After bounty hunter Josh Randall had delivered his so maniest catch he decided to take vacation for a while. Though this wouldn’t happen anyway.
On a quiet spot Josh found a sleeping boy. He found this strange already because this spot was far away from the living world. Josh woke the boy up.
“What’s your name lad?”, the bounty hunter asked calm.
“Mickey Hill. Who are you?”, Mickey asked on his turn.
“Josh Randall. What are you doing here?”, asked Josh.
Mickey looked at him but kept silent. The brown eyes of the boy stood very dark. Josh repeated his question. Again Mickey kept silent.
“You have ran away from home, haven’t you?”, Josh asked while he made a camp fire.
Mickey looked up and asked, “What gave you that idea? I don’t ask what you are doing here, do I?”
Josh looked amazed and said, “I didn’t know that you were so cheeky. If you were my son I would have unlearn you that years ago.”
“I ain’t your son”, the boy reacted.
Josh noticed that Mickey was very cheeky for his age.
“Where do you live?”, asked the bounty hunter.
“Why? Are you going to take me home?”, Mickey asked fierce.
Now Josh became fed up with it and he grabbed Mickey by his coat.
He said, “Now you keep calm and that peak of yours shut. Understood Mickey Hill? I surely want to help you but not at this way.”
Mickey said, “I don’t need any help and certainly not from you.”
He pulled himself loose and went to sit away as far as possible from the bounty hunter away. Josh kept on looking at him. He didn’t know that Mickey was as sneaky as 10 foxes together. Mickey felt somehow the blue eyes of Josh burning inside him. The boy felt everything except at ease. He resolved himself to tell as less as possible. How big the risk could be anyway.
Josh prepared the food and asked, “Mickey, do you want some food?”
Hesitating Mickey came to him, looked at the food and said, “If you can miss it.”
“Of course I can miss it. Otherwise I wouldn’t ask, would I?”, asked Josh.
The boy felt attacked and said then, “You can stuff your food. I ain’t hungry anymore.”
Mickey went back to his spot and fell asleep. Now Josh wanted to know more about Mickey and the reason why he behaved so hostile.
Not very far from where Josh and Mickey stayed stood the wagon of Johnny Hill. Johnny was a true master of conning but he made sure that he never could get or got arrested. Johnny had sent out his son Mickey to lure people to come to his wagon. Johnny and zijn son had medicines for every disease. It didn’t matter which disease you had, they had a cure for it. There were always people who fell for it. Soon there had to be sold something because the bottom of the money box was to be seen already. Johnny knew that Mickey was sharp enough to lure people. But this time he thought it took too much time. He packed it all in and took a horse along.
Soon Johnny had reached the camp of Josh. He saw Mickey lying deadly still. The swindler dismounted and walked to him.
“What have you done with him cowboy?”, Johnny asked fierce.
“Nothing. I just put him in his proper place because he was as bold as brass to me. Are you his father?”, Josh asked aware.
He got up and looked at the visitor.
“Yes, I am the father of Mickey. You mustn’t interfere with the upbringing of Mickey”, said Johnny.
“Mickey is so cheeky as can be”, the bounty hunter reacted.
“He is never cheeky. Other children can take an example to him”, Johnny claimed.
Josh clearly disagreed and both men started to fight. They didn’t see that Mickey had woken up and sneaked away. The boy saw chance to steal the rifle of Josh. Then his eye caught a money belt. Mickey took that along as well.
“Pa, come on”, yelled the boy.
Johnny knocked Josh out cold and ran to the horse.
He mounted on but Mickey said, “Just wait minute pa.”
The boy ran to the camp fire and took the meat along which was still untouched on the plate of Josh. Then Johnny helped him on the horse and they rode to their wagon.
While they rode to the town Johnny asked, “What did that geezer want from you?”
“He wanted to know what I was doing and where I came from. I haven’t told hem anything”, Mickey said chewing on a piece of meat.
“Well done son. You get better each day”, his father said proud as a peacock.
“Actually we should have taken his horse too. And not only his rifle and money belt”, answered Mickey.
