Alias Smith and Jones Writers
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Alias Smith and Jones Writers

A forum devoted to writers of Alias Smith and Jones Fan Fiction
 
HomePortalGallerySearchLatest imagesRegisterLog in

 

 Feb 22 - Who was that masked man?

Go down 
3 posters
AuthorMessage
Calico

Calico


Posts : 873
Join date : 2012-04-22
Age : 59
Location : Birmingham

Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Empty
PostSubject: Feb 22 - Who was that masked man?   Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Icon_minitimeWed Feb 02, 2022 8:43 am

Well! I am rubbish aren't I?
Set the poll and forgot a new challenge


Since we have all been wearing them off and on for a while now, I thought this months challenge could be


"Who Was That Masked Man?"

bandit bandit bandit

And.... type
Back to top Go down
Kattayl




Posts : 41
Join date : 2021-08-01
Age : 69
Location : Los Angeles, Ca

Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Empty
PostSubject: Mr. Curry and Mr. Heyes, Bankers   Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Icon_minitimeSat Feb 26, 2022 2:10 pm

Amnesty but First Patience
Challenge February 2022
Who Was that Masked Man?

                                                      Mr. Curry and Mr. Heyes, Bankers

“Bank tellers?  You want us to be bank tellers while all the other employees are out of town at a funeral?”  Heyes looked at Maderas incredulously trying to decide if they should be flattered.

“And nobody from the Amnesty Committee will be here with us?” Curry added.  “Nobody except Lom trusts us that much.”

Maderas gave a deep laugh.  “Sheriff Finn Walsh of Walsh Swamp was related to two thirds of the county.  And a group of marshals and sheriffs are coming to honor him.  He was a good man and a long time honest sheriff.  I’m going myself.  For you two, it is only a Thursday afternoon training and then Friday working.  The bank is closed on the weekend.  Everyone will be back Sunday evening.”

The celebration at the reopening of Daisy's Social Club earlier in the day was still echoing in their heads as they rode the train further west into New Mexico.  The rhythmic clanking of the rails was lulling Curry to sleep.

“Almost all Coyote Junction will be at the wake and funeral all weekend.  I’m told Irish wakes can be raucous affairs.”

“If the whole town is going to be gone, why does the bank have to be open?”  Heyes’ curiosity probed.

“Two payroll deliveries are coming on Friday.  You’ll have the combination to the safe so, Heyes, there’s no need to try and break into it.”

Heyes smiled.  “What fun is knowing the combination?”

“Can’t those payroll deliveries be delayed until Monday?” Curry wondered.

“We tried, but with the train schedule, if it's not delivered Friday, it won’t be delivered until Wednesday.  Lot of people depend on getting that money on time.”

Heyes nodded.  Leaning back in his seat, Curry leaned against the window and pulled his hat over his eyes.  “Wake me when we get there.  Didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Copying Curry’s position, Maderas pulled his hat over his face saying, “Heyes, wake us when we get to Coyote Junction.”

Hearing his two companions start to snore, Heyes resigned himself to worrying about their next penance.

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

Thursday afternoon, Maderas walked into the Bank of Coyote Junction with two handsome suited ex-outlaws in tow.  The tellers looked up and gave each other a glance as the trio marched back to the manager’s office and closed the door.

“Mr. Warner, I am Marshal Maderas, and these gentlemen are your substitute tellers, Hannibal Heyes and Jedediah Curry.”

Standing from behind his impressive desk, Zachary Warner extended his hand.  “Mr. Heyes, Mr. Curry.”

Shaking the offered hand, Heyes hid his surprise at the weak, limp handshake.  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Warner.”  With a quick glance at Curry, he continued.  “The Kid… er Jed and I want to sincerely apologize for robbing your bank.  Sir, we don’t do that anymore.”

“Twice.”

“Twice?”

“You robbed this bank twice.”

Looking at the ceiling, Heyes confessed, “Yes, sir, twice.  It was so easy the first time.”  

“Well, you think you two can handle the bank for one day without robbing it?”  Warner’s tone was sarcastic.  “Maderas, this seems like letting the fox watch the chicken coop.”

“I will vouch for them.  They have reformed...maybe this is a good test for them.”  Turning to leave, Maderas looked over his shoulder at his charges.  “Dinner tonight at the dinner for all the sheriffs and marshals in town.  You’re welcome to join us.”

