Chapter 2

Newly and Les had not been riding long when Les spoke. "I'm probably going to be found guilty." Les knew he really did not have a prayer on being found not guilty. He knew he cheated and there were witnesses.

"I reckon you will be," said Newly.

"How long of a prison sentence do ya think I'll get?" asked Les.

"I imagine since this is your first offense, you'll get a year," Newly answered. Newly knew this was Les' first cheating offense. He learned that through wires.

Les digested this news. He did not like the thought of being locked up, even if it was just a year. He was a man that liked his freedom to roam. The thought of losing that freedom was choking him.

Back in Dodge Matt, Kitty, and Doc were enjoying breakfast at Delmonico's. Both Matt and Doc ordered eggs, ham, and toast. Of course Matt's order consisted of several more eggs than Doc's order. Kitty opted for one egg and two pieces of rye toast. All three ordered coffee.

"When do you expect Newly back?" asked Doc as he took a bite of his eggs.

"Well, it's a two day ride out there and a two day ride back, plus I would expect him to sleep there, so that would be five days. Today's Tuesday, so I would expect him back on Sunday," Matt answered as he too took a bite of his eggs.

"Kitty, were you there when the cheating took place?" Doc asked.

"I was standing at the bar when it happened, but I didn't actually witness it. Les should be thanking his lucky stars that Wade Tatum didn't pull his gun and shoot," Kitty responded.

"If things had been different, then I would more than likely be going to Hays," said Matt.

"Sometimes things just work out for the better and this is one of those times," Kitty said with a wink at Matt

Breakfast finished, Matt, Kitty, and Doc left the cafe. They each went their separate ways. Matt went to the jail, Kitty went to the Long Branch, and Doc went to his office. Doc planned on riding out to the Sanderson farm. Seven year old Billy Sanderson had broken his arm a few weeks ago and Doc wanted to see how the break was healing.

Doc made his house call out to the Sandersson farm and was pleased with the progress that Billy's arm was making. He told Billy and his parents that he expected the cast to come off in the next several weeks.

Doc was now riding his buggy back towards Dodge. The day was hot and dry, and Doc decided a nice cold beer from the Long Branch was exactly what he needed. He pulled his buggy up to the livery stable and made his way towards the Long Branch. When he got to the swinging doors, he saw Festus and Kitty sitting at a table. Festus was obviously in the middle of an animated story.

"And Uncle Harriett sneaked up on that tom turkey an' grabbed it by the neck. Wahl, that old scudder of turkey shore put up a fight, but Uncle Harriett refused to let go. The turkey gave up an' Uncle Harriett was able to kill it," said Festus.

"I can see I picked a bad time to have a beer," said Doc as he joined Festus and Kitty at the table.

"Hello, Doc. Festus here was just telling me how his Uncle Harriett killed a turkey with his bare hands a couple of Thanksgivings ago," said Kitty.

"Most normal people use a gun to hunt and kill a turkey. Of course that's what normal people do. The Haggens are a whole different story," said Doc, rubbing his hand over his mustache.

"Fer yer information, us Haggens do hunt with a gun. Uncle Harriet just forgot his," Festus told Doc.

"That doesn't surprise me," Doc replied. "Hey Kitty, how about a beer?"

"Sure thing Doc. Sam, bring a beer over for Doc."

Newly and Les had been riding for a few hours when they came to a watering hole. Newly decided it would be a good place to stop and let the horses rest and drink. It would also be a good time for Newly and Les to rest awhile. Getting off the saddle and walking around for a bit sounded like music to Newly's ears.

"I figured we'd let the horses rest and drink here for a bit. We can also take a water break and get off of these saddles," said Newly as he dismounted his horse. He walked over to Les and untied his hands from the saddle, while still keeping his hands tied together.

"I'm all for that," said Les.

Newly gave Les a canteen of water and some beef jerky, which Les gladly accepted. Newly then took a drink out of his own canteen and took a bite from a piece of jerky. He didn't plan on staying too long. They were making good time, and Newly wanted to make sure they continued to do so.

"I figure we can ride for a few more hours and then make camp and bed down for the night before we continue on to Hays," said Newly as he finished his jerky and took one more drink of water.

"You're the boss of this trip," said Les. He too finished his jerky and took one more drink of water.

Newly gathered the horses and waited for Les to mount his horse. After Les was mounted, Newly tied Les' hands to the front of the saddle. Everything situated and ready to go, Newly and Les continued on their way. Like Newly said, they rode for a few more hours before they stopped for the night to make camp.

Newly started a fire and heated up some beans for him and Les to eat. Supper eaten, Newly unrolled to bed rolls for him and Les to sleep on. Today's ride was very tiresome and Newly couldn't wait to go to sleep. Les must have felt the same way that Newly did. It did not take long for him to fall asleep. At the moment he was snoring away. Newly laid down on his bed roll and was asleep within minutes.

Les continued to snore until he thought Newly was asleep. Les was never sleeping. He just wanted to make Newly think that he was sleeping. Confident that Newly was in a deep sleep, Les decided to make his move. The first thing he did was quietly approach the fire. He held his wrists close to the fire, so he could use the fire to break free from the ropes. Now that he was free, he went to the saddle bags to get the papers that Newly had on him. Les found the papers and threw them in the fire. He wasn't sure why he did that, but he did. The last thing Les did was mount his horse and rode off. He was on his way to freedom.

TBC