A Trail is Never Cold by Lawrence Melton, Jr.

Excerpt from A Trail is Never Cold:

Charlie Fields, the constable of Chandler, had a problem with the Anderson Clan, and Roy Anderson in particular. They lived just east of town in an old frame house beside the highway. He was a lard-slick con artist and a bully who had whipped nearly everybody in town, but his specialty was stealing chickens. In general, Roy was a real nuisance to all his neighbors.

Charlie couldn't get through a single day without someone complaining about Roy Anderson. He pleaded with Roy to clean up his act, but with each visit to the Anderson home, Charlie was greeted with the business end of Roy's twelve gauge shotgun and after the fourth such visit, Charlie complained that Sheriff Baker should send re-enforcements to Chandler, Texas.

Sheriff Baker said the only solution to the Anderson problem was a good strong dose of Jess Sweeten, so he ordered deputy Jess Sweeten to accompany Charlie Fields to Chandler and put an end to the Anderson problem.

That afternoon, Jess mapped a plan. "You let me out in the woods about a quarter of a mile from the house," he told Charlie. "Then go to the door like you always do. I have a surprise for Mr. Anderson."

Charlie waited until Jess was in position before parking in the driveway. Jess took a position behind the house with his .30 rifle and when the constable knocked on the door, Roy shoved the barrel in Charlie's teeth.

Charlie ran like a field mouse in the shadow of an eagle until he reached the opposite side of the house, then Roy fired. Charlie cleared a five-foot fence without touching timber and dove head first behind the outhouse. Roy took a position behind the smokehouse with his back to Jess. It would have been an easy shot but Jess held his fire. "Throw down the gun!" Jess shouted.

Anderson spun around, fired and missed, then dodged to the opposite corner of the smokehouse, peering around the corner of the small building to get another shot. Jess took aim at the corner of the building just in front of the outlaw's eyes, firing round after round. Bullets whistled all around Roy's hiding place shattering the wood into a thousand splinters; many of which stuck in Roy's face. Roy fell backward, dropping the shotgun - then Jess charged.

Jess continued firing, missing his face by inches. He emptied the .30, dropped it to the ground and then began firing one of his forty-fives. "Don't move a muscle," he said calmly, easing to within three feet of the bad man. Suddenly one of Roy's brothers charged out the back door. Jess dropped him with a left hook. Within seconds his sister ran from the house with a stick of stove wood cursing like a sailor. Jess turned her over his knee and gave her a spanking.

Jess and Charlie went through the Anderson house like a runaway locomotive, unearthing six more male Andersons armed with various types of artillery. At the end, nine of the Anderson Clan found themselves lodged in the Henderson County Jail.

To order this book send $14.95 plus $2.00 S&H to:

Peggy Manley
19906 Encino Cove
San Antonio, Texas 78259
email: manleysa@aol.com

Send inquiries to: Ballycas@swbell.net