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

For the rest of the day, Curry worked with Mr. Coyle and learned the fundamentals of being a teller and dealing with customers.  Heyes learned the same things from the assistant bank manager, Mr. Doyle, and asked him numerous questions as each step was explained.  

“Why?”

Getting annoyed at the constant scrutiny of his procedures, Mr. Doyle placed his hands on his hips as he answered, “Why what, Mr. Heyes?”

“Why do you place the bills you take in on the bottom of the stack?”

‘Because that is the way it is done.”  Mr. Doyle turned on his heels and marched into Mr. Warner’s office.

“I give up, sir.  I’ll stay and work tomorrow.  Finn is a distant cousin and I shalln’t be missed.”

“Mr. Heyes is not a quick learner, Doyle?  I was led to believe he was quite intelligent.”

“That’s just it.  He learns quickly.  They both learn quickly.  They have already learned far more than necessary because Mr. Heyes keeps asking why.”

“And that is a problem?”

“Yes, I’m sure they’ll rob the bank.  It’s not only the two payrolls, but all of our investor money is in that safe.  And you're giving them the combination.”  Doyle’s frustration was expressed with a wave of his hands and a stomp of his foot.

“Mr. Doyle, the US Marshal’s office and the Governor have vouched for these men.  You will go to the funeral, as will I and Mr. Coyle, and trust that the Bank of Coyote Junction is in good hands.”

Doyle turned to leave muttering, “Fool” under his breath.

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

Opting to eat sandwiches in the saloon, Curry pushed the empty plate away as he looked around.  “Heyes, I got a funny feelin’ in my stomach about us bein’ bank tellers here.  What about you?”.

“Yeah, there’s something not right about it.  If we get caught robbing a bank, we’re on the run again with no amnesty at the end.”

“Maybe it's just a penance.  You know we were in the right place at the right time to help out these people.”  

Heyes stared at Curry, shaking his head.  “No, Kid, I think it’s a trap.  Just got to figure out how we avoid falling in it.”

“That why you had them give me the combination to the safe and not you?”  Curry grinned.  “Or did you want the challenge of openin’ it without it?”

“No, I think that’s part of the trap.”

The double doors of the saloon flew open and a group of laughing men, including Maderas, entered talking loudly and smiling.

“Looks like those lawmen Maderas told us about have finished dinner.  I think we should, too.  We have an early day tomorrow; let’s leave them alone and go to our room.”

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

Two hours later, in the dark of night, Hannibal Heyes looked around and produced the key to the front door of the Bank of Coyote Junction from his pocket.  Slipping inside the bank, Jed Curry took up the familiar position of lookout through the blinds of the front window.  

“Heyes, make it fast.” he whispered.

Taking the given combination, Heyes silently opened the safe, finding it empty.  He felt around quickly to make sure the investors' money was not there.  Rising, he tried the door to Mr. Warner’s office.  The locked door was no test for Heyes’ lockpicks, and he went in and closed the door.  Feeling safe to light the lantern, he took a moment and searched the room with his eyes.  

Dimples graced his face as he discovered the object of his search.  He opened a door in back of the desk and found a second safe, the same safe he had robbed twice before.  All day he had thought about that safe and recalled the combination.  He never forgot a safe’s combination.  He nodded as the remembered combination worked and he opened the door.  

“Ah ha.”  He saw the investor’s money in the safe, including a stack of hundred-dollar bills that he had counted earlier in the day.  When Doyle wasn’t looking, he had left his mark on the band.  “Why would Warner have moved the investor’s money unless he knew the main safe was going to be robbed,” he thought.

Carefully he closed the safe, turned out the lantern and went back into the main room of the bank.

Motioning to Curry, he got a nod in response, and they slipped out the bank door.  In the cover of the moonless night, Heyes locked the door behind them.

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

Precisely at three minutes to nine the next morning, Hannibal Heyes took the key to the front door of the Bank of Coyote Junction out of his pocket.  He unlocked the door, and the ex-outlaws became bank tellers for the day.

Leaning on the desk behind the teller's bars, Heyes concentrated on the book he was reading.  Maderas had been right, not a single customer had entered the bank in the first two hours.  

“’Bout time for that stage to come with that first payroll delivery.”

Looking up from his book, Heyes saw the stage arrive and two men head for the bank.  As they entered, Heyes locked the door behind them.

“Just a precaution,” he explained, smiling at the guards as Curry opened the safe.  

