out, some in the saloon didn’t even know where the shot had come from.
The sheriff held an inquest that very afternoon, and because there were enough witnesses who saw what actually happened, no charges were filed.
CHAPTER FIVE
Frank and Travis Slater had served six months in jail for burglary, and would have gone to prison for a year, if Chance Carter hadn’t paid for a good lawyer to plead their case.
“I think they’re basically good boys,” Carter told the judge when he was providing supporting testimony. “They just made a mistake is all, and I would hate to see their whole lives ruined because of it.”
The judge had taken Carter’s testimony to heart and had given lenient sentences to both of them. Now that they were out of jail they were working as hired hands for Carter. Carter’s wife had died ten years ago, and Chance had raised their daughter ever since. Carrie was fifteen years old and just blossoming into womanhood.
One morning she came out to the barn carrying a milk pail. She smiled at Travis, who at nineteen, was the younger of the two brothers. Frank was twenty-two.
“Good morning, Travis.” Carrie took the milking stool down from its hook.
“Pretty soon, you won’t be needin’ to milk that cow,” Travis said.
“What do you mean?”
“Why, the way you are tittyin’ up, you’ll be able to give milk yourself.” Travis laughed at his joke.
“That’s not a very nice thing to say!” Carrie blushed at the comment.
“Sure it is,” Travis said. “You think Frank an’ me don’t see how you come around us all the time, showin’ off them titties of yours?”
“I do no such thing!” Carrie insisted. “And I don’t like the way you are talking to me.”
“Yeah you do. You like it a lot. Otherwise you wouldn’t be showin’ off like you are.”
“I’m not showing off.”
“You aren’t? Then what did you come out here for? Did you come out here just to put a burr under my saddle?” Travis walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Or did you come out here so I could make you a woman?”
“Make me a woman? What does that mean?” Carrie asked with another laugh. “I’m already a woman.”
“No, you ain’t.” Travis pulled her to him. “You ain’t a woman until you’ve had a man. Like me.” He pulled her to him and forced a kiss on her.
She fought against him. When he pulled his lips away, she shouted, “Pa! Pa!”
“Shut up! You want your pa to come runnin’ out here?” Travis slapped her hard, and blood came from her lips.
“Pa!” she screamed again, but that was as far as she got before Travis, acting spontaneously, picked up the hammer he had been using to adjust the iron wheel rim, and hit her hard. She went down without a sound.
“Get up,” Travis said. “Get up and don’t be screamin’ no more.”
“She ain’t goin’ to be gettin’ up,” Frank said. He had been out in the corral, but was drawn back to the barn by the young girl’s scream.
“Yeah she is. Get up,” Travis said again.
“Travis, take a look at her. Take a good, close look at her.”
Travis looked down at the young girl and saw that her eyes and mouth were open, but she was totally still. There was a very dark bruise on the side of her head where he had hit her with the hammer.
“Oh damn! Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn! Frank, I’ve kilt her! What am I goin’ to do? I didn’t mean to kill her. I was just tryin’ to get her to shut up.”
“Carrie!” a man’s voice shouted. “What is it? What are you calling me for?”
Chance Carter, a man in his early forties, stepped into the barn and saw the body of his daughter lying on the ground. He saw Travis and Frank looking down at her.
“My God! What happened?” Chance asked in agonized shock.
“She—uh, I didn’t mean—uh, I didn’t think I hit her that hard,” Travis said.
“You did this? You did this?” Chance asked.
“I was just funnin’ with her,” Travis said weakly. “Then she started screamin’ and I wanted her to stop.”
“You murderer!” Chance turned and started back toward the house.
“Mr. Carter, listen to me!” Travis called after him. “I didn’t mean to kill her! I just wanted her to stop yelling is all! It was an accident!”
Without any reply, Chance ran into the house.
“What’s he goin’ to do, Frank?”
“I figure he’s goin’ after a gun. And I figure he’s goin’ to come back out and commence shootin’.”
Frank took the hammer from Travis’s hand, then hurried up to the big house. He stood alongside the door, with