He looked smiling at Johnny.
“Everything in its own time, son, everything in its own time. As soon as we are in town first we buy new clothes for you. That geezer can recognize you right away”, said Johnny.
“I can handle him pa. Don’t you worry about me”, was the reaction of Mickey.
“I know that too but I think that that geezer is serving the right side of the law. You know that we don’t want anything to do with that. Do you happen to know what he does to stay alive?”, asked Johnny.
“No, only that he was called Josh Randall”, answered Mickey.
“Josh Randall, Josh Randall. I have heard that name before. I can’t think now of what but I will remember somehow. You try to get some sleep. You need it harder than I do”, said Johnny.
Mickey nodded and crawled in the wagon to fall in a very sound sleep soon.
After some time Josh woke up but it seemed as if his brain had been shaken up. Slowly he got up and he walked to his horse. The first thing that he got was his water bottle and he took a considerable sip. The bounty blinked a few times with his eyes. Hereby he came to his conscious again. Then he noticed that his rifle and money belt were gone.
“That flaming’ rotten lad. I knew that he couldn’t be trusted. As soon as I lay my hands on him he is going to catch it. Then he wished that he was never been born”, Josh said angry.
He got his things together and mounted on. His vacation was over in one bang.
Because several hours had passed it was for Josh very difficult to find the track of the Hill family and to follow it. But due to his years of experience he found their track after a while.
At least he thought that. When this track was dead Josh decided to go to the nearest town. He was quite sure that there was a price on the head of Mickey Hill. If that wasn’t the case, then it would happen now.
The bounty hunter reached Silvertown faster than he had expected. He stopped in front of the office of the sheriff. He dismounted and hitched his horse. Here after Josh stepped into the office. Sheriff Carl Anderson was working and saw him at once.
“Sheriff, I am Josh Randall, bounty hunter. A few hours both my rifle and money belt were stolen by Mickey Hill. He is a lad about eight, nine years old. He doesn’t know politeness at all. What I do want to know is this: is there a price on his head?”, Josh asked coming straight to the point.
“I will check it out. Sit down. The name Hill does sound familiar to me”, the sheriff said while he looked through the pile of wanted posters.
Suddenly he got stuck by the poster of Johnny Hill.
He gave it to Josh and asked, “I do have this one of Johnny Hill. Does Mickey look like him?”
Josh looked at the poster and said after a very long time, “Yes indeed. May I take this poster along?”
“Just take it along. If you can find and arrest them, I don’t care. The world is better off when those two swindlers are arrested”, answered the sheriff.
“Swindlers?”, Josh asked amazed.
He squeezed his eyes to little chinks.
“Johnny Hill is a quack. He claims to have a medicine for every disease. There are still people who believe him. The problem is that up till now he has seen the chance to avoid the way to prison”, Carl told.
“Not when I go after him”, was the cool reaction of koele Josh.
He folded the poster sand put it into his inside pocket. After that he got up and left the office. Without realizing he was involved again in a case.
It was pure luck or unluck that father and son Hill reached the calm town Silvertown.
“Here we are going to try our luck, lad”, Johnny said with a grin of satisfaction on his face.
The eyes of Mickey began to beam. That always happened when the boy got the feeling that they were going to earn a lot of money.
“Pa, what if we put the wagon on the edge of town. Then we have won more time when we leave again”, Mickey suddenly suggested.
“Good idea of you son. You start more and more look like your mother these days. She was also so clever”, said Johnny.
Mickey got tears in his eyes when he thought back of his mother. Five years back she was murdered by a ruthless bounty hunter who thought she was a bank robber. Mickey witnessed it and had since then a big hate for bounty hunters. In his anger he had shot down the bounty hunter but no one believed that a four year old child had done that. For that reason he was in the clear. Johnny put the wagon near the edge of town and jumped off it. After that he lifted his son from it. From his wallet the swindler got a note of 50 dollars.
“Here you have money for bread, milk and what else you might be needed”, his father said to Mickey.
