. Cully, this is an old friend of mine.
Johnny Madrid, and his brother Scott."He smiled at Scott and looked at Johnny.
"I've heard of you. You aren't here for trouble are you?" Johnnys' eyes were cool, he
looked at the man about his size.Taking in the gun strapped low on his hip, his stance.
"No, I'm not, here on business.I don't go looking for trouble."
"It just looks for you, huh?"Blue eyes hard and unfriendly.
"That's enough Cully, Johnny is retired like me from that. He's a rancher now. He's also
a friend of mine."Ringo gave his deputy a look, that the younger man knew, and responded to.
"I'll see you later Johnny, nice seeing you again Scott."
"Yeah later Ringo." He turned back to his breakfast, as the other two men turned away.
Scott watched his brother, who was playing with his napkin, deep in though.
"Johnny?" His brothers head came up, and looked him in the eye.
"Just thinking."
"About that boy Cully? He's just doing his job. Worried about the town I guess. He's
young and just takes his job seriously. Ringo will straighten him out."
"I hope so, I don't wont trouble, espeally in Ringos town. Not with Ringos deputy, if I can
help it, but he had better not push me."
Contin.............
Both men stood facing each other, men around the room, scraping chairs, trying to get out
of range, and others moving away from the bar. The bartender, in the middle of cleaning a glass
with a rag, stopped and watched.
Scott looked from one man to the other, he knew he couldn't stop what was to happen.
He moved away himself, out of range, but close enough to his brother. There was dead silence in
the room, as the last sound of the piano died. Excitement was in the air, as the men, waited to
see Ringo, in a gunfight with a fellow gunslinger.
"Madrid, you dare come into my town?" His voice deep and dark.
"I go where I wont Ringo, you know that."Spoke Johnny in his soft steely voice.
Both men went for their guns, stopping in mid motion, and smiles broke out on their
faces. Both moved closer and began to shake hands, and slapping each others shoulders. Scott
breathed a sigh of relief.
"Its good to see you Johnny, I haven't heard anything about you in awhile. Glad to see you
still alive."
"Well I have been busy on my families ranch. Didn't expect to find you as a sheriff."
"Well I got tired of the other life, now I use this gun, only to uphold the law. A rancher did
you say? You Johnny Madrid a rancher? Never thought you would give up the life."
"Well I found my family, and a home. I am Lancer now."
"Well Johnny let me buy you a drink, and lets get caught up." Johnny saw his brother, and
grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him forward. His smile brightened, and there was pride there as well..
"Johnny this is my brother Scott." Scott smiled and shook hands with Ringo.
"Pleasure to meet you sheriff."
"Same here Scott, its good to see that my old friend here has a family, he always wonted
one." The three men sat down at a table, as the rest of the room went back to normal, shaking
their heads, at the two gunfighters.
" Now Johnny tell me about this ranch of yours."
"Well Ringo it's the most beautiful place anywhere. It has rolling hills, and mountains, and
the clearest streams. The house is larger than a hotel. Its is something to see. So much land and
cattle. Even the air is special, there is nothing like it."
Scott smiled at his brother, how proud he was of his new home, and Scott felt the same.
"It sounds like paradise, Johnny, good for you. Do you miss the old life?"
"No, I like being a rancher, and a part of me will always be Madrid, its just not all that I am. I still have men coming after me. I doubt I will ever have a chance to let Madrid go all together."
"I know what you mean, as a sheriff, I thought that I would have it easier, and the past could
be forgotten. It didn't work out that way for me either."
The men picked up the drinks put before them, beers. Johnny wished for his usual, but
didn't speak up, not this time. Scott sat back listening to the two ex-gunfighters.Maybe he
would learn something new about his brother. He looked at the sheriff, the tall well built man,
a little older than him, was well dressed. He seemed to be well read, and intelligent, not like
most lawmen, or gunfighters. Except maybe Doc Holiday.
'Last time we ran into each other, was out in Laredo. During that little war. "
"Yes, it was a bad one, so many of the little ranchers were burnt out, before we got there.
Then we faced some of the most famous of our kind. I remember you getting laid up, with a
bullet in your thigh, and one in your back., and that pretty little lady who took care of you."
"Yeah, well you got shot too, and was the worse patient."Said Ringo.
"That's my brother alright, he can't stand to be in one place too long, even bed."
" Well I don't like being stuck in bed, and having people fuss over me."
"Yes, we know, and that time you were worse. You gave the doctor a hard time, you
dressed and went out after everyone went to bed, you spent hours playing cards at the saloon,
then returned just before breakfast. He hid his medicine under his pillow, he also had a bottle of
tequila under his pillow." Johnny smiled at the memories, Scott watching him, smiled, nothing
had changed in that.
Later that night in their room, Scott and Johnny were in their room, lying on their beds.
Johnny lay with his hands under his head, his brother lay on his side facing his sibling.
"Johnny? That sheriff Ringo, he seems like a real good man. This time you ran into a real
friend instead of a enemy." A slow smile touched Johnnys lips.
"Yeah, he is a friend. We didn't start out that way. We were on opposite sides in the
conflict. But Ringo changed sides, after several families were killed, including children. He
couldn't stay on that side. That's how he got shot, he went up against them when he saw what
they were doing. I was there, too but on the other side, it was me that brought him to our camp.
We became friends. He is like you Scott, he's smart, educated. "
" You and he seem to be unique in the kind of men you are,compared to the usual
gunfighter."
"Well, there are bad and good ones, like in any job. I could have gone either way. But I
made a choice, as did Ringo."Johnny pulled the covers up and turned over. Scott lay on his back,
both men going off to sleep.
The next morning the two brothers were at breakfast. When Ringo walked in
followed by a shorter dark haired, handsome man. They walked over to the table. Scott saw Johnnys eyes taking in the new comer, sizing him up.
"Morning Johnny, Scott. This is my deputy Cully. Cully, this is an old friend of mine.
Johnny Madrid, and his brother Scott."He smiled at Scott and looked at Johnny.
"I've heard of you. You aren't here for trouble are you?" Johnnys' eyes were cool, he
looked at the man about his size.Taking in the gun strapped low on his hip, his stance.
"No, I'm not, here on business.I don't go looking for trouble."
"It just looks for you, huh?"Blue eyes hard and unfriendly.
"That's enough Cully, Johnny is retired like me from that. He's a rancher now. He's also
a friend of mine."Ringo gave his deputy a look, that the younger man knew, and responded to.
"I'll see you later Johnny, nice seeing you again Scott."
"Yeah later Ringo." He turned back to his breakfast, as the other two men turned away.
Scott watched his brother, who was playing with his napkin, deep in though.
"Johnny?" His brothers head came up, and looked him in the eye.
"Just thinking."
"About that boy Cully? He's just doing his job. Worried about the town I guess. He's
young and just takes his job seriously. Ringo will straighten him out."
"I hope so, I don't wont trouble, espeally in Ringos town. Not with Ringos deputy, if I can
help it, but he had better not push me."
Contin.............