The door to the sheriff's office flew open and a young fellow wearing a robe and nightshirt under it, barefoot too, burst into the room wide eyed, pointing back outside as he blathered to the first person he saw within.

Speed’s head jerked up as he turned in the stationary chair at his desk, to see the boy, eyes big as silver dollars.

"HEY!  BETTER COME QUICK!  THERE'S A BIG FIGHT!"

“Whoa now, where’s this fight?” Speed asked.

Taking a deep breath he clarified a bit more, "In the alley just off the General Store! You sure better hurry before someone gits killed!"

The individual on duty would instantly recognize the excitable young man as Abraham Garver, an employee of the store and previously never a troublemaker so quite trustworthy on the face of it.

He was out of the chair, grabbing his hat and headed for the alley. It was too early for this sort of thing! Whoever it was would find themselves locked up until Speed had the whole thing sorted out.

It took no time to reach the alleyway Abraham had told him about.

Whatever had gone on seemed to have been pretty much decided by then as Marshal Guyer rounded the corner. There was a blonde young woman in a low cut (and sleeve torn) dress standing over a prostrate man who was in an almost fetal position, both arms covering his head. He was babbling for it to stop and mixing those words with whines and moans of obvious discomfort. The woman had an axe handle in one hand but was using her leg at the moment to inflict some further pain on the poor jasper, kicking him in the thigh and side.

"See how you like it? Still think it's funny to kick somebody? You piece of horse shit!" the 'lady' angrily shouted down at her victim.

Now if Guyer was ever in the Star Dust saloon much, he would no doubt recognize the woman, it was the saloon's singer/dancer. He might well even know her name, Miss Caroline Mundee. She was a big favorite with the menfolk who frequented the place. The man on the ground probably didn't care for her much though at the moment.

Speed all but slid to a stop, the woman had clearly administered a beating to the man on the ground. He had seen her around, and a couple of times that he had peered into the Star Dust on his rounds. What with the prisoners and and the general day to day business in both the Marshal's office and his own business there was little time for socializing in the saloon. Of course he would stop in from time to time during his morning rounds.

He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "Ma'am? Miss Mundee? I see there's been a problem here? I believe you and I need to have some words about the situation." Speed would rather face the Evergreen riders that a fight between a man and a woman. A man could get killed doing that!

At the sound of the male voice, Caroline spun around so sharply  almost, that is almost lost her balance, a product of being quite drunk. She raised up the axe handle for just an instant but then focused on the figure and lowered it again.

"You a lawman?" she asked.

At that instant, the man cringing on the ground cried out, "Git her off me, marshal! I think she broke my hand! She's tryin' to kill me!"

Caroline glared down at the fellow, "Not hardly! If I'da had it in mind ta kill ya, I'd have shot ya."

She then turned her attention back to the lawman as she dropped the axe handle to the ground but then reached into her voluminous dress to extract a small derringer holding it up for him to see and grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"See? Ain't she a beaut? Even got a pearl handle which I think is real pretty," she proudly displayed the weapon.

(Guyer would see that first of all, it is not cocked for firing and secondly, she is not making any attempt to aim it in his direction. Rather she is like a kid proudly showing off a new toy.)

Caroline's derringer

At the sound of the male voice, Caroline spun around so sharply as almost, that is almost lost her balance, a product of being quite drunk. She raised up the axe handle for just an instant but then focused on the figure and lowered it again.

"You a lawman?" she asked.

“Yes ma’am, town Marshal.” Speed responded. “Maybe tou’d tell me what’s going on here? How’d this start, that sort of thing.” An axe handle would give a good beating, the question was, did the man on the ground deserve it or not.

At that instant, the man cringing on the ground cried out, "Git her off me, marshal! I think she broke my hand! She's tryin' to kill me!"

Caroline glared down at the fellow, "Not hardly! If I'da had it in mind ta kill ya, I'd have shot ya."

 “Easy mister, you just stay down til’ we get this sorted out then we’ll wake one of the Docs to have a look at that hand of yours, and whatever else needs tending.” Speed advised.

She then turned her attention back to the lawman as she dropped the axe handle to the ground but then reached into her voluminous dress to extract a small derringer holding it up for him to see and grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"See? Ain't she a beaut? Even got a pearl handle which I think is real pretty," she proudly displayed the weapon.

“Yes ma’am, that’s a fine looking derringer, be best it you put it away though.” Speed said, making it sound more like a suggestion than a lawful order. The gun wasn’t cocked and she more showing it off than brandishing to small pistol “Now, what I need to know is what started this fracas in the first place.” The last thing he needed to get shot by a drunk woman, grateful that she had dropped the axe handle, at least.

“Yes ma’am, town Marshal.” Speed responded. “Maybe tou’d tell me what’s going on here? How’d this start, that sort of thing.”

"Thought so. I like yer badge, it's shiney," Caroline smiled. As for his question she merely stated, "He started it, I just finished it."

The man started whining again and begging for help, Caroline having zero sympathy for the jasper. Caroline next displayed her derringer,  she was quite proud of the weapon it seemed.

“Yes ma’am, that’s a fine looking derringer, be best it you put it away though.”

Caroline gave an exaggerated shrug then rather clumsily tried to slip it back into it's hiding spot, almost dropping the thing before finally succeeding, "There ya go, sheriff.  I'm a law abiding citizen, anybody will tell you that."

