A Year of Cheyenne

Dirt and gravel crunched under the hooves of the big black horse. Astride said Horse was Marshal Edmund Melanger. Marshal Melanger rode down the main streets of Cheyenne, tipping his hat to the various townsfolk who greeted him that morning. His destination was the town hall, and after that, the marshal's office. In one or the other, Ed would find Mayor Hook. Ed slid off his big destrier and hitched her to the post in front of the Great Western Corral. When he walked in the general store, he saw the tip top of Hook's signature black hat bobbing behind the front counter.

"Where is it...where is it...aha!"

Hook leapt up triumphantly, holding a burnt down cigar. Just as suddenly has he had jumped up, he clutched his back and groaned.

"Good grief, my back," he said.

Ed just stood and watched him carry on for a minute, then cleared his throat.

"Oh, Marshal, your timing is shit--can't you see I'm dying over here?," the mayor complained.

Ed twitched.

"Seems like your own fault, Mayor. And I have important things to discuss with you. Can you follow me back to my office, or at least close up the shop for a while?," Ed said.

Hook harrumphed.

"I'll close up shop for fifteen minutes, tops," Hook said.

He walked up to the open door and shut it, then, flipped around the sign stating 'open' so it said closed. He then walked back up to the counter and sat on the stool behind it.

"Well then, what do ya want?," Hook said.

"It's about the new settlers pouring into town. We need to stock up on hunting supplies, because ain't all of them human. I know that the other kind of folk don't always cause trouble, but it takes more than a gun to put them down if'n they do."

"This is senseless worrying--do you want extra guns for the normal folk, too?," Hook replied.

Ed sighed.

"Yes, actually. More citizens means more crime, its simple math. I want more weapons and the bodies to wield them," Ed said.

"Fine, but I think its pointless. We've got a fine town full of fine people, and I think it'll stay that way."

"And I think you're too optimistic."

And with that last word, Ed left the shop, flipping the sign as he went.