An Honorable Man, Part Ii

...Elias didn’t know who the man was, his mother just shrieked, and retreated back, the man said, “Boy, my name is Trigger Jones, and I tell you, I was friends with your pap. “I head the preacher who took his woman has since passed on, and it’s my point of view, a young man is never far from danger, I owe it to John to look after you. “There’s a lot you will have to understand, ’cause when folks look at you, they will all see nothing but the spawn of Killer Kerwin, a threat that they must fight off constantly. “But I know a thing of two of living in the world of these damn ‘civilized’ folk, I can show you how a real man survives, because what you’re doing now is a bad joke. “Earning coin sweating hard for another… the type of life is a crushing mistake. Your father understood that, and I hope that uou’ll wise up and do this for Kerwin’s sake.” Elias looked back, quite stunned and surprised, a thousand troubled thoughts ran through his mind, his hand on his gun, he managed to say, “There’s no need, we have been doing fine.” Jones just stared at him for a long moment, then gave a small, patronizing smile, said, “You’re just as stubborn as your dad was, but don’t fret, I’ll be around a while.” With that he just got up, and walked right out, but proved that he would live up to his words, every other day he’d come make his pitch, leaving Elias and his mother disturbed. Jones’s repeated visits made him think that maybe some of what he said was true, what chance had he being judged as we was? What exactly could he expect to do? Did people not know he was Kerwin’s boy? Could they look at him and see something else? Would they cast hi out and force him too walk the same dark path to ever greater hells? There were times he thought that he should give in, and pay no heed as to what was ‘allowed,’ but one thought stopped him from taking that step: Why exactly has Jones come to him now? About two weeks after Jones first appeared, Elias was seen heading for the town, he said he had many errands to run, everybody saw him bustling around. Then, around noon, he mounted up his horse, and rode out onto his family’s own spread, he had a creeping suspicion in his mind, and was determined to see where it lead. He rode slowly through the patchwork forest, had no interest in a sudden surprise, a jumble of voices came to his ear, and an unwanted sight came to his eyes... CONCLUDES IN PART III.