“Fine.  Just count it and sign our receipt.  Stage only stops for half an hour.”

Heyes counted the money carefully, put it in a bag and handed it to Curry.  Then he signed the receipt and the guards left.

“No problems there,” Curry noted.  “You see anythin’ off?”

“No, seemed fine, but one of those guards looked kinda familiar.  Can’t place where or when.”

“Well, the train with the second deposit should be here in an hour.  Hope it goes as smoothly.”  Curry took out a sandwich he had bought from the diner that morning and ate his lunch.  Heyes went back to his book.

“Kid, before they come, go to the mercantile.  I saw they were open.  Borrow a produce scale.”

“A produce scale?  What are you goin’ to weigh?”

“Money.”

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

Hearing the train whistle, Curry went and stood in the doorway of the empty bank waiting for the guards and the payroll.  Following the same procedure, the money was counted, and the receipt signed.  Curry put the money in the safe, closed it and watched the guards leave.  

When he turned, Heyes had the safe open and was weighing the bags, noting the weight of each.

“I would have opened it for you with the combination, Heyes.” Curry teased.

“Quicker this way.”  He finished weighing the last bag.  “Okay here’s a list of a few more things I need.”

“Tar?  Where am I goin’ to find tar?”

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

An elderly woman with curly gray hair sticking out of her bonnet, struggled up the steps of the bank, but refused Curry’s assistance.  “Young man, get back in your place.  You’re not paid to help me.”

“Yes, ma’am.”  Curry smiled at the woman.  “Right this way and I ‘ll help you with your transaction.”

“I want to deposit twenty dollars.”

“Yes, ma’am, just fill out this slip.”

“Then I want to withdraw five dollars.”  

“Why not just deposit fifteen dollars, if I may ask?”

“Because I always deposit twenty dollars every other Friday and I will do the same today.”

Curry looked at the name on the account.  “Of course, Miss Drake.  I’ll take your deposit first.”

Abruptly the quiet of the bank was broken as three armed,masked men matched in and up to the teller’s window.  The leader held his gun on Curry.

Hearing the commotion, Heyes stepped out of the office where he was eating lunch.  With a half-eaten sandwich in his hand, he stopped and raised his hands.  “Don’t hurt the lady,” he growled in a commanding voice.

“You ain’t giving the orders here, Heyes.  Yes, we know who you and your partner are.  How fortuitous for us; outlaws running a bank.”

“Ex-outlaws.”

“Outlaws.  Heard you would be here.  Planned it today so you could join us.  Open that safe.  No heroics.  We’re making you our partners, splitting the take with you.  All you got to do is give us the money and forget what we look like.”

“Ex-outlaws,” Heyes mumbled..

The second outlaw grabbed the elderly Miss Drake and drew his gun.”  You wouldn’t want something to happen to the lady here, would you?”

“We’ll do what you want.”  Heyes knelt and opened the safe, handing the robbers the sacks filled with payroll.  Without looking for anything more in the safe, the men freed Miss Drake and left the bank.

Heyes closed and locked the door in back of them as they left.

“Who was that masked man?” Miss Drake asked.  “He looked sort of familiar.  I haven't had this much excitement for a long time.

Finishing Miss Drake’s transaction, Curry gave her the fifteen dollars from his untouched cash drawer, unlocked the bank door and wished her a good day.

“Heyes, where’d you put the money from the payroll deposits?”

“In the office safe.”

“You were right; they ignored the money in our drawers.  Only wanted the payroll.  And Miss Drake was right; they did look familiar.”

“Well, we find out soon enough who they are.  After they reach into those bags, their hands and arms will be covered with permanent ink, tar and soot.” Heyes answered smugly.

“Smart that you weighed them, so they weighed the same as the money.”

“Speaking of money, I have to move it back from the office safe to the main safe.  I also changed the combination on the safes.  Then you can reopen for business.  We have an hour and sixteen minutes left.  They really shouldn’t have trusted the combination to two outlaws.”

“Ex-outlaws.” said Curry.

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

While Curry stayed in the bank, Heyes telegrammed Maderas.  Surprised, he received a reply quickly.  “Leaving now.  I got this handled.  Trust me and don’t do anything foolish.”

“Odd response,” Heyes told Curry when they had locked the bank and returned to their room with bowls of stew from the saloon.

“Unless you were right, and he knew this was a trap all along.”

