I had just rode into town when I heard shots coming from the saloon.  Just then I saw Micah entering the saloon.  I thought I'd go in and look over the situation.  Maybe Micah might need some help.  There was a couple of  saddle tramps causing a commotion.  The one, Truelove, was shooting up the place.  "I want you boys out of town in fifteen minutes, said Micah."  They laughed.  "Who says?" asked one of the cowboys.  "The law says," said Micah.  "Ohhhhh.....seems like this law hasn't heard of the Texas boys and the three tarantula spiders," said Truelove.  They were still laughing.  "It seems like one morning this Dallas boy woke up and he's got three of 'em on his leg," said Truelove.  "Well sir, he sneaked out his equalizer and he vowed to exstinguish out the whole lot of 'em."  "But try as he would he just couldn't seem to line up any two at anyone at the same time."  "Ain't that right boys?"  "That's right!" Laughed his buddies.  "It seem the poor cuss nearly scratched himself bald before he starved himself to death.  Just then I walked into the saloon.  I flipped my rifle.  They knew I meant business.  "Your wrong flat mouth." "Dallas men always carry back to back sixes," I said.  "My name is Arthur M. Truelove, and a long living spider knows when he's out numbered."  He took off his gun belt and handed it to Micah.  Then walked out of the saloon.  The other two did the same.  Sweeney started yelling about the damage.  I told him to auction off their guns & belts and not to crowd his luck.

 "Well Micah, I guess that's taken care of, huh?" I asked.  "Yup."  "And now nobody will ever know if I could have done it alone."  He was upset with me.  What did I do?  "Hey.....what is this?" I asked.  "What is this?"  "I'll tell you what is this!"  Taking off his badge, Micah starts pinning it on me.  "I'm finally gonna name you the real Marshal in North Fork!"  "Yes sir.....that's my last official act!"  "Right here where I started all over again.....remember?"   "He's a first class gent and you couldn't do better then to vote him in permanent," Said Micah.  "You were sore at me back there.....about what?"  I asked.  "I shouldn't be sore at you Mr. McCain! I owe you too much!"  Micah turned to face everyone in the saloon.  "When I first hit this town I was nothing but a broken down gutter drunk with a cripple draw," said Micah.  I tried to stop him, but he was too angry with me.  "And you came along."  "You picked me up and dusted me off,  [picking up his shotgun] even put this in my hands and arranged the job for me."  "Right now I've had my fill of it.....all the way up to here where I swallow!"  "And anyway it's been too long between drinks."  I grabbed him by the arm.  "Micah, we've been friends a long time.....at least I thought so."  "That gives me the right to know exactly what's eatin' on you!"  "You wanna know?" He asked.  "I wanna know!"  "All the way down the line?" Asked Micah.  "All the way down the line!" I said.  He then headed behind the bar.  "Alright.....I'll tell ya!" Said Micah.  "I could have made good in this town!"  Said Micah.  "Earn everybody's respect, even my own."  "But the big man here never left me get rollin'," yelled Micah.  "No.....every last time I'm faced with a shootout.....along comes the great Rifleman here to take over."  "Right or wrong Micah.....it was meant friendly."  "Sure, sure McCain and takin' the bows afterwards.....that was meant to be friendly to, wasn't it, huh?"   He got a couple of bottles of whiskey.  "You can chalk these up Sweeney," said Micah.  I shoved them off the bar unto the floor.  We both stood there looking at each other.  "You've even got enough credit with me for that McCain."  "Just remember the next time even a trick rifle won't shoot down a scatter gun at close range.  I was confused, Micah was never like this towards me.  "What did you say?" I asked Micah.  "Here.....you'll need that! It's the key to the jail."  He then grabbed two more bottles of whiskey.  "You can't shoot a man.....not with that on your chest!"  "You'll have to wait until I hold myself open for a legal arrest."    

