After blasting her own son with a shotgun, the large, middle-aged woman sunk down to her knees on the dirt floor. She gently pulled the dead young man into her arms, hugging and rocking him, stroking his soft face, remembering him as a sweet little boy.
Depths of sorrow filled her eyes as she stared unseeingly into the distance.
"Andy, you had the biggest brown eyes, and I never could resist when you'd beg for another cookie or two. You were always a scamp, and your brother Ben and I had our hands full controlling you. I loved calm, reliable Ben, but, oh, my sweet Andy Boy, you were the wild child of my heart."
The Marshal and Chester stood respectfully by, allowing the mother to mourn her second dead son before burying him and taking her to jail.
Twenty year old Andy Tennis had gone to Dodge two weeks earlier with his older brother Ben. During a card game in the Long Branch with just the dealer, Andy had become more and more agitated as he continued to lose badly. The final straw was being called "young fella" and "kid" by the dealer.
The hot-headed young man erupted and shot the unarmed dealer dead. As the Marshal and Chester took Andy Tennis to jail, Ben Tennis warned them about his mother.
The next morning, Ma Tennis pushed open the door to the Marshal's office and stepped inside, brandishing a shotgun at Matt and Chester.
"Uh, Mr. Dillon…" Chester nervously backed away from the imposing, large woman with the dangerous eyes and loaded gun.
"Mrs. Tennis? What's the shotgun for?", Matt asked in a calm voice as he stood up from his desk and met her eyes with his equally determined ones.
"It's to put people where the cold weather won't bother them, Marshal. I sleep with a shotgun, and have since I was eighteen."
Keeping her aim steadily on the Marshal, Ma Tennis continued:
"They said my Andy killed a man, Marshal. Andy is NOT going to hang. He's leaving with me. I ain't afraid of dying and I ain't afraid of killing, either. I raised my boys alone after their pa was hanged for murder. I will NOT have another hanging in my family!"
Matt motioned for Chester to go get Andy from the cell in back, wanting to avoid trouble for now, if possible.
Mrs. Tennis, this won't do any good. I'll find him sooner or later."
"Andy ain't gonna run, Marshal. He'll stay right on the ranch. Anyone who comes for him will have to fight me."
Chester brought out the young man, and his mother grabbed him by the arm.
"He's just bad-tempered, Marshal. People oughtn't to get him riled. Now, if you come meddling, I'll blow you in half!"
The large woman pushed her son out to their buggy and took off back to their ranch.
Marshal Dillon, always a patient man who planned his actions to try to avoid violence while ensuring success, told Chester they would check on Andy in about two weeks times. Matt figured the spoiled young man couldn't stand being kept on the ranch much longer than that.
Arriving at the ranch, Matt and Chester found Ma finishing off a freshly filled grave a little way out from the side of the house. They carefully approached, hands up, which Chester moaned "jest makes me a bigger target!"
"Mrs. Tennis, we just want to talk."
She slowly lowered her always-present shotgun.
"Marshall, you're too late. Andy's dead and I just buried him. You can't have him now. I'll kill anyone who touches this grave!"
Matt slowly lowered his hand and softly asked:
"Tell me what happened."
"Ben had him all talked into giving himself up and going to trial. I wasn't going to allow that!"
Matt stared at the woman in surprise.
"Are you telling me that you killed your own son?!"
"Better than hanging," Ma nodded. "I ran Ben off and he ain't never coming back. Going to California."
Matt told her that since she just confessed to murder, that he would have to take her in. She gruffly promised to come in the next day, still having "things to do."
Matt considered for a moment and agreed, much to Chester's surprise.
When Ma drove her buggy into town the next day, as promised, she stopped outside of the Marshal's office, ready to be jailed. Doc and Matt had been talking and now stood watching the big woman.
"Mrs. Tennis, I guess I wasn't thinking quite right yesterday. Without a witness to the murder, I have to set you free."
Mrs. Tennis glared at Matt, then snapped her reins and drove off to her ranch.
"What are you talking about, Matt?! That was a darn fool thing to do!"
"Doc, she didn't kill anyone, but Chester and I are heading out to that ranch to find out who did."