Micah, Mark and I were standing outside of Micah's office when Lou happened by.  Our first mistake was talking to her; she sure gave us an earful.  She was upset because she couldn't get anyone to help her get her hotel ready to open for business.  Micah told her maybe since everyone in town was aware of the railroad coming through North Fork; they probably were busy making their own plans.  She felt the town wasn't helping her because of her buying up the property like she did without them knowing it.  You really can't blame them for feeling they were tricked into selling.  We told Lou they needed time to get over it and her being angry wouldn't help things.  Lou said she wasn't the one who was angry, it was the town, but that Irish temper sure was flaring.  She said that every minute the hotel was closed she was loosing money.  She told us she had hired some girls to come to town and help run the hotel and that they would be on the afternoon stage from Denver.  She then headed over to the hotel.      

We we're still in town when the stage rode into town. We thought we'd go ahead and check it out.  The stagecoach driver told us that someone should get the doctor that he had a sick passenger.  It was one of Lou's girls, Betty.  Mark said he would get the Doc.  Betty was so sick that she couldn't even walk to the hotel.  She collapsed and I carried her into the hotel.  After all the commotion and as the people started to go on their way, Micah noticed a suspicious looking stranger that got off of the stage right after them.  He and Micah stood for a few moments just looking at each other.  The stranger went into the hotel and Micah went to his office to check out the wanted posters.

Doc Burrage asked when she (Betty), had gotten the fever.  The other girl, Molly, said she must have had it when they left Denver, she knew when they left she wasn't feeling very well.  That would make it about two days that she already had the fever.  All the town folks were gathered at the door to the hotel wondering what was going on.  The Doc chased them away.  The stagecoach driver asked Mark to help him with some of the baggage.  Just as Mark was about to take the baggage Doc yelled to Mark and told him not to touch it.  He also told the stagecoach driver to take the stagecoach and the baggage outside of town and not to let anybody near it.  He told Mark to get Micah and tell him that he wanted to talk to him outside. 

Just then the stranger asked what was wrong with Betty.  The Doc wasn't sure, but two days with a high fever, achin' and the way she looked, he wasn't sure.  If the fever broke he would know then, if not we'd know anyhow.  The stranger got upset.  "Spell it out!" He yelled.  "Smallpox," said the Doc.  We all stood there stunned.  Mark was outside the door and overheard what the Doc had said.  I saw Mark's reaction.  "Mark! You heard the Doc! You get Micah and you stay out of here!"  Mark just stood there.  I could see the worried look on his face.  "Go on Mark," I said.  "Yes sir," said Mark.  He then ran over to get Micah.

Lou asked the Doc if there was any chance he could be wrong.  He said he could be, but she was showing all the signs of smallpox and didn't want to take any chances with the town.  "The town.....what about us? We we're on the stage with her, all of us in here. we touched her!" Asked the stranger.  The Doc told us he was quarantining the hotel and nobody was allowed in or out with no exceptions.  "You mean.....maybe we got it right now?" Asked the stranger.  Doc said if we didn't have it before there was a chance we could get it now and that you couldn't get it a second time.

Micah was going thru his wanted posters when Mark ran into his office.  "Micah.....Doc Burrage wants to see ya'!"  Micah kept going through the poster.  "Micah!" Said Mark.  "What's wrong?" Asked Micah.  Mark told Micah about the smallpox.  He was surprised.  Mark told him that the Doc didn't want anybody inside of the hotel and that Micah was to come to the hotel and wait outside until he came out.  "What about the others, your father?"  Asked Micah.  "I guess they're have to stay there," said Mark.  Just them Mark notice the poster Micah was holding, it was a poster of the man who was on the stage.  Micah went over and took his shotgun out of the gun rack and headed for the hotel. 

The stranger was getting nervous.  He didn't want to be anywhere near the girl with this illness.  He slowly started for the door when the Doc asked him where he was going.  Lou reminder him we were all quarantined.  "You can stay here if you want lady, do whatever the Doc says, me.....I'm takin' my chances some place else," said the stranger.  "You'll take your chances with the rest of us!" I said.  He then drew his gun on us and said....."Nobody gives me orders! Nobody!"  He then cocked the hammer of his gun.  "My friend.....you've been exposed to smallpox. If you've never had it your chances of getting it are very good! Would you like me to describe what it's like, it ain't a pretty picture, not pretty at all!" said the Doc.  "I'm not staying here and make sure I get it!" Said the stranger.  He then opened the door to the hotel and was about to start out when Micah approached him with his shotgun.  "Don't move! I said don't move! Now raise your hands! Take his gun Lucas!"  I walked up to him and took his gun away from him.  "Alright Coyle, turn around," said Micah.  He was surprised that Micah knew who he was.  Micah told us that he was Lee Coyle and was wanted for two murders back in Kansas.  Micah then told him to go along with him.  But the Doc stopped him.  He told Micah about the quarantine and also about a new serum they get from cows, if we could get some it could help us.  He told Micah we'd have to find a town that had a case of cowpox and that the serum is made out of the blood that they get from the infected cows.  Micah told the Doc he would send out wires to every town, every town within a hundred miles.  Micah told me to watch Coyle and that he would post a man outside of the hotel just in case Coyle tried anything.      

