Matt was in the office studying his files and Chester was supposed to be sweeping but he was looking out of the window distracted by the stage pulling out.

"Mister Dillon."

"Huh."

"Now we got 3 stages a week coming into Dodge. Third one just pulled out."

"What?"

"2 out of 3 times there weren't no passengers come in,"

"Are you expecting somebody?"

"No but that's not the point."

"What is?"

"Well how can they run a stage line without any passengers?"

"I don't know Chester. But the fewer people come into Dodge the less trouble they bring."

"People didn't come here you wouldn't have a job."

"I wouldn't. Do you think that only people who come here bring trouble?"

"Ain't that what you just said?"

The door opened Clay Young and Mister Burgess came in the office.

"Marshal," Clay said in greeting.

"Hello Clay."

"This is Mister Burgess from St Louis. This is Marshal Dillon."

Matt rose to shake Mister Burgess's hand.

"Howdy do."

"This is Chester Goode."

Mister Burgess shook Chester's hand too.

"Mister Burgess."

"Glad to meet you," Mister Burgess said.

"Sit down."

"Marshal I got bad news for you."

"Well nobody ever comes in here with good news Clay."

"Yeah but what I got might get you killed."

"That so."

"That's a very blunt way of putting it Marshal but it's the truth."

"Well certainly not by you Clay. You've got one of the biggest spreads outside of Dodge. One of the best. You're a happy and prosperous man. You Mister Burgess?"

"Not by me of course."

"By Josh Nolan that's who. Read this."

Clay pulled a paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to Matt.

"Court order signed by Judge Miller."

"That's right."

"So Josh Nolan's squatting on your land at Stone Point, is that it?"

"Him and his wife Marshal. They moved into a sod house I built and they won't leave."

"How is it they moved in?"

"Well to tell the truth I let them. I didn't need it and they were homeless. But I told them it wasn't forever. Now Mister Burgess has offered me a real good price for my acres. But he don't want no squatters. I can't get the Nolans' off."

"Anyone want coffee?" Chester asked.

"No I don't," Clay replied. "Do you want coffee Mister Burgess?"

"No I don't want any coffee thank you."

"I do Chester," Matt said.

"Marshal I don't mean to be hard-nosed about this but I like Clay's land and I want to buy it. But I want to buy it clean I don't want any strangers on my property especially those kind of people."

"And?"

"Clay's got until the day after tomorrow to get the Nolans off or I withdraw my offer."

"Now what's this about me getting killed?"

"Well like the court order says they got no right being there. You're going to have to evict them. I've tried there's no food or water at the shack they've been at it 4 days. He won't come out."

Matt rose not liking what he was hearing.

"You mean you've kept these people from food or water."

"I had to get them out some way. I never intended to hurt them. They've become mean and real stubborn. They're gonna shoot whoever comes up to their door."

"Let's get out there right away."

"I knew you'd help once I had to ask for the law which I didn't want to do."

"Well let's get the Nolans' some water and food. Then we'll see."

"They don't want to be helped Marshal. They'll try to shoot you down if you go near them."

"It can be rough. There's no reason for Mister Burgess to out there."

"That's right. Well let's get out there and see just how rough it is Clay."

Matt and Chester left the office to fetch their horses from the stable while Clay took Mister Burgess to the Dodge House. Buck and Bob had listened incredulously because even though the door was closed it wasn't thick enough to prevent their sharp ears hearing every word. Matt and Chester mounted and waited for Clay to mount his horse and join them. A short while later they arrived at the Nolans' sod house.

"They tried to come out?" Clay asked the men he'd left watching the place.

"They haven't stirred."

"Stay here," Matt said. "Come on Chester. Nolan! Can you hear me it's Dillon. I want to talk to you. I want to talk that's all."

Josh Nolan came out of the door his rifle pointed in the air.

"I'm going to bring some water for you and your wife to drink while we talk. Draw some water put it in that bucket we'll take it over to him."

Josh took aim.

