It was a few days before Christmas when the outlaws Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry arrived in Angel City. The snow was falling and the inhabitants were hanging up Christmas decorations everywhere.
“Kid, this seems a excellent place to spend the Christmas days”, Heyes said while he looked around him.
“That looks it to me as well”, answered Curry.
They rode a bit ahead and stopped at the hotel. The outlaws dismounted and hitched their horses. At the moment that they wanted to go inside a loud noise was to be heard at a building a bit further in the street.
“Something is going on over there. Come on”, said Heyes.
They ran top the trading post where James Kent came running out of calling, “I have been robbed. I have been robbed.”
“Calm down James. Tell quietly what has happened”, said sheriff Albert Miller.
James calmed down and said, “I was busy at the back of my shop when 2 cowboys came in and demanded money. Of course I refused that but then they took a few boxes of Christmas cookies along. Those were meant for the children. Plus a big box with unbreakable Christmas balls. That box was a bit torn.”
“How did those cowboys look like?”, the sheriff wanted to know.
“They had masks on and behaved themselves arrogant”, answered James.
He paused for a second and continued then, “It were strangers who were a long time underway. Like those 2 there.”
James pointed at Heyes and Curry already saw trouble ahead. Albert went to them.
“Gentlemen, who are you and where have you hid the loot?”, asked the sheriff.
“I am Joshua Smith and that is Thaddeus Jones. We haven’t hide the loot of the robbery. It can’t because we didn’t have it. We just come in from the east of the village”, answered Heyes.
He noticed that he didn’t get believed and Albert said, “Come along because hereby you are under arrest.”
The sheriff took the outlaws and put them behind bars.
“Sheriff, how can we rob the shop, take those boxes along and ride here into the village at the same time?”, asked Heyes.
“Besides we knew nothing about the boxes Christmas cookies for the children”, reacted Curry.
Albert looked at them and realized that he had made a gross mistake by arresting the outlaws.
“Alright. I release you. I hope that the robbers will get caught and the loot returns. The children looking forward so to the Christmas party on Christmas Day”, said Albert.
He opened the cell door and the outlaws were free again.
Outside said Heyes said a bit absent, “Kid, we can hardly let the children down. Especially now it’s nearly Christmas.”
“So we go after those robbers?”, asked Curry.
His friend nodded. They walked to their horses and mounted on.
“James said that the box with Christmas balls was a bit torn. So there is a chance that those robbers have left a track of Christmas balls behind”, said Heyes.
“Follow the track of Christmas balls”, said Curry.
Heyes turned out to be right because soon they found the first Christmas ball.
Curry dismounted, grabbed the ball and said, “Heyes, you were right.”
“I always am”, Heyes answered modest.
Curry did the Christmas ball in his saddle bag and mounted on again.
The outlaws followed the apart track and came so at the shelter of the robbers.
“I approach them and tell that I have found their track. You keep them under gunshot without that they see it”, Heyes suggested.
His friend agreed with it.
“Happy holidays gentlemen”, Heyes said cheerful.
“What do you want?”, asked Bruce Stone, one of the robbers.
“I just drop by. I followed a strange track formed by Christmas balls. Did you made that?”, Heyes asked on his turn.
“That’s none of your flaming business. And the Christmas cookies are ours”, Jack Stone said laughing.
He looked at his brother.
“Well, must the children in Angel City this year do it then without Christmas balls and Christmas cookies? Christmas is that you share the coziness with each other. But if you want to keep it for yourself you mustn’t look up strange if the angry Christmas spirit visits you and make your life such a misery that you get forever regrets from what you are doing to the children”, said Heyes.
“There doesn’t even exist an angry Christmas spirit”, claimed Bruce.
The brothers were rolling on the ground laughing whereby the outlaws could take away the boxes. Here after Heyes and Curry tied the robbers and took them back to Angel City.
The sheriff saw the foursome coming and knew that his former prisoners had caught the real robbers.
“Sheriff, these 2 have robbed the trading post. You are the angry Christmas spirit, aren’t you?”, asked Curry.
“I am that for sure. Come along!”, said Albert.
He took the brothers who now were heaping abuse on each other. They got locked up.
In the office of the sheriff said Heyes, “We also have the Christmas balls and cookies with us.”
He and Curry put the things on the desk. Then James came in and he saw everything lying.
“Boys, you have saved our Christmas party. That’s why you may eat, drink and sleep for free. Besides you are the guests of honor at the Christmas party”, said James.
“Deal”, Heyes said with laughing eyes.
James didn’t know what he had said because the outlaws had a great time and especially the saloon girls had the time of their lives.
Of course the outlaws stayed for the change of year to not to disappoint the girls.
On January 2 after they had slept it off Heyes and Curry said farewell to the inhabitants of Angel City.