“And I was just getting to like him.”

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

Woken up by someone pounding on the door to their room, Curry and Heyes had their guns in their hands before standing up.  “Let me in.  It’s Maderas.”

Curry stood behind the door as Heyes cracked it open.  Maderas pushed it firmly and walked in quickly.  Looking at the gun Curry had aimed at him, Maderas raised his hands.

Heyes was to the point.  “Were you in on it, Maderas?” he growled lowly.

Looking from one to the other then staying on Curry’s gun, Maderas answered firmly, “No.  I would never allow such a thing.  I found out shortly before I got your telegram from some of my fellow marshals at the funeral.  I was considering what to do.  Tell me what exactly happened.  I’m riding back tonight to confront them.”

While Heyes related what happened, Curry studied Maderas.  He saw anger just below the surface, the kind of anger thoughtless opponents had experienced just before challenging him.  It was the kind of anger that could explode at the wrong time.  

When Heyes had finished, Maderas was sitting on the edge of the hotel room bed, fists clenched, gritting his teeth.  Curry saw his anger start to explode a moment before he stood and smashed his fist into the door jam.

“Maderas… Reverend.”  Heyes put an arm around Maderas’ shoulder, but he jerked away and smashed the water bowl and pitcher off the table onto the floor.  Curry started to pick up the pieces as Maderas watched, almost hypnotized by his movements.  Up righting the table, Curry put the pieces in a stack.  Only when he had finished did Maderas speak.

“Just before I got your telegram, I overheard some sheriffs laughing.  Drunk, they were talking about how Heyes and Curry were going to get their comeuppance Monday morning when the bank opened.  Three sheriffs, including the sheriff of Coyote Junction, were going to rob the bank when there was at least one customer there.  They planned to make it seem like you were in on it all along and you were meeting up with them to split the take later.”

“That’s what we figured.  Felt something was wrong.  Knew something was wrong when the investor’s money had been moved to the back safe.  Then the robbers didn’t even take the money from our drawers.  That was at least two hundred dollars.”  Curry spoke softly, watching Maderas’ anger slowly subside inward again.

Heyes stood and confronted Maderas.  “Now, what are we going to do about it?”

“Wired Trevors and Sheriff Paul Rich of Lyric to meet me at the funeral.  You remember Rich?  His wife won for the best strawberry pie when you were helping the pie cooking grammas.”

Curry smiled widely and closed his eyes, remembering the taste of the apple and lemon pies that had been made.  “Yeah, I remember Sheriff Rich.”

They’ll both be there tomorrow afternoon.  Seems like from what you told me, all we have to do is look for three men with ink and tar on their hands.  Knowing the Coyote Junction sheriff is one of them should make it easy.  We’ll arrest them for bank robbery and come back here.”

Heyes’ dimples appeared at the praise for his plan.  

“Need you two to watch the bank that no one else touches those payrolls.”

Handing Maderas a slip of paper, Heyes smile grew wider.  “Here’s the new combinations for the two safes.  Unless there’s another safecracker around, that money is safe.”

“Want us to come with you?” Curry questioned.

“No, I want you two to stay here.  Act like innocent angels this weekend.  Don’t do anything heroic or foolish.”

ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ*****ASJ

Monday morning at three minutes to nine, Hannibal Heyes took the key from his vest and unlocked the door to the Bank of Coyote.  Jed Curry, Mr. Warner, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Coyle followed him inside, but their attention was diverted to a gang of riders galloping up to the bank.  Mr. Maderas dismounted and strode forward.  

“Mr. Zachary Warner, you are arrested for attempted bank robbery.”

Mr. Doyle gasped as he saw the marshal fasten Warner’s hands into handcuffs.  Looking around, he recognized their sheriff in the group of men.  “Sheriff, you know Mr. Warner.  This just must be some kind of a mistake,” he pleaded.

Looking sheepish, the sheriff raised his ink and tar covered hands so Mr. Doyle could see that they were also restrained in handcuffs.

Miss Drake passed the bank on the way to do her Monday morning shopping.  “Oh!” she exclaimed.  Looking at Heyes, she pointed to the sheriff.  “Oh, my, my, my.  Sheriff, I do believe you were one of the masked men that robbed our own bank last Friday.”  Winking at Heyes, she smiled.  “What are we coming to?  Sheriffs robbing banks and outlaws for bank tellers.”