"Marshal look out," Clay called. "He's aiming at you."

Josh shot the bucket the bullet went in one side and out the other water poured out and back into the well. Josh's wife joined him her rifle ready.

"What do you want Marshal."

"First I'd like to see that you and your wife get some water to drink. Then there's the matter of food."

"We don't want nothing from you if you come with Clay Young."

"Well Nolan I've got a court order here says you've got to move out of this house and off this land. Now Clay got the order and it's legal. It's my job to carry it out."

"I don't know nothing about no order and we ain't moving off."

"Well you got till tomorrow night."

"I have."

"This is our land," Mrs Nolan said, "all around Stone Point here's ours bought and paid for."

"What do you mean bought and paid for? Who from?"

"Clay Young that's who. Now he's trying to staff us out and not giving us any water."

"Well Clay said he was letting you stay here to help you out. Now he's got till day after tomorrow to sell this property but he can't with you on it."

"Help me out? We paid him $170 that's how he's helping me out."

"Well if you paid him $170 where's your deed?"

"Deed?"

"That's that paper Clay give us when we paid him the money."

"Oh that."

"Well where is it?"

"He took it Clay did."

"What do you mean?"

"It was before he got mean about moving us off. He come by and said he'd be neighborly and take the paper into Dodge and have it fixed up at the Land Office for us or something like that. Anyway he took it."

"Good then your Deed's registered."

"Marshal I can't even read I don't know about registered."

"Well I'll go see what I can find at the Land Office. If your Deed's registered, you can stay but if it isn't why you got to be off here by tomorrow night."

"Don't make us no mind about registered or not registered and we'll kill anybody who comes trying to route us off this place and that goes for you and Clay Young. You tell him that."

Matt and Chester walked back to Clay watched by the Nolans'.

"Make any headway?" Clay asked.

"They said they paid you $170 dollars for their land. That you took their Deed and may be registered it for them."

"Marshal no such thing believe me."

"I can't believe you or the Nolans' either. One or the other of you is lying but I can't tell which."

"Look at the records in the Land Office tomorrow. You won't find a Deed."

"What'll that proof that the Nolans' never had a Deed or that you never took it there. We're going to take them some water."

"Marshal I'm not stopping them it's just that if they come out I'll take them into Dodge and my place will be mine again. I'm not breaking any law and I don't mean to."

"Yeah but if anything happens to them your responsible. Don't let it happen. Come on Chester."

Matt and Chester mounted up as the Nolans' returned to the sod house. A few nights later Matt and Chester rode back to join the men watching the Nolans'. Josh Nolan shot at them as they moved a log wounding one of Clay's men in the shoulder.

"That's all Marshal me and Pete are hurt. We weren't supposed to hurt anybody or get hurt."

"That's the way we played it too."

"The next time he opens up the door we can blast him right out of his cabin."

"You're right Mister Dillon he didn't like force he showed us."

"Well we got to get him out but in some way safe."

"Safe after what he done to us."

"He only grazed you he could have killed you. Don't shoot either of you."

"That's been our order all along Marshal."

Matt and Chester ran across the open ground to the house taking care to stay out of line of fire. Even so Josh fired at the ground as they ran. Matt found a sack of sulfur and signaled Chester to take it and pour it down the chimney then cover the chimney with another sack so the smoke would have no place to go put into the house.

"What are you doing there? What do you want now?" Josh asked.

"More talk," Matt replied.

"There'll be no more talk," Josh closed the door.

"In case he hears you I'll have the front door covered in case he tried to come ou."

"Yes sir."

Chester climbed up on the roof and made his way to the chimney. He poured some of the sulfur down the chimney then covered it with the piece of sacking. It soon took effect as the Nolans' started coughing.

"I can't breathe," Mrs Nolan said.

"The stove pipe's stopped up," Josh said.

"I can't stand it."

"We got to get some air."

"Open the door. Where's the door?"

The Nolans' stumbled through the door.

