The Chase

Two men stepped from the train looking about them with eyes that took in every movement. The older of the two men stepped forward and asked the porter where the baber was.

"Just across the way there stranger," the man said. "Walk past the saloon and it will be on your left."

The two men thanked the porter and moved off towards the hotel.

"Do you think he's here?" The younger man asked.

"I'm not sure, but if he isn't then I'm guessing that he's in some kind of trouble."

Shanking his head slowly the younger man chuckled and said, "That seems to be something that we all know about isn't it Virg?"

The two men walked slowly across the street until they heard a commotion.

"Wonder whats going on?" Virgil said to his brother.

"I guess we should take a look."

There before the two men stood a number of towns folk talking and yelling as though they had nothing better to do with their day.

"What happened here?" Virgil asked.

The man with a star pinned to his shirt said, "A bunch of cowb-boys came ridding into town and rode out again with two hostages."

"Yeah, one of them was our new schoolmarm." A voice called out from the back of the crowd.

"The other feller was a fancy looking dude," The sheriff said as he spit a wad of tobaco juice onto the ground. "Told the gang that he was worth a fair piece of change."

Virgil looked at his brother and they both nodded their head knowing that the man they came to town for had once again found himself in trouble.

"I'm not sure how he does it," Virgil mused. "He just naturally finds a way to get into tight spots."

"Hmm, that's true Virg," the brother said. "But he always seems to know how to get out of them."

"Why do you fellers want to know?" The sheriff asked looking at the two men with some suspicion.

"Did the cow-boys do anything else other than tree this town?"

"They robbed the bank if that's any of your business."

"I think it may be my business," Virgil said as he pulled back the left side of his coat to expose the badge that read; Deputy US Marshal.

The sheriff looked at the two men as if seeing them for the first time and knew that these men meant business. "You wouldn't happen to be..."

"It doesn't matter who we are," Virgil said in a quiet but authorative voice. "I want all the information that you have is that understood?"

"Why didn't you go after them?" Virgil's brother asked.

"Couldn't get a posse together."

"See if you can get a pack-horse and two good riding horses," Virgil said to his brother who had already walked away.

"We'll start out in the morning Virg," The other man said without turning around.

The Town Sheriff knew that for the first time in his life he had truly met two men who would not back down in a fight, he also knew who they were and he was afraid to look weak in front of them.