The Sherriff's First Day, Part Ii

...They were quite faint, most would not have seen them, just a pattern in how the grass did bend, from their looks the cowboys seemed unaware, Connolly decided to move with care. He knew not what types of cowboys were here, sometimes ranchers hired those who brought fear, and if they had shot down the Sinter Gang they could be brave men, or the kind to hang. He stood up and got back upon his horse, said, “We should scattered, try to find their course. The body is warm, it’s not been that long, Let’s finds them before they’ve gone too far on.” The cowboys agreed, and they all rode out, Connolly followed the tracks he had found, watching as the others went out of view, then pushed on faster, to the prints kept true. He’d ridden four hours, and then he saw a figure riding through a wooded draw, out towards a stream, rocky and quite swift, Connolly pushed on, gun out for the risk. The figure heard him right by the creekside, a small man who looked back with frightened eyes, he panicked and kicked in on his horse’s flank, racing frantically for the creek’s far bank. But Connolly had saved his horse’s strength, and raced forwards right over the stream’s bench, caught up with the man, pushed his gun at him, just noticing the figure was quite slim. In fact the man was not a man at all, just a teenage boy, looked ready to bawl, Connolly was shocked, thought him the wrong prey. “I don’t want to hang!”the scared boy did say. “I had to do it! DeWills killed my pa! Did things to my mother against the law! Please, lawman, sir, I did not have a choice!” Connolly heard the fear in the boys voice. His mind raced to make sense of what he heard, why a boy would ever speak such grim words. this young man couldn’t even be fifteen, so he said, “Get down, tell me what you mean.” They dismounted amidst an aspen grove, the young man shook as if suffering blows, Connolly had seen such terror before, the kid’s mind was broken, couldn’t take more. “Why don’t you tell me what is going on? Killing is harsh, but it’s not always wrong. How did DeWills come to kill your father? And what do you mean about your mother?” The kid didn’t look entirely convinced, Connolly spoke low when dealing with him, he’d seen people forced to take someone’s life, it could shatter a mind, leave you not right. “My father, he rode with Joe Sinter’s crew, but he didn’t tell me, I never knew. Twas only after they had been killed that I learned of it, and with shame was filled... CONTINUES...