Custer
Matt and Chester were on their way home and had camped overnight. Chester had just finished saddling Buck and Bob while Matt cooked up the bacon over the fire and had a pot of coffee on the go.
"They're already Mister Dillon. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole hog," Chester said.
"Well I'm afraid this is all the hog you're gonna to get this morning Chester."
"It done?" Chester asked.
"That depends on how hungry you are."
"It's done this way you don't cook out all the good. Sure be good to get back to Dodge tonight. Sleep in a bed again."
"I think civilization has made you too soft Chester."
"Well could be I don't think anybody could get used to using the ground as a mattress all the time."
"Hmm guess you were made for better things than rooting around on the prairie and sleeping in the rain huh."
"Rain? It ain't rained in a long time, Mr Dillon."
"I know it hasn't, but it will sooner or later. It's bound to."
"Well it can't come soon enough we're awful low on water. I don't think there's a crick between here and Dodge."
"There isn't."
"Say don't old Granby live around here somewhere? Chester asked. "Maybe we can get some water off him."
"Well from what I've always heard about Granby he's not the kind to give anything to anybody."
"Yeah, people talk. Do you really think he's a rich miser like everyone says?"
"Well I don't know Chester sometimes a man is a lot different from his reputation. I've only met him once or twice, he always seemed a nice enough old feller."
"Even if he does have a lot of money hid, it wouldn't do him much good way out here. Heck I don't think you can buy a beer within 50 miles," Chester said.
"Well he's too old for drinking, gambling and hurrahing the town anyway."
"I hope I never get that old."
"Well, at the rate you're burnin' yourself up, you won't, so don't worry about it."
"Oh, now, Mr Dillon, I think I live pretty quiet for a young fella that's fancy-free and still full of blood."
"Yeah."
They noticed the dust plumes coming from the direction of the Granby ranch.
"Now, what's that string of dust?"
"Ah, I've been noticing that. Looks like somebody drivin' stock."
"Maybe it's Old Granby."
"Yeah, maybe so. Let's go over and say hello to him."
They put the fire out and got their horses riding in the direction of the dust. Buck didn't recognize the rider it certainly wasn't Old Granby he was too young.
"That doesn't look like Old Granby, does it?" Matt said.
"No."
"Come on. Howdy."
"Hello," the young man replied not happy at being stopped.
"You workin' for Old Granby?"
"I ain't workin' for nobody."
"Oh? Well, uh, where is he?"
"Where's who?"
"Granby."
"I don't know no Granby," the young man looked suspicious to Buck, that was horse for a civilian to be riding not with the US army brand on him.
"Well, mister, those are his horses you're driving. They're wearin' his brand."
"I ain't driving 'em."
"I just found 'em wandering around loose, so I gathered 'em up."
"Uh-huh. You a cowboy?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm a cowboy."
"You don't look like one to me."
"What do you know about how I'm supposed to look?" The young man asked derisively.
"And that's no cow pony you were ridin' either. That's an Army horse."
"The Army sells horses all the time. I bought him."
"How come you're not wearin' a gun?"
"Does a man have to wear a gun?"
"No. But you're probably the only man within 1,000 miles of here who's not wearing one."
"Well, maybe I got a better conscience than the rest of you."
"All right, I tell you what we'll do. You've run those horses about 5 miles off Granby's property. You give us a hand, we'll run 'em back."
"I can't. I'm in a hurry."
"This won't take long. Besides, it might take Old Granby a couple of days to round 'em up if we don't."
"Look, you worry about 'em. I gotta get into Dodge."
"That's where we're headed. We'll ride along with you afterwards."
"I ain't gonna do it."
"It'd look a lot better if you did, mister," Matt said a little irritated by the young man's attitude.
"Look, I'd like to but I can't wait. As long as you know who they belong to, you take 'em back. I'm leavin' now. Come on. Ah! Come on."
"You just gonna let him leave like that, Mr Dillon?"
"Nope," Matt drew and fired into the air.
"Hey! What are you shooting at?"
"Ride back here."
"What's the matter, you crazy or something? You tryin' to kill me?"
"Not gonna kill you, unless you try to run away again."
"Why would I try and run away?"
"You just did. Chester, get those horses."
"Yes, sir."
"Now, if Granby says everything's all right, you can go wherever you want to. All right, you get up ahead of me."
"Look…"
"And don't try anything funny. Get going."
"Come on."
As they rode on Buck listened as the horses told him that the young man hadn't found them on the prairie but in Granby's corral. They arrived at the ranch soon after and Chester led the horses into the corral once he rode out of the corral Matt closed the gate.
"I'll wait here for you, marshal."
"Go in the house and look around, Chester, Matt said watching the young man. "You've been kind of balky ever since I ran into you, mister."
"I don't like to be dragged around. I never did."
You gonna get off that horse, or am I gonna pull you off?"
"I know what you're thinkin', marshal. You think I stole them horses. Well, I never heard of the old man. And I ain't never been near this place."
"So you told me."
"I ain't afraid of you or nobody, marshal."
"All right, then let's go inside."
Chester came out of the house looking ashen.
"Mr Dillon! Old Granby's in there, all right, but… But somebody's gone and beat him to death."
"Just because I happen to be in this part of the country don't mean I killed nobody," the young man said beginning to feel on the defensive.
