Chester Miller's Final Fight, Part I

In the desert waste Chester Miller looked out, saw the rest of the gang riding back slow, fresh from the bank job in Copperstone Creek, a place that Chester could dare not go. He’d spent his teen years in that little ville, caused much mischief of the criminal kind, if he had rode in with the gang today he would surely have been recognized. So he’d drawn up a plan and then stepped back, let the rest of the boys do the hard work, given the sacks tied on to their saddles they’d succeeded, and got away unhurt. But on the horse of his right-hand man, an old rebel who the boys called Bret, rode a scared boy, his eyes wide with terror, fighting not to sob with every breath. He tossed the boy down in front of Chester, who said,”Why did you bring a young kid here?” Bret said,”Took a hostage, held back the marshall, allowed us to escape with nothing to fear.” Chester looked closely at the ten-year old, seeing something familiar in his face. “Besides,”said Bret,”now we’ll get a ransom, his father looked the type who could pay!” They bound the boy’s hand with a stretch of rope, but made no other effort to restrain, as they all drank, Chester watched the boy, where had he seen him? He wracked his brain. As night started to fall, the gang dropped off, Chester suddenly saw truth before him: the brow and the forehead, the sweep of the jaw, a spitting image of his brother Tim! Chester knelt down, look the kid in the eyes, asked,”By what name are you usually called?” The boy stammered,”R-R-Ronald Miller.” Said Chester,”Named after your grandpa.” He did not have to ask any further, the boy was his nephew, without doubt, and with not a moment’s hesitation he pulled a long, dull Bowie knife out. Ronald’s eyes bulged from his head in fear, until Chester quickly slashed his bond, took the confused boy, lead him by the hand, said,”Now we have got to move quickly, come on.” They picked their way over to his horse, up on the saddle the small figure went. Chester was about to clamber up to when the night by a loud shout was rent. Bret was awake, the others coming ’round, they’d be drawing their irons before long, said to the kid,”Tell Tim Chester helped you!” Slapped the horses, and in a flash it was gone... CONCLUDES IN PART II