This one nodded, took the money and went to the General Store. Careful he looked around him but nobody paid attention to him. Quickly he did the shopping and he went back to the wagon. What Mickey didn’t see was that Josh had seen him going to General Store. The bounty hunter happened to look out of the window of his hotel room.
“So that lad is here. If I have him, I will get his father too”, Josh said softly to himself.
He went to lie on the bed and rolled a cigarette. He lit it and thought about the best way how he could get hold of Mickey. This gave the bounty hunter some time to think. Though he came up with a plan.
When Mickey had delivered the shopping’s Johnny said, “Now you are going to deliver these leaflets. Then I prepare the business for the first demonstration.”
“Alright pa”, said Mickey.
He grabbed the leaflets and brought them round. Johnny made everything ready in the hope that they would earn a lot of money again. When he didn’t know was that Mickey wouldn’t return to him anymore.
Meanwhile Josh had left the hotel and gone to the market square. From where he stood the bounty hunter could keep an eye on Mickey. Mickey didn’t see him though. At a certain moment Josh went to stand in front of the boy.
He said determined voice, “You still have something from me. I want to have that back.”
“I have never seen you before”, Mickey said with a face of steel.
“You have and you know that as good as I do”, Josh said and he grabbed the boy very tight.
Mickey tried to pull loose but that failed and all leaflets fell on the ground. Josh had him a bit too tight for that. A few minutes it was deadly quiet between both on the market square. Mickey got seized by the collar by Josh and dragged to the office of the sheriff.
Carl sat behind his desk when the twosome came in. The sheriff pretended as he didn’t know Josh.
“What is the name?”, the authority carrier asked.
“Josh Randall, bounty hunter. This lad here stole 500 dollars and a rifle of mine”, Josh answered with a cool look.
Mickey looked up and realized that he had fallen into the trap.
“Is that so?”, asked the sheriff.
“He lies. I have never seen him before. By the way, I have no money on me and no rifle either”, lied Mickey.
“Your pa shall have that rifle and money for sure”, reacted Josh.
“Mickey Hill, I arrest you for theft”, said the sheriff.
He took the boy along to a cell.
“I will get you for this, Randall”, Mickey yelled at the bounty hunter.
When Mickey was behind bars Josh said to the sheriff in the office, “I go after Johnny Hill. Mickey was delivering leaflets on the market square.”
“There is enough room for him”, said Carl.
Josh nodded and left again.
At the edge of town it had remained still. Johnny wondered where asked Mickey remained and became slowly but sure worried You could send Mickey for an errand easily but he was so shameless as could be. Especially when they reacted to him.
“That rotten lad has forgotten the time again. It wouldn’t surprise me”, Johnny grumbled at him.op hem. He didn’t like the attitude his son adapted less and less these days. Johnny didn’t know that Mickey had fallen in the hands of Josh Randall. But he would discover that soon enough. Suddenly the swindler saw Josh coming.
‘What is he doing here? Now everything goes wrong today’, Johnny thought then.
“You are Johnny Hill?”, Josh asked when he had come close to the wagon.
“Yes, why?”, Johnny asked on his turn.
“Your son Mickey is in prison. I thought you would like to know that”, answered Josh.
He turned his horse and rode away again. Now he had Johnny exactly where he wanted to have him. Johnny was placed on the horns of a dilemma: or he would abandon Mickey but then the chance was big that he would talk or he went to try to free his son. Then the chance was great that he would be arrested. Johnny didn’t feel like that at all. He decided to kill Mickey before he went to talk.
Meanwhile Mickey had decided to tell everything to the sheriff.
“Sheriff, can you come for a moment?”,the boy called from his wooden couch.
The authority carrier came and asked, “Mickey, what is the matter?”
“I want to tell everything my father has done”, said Mickey said while he sat down.
“Wait till Mr Randall is back. I am sure that he wants to hear it as well”, said the sheriff.
He heard the door going open and the bounty hunter stepped in. From his face Carl saw that Johnny knew where Mickey was.
