One day a stranger came riding into the quiet town Rockville. He stopped his horse at the hotel where he dismounted and went inside.
At the reception desk he asked, “Do you have a single room for me?”
“Yes sure. Would you like to sign here please?”, asked the receptionist.
He gave the stranger the key to his room.
Silently he went into his room. There he fell down on the bed and he thought, ‘I hope you are here because I have to see you! Why did you abandon me and mother 17 years ago?’
After a while he went downstairs and he walked to the saloon.
At the bar he asked, “Do you know if a certain Cody Collins lives here in this town?”
“Collins? He owns one of the biggest ranches of the area. Why you ask that?”, asked the barkeeper.
“How can I get there because he still owes me something”, said the boy.
“He is just coming there”, said the barkeeper.
The young stranger turned around and saw Cody Collins coming into the saloon.
He walked to the bar and said, “Whisky.”
He got it and then the stranger asked him, “Excuse me, but do you happen to be Cody Collins by accident?”
“Yes sure, I am that. With whom do I the pleasure?”, asked Cody.
“I rather remain nameless yet. Let’s sit at a table”, said the mysterious boy.
They did that.
The stranger asked him, “Where were you 17 years ago?”
“Seventeen years ago you say? You ask me something there. I wouldn’t know”, was the answer of Cody.
“You seems to own one of the biggest ranches of the area. When you die, who inherits it then?”, was the following question of the young stranger.
“My sister because I am not married and don’t have children. What is this? Are you a deputy?”, was the question of Cody.
“No, I am no deputy but your son Rusty”, he said waiting for the reaction of Cody.
It was deadly quiet in the saloon and all present looked at Cody and Rusty.
“That is impossible. Everyone knows that I don’t have a wife and children. So you have the wrong one in front of you”, Cody said angry and he left the saloon.
A man came to Rusty, sat down and said, “Don’t let it get to you. He always had been like that. He is not loved in this town. I am Jesse Adams.”
“Rusty Collins. He left my mother 5 months before my birth. She had raised me alone and hoped that he would ever come back. Finally she died of a broken heart. That was ten years ago”, told Rusty.
“I can use another hand at my ranch. If you want you can ride along now”, said Jesse.
“Okay. I do have to pick up my stuff from the hotel. What is that Collins for a man?”, asked Rusty.
“You mustn’t get any quarrel with him because then you are gone. I just warn you. I see you in fifteen minutes”, said Jesse.
Rusty nodded and went away.
In his hotel room he got the picture of his mother and he said, “Pa shall get his hard-earned wages. I can assure you that.”
He put the picture in his inside pocket and got his luggage which wasn’t much. At the reception the room got paid and the key returned. Outside he saddled his horse and he saw that Jesse was already waiting for him. Rusty mounted on and rode towards him.
Jesse said, “Come Rusty.”
They rode to the ranch of Jesse Adams.
In the meantime Cody Collins arrived very moody at his ranch. His sister Mary saw right away that there was something.
Inside she asked, “Cody, what is the matter?”
“In town there was a lad who claims to be my son. As soon as he dares to show up here I shall shoot him”, replied Cody.
Mary agreed with it and she asked, “How can you have a son when you never got married?”
“That lad is lying”, Cody claimed finally.
They decided to defend the ranch well against Rusty.
Meanwhile Rusty had arrived at the Cannery where he heart fully got received by Joan Adams, the wife of Jesse.
“Hello darling, this is Rusty Collins. Rusty, this is my wife Joan”, said Jesse in the living room.
Joan noticed that the boy looked like their daughter very much.
“Hello Mrs Adams”, Rusty said to her.
“Hello Rusty, welcome. You look familiar to me”, Joan said kindly.
“My mother came from this town. She was called Jane Collins and was married to Cody Collins. He left her 5 months before I was born. She died ten years ago”, Rusty told calm.
He stared a bit ahead of him.
Jesse said suddenly, “Our only daughter was called Jane and ran off with the man who in the saloon claimed not to be your father.”
“So I am your grandson?”, Rusty asked amazed.
“Yes, you really are that. Come, then I will show you your room”, said Joan.
The boy picked up his bags and followed her to his room. There Rusty showed the picture of his mother.
He said, “Is this your daughter Jane? This is my mother.”
Joan went to sit on the bed, looked at the picture and said after a while, “Yes, that is our Jane.”