“Now, what I need to know is what started this fracas in the first place.” 

"He did!" she replied.

"She attacked me! I was just defendin' myself," the man begged to disagree.

"You kicked that old dog, no need for you ta do that!" the saloon girl countered.

"Yer crazy!" he retorted, "Ain't even your dog."

"Don't matter none, sure ain't yers either," Caroline snapped.

They certainly seemed to know what they were talking about, whether the marshal did was a whole nother story. Young Abraham was just behind the sheriff taking in this whole affair and spoke up for the first time.

"They might be talking about Smoky, Marshal. You probably seen him about. He's some old stray who hangs around the alleys, likes to beg for handouts."

They certainly seemed to know what they were talking about, whether the marshal did was a whole nother story. Young Abraham was just behind the sheriff taking in this whole affair and spoke up for the first time.

"They might be talking about Smoky, Marshal. You probably seen him about. He's some old stray who hangs around the alleys, likes to beg for handouts."

Speed stood looking at the pair, it was just past six in the morning and these two had obviously been drinking all night. He was shaking his head slightly as the two blamed one another, but what seemed clear was that the dog, be it Smokey or some other, was kicked by the man on the ground. Probably where he deserved to be.

Now clearly there was no law against kicking the dog, but there surely was a law against assaulting another person. Hardly seemed fair to Marshal Guyer, kicking the dog certainly was the same as assaulting a person, but that’s not the way it would be seen in court.

He looked to Abraham, “You’re likely right about old Smokey, You want to do me a favor, fetch me either of the Doc’s, that is, if Doc Boone’s done with Mister Peabody and not wore out from it." He looked back at the two combatants. “We’ll be here.”

The he looked back to the pair. “Get up, and you, leave him alone,” he said to the girl. “I think he’s paid enough for kicking the dog.” He paused. “If that dogs serious hurt Mister, you’ll wish I left you to her! Now, the Doc’ll be on his way, so we can do this the easy way, or make it as hard as you like. Once you’ve been seen, be on your way, and you, ma’am, you get to bed where ever that bed’s at.”

You’re likely right about old Smokey, You want to do me a favor, fetch me either of the Doc’s, that is, if Doc Boone’s done with Mister Peabody and not wore out from it."

"At this time in the morning?" Abraham was surprised  though come to think of it, that was one drawback of being a doctor, you might be needed at any time of the day or night.

The boy nodded then and ran off to do as he was requested.

“Get up, and you, leave him alone,” the marshal started giving orders, “I think he’s paid enough for kicking the dog.”

"Paid? He ain't paid a plug nickel?" Caroline didn't get it but then clear thinking was not exactly one of her strengths in her particular condition.

 “If that dogs serious hurt Mister, you’ll wish I left you to her! Now, the Doc’ll be on his way, so we can do this the easy way, or make it as hard as you like. Once you’ve been seen, be on your way, and you, ma’am, you get to bed where ever that bed’s at.”

The man grimaced as he slowly got to his feet, he too was unsteady from drinking not just the results of his altercation with the saloon gal. He held his injured hand with his good one.

"I don't want no trouble. It was a stupid dog, ain't no crime to kick a stupid dog," he weakly protested.

Caroline glared at him even as the marshal gave her orders also.  But she turned to Guyer, "I live at the Star Dust Saloon, everybody knows that."   Obviously not.

The man now had something else to say, "Hey marshal take a look at the window of the store. This crazy woman busted it so she could grab herself that axe handle from inside. You gonna let her get away with that too?  Trying to kill me and robbin' the store."

"I was just borrowin' it, I was gonna give it back," Caroline declared.

The man grimaced as he slowly got to his feet, he too was unsteady from drinking not just the results of his altercation with the saloon gal. He held his injured hand with his good one.

"I don't want no trouble. It was a stupid dog, ain't no crime to kick a stupid dog," he weakly protested.

“Mister, it was a dog, whatever the dog did was neither smart nor stupid. What you did was stupid, and for the moment you got no trouble, but you keep yappin’ an’ I’ll put you in a cell!” Guyer threatened.

Caroline glared at him even as the marshal gave her orders also.  But she turned to Guyer, "I live at the Star Dust Saloon, everybody knows that."   Obviously not.

“Good, then that’s where you need to go, because there’s an empty cell for you as well.” Speed informed her. He hated dealing with drunks, and having to be doing just that at six in the morning before he had had his coffee was just that much more irritating.

The man now had something else to say, "Hey marshal take a look at the window of the store. This crazy woman busted it so she could grab herself that axe handle from inside. You gonna let her get away with that too?  Trying to kill me and robbin' the store."

“Mister, I told you to shut up. Now,” He backed away far enough to see the broken window, “Damn!” The Anderson’s were not going to be happy about that, and neither was he.

"I was just borrowin' it, I was gonna give it back," Caroline declared.

“Star Dust Saloon, eh? Well, I’m afraid I can’t just brush this off. You’ve damaged private property, taken something that was not yours, and causing bodily injury. The Anderson’s are not going to take kindly to me letting you go back to the saloon, so, I’m placing you under arrest, Miss Mundee.” He could see Abraham and Doctor Danforth coming their way which would allow him to escort Caroline Mundee to the Municipal Building, and a cell. ‘Hell of a way to start the day.’ He thought.