A man sees the world with what he carries in his heart.
(author unknown)

Chris watched from across the dark street as Vin came bustin out of the door to the jailhouse, dropped quietly now into the dirt street and strode, head down, rapidly towards the north end of town. Chris had been waiting, not entirely patiently, for Vin to come out of the jail. Earlier that same evening, he'd watched as Vin paced up and down the boardwalk, clearly agitated and just as clearly unwilling or unable to voice his concern. Hell, they were all concerned.

The trial was going to begin in the morning, and the odds looked damn good that Nathan's father would be swinging from a noose within the week. But strangely enough, it was not Nathan that mostly concerned Chris, but Vin. Vin, who didn't have much faith in a Fair trial. Vin, who didn't have a great belief in the justice of life. Vin, who was all for the fast ride to Mexico that Nathan had suggested in the first place. Chris had pretty much expected Obediah to be with Vin, though, when he came out of the jail. He figure'd Vin went in there to get Obediah, talk some sense in to him (from Vin's point of view, anyhow) and ride out of town with him that night. Chris knew that put them all in an awful position when it came to Judge Travis, but still, he could see where Vin knew there wasn't going to be any shootout if he decided to bust Obediah out of jail and take off for the desert. He sighed. he'd been right, though, Obediah wasn't going anywhere but to that trial. Wanted his day in court he did, and he'd get it. Between a rock and a hard place, he was, but Chris was relieved, anyway.

From where Chris sat, he could see clear to the end of town, to where some men from Eagle Bend had been so anxious for a fair trial followed by a righteous hanging that they'd seen fit to build a gallows. It wasn't real sturdy or well made, but it'd do its purpose. Vin was headed there. Chris sighed again. Hell. He watched as Vin slowed in front of the gallows, stopped and tipped his head back to look up at the rope hanging there.

He rose slowly from his chair and made his way down the street. Vin stood, statue-like, as Chris approached. He stopped within a few steps of Vin, and suddenly had that dreamlike-drunken feeling, one that made him feel like he and Vin were the only two people on earth, and earth was a ball suspended in darkness, and everything and everyone outside of the ten foot circle where they stood no longer existed. he'd had that feeling when he stood in front of the burned out frame that had once been his home. And again when Fowler had marched into that burning barn. There were no flames now, but he had that same feeling. Trapped inside a ball that he couldn't get out of.

"Obediah doing OK?"

Vin was so startled by the voice that he half-dropped and turned with a fist balled and rising, all in a split second, before he realized it was Chris and let out a quick breath.

"Easy, cowboy. Deep in thought?"

Vin nodded. "He's a fool. A damn fool. No Negro's gonna get a fair trial here. what's Nathan thinkin? He oughta just tie him up and head outa here lessin he wants to watch his daddy hang."

"Guess that's between him and his daddy."

Vin just stared at him, unwilling or unable to believe he couldn't stop this. Then he turned and looked back up at the crossbeam and rope, stark against the moonlit sky. Chris waited. This wasn't about Obediah, now, so much as it was about Vin. He wondered what it would be like to be threatened, every waking moment, with a hangman's noose.

"Maybe I just shoulda stayed in Tuscosa. Faced it. Had it done with."

"No."

"Obediah's a strong man, a lot of courage, to do this for Nathan."

"Is that what this is about, Vin? Courage? Hell, you got more courage than any man I know."

Vin shook his head. "I'm scared of hangin, Chris. I know I ain't gonna get outa this alive, but I'd just as soon die some other way than hangin."

"I ain't gonna let that happen."

"And when you or somebody else gets hurt trying to get me outa trouble that I caused? Then what?" Vin shook his head again, more determined this time.

"Guess that's not up to you. Not unless you ride outa here tonight, walk away from everybody and everything here, never look back, never look forward, never get close to anybody or anything again. And that----"Chris turned to him for emphasis"---now that would be a chicken shit thing to do."

"You callin me a chicken shit?"

"If you ride outa here I am. And then I'd have to hunt you down and beat the shit outa you. Which I could do. Easily. Twice. You got guts and a damn good aim, but I could whup you. Ask Buck."

"He's full of shit."

"I keep tellin him that."

The two men looked back up at the gallows one last time before turning their backs and starting down the street.

Finis