Quite soon in town there was much talk about the illegal son of Cody Collins. Cody didn’t like this and neither did the sheriff. Though nobody knew where Rusty came from. The boy had got from Jesse Adams the good advice to keep himself calm. This was for him very difficult. Despite that Jesse was very satisfied about the work of his grandson. Rusty could get on very well with another hand, Sam Young. By him Rusty became calmer, except when the subject was Cody. Rusty didn’t know that Cody had plans to chase him away. Even with violence. Each day a man was spying on the boy.
One day Rusty and Sam were cattle driving and it was almost evening Cody appeared at a for them nearly invisible spot. He got his rifle, loaded it and said while he aimed to shoot, “Now you are dead boy.”
At that moment Rusty got hit by a ‘lost’ bullet. He fell on the ground while his horse rode back to the ranch. Sam went after Cody but the latter had suddenly disappeared.
At home Rusty woke up with a terrible headache.
Joan came to him and said, “You are at home boy. Cody Collins shot you.”
“He shall pay for that”, Rusty replied tired.
“Try to get some sleep. You need it”, said Joan.
Meanwhile Jesse had arrived with Sam at the ranch of Cody.
Cody asked Jesse, “What are you doing here?”
“Why did you shoot Rusty by evening time? He was not on your land”, Jesse said directly.
“He was so. I have nothing to with him. He is not my son”, Cody replied annoyed.
“If Rusty dies I sue you for murdering my grandson”, Jesse said determined.
“I just did what I had to do. Get lost or else….”, Cody yelled almost angry.
Jesse and Sam went away but they didn’t trust him.
“Rusty is totally different than Cody”, Sam said on the way home.
“He looks more like his mother”, his boss replied.
In the meantime Cody made new plans to get Rusty out of the way in case he had survived the attack. Mary came with a brilliant plan.
“I know a way to get rid of him”, she said.
“Tell sis”, Cody said very curious.
“We set the ranch on fire and blame Rusty. He gets arrested and then we are forever free from him. What do you think about it?”, asked Mary.
Cody looked her amazed and said, “So everything that I have built up in the past sixteen years I must burn? Never!”
A big row began and in a fit of insanity Cody shot Mary dead. He buried her body outside his ranch on a piece deserted land. Cody knew that if the sheriff got to hear this he would go to jail then. He didn’t feel like that much. That’s way he decided to keep calm.
Rusty recovered quite soon and was determined to get hold of Cody. It didn’t matter how. As long as it happened. He told nobody about his plan. Though Jesse noticed that Rusty was up to something.
He took him apart in his office and asked, “Rusty, you are up to something. What is that for a plan?”
Rusty kept silent for a long time and then he said slowly, “Cody shall bleed because he shot me down. Don’t try to stop me because that won’t work.”
“Nobody knows anything about you and you tell nothing much too. You are not being wanted for something like that?”, Jesse asked calm.
Rusty shook of no and stared absent ahead of him.
Finally he said, “I just want justice for what Cody has done to my life. That’s all.”
“We will deal with that. But not in your way boy”, replied Jesse.
Rusty looked very amazed at the rancher but didn’t ask why. He knew the reason by now. He left the office and the ranch. The boy went to the saloon. Arrived there he stood eye to eye with Cody. Rusty hadn’t noticed that Jesse had followed him. Suddenly Cody shot just next to the left feet of Rusty so that the boy shot back.
Then Jesse came into the saloon, grabbed the hand of Rusty and said, “You come along with me now young man. You are needed at the ranch.”
Rusty went along silently but unvolunteerly back home.
That evening Rusty and Sam were in the saloon. At a certain moment the sheriff came in. He walked straight to the two.
“Rusty, I need you as deputy. The rumor goes that Cody Collins wants to kill you. That’s why I have in consultation with Jesse Adams made the decision to hire you as”, the sheriff explained to Rusty.
Rusty took a sip of beer, kept silent and asked then, “From today on?”
“Today unofficial but tomorrow official. What do you think of it?”, asked the sheriff.
“No, I won’t do it”, said Rusty.
“I am the only one who can protect you”, said the sheriff.
He took the boy aside and said whispering, “If you don’t take the job you get hanged!”
“Alright, I take the job”, Rusty replied but he didn’t trust the sheriff.
Quite soon Rusty and Sam went home again. Though they didn’t know yet what had happened at the Cannery.