HannaHeyes and Penski like this post

Back to top Go down
Penski
Moderator
Penski


Posts : 1804
Join date : 2012-04-22
Age : 62
Location : Northern California

Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Feb 22 - Who was that masked man?   Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Icon_minitimeMon Feb 28, 2022 7:31 pm

Who was that masked man?


Heyes turned in his saddle, facing his partner. “We should be in Texas, Kid.”

Curry glanced around. “How can you tell? Still looks like southern Colorado or Oklahoma to me.”

“I can tell… It’s warmer.”

The Kid chuckled. “Anything is warmer than Wyoming and Colorado this time of year.” He paused a moment. “Any idea what kind of job McCreedy will have for us?”

“His telegram just said ranch work. Maybe fence building since the open range is no longer thought of as a good idea.”

Curry shook his head. “What a shame. Everything is gettin’ boxed in.” He pulled out his canteen, uncorked it, and took a drink. “Can’t say I’m lookin’ forward to fencin’.

“I’m not either, but it’s a paying job and a milder winter.”

Kid Curry stopped his mount and stood up in his stirrups while looking around.

Heyes reined in his horse. “What is it?”

“I dunno, but I have one of those feelin’s.”

Heyes studied the horizons around them. “I don’t see anything. Do you?”

“Nope.” The Kid sat down, unholstered his gun, and checked his bullets. “There’s some rocks up ahead near the trail. Could be a good place for an ambush.”

“How do you want to handle it?”

“Stay as far away as possible and be ready for anything.”

The two former outlaws cautiously rode as far away from the rock formation as they could. They passed it, checked around again, and breathed a quick sigh of relief.

Two rapid rifle shots came near their horses’ legs. “Hold it right there! Hands up high where I can see ‘em!”

The Kid and Heyes glanced at each other while raising their hands high above their heads, while holding on to the reins.

A man came out of hiding behind the rocks they had just passed, carrying a rifle.

“We don’t have much, if you’re planning to rob us. Heading down from Montana to some warmer climate for a job,” Heyes chatted away.

“Sure, you are. I recognized you two in the last town – you're Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry and you’re wanted for $10,000 each, dead or alive!”

“Not again, Thaddeus!” Heyes said, frustration dripping down in his words. “This happens to us all the time. We’ve been mistaken for those two notorious outlaws in the past and been released.”

The man rode close, leaned over, and removed Kid Curry’s gun. He then did the same to Heyes.

“Now slowly get off your horses and lay down on the trail on your bellies.”

Heyes and Curry started following directions.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” Heyes tried again. “I’m Joshua Smith and this is Thaddeus Jones. We’re NOT those outlaws!”

A shot almost hit Heyes' boot.

“Lay down and stop talkin’ or I’ll gag you.”

The man quickly and efficiently tied Curry’s and then Heyes’ hands behind their backs. “Okay, you can get up now.”

The two former outlaws struggled to stand up with their hands tied.

“You know we’re Jones and Smith. Who are you?” the Kid ventured to ask.

“Collins – and I’m gonna be a rich scout.” He tied the horses so he could lead them, mounted his own gelding, and pointed his rifle. “Start walking.”

“Walking!?” Heyes and Curry cried out together.

“You heard me – WALK!”


~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Two very tired, cold, hungry, and foot-sore partners sat facing each other and tied to trees. Collins sat by a fire eating his dinner.

“Yessiree, you two will make me a rich man. I can get outta Texas and go down to one of those little Mexican towns on the ocean.” He scrapped his plate of beans clean and smacked his lips loudly.

“How about some food for us?” Curry asked.

“Food for you two?” Collins laughed. “Now why would I waste good food on the likes of outlaws like you?”

“Then at least some water.” Heyes coughed. “My throat's about parched.”

Collins picked up his canteen and swirled it around. “Guess I can afford to give you both a little sip to wet your whistle.”

He removed his gun and cautiously went over to Heyes and gave him a swallow and then over to Curry to let him have a drink.

“There you go. Don’t want to hear from you for the rest of the night.”

“How about a blanket? You have to admit it’s getting cold and you’re by the fire.” Heyes motioned with his head over to their belongings. “You can use our bedrolls to cover us.”

Collins sighed. “Well, I suppose that won’t hurt none IF you ain’t tryin’ to get loose. Are you?” He walked behind them and checked their ropes. “Tsk…Tsk… Tsk. I’m seein’ bloody wrists here.”

