There were several customers in the diner for being late in the morning. I recognized most of them, but there was one table with a couple of men I didn’t know, and another ol’ timer sitting by himself at a corner table enjoying his food. I know I’m not the town marshal, but it was engrained in me to keep an eye on strangers. Charlie was back in town and he allowed Lucas to leave the jail to come over for breakfast.
“So Phillips is going a good job up in Silverton,” I questioned Charlie between sips of coffee.
Charlie had been up to Silverton as there had been some trouble. Bob Phillips was marshal of Silverton, he had no outside jurisdiction of the smaller communities in the area or the large mines that were outside Silverton. That put the job to the sheriff–Charlie Gold. He had a large and rough area to oversee; from Silverton down to Durango and then over to Telluride. Most of the time he didn’t have to worry about Durango, but currently the town had no marshal. I helped him out some, but was hesitant to take on the duties of town marshal even if it were offered me, which I doubted it would be.
“I will give Bob credit though,” Charlie related. “If a crime took place in Silverton and the man left the town, Bob would go after him. He felt that because the crime took place in his jurisdiction he still had the right to chase down the culprit.
“Sounds like a good man to have on the job,” I replied, trying to remember what I knew about Bob Phillips.
Customers had started leaving so Molly came over to sit for a few minutes. “What are you men talking about?” she inquired purposely saying men to include Lucas.
“The Sheriff here was tellin’ me how good a job the marshal in Silverton is doin’,” I informed her, then looked at Charlie. “Who’s his deputy again?”
“Shy Williams,” he responded with a smile. “One thing he’s not shy about is pulling a gun if needed. That’s what worries me about Phillips. He refused to carry one. Oh, he’ll take a shotgun with him if needed, but feels if he has one on his hip he’s a target from any want-t’-be gunman.”
I caught Molly looking over at Lucas. My what a difference a couple of years could make. What a difference some hard experiences could make. He used to cut wood for the diner and for others around town. He still takes care of my horses, but he is very conscientious about his duties at the jail.
“You’re probably glad your uncle’s home, aren’t you Lucas?” inquired Molly. “I’m sure Marta is.”
“Si, I guess so,” he replied in sort of a sour manner.
Molly glanced at me, but I decided to let his comment ride. “Was the pie good today?” she again inquired of Lucas.
A large grin appeared on his face. “Senora Forrest, when is your pie not good?” That brought a giggle and smile from Molly. She was used to me complimenting her on her cooking and especially her pies, but it was especially nice coming from Lucas.
His face turned serious and he asked me a pertinent, but hard question. “Senor Miles, why are there so many evil men in the world?”
Molly’s eyebrows arched, and I glanced at Charlie. “You remember the Garden, when Adam and Eve sinned against God, and then a while later Cain killed his brother Abel?” He nodded his head.
“Well, in the course of time, I think that men, instead of turnin’ back to their Creator, began to see how bad they could be. They purposely, at times, seem to want to outdo the other in regard to meanness and evil.”
He acted as if he understood, until his next question. “But why?”
Now, “why?” is an important question, but at times it can become very annoying. Why this? Why that? Why not? and on it can go. Lucas wasn’t doing that, and I didn’t take it that way, but I sorta squelched beneath his question.
“Lucas, the ol’ devil, wants to destroy any good on this earth. Evil is his means of doin’ so,” I informed him.
I was waiting for his next question when Jimmy Hopkins rushed through the doorway hollering, “Sheriff Gold, Sheriff Gold!”
Charlie waved and Jimmy ran over to him with a telegram. While Charlie was opening it I tossed the kid a short bit to which I was rewarded with a face full of excitement. He ran off holding up the dime.
He dropped the telegram on the table. “I need to run back to Silverton. It seems…