          Confused I headed over to Micah's office.  I had to find out what was going on. He didn't want to talk about it. "I'm not going to let it go at that.....not between you and me," I said.  "You've got no choice!" Said Micah. He then went into the other room.  "Look.....Micah, I've taken a man by the hand more than just to say howdy to him maybe four times in my life and out of them your the last and the most.....well.....it.....ummm.....with me, you stand right behind Mark, you know that don't cha'?"  "Anyway Micah.....I'm here to ask your pardon and forgiveness for whatever I did to offend you."   "I mean that, right from the heart!"  He never said a word.  "Now it didn't come easy to say that!"  "What do you want from a man?"  "Ride around the territory writin' your name on trees?"  I was talking to myself, I didn't know it at first but Micah had left.  He never heard a word I said.

Just then I heard someone approaching.  It was a black man.  He told me his name was Thaddeus, Thad for short.   He said that he was looking for work and that Sweeney sent him here.  He overheard how Micah had pinned this badge on me and that I would be needin' someone to take care of my ranch while I was marshalin'.  He was right.  I hadn't given it any thought.  I asked him what experience he had.  He said he was qualified to do most anything.  He told me he knew cattle as much as most folks and he could take care of a house and could keep it clean just like a marshal would expect it kept.  There was something about this guy that I liked.  "Looks like we each got us a new job," I said.  We shook hands on it.

The next day Thad and Mark came into town.  They found out that Micah had taken an attic room out at Mrs. Rington's.  I told Mark and Thad to stay and keep an eye on the office for me and that I wouldn't be long.  Mark wanted to go along, but I thought it best that I go see Micah alone.

When I got there I could hear Micah singing.  He was drunk.  I walked in.  "I thought I was being your friend when I was backin you up."  "I see I made a mistake."  "I still wanna be your friend.....alright?"  "Friend......who wants friends.....I don't need any friends," said Micah. He poured himself another drink and told me this was his best friend, it runs the nightmares off the range.  I asked him if he was having nightmares.  "Doesn't everybody?" he asked.  He said I wouldn't know about anything like that.  He said I've never been afraid of anybody in my life.  "Tell me something.....have you ever ran into someone who some way or other.....the minute you met them.....they had your number?" Asked Micah.  "I mean.....no matter what they said to you or did to you.....from there on in you didn't even have the nerve to look them in the face.....you ever have that little thing?" 

He told me about this cheap gunslinger by the name of Ansel Bain.  Just the mention of his name upset him.  He told me he wasn't a fast draw, just one of those men who was a sure shot at long range.  He said there was something about his eyes.  He was way far-sighted, like a turkey buzzard.  He told me a range hand rode in about a week ago and told him he saw Ansel at the saloon in Dillsville.  He feared Ansel would pick up his tracks and start trailing him again.  I couldn't believe that Micah was that scared of a man who wore eyeglasses.  That's what his nightmares were about, dying by Ansel's gun.  He said I wouldn't understand.  "The way he looks at cha'.....well it  was the vulture way," said Micah.  Micah had hoped when he had settled here he would learn to settle his fears.  But when he heard Ansel was only a days ride from here he crumbled.  He knew with me backin' him up all the time that he wouldn't be able to handle Ansel.  I was always there to hold him up.  He felt he was a drunken no good coward. He laid his head on the table and wept.  He couldn't face Ansel, he was a coward in his mind, how could he face a man he was so afraid of.

I felt helpless.  What could I do to help this man, my friend.  It hurt me to see Micah this low.  I took the badge off and laid it on the table in front of him. "Micah, I want you to put this back on for a while."  He looked up.  "I can't," he said.  "You better learn what.....have to means, Micah."  He started to laugh and poured whiskey on the badge lying on the table.  He started singing again.  "I hope to see you again soon Micah."  I started to leave when....."Lucas! You gonna gun him for me?" Yelled Micah.  "Oh no.....I've done you enough harm and hurt already Micah. I wouldn't want to add to it."