“Can’t say you wouldn’t do the same,” Curry said sharply as Collins pulled on his wrists.

“I suppose not, but that means I’m gonna have to tie you up different.” He got the ropes from his prisoners’ things and tied their torsos to the tree, making sure the knots were not where they could be worked on or reached. “That should hold you.”

“The blankets?” Heyes winced at the tightness of the bindings.

Collins grumbled as he got the bedrolls and covered them up. “Shouldn’t be doin’ this with you tryin’ to get away.” He walked back over to his fire, put another log on it, and climbed into his bedding. “You're wanted dead or alive and I've been mighty generous so far. Now go to sleep or I’m takin' the blankets away.”


~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Early in the morning, when the dark gives way to light before the sun rises, Curry and Heyes were alert and glancing at each other. Someone with a white hat was sneaking into the camp and towards Collins. They watched with cautious interest as the person pulled out his gun, looked towards the prisoners, and held his index finger to his lips, warning them to be quiet. They glanced at each other and then nodded.

Another person, without a hat, stealthily came in following behind, with his gun drawn.

The first man, with the hat, kicked the sleeping man’s foot. “Wake up, Collins!”

“What? Huh?” Collins looked around bewildered and half asleep. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“We’re taking you in to the sheriff in Tascosa.”

“Me? What’d I do?”

“You betrayed Texas Rangers in the Bryant's Gap ambush. Because of you, the Cavendish Gang killed the rangers.”

“Prove it!” Collins spat.

“He have proof.” The second man said, his gun aimed at the scout. “You get up, get dressed.”

The morning light was getting brighter, and the prisoners saw that the man holding the gun on Collins was an Indian dressed in buckskins, while the other man was white who wore all blue with a white hat.

“Who are those two men you have tied to the trees?” asked the man with the hat.

“They’re my prisoners and I’m aimin’ to get the reward for them!”

“How are you, a wanted man, planning to get the reward on them?”

“Because I’m small potatoes compared to them!” Collins snapped. “That’s Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry!”

The white man with a mask covering his eyes walked over to the prisoners. “Is that true? Are you Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry?”

Heyes shook his head. “We must look like those two lowlife outlaws because we’ve been mistaken for them before. We told Mr. Collins that I’m Joshua Smith and this is my best friend, Thaddeus Jones.”

“Smith and Jones?”

Heyes nodded. “That’s right. Lots of people named Smith and Jones and we happen to be two of them.”

“Tonto, get Collins over to Tascosa and I will meet you there.”

“Dangerous men, Heyes and Curry, Kemo Sabe. Large bounty on their heads.”

“They are not as dangerous as the Cavendish Gang, who are not bothered by killing people. In all of their bank and train robberies, Heyes and Curry never killed anyone. Have they, Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones?”

“That's right. They only shot in self-defense and, even then, they avoided killin’ anyone. Or so I’ve heard,” Curry quickly added.

“You get up, Collins. We go.” Tonto waved his gun. “Horses saddled over there.”

“What about Heyes and Curry? What about my bounty?” Collins complained. “I caught ‘em and they’re my prisoners!”

“You our prisoner. Move!”

“You heard Tonto, Collins. Get up and ready to move out.”

Collins reluctantly stomped his feet into his boots and stood up. “You better get my prisoners safely to the sheriff at Tascosa, too,” he warned, with a glare.

“I’ll be right behind you, Tonto, once I deal with Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones,” the masked man told his Indian partner.

“Yes, Kemo Sabe. We go now, Collins. Get over by trees where horses are.”

Once Tonto and Collins were out of earshot, Heyes looked up at their new captor. “Deal with us?”

The masked man took the blankets off the two prisoners. “First, I need to know if you really are Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry.”

“Would it matter?” the Kid asked.

“I have not heard about them robbing for almost two years. However, I have heard rumors about them trying for amnesty from the governor of Wyoming.”

“I’ve heard the same rumors.” Heyes leaned forward as the masked man began untying him.

“I also heard about the Governor Conrad Zulick being held in Mexico as a prisoner and that Heyes and Curry helped rescue him.”

“We heard the same thing.” Kid Curry waited his turn to be untied.

“Where are you heading?” The masked man finished freeing Heyes’ hands and began working on the ropes binding Curry.

Heyes untied his feet. “We were heading south to Patrick McCreedy’s ranch. Heard he has some ranch work for us.”

