Micah had stopped by the ranch.  I told him I was just going out to check on my herd.  He said he'd go along.  We found a sick steer.  "How does he look Lucasboy"   "Not too good."  "What do you suppose it is?" Asked Micah.  I told him I didn't know.  This steer seemed to be sicker then the ones I had found last week. Just then Mark rode in.  He was out riding Blueboy.  He said there was no holding him back.  He was admiring what a nice day it was when he noticed the steer lying on the ground.  "What's wrong with the steer?" Ask Mark.  "Well he's not feeling too good son."  "Oh..... maybe if I ran him a little bit," said Mark.  "You know.....you're too full of mustard.  I'll tell you what.....you take the afternoon off and I'll mind your chores."  He was thrilled.  "Gee thanks Pa.....today I feel like the west wind a blowin'.  He then rode off.  I thought it best not to burden him just yet with losing the cattle.  Not until I knew more.
While out riding Mark heard a man singing and playing a banjo.  The man introduced himself as Lafayette Blye.  "Howdy Mr. Blye. My name's Mark McCain."  He told Mark to stop and visit a bit.  He told Mark his friends call him Faye.  He told Mark to help himself to some coffee.  "I guess once wouldn't hurt. Smells so good," said Mark.  Mark enjoyed himself listening to Faye's stories and of course his songs.  Faye then took a rubber ball out of his pocket.  He told Mark he used it for his grip.  He then tossed the ball and when Mark went for it he yelled and told him not to move.  Faye then crawled on his hands and knees and found the ball.  He laughed as he walked back to where he was sitting.  "Sorry Marco, you gonna listen for where the ball rolled."  Surprised, Mark said....."You're blind Mr. Blye!"  Mark apologized to Faye.  "Thought I told you my friends called me Faye."  "Faye," said Mark.  Faye makes up for his blindness by having great ears and a grip like a vice.  Mark was eager to learn to play the banjo.  So Faye offered to give him lessons.  Faye asked Mark if he would let him know when he saw a stranger in town.  Mark agreed.  He ask Mark not to tell anyone about him camping there.  Mark said he had to leave; he'd be late for supper.  Just then Faye grabbed Mark's arm.  He grabbed his arm tighter and tighter.  He was hurting him.  "Mark! I loved a girl back there in my seeing days. Oh my.....she was like an out of reach red apple at the top of the tree. Till he come by lookin' up at her."  All the while Faye is grabbing Mark tighter and tighter.  "You know what he done? I'll tell you what he done! He blinded me! Makin' out to be my friend with those eye medicines!"  "Let me go.....you're hurtin' me!" Said Mark.  "In just under six years my sweetheart was dead in the grave from his mistreatments!"  "My wrist!" Said Mark in pain.  "Now a smart boy like you should know him pretty easy. Six foot five with a lanky leg way of walkin' and pale colored eyes over his cheek bones. Now I don't know what name he goes under All I've ever know him by was Mack!"  He then realized he was hurtin' Mark and he released him.  "I'll tell you what Marco, we'll forget all that promisin'.....from here on in I'm trustin' your loyalty to this fine friendship we struck up.  Mark hurried off.  Confused and scared.

After supper Mark and I was getting ready to head out to bury the steer.  "Pa.....Did you ever injury anyone severely, maybe blind him?"  "What?"  "For instance on a count a Ma?"  Mark wasn't sure if Faye was talkin' about me.  "Mark.....you've been lookin' at me all evening like you never saw me before. Is there something troublin' you son?"  He handed me the shove and said "Nothin' especially Pa."  

   As the days went on we lost more cattle.  Mark and I had gone out to bury some more cattle.  Just then a stranger rode up.  I was surprised when he knew my name.  He was surprised to see how tall I was.  He usually didn't run into anybody as tall as he was.  We stood back to back and I had Mark measure us with the shovel.  There was only a hair difference in our height.  "Mack's the name. J. J. Mack."  I asked him what I could do for him.  He asked if he could take a look at my bunch.  "Bunch.....it's not a bunch.....it's a herd, help yourself." I said.  He told me he had been lookin' up to thirty-five hundred heads of cattle all summer, so to him this was just a bunch.  I ask him what he wanted.  He said he had a warrant.  He handed me the warrant.  It was from the territorial governor authorizing him as veterinarian pharmacist to inspect all livestock for epizootic hoof and mouth disease.  I told him it was just a letter, not worth the paper it was written on.  I then threw the warrant to the ground.  He picked up the paper and told me he could have it enforced.  I told him to do it and to get off my land! 