“Mickey wants to tell everything in exchange for less punishment. Come on Mickey”, said Carl and he let the boy out of the cell.
Without looking at both men Mickey told the following, “Pa cons the people without that they realize it. He claims to have a medicine for every disease. Since he thought that he had cured me from the measles he has started with that show. That was about 5 years ago. He always sends me ahead to attract people and also to arrange other things. Without me he can’t do anything.”
“So in fact everything is down to you?”, asked Josh.
Mickey nodded.
“Now there is another reason to arrest him, for exploiting a minor. Josh, you keep your eye on him as long as Hill senior still walking around free”, said the sheriff.
At first Mickey didn’t find it such a great idea but agreed to it later on. Josh took him down to his hotel room. He did notice that Mickey had become more quieter by the confession.
Suddenly Johnny came riding by and he shot Mickey in his left knee. The swindler rode too fast for Josh to react. Mickey laid on the ground while people came to stand around him to see what the matter was.
“Get a doctor”, Josh called.
Someone went to get the doctor
Josh said, “Lean on me. The hotel is here around the corner.”
Mickey went along with the bounty hunter limping.
In the hotel room Doc took out the bullet out of the knee of Mickey.
He said to the boy after the operation, “You stay in bed for a week. Try to move as less as possible with your leg.”
“Thanks Doc”, Josh said who let the doctor out.
“Now you are stuck with me for a week”, said Mickey.
“That will be alright. I think that you will sleep a lot the first few days. Your father won’t find you here very easily. I keep an eye on you too”, Josh answered calm.
Soon Mickey fell asleep. To take care of more safety Josh locked the room and closed the windows.
The whole week nobody saw nor Josh Randall neither Mickey Hill on the street. But because they saw each other 24 hours a day Mickey got to know Josh much better. That was also the other way around. Because Josh had Mickey in his hands Johnny Hill had become powerless. Hereby he easily could get arrested.
Josh said, “If you testify against your father in front of the judge you can get sentence reducing.”
“They won’t believe me anyway”, claimed Mickey.
“I think they do. You are now seven days here and I must say that you are more polite than we first saw each other”, answered the bounty hunter.
“Just keep your nice compliments for yourself”, groaned Mickey.
He didn’t like it when someone gave him a good judgment.
“Take it easy Mickey. I go and get some food”, Josh said to forget the row.
He left the hotel room, leaving Mickey behind. The boy had a rifle with him. He walked around in the room being a bit crippled. What none of them knew was that Johnny had found out where Mickey was being held Josh Randall. Johnny knocked at the door.
The boy asked, “Josh, is that you?”
“No, I ain’t Josh. It’s me, your sweet father”, said Johnny.
Mickey got a big scare. First he didn’t know what he had to do but then he fled the hotel room, taking the rifle with him. On the way he ran into Josh.
“Josh, pa is after me. He wants to kill me”, Mickey raged.
Josh understood it and took the boy along. They kept themselves quiet at the stairs. Johnny came after his son.
He called, “Randall, give me my son back.”
“Why? He hasn’t done anything seriously. You have”, answered Josh.
This answer made the swindler so angry that he shot at the twosome because he happened to see them sitting. Johnny wanted to kill Mickey but Josh dived away with him. On this turn the bounty hunter shot Johnny dead. Mickey got the rifle and held it pointed at Josh.
“Mickey, let it drop. It is over”, said Josh.
“For him maybe but not for me”, the boy answered.
“Make sure that I won’t have to pull the trigger”, said Josh.
“Why not? I have nothing to live for anymore”, Mickey said sober.
Though he put the rifle down. Josh crawled to him and took it away. Then it became too much for Mickey and he let go of all the emotions.
Josh took Mickey along to the sheriff and told what had happened on the first floor of the hotel.
“What will happen to me now?”, Mickey asked after he had lost his roughness.
“I can use an errand boy. You can live with us in our house. I mean with me and my wife Peggy”, said Carl.
Mickey looked at him Josh on turns and said, “Alright, I do it.”
Josh said goodbye to Mickey and promised to return again one day Silvertown.