"Well you got us out Marshal but you had to use Ma Sulfur to do it."

"I had to."

Clay's men came to join them.

"You two use our horses and take the Nolans's into town. Take them to the Dodge Houe'llse and put the bill in my name. Chester and I will collect your things and load them in a wagon. You folks can pick them up in town whenever you want to."

"I don't think we'll be picking up our things Marshal."

"It's up to you."

"Does Mrs Nolan know how to ride horseback Josh."

"I can ride as good as you."

"Come on then."

"Yeah we'll go with you right now."

"You letting them go free?" Chester asked.

"Well I wasn't trying to arrest them Chester. All I wanted to do was to get them outside without hurting them."

"Well they're sure outside those sulfur fumes would drive a mother bear away from her cubs. Come on we've got to get this stuff loaded on a wagon."

The two cowboys mounted their horses while the Nolans' mounted up on Buck and Bob. Buck had always known that Matt would think of something.

A couple of nights after they'd got the Nolans' out Matt was doing his rounds and stopped to talk to Doc and Kitty on Doc's stairs. Which was where Chester found him.

"Mister Dillon."

"What is it Chester?"

"I've been following Josh Nolan like you said."

"Well what about him?"

"Well he's outside the Lady Gay Saloon Clay Young is in the saloon celebrating with Mister Burgess. They're about ready to come out."

"All right," Matt turned to Doc and Kitty. "You stay here."

Matt looked through the window then at Chester.

"Where's Josh?"

"He was here. He must be down the alley where Clay and Mister Burgess had to go for their horses."

"Let's go."

Matt and Chester went down into the alley behind the Lady Gay Josh was lying on the roof of a shed his rifle ready.

"I don't see him," Matt said.

"He's over there," Chester pointed to him.

"I picked this up with my possessions Marshal."

"Come on down from there Josh."

"No Marshal. Clay's about ready to come out. I want to greet him."

"If you don't come down from there I'm going to come up and bring you down."

Clay and Mister Burgess came into the alley at that moment and Josh made ready to fire.

"Too late Marshal."

Matt turned with Chester and put himself between Josh and Clay.

"Watch out Clay," Matt said.

"Move out of the way Marshal," Josh called.

"I'm not going to move Josh."

"Then you're going to die along with Clay."

"You don't mean that."

"You know I mean it." You think Clay and me both are liars. Well you're wrong. One of us ain't but it won't make a difference in a second what you think."

"You're acting foolish Josh," Clay said.

"I sure am. Now step aside Marshal."

Matt took Clay's gun and threw it to the ground.

"All right go ahead Josh shoot. Well are you going to?"

"I'm going to and you know it."

"You're going to shoot me through the back to hit a man who's unarmed."

"Get out of the way or don't Marshal. I'm going to shoot."

"Don't do it," Clay said. "I tore up your Deed Josh. He's right Marshal he paid me."

Matt looked as surprised as Mister Burgess he turned to Josh.

"Come on down Josh."

Josh climbed down from the shed and walked up to Matt and Chester.

"I told Mister Burgess I could sell my land clean no strings. He said he didn't want any squatters so I told him the Nolans had no rights that I'd throw them off."

"I'm going to buy the land Marshal," Mister Burgess said.

"The Nolans' will be on it," Matt said.

"Land means a lot to me I've seen how much it means to them. I want them on it, I'll be glad to have them as neighbors."

"I'll have the money from the sale Marshal. I was going to leave Dodge any way."

"It's good your leaving," Matt said.

Mister Burgess and Clay moved passed Matt he looked at Josh then moved on.

"I guess you know what it means to be thirsty Marshal?"

"Yep."

"I'll buy you a drink."

"No you won't it's going to take you a while to establish credit here. So I'll buy it."

Matt, Chester and Josh headed in the opposite direction to Clay and went to the Long Branch. Later Chester went to check the horses and chatted to Buck about the events. Buck wondered exactly how Clay had thought he could get away with it. Nobody pulled the wool over Matt's eyes for long.