“Patrick McCreedy from Red Rock? I have heard of him. He was accused of murder, but two men went to Tombstone to bring back the real murderer.”

“So, you’ve heard of us,” the Kid admitted as he rolled his stiff shoulders forward after being released and then worked on the rope around his feet. “The question now is what are you goin’ to do about it?”

Heyes and Curry both looked up at the masked man waiting for his answer.

“It sounds like Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry are trying to right the wrongs of their past and deserve a second chance. If I hear, though, that you return to being an outlaw, I will actively hunt you down and turn you in now that I know what you look like.”

“So, you’re letting us go?” Heyes confirmed.

The masked man nodded. “I am allowing you to make amends and get a second chance. I should go and catch up with Tonto and Collins. Your horses are saddled on the other side of those trees.”

“We appreciate it.” Heyes proffered his hand to the man, and they shook.

Curry also shook hands. “Can I ask you a question?”

“What’s that?”

“Your bullets… Are they silver?”

The man smiled, pulled one out from his belt, and handed it to the Kid. “They are. And now, gentlemen…” The masked man tipped his hat, turned, and walked away.

A moment later, a beautiful white stallion came into view. It reared, with the masked man on his back, and they heard a cry of “Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!” The horse galloped down the road.

The Kid turned to his partner. “Heyes, who was that masked man?”


~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“So, you want to know about the masked man?” Patrick McCreedy puffed on his cigar. “There are rumors about him, but no one knows for sure,” he shrugged. “Some say he was a Texas Ranger and the sole survivor of an ambush at a canyon known as Bryant's Gap. He’s called the Lone Ranger. Only problem with that rumor is that there were six rangers and there are six graves.”

Heyes blew out smoke from his cigar. “He mentioned Bryant’s Gap when he was arresting Collins.”

“Another rumor is he’s an owner of a silver mine, but I’m not sure how he can mine as well as be crossing Texas arresting outlaws and restoring justice.”

Kid Curry was fingering the bullet. “He gave me this silver bullet.”

McCreedy looked at it. “That’s one of his trademarks along with his Indian partner…”

“Tonto.” Heyes took a sip of brandy.

“Tonto and his white horse…”

“Silver,” Curry finished. “A beautiful, white stallion.”

“I’m kinda surprised he would let notorious outlaws like Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry go,” Big Mac commented. “He roams the West to aid those in need, to fight evil, and to establish justice.”

“Well, we were definitely in need.” The Kid picked up his glass and sipped his brandy.

Heyes nodded and puffed on his cigar. “And he must believe in second chances, thank goodness.”



Author’s Notes

The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend, Tonto, on American radio and television programs, books, films, and comics. He was the sole survivor of a group of six ambushed Texas Rangers. A posse of six members of the Texas Ranger Division, led by Captain Dan Reid, pursued a band of outlaws led by Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish, but are betrayed by a civilian guide named Collins, who was secretly working with Cavendish, and led the unsuspecting rangers into an ambush at a canyon known as Bryant's Gap.

Later, a Native American named Tonto stumbles onto the grisly scene. He discovers one of the rangers, Captain Reid's younger brother, John, barely alive, and he nurses the man to health. In some versions, Tonto recognizes the lone survivor as the man who had saved his life when they both were children. According to the television series, Tonto gave John a ring and the name Kemo Sabe, which he said means "trusty scout".

John Reid then tells Tonto that he intends to hunt down Cavendish and his men and to bring them to justice. To conceal his identity and honor his fallen brother, John fashions a black domino mask using cloth from his late brother's vest. To aid in the deception, Tonto digs a sixth grave and places at its head, a cross bearing John Reid's name so that Cavendish and his gang will believe that all the Rangers had been killed. In many versions, Reid continues fighting for justice as the Lone Ranger even after the Cavendish gang is captured.


_________________
h
"Do you ever get the feeling that nothing right is ever going to happen to us again?" - Kid Curry
Back to top Go down
Sponsored content





Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Feb 22 - Who was that masked man?   Feb 22 - Who was that masked man? Icon_minitime

Back to top Go down
 
Feb 22 - Who was that masked man?
Back to top 
Page 1 of 1
 Similar topics
-
» Feb 22 - Who was that masked man?

Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Alias Smith and Jones Writers  :: The Writing Spot :: The Story Challenge-
Jump to: