Forum Archive Index - November 2001

["tennyson@caverock.net.nz" <tennyson@caverock.net.nz>]

The doors of the saloon swung open and the deputy delivered the news.

"It's the Mission boys Phil, they won't budge, they want the whole 
town."

Sheriff Phil Pryke was still off duty, but the skin on his face 
tightened, and the hairs on the back of his neck stiffened.  He sat 
upright on the bar stool as he took in the news.

"Whisky" he said 

The bartender sent a glass sliding down the bar surface.  It was 
snapped up by Sheriff Phil's parched fingertips.  His hands were 
leathery and battle weary like that of a rancher who had fought and 
tamed a wild mustang, but his eyes were steely grey like that of a 
big town banker.  He picked up the glass and downed the contents as 
easily as a penny slides into a china piggy-bank.

"The Mission Boys", he repeated with parrot like precision, but there 
was nothing bird brained in the train of thought that followed.  The 
Mission Boys owned half the town already.  "The Mission Boys"- 
sounded placid!  But you would never find them anywhere near a choir 
stall, and the toughest of them all was "Big Ed."

Yep, "Big Ed Mission" had turned the lights out in Southern 
California after a showdown with the State Governor.  big Ed had lost 
big on the other side of the Atlantic with the coal project.  Big Ed 
was tough and pugnacious, but fresh from a fiscal battering.  Perhaps 
a desperate man?    Sheriff Phil had always felt uneasy with Big Ed 
in close company.   Sheriff Phil's job was to keep the balance in 
the town.  But when the scales of justice were teetering it was 
usually a wink from Big Ed that would decide which way the scales 
ultimately fell.  Hell, if it wasn't for the support of Big Ed, 
Sheriff Phil wouldn't be where he was, but now he was going to have 
to pass judgement on the Mission Boys offer.  It was a tough call!

It is at times like this that a law man has to rely on more than gut 
instinct.  It was Sheriff Phil's canine companion,  Grant, a 
Samualoid, that had the job of sniffing around these Mission men.  If 
Grant could sniff around "the Mission Boys" without bearing any teeth 
 that was good enough for Sheriff Phil.   There was no barking, but 
Grant did show the white's of a fang, so what was Sheriff Phil to do?
If he recommended the full takeover by big Ed, he knew that he'd have 
to leave town himself.   He imagined Big Ed would give him some sort 
of pay off.  Possibly $4million in gold bullion would do the 
trick.  Would Big Ed stretch that far?  Yeah, of course he would!  
$4million would be the minimum payoff for a world class Sheriff 
such as himself!   He chuckled. 

The deputy stood in the saloon doorway and all this time had never 
taken his eyes off Sheriff Phil.  The deputy knew that the 
townspeople  had turned down Sheriff Phil's last pay rise.   Would 
they still have confidence in him at the time of trial?  Could the 
townspeople rely on Sheriff Phil to recommend the right thing?

"Big Ed will meet you at the jail house, on February 3rd 2002"
"I suggest you call a rally of the townspeople then, and we'll have a 
final vote on it."

Sheriff Phil knew the score.  He'd be Okay either way, but would the 
townspeople trade their sovereignty and possibly their future 
prosperity for a pay off from Big Ed?   He couldn't tell them to turn 
Big Ed down.  But secretly he kind of wished they would make the 
right decision.   Or did he?   Like the rest of the townspeople, the 
deputy just couldn't read those poker faced grey eyes.

SNOOPY






---------------------------------
Message sent by Snoopy 
e-mail  tennyson@caverock.net.nz
on Pegasus Mail version 2.55
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"Dogs have big tongues, so you can bet they don't 
bite them by accident"


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