 The next day Mack came to my ranch with Micah.  We went out to the pasture together.  Mack checked my cattle over.  He said that the steers were drooling and that was a contagious stage, they would have to be destroyed.  I thought he was talkin' four head of cattle.  He said that under the law my entire herd had been infected and that they would have to be buried no less then five feet deep with no parts removed or missing.  He said it was to my benefit as a cattleman.  I asked him if the government knew that was my cash income for the whole year.  That I had land payments to make or I could be sold at public auction.  He told me to go on back to the ranch that he and Micah would handle this for me.  "Get him off my land Micah! I still slaughter my own cattle!"  "Now Lucas.....be reasonable," said Micah.  "Let me have today!" "Tomorrow I'll be reasonable."  Micah and Mack left and I started killing my cattle one by one.          

Mark was on his way out when he heard me shooting the cattle.  He rushed to my side.  "Pa.....it's just about like shootin' your feet out from underneath ya'."  "This year we'll have to break 20 acres of new land to come out even." 

   Mark decided to get revenge against Mack for condemning our cattle.  He races to Faye's camp.  "Faye.....Faye.....the man you're lookin' for.....Mr. Mack.....he's in town. I seen him Faye!" 

Mark took Faye into town with him.  Mark told Faye this was his last chance that Mack was leaving the next day.  They were hiding along side of the General Store.  Mark ask Faye how he would know if Mack was the man he was looking for.  His hearing was sharper then ever. He could describe people by listening to them, as they walked.  First he heard a lady.....in her forties, tired and plenty bothered.  That was Mrs. Ransom.  A whiskey husband and eleven kids.  Then he heard a young galoof.  Nothing on his mind but girls.  Then he heard a man about fifty five; with authority.  It was Micah. 

I had gone into town looking for Mark.  I ran into Mack.  He told me he had run into Mark earlier and Mark had asked him when he would be leaving.  Mack said he didn't make many friends in his line of business.   I told him I owed him an apology.  We shook hands.

Mark and Faye we're still outside the General Store waiting for Mack to go by.  Just then Faye thought he heard him.  "Six foot five.....one hundred and ninety pounds, walk like a hind end of an Arkansas mule," said Faye.  "Give him something to remember you by Faye," said Mark.  Just then Faye lunged at me.  He had a bear hug on me.  As I stuggled to get free we fell to the ground.  Mark came running over trying to get Faye off of me.  Yelling....."Faye.....it's not him. Let go! Let go! It's not him.....it's my Pa!"  But Faye wouldn't let go he was choking me.  Micah came running out of his office.  He pushed Mark aside and walloped Faye with the butt of his gun.  "Cough Lucas! Cough!" Said Micah.  "I'm awful sorry Pa. I just wanted to get even with that vet. It was him, not you! Will you forgive me?"  "Get even with the vet?" I ask.  "I'm sorry Pa! I'm sorry."  Mark laid his head on me and started to cry.  
  "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord," I said.

Micah had locked Faye up.  I told him I wouldn't press any charges.  I felt he and Mark both learned a lesson thru all of this.  Just then Mack came by and wanted to see Faye.  Mack asked Faye why he wanted to kill him and Faye ask him why he wanted to blind him.  Mack told him he was a pharmacist.  He could tell Faye was loosing his eyesight.  The eye drops Mack had given him was just to sooth Faye's eyes.  Faye accused Mack of trying to take his woman.  It was all a big misunderstanding.  Mack left Faye out of jail and led him out into the street.  "John.....why is it that you never marked her resting place?"  "I hoped that you might help with the inscription," said Mack.  "I guess there ain't one good enough for her," said Faye.
 "I am the Rose of Sharon, the Lilly of the Valley."

"Are you there folks? Could you lend me a minute? I got a little song for you tonight. Now hear the blind man. I said to my kind old friend that his heart was a black gila monster, but that monster was in my own darkness."  
Faye then started to sing Battle Hymn of the Republic and the town joined in. 

Battle Hymn of the Republic
♫  "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
[You must have a Windows Media player to hear this song]
Two more wavs to this episode on the odds n' ends1