Ryley
And Other Stories of Adventure
by
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“Pam, I’ve got some bad news. Charlie’s dead,” Pam’s father lamented in a somber voice.
Ryley saw Pam shudder and put her hand to her throat as if to suffocate a sob.
Her father continued. “We caught this fella standin’ over ‘im with a rifle in his hand, one shot fired, the one that Charlie took in his chest. We brought this good for nothing bastard here where we’ll keep ‘im ‘til Frank gets back. The boys say he went into town to tend to some personal business. Sure wish he’d talked with me ‘fore takin’ off on his own like that, but, either way, when he returns, we’ll see what kind of frontier justice we’ll apply.”
Ryley looked down at her and the boy, seeing the anguish and the burgeoning repulsion in her eyes.
“Ma’am,” he managed to say, his voice dry and hoarse. “I didn’t kill that man. He...” but a vicious blow across his shoulders stopped him in mid sentence, followed by a savage yank on the rope that caught him off balance, jerking him off his horse to fall heavily to the ground at their feet.
Pam and the boy, startled, jumped back.
“You gotta believe me,” Ryley managed to stammer, but a pointed boot into his ribs left him gasping and short of breath.
Another jerk on the rope about his torso tightened it more and then he felt himself being dragged behind a horse toward the dark entrance to the barn.
Quickly two cowhands came up on either side and lifted him to his feet as they shoved him into the entrance.
The boss yelled to the men, “Put ‘im in the tack shed. Tie ‘im up to one of the crossbeams and leave ‘im hangin’ there. We’ll see how he likes trying to sleep standin’ on his toes all night”
“But, Daddy... ,” Pam started to protest.
Her father quickly turned to her and said, “Now, Pam, you shush. I don’t wanta hear another word outta you about what we do to this killer. He’ll deserve everything we do to ‘im and more. Ain’t nobody gonna kill one of my men, especially a good man like Charlie, and not pay the price.”
Pam opened her mouth as if to say something but thought better of it As her dad put his arm around her shoulders to turn her away, she cast one more glance toward the barn door to see the young man being pushed into the dark interior. She heard the dull thud of several blows, of fist on body, followed by a groan of pain, and knew that the man’s punishment was just beginning. Her heart sank.
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About the Book
RYLEY
and
OTHER STORIES OF ADVENTURE
THE STORIES
The dominant focus in these stories, as in the first collection entitled LIFE AT STAKE, continues to be the human will to struggle and survive. Such struggle in moments of crisis not only defines and shapes who the person is, but reveals how he or she developed as a person, and who they will be in the future, pending their survival.
Each story portrays at least one aspect of the courage required to confront and, hopefully, to conquer imminent danger. Some win, some lose. That is the normal human equation, but it is of utmost interest to us as readers to observe how that person coped, each of us hoping that we might discover within ourselves traits of the protagonist’s character that would allow us to act heroically if found in similar circumstances.
The exploration and settling of the western frontier and the inspiring and inflammatory events of the Civil War provide the setting for each grouping of adventures.
About the Author
Al Dawson was raised on a small farm in the Northern Neck of Virginia, a peninsular surrounded not only by water but by history that encompasses the birth of this great nation, including the exciting figures of the Powhatan tribe and nation, Pocahontas, Captain John Smith, George Washington, Robert E. Lee, and so many others. Bullet holes in the walls of the local church, fired by Union soldiers, inspired his imagination as a youth, as did the exploits of distant relatives who fought in the War Between the States.
After a wonderful, even inspiring, education in the small local high school, Al attended the