Once arrived at home they found the ranch robbed.
Jesse said, “Cody did this to add our ranch to his. He wants to own the whole town and each ranch in the area.”
“He shall not get this ranch. I want to give my life for it”, Rusty said fierce.
“That shall hopefully not be necessary but I can use your support very well. He has murdered your mother”, replied Jesse.
“What are we going to do?”, was the question of his grandson.
“We defend the ranch as good as possible. It will be difficult because Cody is very dangerous”, said Jesse.
At that moment there was a knock at the door. Jesse answered it and Rusty recognized the visitor.
“Doc, what are you doing here?”, he asked him amazed.
“I come for you. Before you left you asked me about papers about your parents. I have here all papers about them and you”, said Doc.
He read the papers and it turned out that Cody Collins had been an outlaw. With the papers was also a document included that Cody was the father of Rusty.
“Rusty, when you were off to school Collins came by to rob Jane from her life”, said Doc.
Jesse and Joan knew to calm him down but in his room Rusty got his rifle. He loaded the weapon and his revolver too. Here after he went downstairs again.
“Rusty, you stay here. Cody will surely get his punishment but not in your way”, Jesse said fierce.
Rusty looked at him fierce and said, “I know that. He only gets a few years and then everyone acts like nothing has happened. Cody shall pay and bleed for what he has done!”
Nobody could stop Rusty. Not even Sam.
After a big row Rusty returned to the saloon. Sam rod after him and found him at the poker table. Opposite Rusty sat Cody Collins. The tension between the two was very well notable because it was deadly quiet in the saloon.
Suddenly asked Cody, “What are you going to do?”
“I want to make a deal with you. This is the deal. If I lose now I leave I Rockville and I leave you alone. If I should win then you recognize me as your son”, Rusty said with a poker face.
“No way. I rather shoot you than to recognize you as my son”, Cody replied angry.
“Come Rusty. Or he really will shoot you”, said Sam.
Rusty and Sam left the saloon, mounted on their horses and rode back home.
There Jesse said to Rusty, “Today or tomorrow you are gone if you carry on like this boy.”
“What must I do then? Each time when I see him I must think of what he has done to me and mom”, the boy said restless.
“Maybe it is better if you leave here for good. Your reputation is not far too good after the shooting in the saloon. Besides you are a stranger here”, said Jesse.
“I go away tomorrow morning early”, Rusty said hurt.
“No, you leave now. You are fired. I never want to see you ever again at the ranch”, Jesse said strict.
There was nothing else for Rusty to do than to pack his things and leave the Cannery.
On a mountain Rusty looked ahead of him. Below him laid Rockville, the town where his parents had lived. His grandpa had sent him away but Rusty wouldn’t take that. Related or not, no man should get it into his mind to send Rusty Collins away.
When the night had fallen he rode back to town. Suddenly he saw that the sheriff was threatening Cody in his office. Rusty dismounted and pretended that he was injured. Tripping he fell inside.
“Sheriff, I am injured”, Rusty could say before he collapsed.
“Get up Collins. You are alright”, the sheriff said to Rusty who didn’t move a muscle.
“Sheriff, he is really injured. I take him home with me”, Cody said quickly.
He saw through Rusty.
“Just take him along then”, the sheriff said angry.
Cody picked up Rusty.
Outside he said to his son, “Wake up.”
Rusty opened his eyes and said, “I am awake. What is going on around here? It looks like everyone is afraid of the sheriff.”
“I shall tell you it you at the ranch. Come on”, said Cody.
At the Collins ranch said Cody, “The sheriff is not very glad with your arrival.”
“Who is?”, asked Rusty.
“I am your father and the sheriff has murdered your mother. He is my brother Jake. We were in the same gang and he just shot her plump. He decided then to stop with it and became a sheriff here. He paid me to keep silent. But when you showed up and began to ask for me I had no other choice than to deny that you were my son. I am sorry that I shot you”, Cody said worried.
“Why did the sheriff threat you? Is he afraid that everything comes out by me?”, asked Rusty.
Cody nodded.
“He offered me the job of deputy. When I refused he threatened with the gallows. So I took the job but I don’t trust him”, said Rusty.
Rusty remained at the ranch that night. When he woke up the next morning he noticed that Cody was gone. After breakfast Rusty got his horse and he went to look Cody . After having ride a while Rusty saw someone lying on the ground. He rode to it and dismounted. He was very amazed when he saw who it was who was lying on the ground.
