Joey's Revenge

It was a busy saloon in Dodge.  Ten or twelve hands were bellies up to the bar.  Near twice that many sat at green topped tables.  Some had been there all day.  None of the patrons noticed the young boy enter until the barkeep yelled, "Get out a here kid!  Don't allow no school kids in here."

All conversation stopped as everyone looked at the youngster standing just inside the swinging doors.  What they saw was a ten or twelve year old boy, pink faced and skinny.  His clothes were about four sizes too big, even the hat that still sat on his head came down below the top of his ears.  When he spoke, it was obvious he was forcing his voice to sound deep and grown‑up.

"You allow baby killers in here, so why not allow little kids."  The room got even quieter.  Everyone could see the kid was wearing a shooting iron.

The beefy bartender walked down the bar, closer to the door.  He stopped where a sawed off shotgun was kept under the bar.  "What'd you say kid?"  He certainly didn't expect to have to shoot a twelve-year-old brat, but that was where he always stood when he didn't understand what was going on.

"Last June, three varmints rode on my pa's ranch.  They killed my folks, murdered by baby brother, then raped my fourteen year old sister."

One of the men at the far end of the bar quietly backed up a few steps then moved to the back wall.  The youngster turned away from the bartender to face the man at the rear.  "Before she died, my sister said the skinny one had a sailor's tattoo on his¼"

Before the boy could finish his story, the man in the rear started his draw.  He never cleared leather.  A bullet in the head stopped him in mid‑draw.  Everyone in the room could see the blue anchor tattooed on his right arm.  He dropped without a sound.

By the time the bartender could bring his hidden weapon into play, the kid had his colt holstered.  As the boy sat in a chair nearby he said "Someone go get the town marshal.  Tell him Joey Mackenzie just killed a man."

It turned out that the marshal knew of the Mackenzie Murders.  He'd read the wanted poster Sheriff Tanner sent out.  "But I don't recall there bein' an older boy mentioned."  They were now both standing in the marshal's office.  When the young lad removed his oversized hat, the marshal plopped in a chair and whispered "Oh, shit."  Hair tumbled to the middle of the youngster's back.  The boys in the saloon had been gabbing about the young gunfighter's speed when he had left with his prisoner.  The marshal wondered what that crowd would say if the knew the youngster was a girl.  He decided right then that as it was self-defense, he'd keep this little tidbit to himself.

Josie asked the marshal not to betray her secret.  She also asked that the stolen money Billy Joe had on him be sent to her bank. Although the marshal said that would take a Judge's okay, it would be best for all concerned if she left town soon.  It was agreed the marshal would handle the details, and try to keep the rumors down.

Josie curled her long hair back on her head and placed her hat over it.  Suddenly she was again Joey, the boy men down the street were calling 'The Kid Gunfighter'.

Josephine Anne Mackenzie had gotten revenge on the first of the three men who had destroyed her family.  This hadn't been her first killing, but it was the first she'd set out to kill.