Festus knelt in the long grass and picked up a tiny white heart-shaped button. "See this, marshal? It must have come off her dress whilst she was sittin' under this here tree."

Matt was a good tracker himself, but he marveled at the skill that had picked up a trail no one else could see and found a button that had been invisible to him. Festus' woodcraft was as sharp as ever and Matt could almost forget the deputy's condition. Then he would ride too close and Festus would flinch from him, that frightened look in his eyes.

They cast back and forth for the better part of the afternoon before Festus found the first faint footprint that led them this far. The marshal had hoped they would find the child before nightfall but the day was growing very late. The deputy stood up now and looked around, then shook his head. "Goin' to be gettin' dark real soon. I hate to say it, but mebbe we better make camp and start fresh in the mornin'."

Matt frowned. "I don't like the thought of that little girl sleeping out on the prairie."

"Golly bill, I don't like it either, marshal, but if we keep goin' now we might miss signs and have to backtrack in the mornin'. You can see for yourself the light's goin'. We got no choice but to stop."

"I guess you're right." Matt got down from his horse and loosened the cinch, then pulled off the saddle and dropped it on the ground. Festus did the same. "We'd better get some firewood," said the marshal. He looked thoughtfully at Festus.

"What's wrong, marshal?" asked the deputy.

"You aren't going to try to run off, are you?"

Festus was shocked. "With that young'un lost out here? 'Course not! I'll even shake on it." He held out his hand.

Matt looked down at that hard brown hand, remembering the first time he had ever shaken it. That had been when Festus was after his uncle Black Jack Haggen for killing his brother Fergus. Matt had been tracking Haggen too and run into Festus. The man had been wary of him, but they had shaken hands and Festus had been faithful to his word. Matt wouldn't have made it without him. The marshal took his friend's hand and shook it. "Let's get that wood."

They sat by the fire eating beef jerky and washing it down with coffee. Matt drained his cup and put it down. "I see you haven't forgotten how not to make coffee."

Festus poured some more for himself. "Tastes all right to me. Seems as if yore mighty picky for a lawman."

Matt stretched out, his head on his saddle. "I'm not picky at all. You just don't know how to make coffee. You never did."

Festus laid down on the other side of the fire where he could watch Matt. "That doctor keeps tellin' me you and me is friends."

Matt said lazily, "We are."

"How did we meet?"

Matt raised himself on his elbow and Festus sat up. "Well, I went out to a farm...the man who owned the place had been killed and his grandson came to get me. You were after the killer yourself and when I got there you were hiding in the barn. You came out and we found we were after the same man, so we teamed up."

"Did we get the man?"

"Yeah."

"Why wuz I after him?" The marshal hesitated. He wanted Festus to get well, but he didn't want to bring up painful memories. "Marshal?" The deputy was looking nervous and Matt sighed. Probably better to tell him the truth than let his imagination run wild.

"He killed your brother."

"I have a brother?"

"You had a couple. You come from a big family." Matt chuckled, remembering. "There's Eliab and Claudius and Mayblossom and Aunt Thede and Aunt George..."

"AUNT George? Who in tarnation names the babies in my family?"

Matt laughed outright. "I don't know."

Festus shook his head. "Mebbe that explains why I have a jack mule named Ruth."

Matt sat up. "You named him after a mule you had in the war. You told me she was your favorite mule and she got shot when you rescued some wounded soldiers and now you name all your mules after her."

"What side wuz I on?"

"The South."

"What side wuz you on?"

"The North."

Festus laid down again. "So we wuz on diff'rent sides."

"We're on the same side now, Festus."

The deputy put his hat over his face. "Just as you say, marshal." He was snoring in a few minutes, but it was a long time before Matt could get to sleep.