 I headed for Dillsville looking for Ansel Bain.  I went to the saloon and asked the bartender if he knew where I could find him.  He motioned to a man setting at the table by the window.  I went over to him.  I sat down.  I was surprised what I saw.  I told him I had heard a lot about him lately and about his reputation.  He wanted to know what I wanted.  He was holding a gun on me under the table.  I told him if he put that gun away I might have some information he might like to hear.  He then poured me a drink.  I told him where to find Micah. 

Ansel went to see Micah.  He laughed at him when hr saw him in his condition.  He told Micah he heard that was the Marshal in this town.  He had plans, this was gonna work out to his benefit.  He told Micah to meet him tomorrow at the saloon at 10 o'clock and to be wearing his badge.  "And Micah.....this time don't try runnin'."  All the while he's pattin' his gun. 

  That evening I was sitting in my chair reading the Bible and thinking.  I was looking for an answer for this, maybe even some comfort.  Thad could tell I was troubled.  "Ain't you found what you've been lookin' for yet.....in the Book Mr. McCain?"  I looked at Thad and said....."Solomon.....proverbs 18,  verse 24.....A man [that hath] friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh "Closer than a Brother."  Thad reminded me that in the new Book it says "a man ain't got no greater love then to lay down his own life for a friend."  "What about when a man lays down his friends life for his friend?" I asked.  Looking at my Bible I asked....."What does the book say about that?"  Just then we heard a rider approaching the ranch.  I looked out.  It was Micah.  By then he was at the door.  I opened the door, but not too wide.  I didn't let him in the house.  I knew why he was here and I had to be strong.  "He's here Lucas. Here in North Fork, Ansel.....Ansel Bain"   "I'd say that's your problem."  "No.....no Lucas.....I can't handle him alone, you know that.  You gotta back me up."  "Again, after the thanks I got."  "Lucas.....please!"  "You've got a choice Micah.....stand up to the man alone or run."  "Lucas please, I'm askin' you this one last favor."  "The answer is no!"  I said forcefully.  We just stood there looking at each other.  "Alright Lucas.....alright Lucasboy."  I went out unto the porch and watched him ride off. 

Mark came out of the bedroom.  "I couldn't help over hearin', Pa."  "What's wrong with Micah?"  "Is he sick?"  "He needs help!"  Mark started to run to the door.  "He'll be killed or somethin'!"  Thad held him back.  "Hold on Mark, son," said Thad.  "The way poor Mr. Micah is now, he'd be much happier dead and buried."  I couldn't say anything.  I just stood there hurtin'.  I had to let him face Ansel.....alone!  

The next morning Micah kept his appointment with Ansel.  Ansel knew Micah was afraid of him, so this was to his advantage.  Micah sat there.  He couldn't look at Ansel.  Ansel told him if he would have run this time he would have come after him.  He also told Micah that there was no one to back him up.  "How did you find me?" Asked Micah.  "A matter of fact a long mean speakin' cuss with a funny rifle rode the whole ways down to Dillsville just to tell me where I could find you."  Micah realized I did this for him.  "To think of you going to all that trouble," Micah mumbled.  Ansel told Micah he wanted him to appoint him his permanent chief deputy.  He told him to do it that minute, loud and plain.  Ansel set there laughing.  He pushed the bottle of whiskey over to him and told him to wet his whistle.  For the first time Micah looked at him.  "To think he's taken the trouble for me," said Micah.  He reach over and took Ansel's glasses off his face.  He then took the bottle of Whiskey and broke it over Ansel's head.  "Why sixteen years.....for sixteen years I've been livin' in fear of.....I guess you might say.....my own weakness."

I stood outside the saloon waiting for the outcome.  Several men carried out Ansel.  Micah then came out.  He yelled....."Lock 'em up boys!"  He saw me standing there.  "So you were in back of me as usual." said Micah.  I shook my head.  "No Micah, I wasn't."  "I was just watching."  "With that?"  As he looked at my rifle.  "This?"  "I feel he was even money to kill you."  "I didn't plan for him to walk away from it."  He then looked at me and said...."To think of you going to all that trouble."