Festus closed the door of the jail house and crossed Front Street on his way over to the Long Branch. He wove through the horses and wagons that manoeuvred the road on whatever business they were attending to.

The deputy reached the boardwalk and was watching some of the town's folk on the other side of the street, rather then where he was walking and bumped into Wilbur Jonas who was standing in front of his store staring at the building. "For heaven's sakes, Festus!" Jonas hollered at the hill man.

Festus looked up at the store owner with a bit of surprise on his face, "Mr. Jonas. I didn't think ol'' Doc would let out of his clammy hands jist yet," Festus stated.

"Doc said I could go home," Jonas said.

"How are you feeling?" the hill man asked with sincerity.

"Oh, I'll be fine," Jonas seemed beleaguered. "I just need to get some rest, and get my store open," he glanced at the closed sign that hung in the window of the door.

Festus nodded, "You do that," he said with a smile. Jonas nodded and began to walk to his home. Festus watched the store owner limp away. The deputy shook his head, "That feller sure has a black cloud following him lately," he said to know one in particular.

"That's for sure," the doctor said from behind Festus. He was just on his way up to his office. Festus turned on his heels and looked at the doctor, "How's Miss Kitty?"

Doc drew his hand across this moustache, "She'll be fine in a few weeks. She's pretty tender at the moment," he concluded and reached for the railing if the stairs.

"Are you going to get the bullet out of Matthew now?" the hill man's voice was soft.

Doc stopped and turned around to look at Festus, "I hope to," he said and was about to say something else when Barney D arrived hastily from the telegraph office. "Festus," he huffed, "this just came across the wire for you," he handed Festus a piece of paper. The telegraph operator excused himself and quickly walked back to his office.

Festus rotated it trying to discern the correct orientation. Doc rolled his eyes and stepped down from the stairs and snatched the telegram from the deputy's hands, "Why in thunder don't you learn to read?" he growled at Festus.

The doctor handed Festus his medical bag so that he could retrieve his eyeglasses and place them on his face. Doc then adjusted the telegram to read it, "Looks like the army is sending some men to investigate the stagecoach hold up," he stated and looked over the gold rims of his spectacles. "They will be here tomorrow," he concluded.

"I suspect they will want to go back out to the wreck," Festus added.

"I just hope they can track those hooligans that were up in my office. I can't imagine that one fellow getting too far with that wound he has. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it hasn't opened again," Doc said handing the message back to the deputy in exchange for his medical bag.

"I could start tracking them, myself," Festus suggested.

"No. Leave that to the army," Doc urged as he turned and began his climb up to his office. The last thing he needed was to treat yet another friend of his due to the ilk of the likes of the men who robbed the stagecoach.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

James Doris slowly opened his eyes and looked around and groaned. His side hurt like hell and he winced when he touched it – he lifted his hand and looked at the puckered wound. "What happened?" he looked at his friends with confusion on his face.

"You were bleeding all over like a stuffed pig, so we took it upon ourselves to help you out a little," Dwight Hodgson stated nonchalantly from the far side of the fire.

"My side hurts worse than before," Doris said through his clenched teeth as he slowly sat up.

"Yeah, it might hurt, but at least you're still kicking," Elcombe said as he chewed on a piece of beef jerky.

"Maybe we can make better time now," Hodgson said.

"We'd better. I bet news has already reach Williams and his cronies," Elcombe muttered, "and they'll soon be after us. I'm sure you don't want us to leave you behind," Elcombe stood and nudged Doris on the boot with his own foot.

Doris drew a deep breath and slowly got to his feet with the aid of Elcombe. "Lets get riding then," he said as he held his side and moved painfully over to his horse. "Someone give me a hand," he waited by the horse's side.

Hodgson stood from the stump he was perched upon and kicked some sand into the ambers of the fire pit. The stump of the cigar he had also went into the fire pit as he walked over to give Elcombe a hand with helping James Doris up onto his saddle.

Doris bit his lower lips and tears came to his eyes as he moved. He wondered what his friends had done to him and yet he was afraid to ask. Once he was settled into the saddle he felt somewhat better.

Hodgson and Elcombe climbed up onto their horses, "Let make dust," Hodgson smiled and spurred his horse. Elcombe followed and a reluctant and weary Doris gave chase.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Williams and Cox had their men mounted and ready to ride. The trip to Dodge City would take the better part of the rest of the day and get them into town by night fall. Williams was hoping that the passengers and deputy would be open and honest about the events surrounding the heist. Moreover, he wanted to find out if in fact Hodgson, Doris and Elcombe were responsible and if they were he wanted to make sure they suffered.

"Lets get moving," Williams motioned with his right hand and the group of men, consisting of ten left Fort Dodge on their way to Dodge City. This would not be a leisurely trip, and Williams had already warned his men to keep level heads and stay sobber - they too were warned on the point of court marshal or worse - a beating from Williams himself.