Rusty kneeled down by him and just said, “Pa.”
“I am sorry that I have treated you this way. I knew that you were my son. That’s why I have build up the ranch”, Cody said dying to him.
“I understand it now. Only I don’t think it is great that my pa was an outlaw”, replied Rusty.
“Find the one who shot me and take care of it that he gets punished for it. That’s what I want you to do for me”, Cody said exhausted.
A moment later he died in the arms of Rusty. The boy realized that Cody was shot down by the sheriff. He decided to bury his father and to back to Rockville.
When he arrived in the town everyone stared at him. He didn’t know where he had to look. Rusty stopped near the office of the sheriff and went inside.
“Did you get hold of Cody Collins?”, asked the sheriff.
Rusty looked at him, took off his star and said while he threw it on the table, “Here is your star back. I don’t work for someone who kills my parents. I know everything because Cody has confessed me all just before he died.”
“Rusty, you make a big mistake. I have nothing to do with it”, the sheriff tried to say but the boy didn’t listen anymore to his former employer.
What the sheriff didn’t know was that Rusty had warned a Texas Ranger. This one was on already on his way to examine the case.
At the Cannery Rusty told the whole story.
Jesse said with amazing to him, “So Cody was innocent but the sheriff wants to own the whole town. I suggest that you and Sam go to the Collins ranch before the sheriff takes it.”
“Alright, we go. Come on Sam”, Rusty said worried.
They went on their way to the Collins ranch which looked deserted.
Quite soon they arrived at the Collins ranch. Rusty came into the empty living room and went to sit on the table. Sam inspected the rest of the ranch but couldn’t find anything suspicious. When he came into the living room Rusty had very deep thoughts. So deep that he didn’t even hear Sam come in.
The next morning the sheriff appeared at the ranch. He knocked at the door and Rusty answered it carefully.
“What are you doing here? This is the Collins ranch, isn’t it?”, the sheriff asked distrusting.
“This is the Collins ranch. I am Rusty Collins and the ranch is now mine”, Rusty claimed.
“Cody is dead so the ranch is now my property”, the sheriff said a bit annoyed.
Meanwhile Sam went to the Cannery to warn Jesse. In the meantime Rusty got pushed into a corner literally by the sheriff.
“You will keep silent about this”, the sheriff said to Rusty who remained calm and noticed that the sheriff was afraid of him.
“They will find out what you are doing anyway. So…”, reacted Rusty.
A fight began between the two whereby Rusty broke his left ankle. The sheriff wanted to shoot Rusty when there was a knock at the door. Sam broke the door open. In the door-post Texas Ranger John Miller stood who pointed his rifle at the sheriff and said fierce, “Hands up Jake Collins. You are under arrest. I decide now the law here for the time being.”
“You have taken care of this Collins?”, the sheriff asked angry.
He gave the boy yet a hard kick against his broken ankle.
“Yes sure. I know too that you have killed my parents and that you are my uncle”, said Rusty.
When the ankle of Rusty was set into plaster and the sheriff was put behind bars John told the following, “Cody and Mary Collins had another brother Jake. He was the sheriff. Jake and Mary were against the marriage of Cody with Jane Adams. When you were on the way Mary had made sure that Jane and Cody broke up. Jake has shot Jane but he didn’t know about your existence until you showed up here. Cody shot Mary dead because she wanted to burn down the ranch and let you pay the price for it. Cody knew that you were his son but didn’t dare to let it show because everything would come out then.”
Both Rusty as the others in the room were quiet by hearing this.
“Who will become now sheriff?”, asked Jesse.
“There will be no sheriff but a marshal. I have recommended Rusty in Washington. If they agree with it and Rusty too he will become the authority here. Until then I am in charge here”, said John.
“I would like to be marshal. I just don’t know if I can and shall be a good marshal”, replied Rusty.
“I think so. At home you always solved most rows and problems too”, said John.
Jesse looked at John and asked, “Do you know Rusty all along?”
“My wife and I have taken him in after the death of Jane in”, John explained.
“Rusty, I still owe you an apology for sending you away. I am sorry”, said Jesse.
“Forgiven. I stay in this town for a long time”, was the answer of Rusty.
“The town can use someone like you very well”, said Jesse.