"Keep this on him," Matt said handing Chester his pistol.
"I ain't gonna do nothing."
Matt went into the cabin coming out soon after.
"The whole house was torn up. You must have been searching for Granby's money."
"What money?"
Matt took his gun back from Chester and holstered it.
"Go over and search his blanket roll, will you, Chester? Put your hands in the air."
Chester removed the blanket roll he unrolled it on the ground to search it thoroughly.
"What do you think you'll find, marshal?"
"What's your name?"
"Trimble. Joe Trimble."
"And where are you from?"
"Back East."
"Back East where?"
"All over."
"And what are you doin' out here?"
"Makin' a change."
"Mm-hm. And some cowboy you ran into told you about Granby bein' rich so you came in here and tried to beat him into tellin' you where the money was," Matt said.
"That's a lie. This is the first time I've ever been here."
"There's no money here, Mr Dillon," Chester said.
"I wish I had more evidence against you, Trimble but I'm gonna arrest you, and you're gonna stand trial. And I'm gonna do my best to see you hang. Chester get a shovel, will you? We'll lay Old Granby away."
"Yes, sir."
"All right."
Buck didn't feel an ounce of pity for Trimble from the talk he'd had with Granby's horses the old man had been a good owner. He watched as Chester dug the grave and laid the old man wrapped in his blankets in the hole. After the burying Matt and Chester opened the corral and shooed the horses out so they'd be able to find food and water. Matt made Trimble ride between him and Chester back to Dodge.
Matt was writing a report as Chester came in.
"I got the horses up, Mr Dillon. They're tied right outside."
"Well, thanks, Chester."
"You about ready to leave?"
"Yeah, just about."
"Well, Hays City ought to take you a couple of days, hadn't it?"
"Day and a half, I figure. It's only 100 miles."
"Well, I'll bet that's harder riding than the cavalry's got Trimble used to."
"Yeah, it'll be something different anyway. At least we won't be stopping every 10 minutes out of every hour."
"No, you won't be doin' that. That's for sure. You won't be getting off and leavin' your horses for a whole hour every evening before you water 'em, either. I'd like to get a picture of you doin' that."
"Well, I don't know, Chester. If I had to spend a whole day on one of those McClellan saddles like the cavalry does, I think I'd welcome a chance to get on my feet."
"Well, I can't say that I blame you none there."
"Well, wouldn't hurt to redd this place up a little when I'm gone," Matt said.
"Oh. You know, I knowed you was gonna say that. Well, all right. All right, I'll- I'll get at it right now. I'll do it."
"Just an idea, Chester."
"Yeah, I know. I know. Sure."
"I'd do it myself, if I had the time. Mm-hm. Just an idea."
You know, Mr Dillon, I … I was makin' a cup of coffee, so we could have a cup 'fore you left, is what I was doing."
"Yeah, now there's an idea."
"Well, it won't taste like nothing but Kansas dust now."
"Yeah, but think what a nice, clean room we'll have to drink it in."
"Yeah, well, I'd just like for you to answer me one question."
"What's that?"
"How come that a debt-free, God-fearin', law-abiding citizen like myself has to do all the hard, dirty chores, and some Army deserter, and a murderer to boot, gets to lay in there on his bunk and stare at the ceiling, and listen to the birds whistling outside his window? Answer me that."
"I don't know. Now, that's a question I'd have to break up, I think. Take it a piece at a time."
"Yeah, well, it ain't just, and it ain't right. That's all I was gonna say."
"Let's get that cup of coffee, huh?"
"Oh. Yeah, that ought to be about ready."
"Ah."
"How is it?"
"Ah. Nothin' wrong with that coffee."
"Well, I made it good and strong. There's nothing like a bellyful of powerful coffee to keep you in the saddle all day."
"Yeah, this will keep me all the way to Hays. Well, Chester, you can have the pleasure of going in and prodding Mr Trimble loose from his bunk of leisure."
"Oh. Well that'll make my day."
Buck couldn't understand why the court in Hays had found Trimble innocent. He found himself wishing that horses could talk the testimony of so many witnesses would have seen Trimble hang. Chester was out in front of the jail when Matt and Trimble returned to Dodge.
"What will you do now," Buck asked the army horse ridden by Trimble.
"Well I'll have to obey him, but I really want to go back to the army. I miss my friends in the regiment it's like I never left my herd. You know he should have been found guilty he killed that old man much as he'd like everybody to think otherwise."
Matt tethered Buck and glared at Trimble until he dismounted and followed him up onto the boardwalk.
"How come you brought him back, Mr Dillon?"
"They found him innocent, Chester."
"Innocent?"
"Nice folks up in Hays. Ain't that so, marshal?"
"Get inside, Trimble. Major Banker still in town, Chester?"
"Yeah. Saw him not more than an hour ago."
"Would you mind gettin' him for me?"
"Sure I'll take Buck to the stables too."
Buck was a little reluctant to go back but at least he'd be able to have a good feed. He dwelt on the conversation he'd had with Trimble's horse and knew that as the man had been found not guilty he'd be returned to his troop to face charge of desertion. The man was so guilty of the charge and he hoped that fate would intervene and a Sioux war lance or an arrow would settle things. The humans he knew had a strong faith in someone they called God maybe he would deal out Justice.