Just as I was getting ready to close the doors to the hotel Mark ran up to the door.  I asked him if he thought he could handle the chores at the ranch.  He said he could but  ask if he could bunk with Nils for the night.  I could tell he was concerned.  I told him it would be alright; maybe they could play some checkers.  Nils was two games up on him and he wanted a chance to get even.  I told him to keep his mind on the game and with a little luck he might beat him.  I told him to run along.  He said alright, but turned to me, I could see the worried look on his face.  "Pa.....I hope everything turns out alright."  "I hope it does too son."  He turned and walked away and I closed the door to the hotel.

Coyle thought since he had to stay there he might as well have a drink.  He opened up the whiskey and helped himself.  Lou told Coyle if he drank the whiskey he had to pay for it.  He then thru a coin right at her face.  I caught it before it could hit Lou. 

The Doc, Lou and Molly we're moving Betty to the other room when I was distracted by them almost dropping her.  When I turned to help them, Coyle threw his drink in my face and took the pistol from me and knocked me out.  Coyle just stood there laughing.  He told them to pull down the shades and lock the door.  When he checked outside he could see Micah and several men guarding the place.      

When I came to, Coyle was holding everyone hostage.  Now we had to sit and wait and hope for an opportunity to come that I might be able to take charge again.  We tried talking to him but he wouldn't listen.  He figured he could make a break for it when it got dark.  He knew with the town afraid of the smallpox nobody would be on the street except for Micah and another gun, which he felt he could take easily.  Doc told him without the serum he had no chance.

Just then Lou came thru the room with an arm full of clothes.  Coyle knocked the clothes out of Lou's hands and threatens to harm her if the Doc pulls anything at the door when he checks with Micah on the serum.  I asked the Doc about the clothes, I thought they should have been burned.  He agreed with me and told Lou to make sure she washed her hands real good.  Coyle wanted to know why now was the Doc saying the clothes where contaminated and why all of a sudden we should wash our hands.  We all had touched the girl or the clothes at one point.  He threatened to kill us all if we didn't stop pushing him.  He then told the Doc to check on the serum. 

Micah hadn't heard anything but was confidant that we would get some.  He said Nils told him there was some cowpox's near here.  So it looked like there was some hope.  Mark just walked up and he asked the Doc about me.  He told him I was fine.  Mark wanted to talk to me but the Doc told him I was busy and he might be able to talk to me later.

The Doc went to tend to Betty and Molly went to make some broth.  That left Lou, Coyle and me in the lobby of the hotel.  Lou started to talk about how this was all her fault.  I told her she wasn't to blame.  Just then the Doc called to Lou and told her he needed her to put on some fresh bed clothes that Betty was sweating something awful.  We weren't sure what that meant.  But we would soon know.  Coyle picked up a rag and started wiping his hands and his gun.  I laughed at him.  He asked me what I was laughing at.  "I was just thinkin'.....this is probably the first time in your life you ran up against something you couldn't shoot at and kill."  He told me to shut up.

Mark couldn't concentrate on his and Nils checker game.  Nils told Mark not to worry, that he had seen me in tougher situations then this.  Mark still couldn't concentrate.  He asked Nils if he ever saw smallpox.  Nils said he did, he tried to get Marks attention on the game.  Mark said he saw the smallpox back in Oklahoma when he was six and that he remembered the sight of it as if it was yesterday.  He told Nils he was going to check and see if anyone had heard any news on the serum.

 Coyle was trying to get Molly to have a drink with him, I thought I'd make a move towards him.  "Don't try!" Said Coyle with his gun aimed at me.  Lou came out of the dining room of the hotel with soak and wet blankets in her arms.  "Why shouldn't he try it?" Asked Lou.  "We're all going to be dead anyway!"  "What do you mean?" Asked Coyle.  "Her fevers broke.....these are the blankets off of her bed.....she soaked them through. When we took them off we saw it! She's breakin' out.....you know what that means? There's nothing anyone can do now it's too late! It's too late even if the serum gets here!"  "What are you saying?" Yelled Coyle.  "Didn't you hear me.....there's nothing anyone can do now.....unless.....we might have a chance if we burn these blanket, here Mr. Coyle you do it!" Yelled Lou and she threw the blankets at him.  I then lunged at him the same time she threw the blankets.  We fell to the floor as I struggled to get the gun away from him.  Just then the gun went off.  Coyle lay dead on the floor.  It was finally over.  Then Micah was trying knocking on the door trying to get in.  He wanted to know what was going on.  Just then Mark ran up and told Micah that the serum was on the way.  Mark saw Coyle lying on the floor and asked what had happened.  Doc told him to go and ask his father.  "Hold it Mark! What's the matter with you Doc?" I asked.  "Nothing for you to worry about. Mark has had the measles. I've made mistakes before, measles, chickenpox's, smallpox's, the symptoms are all the same, you just have to wait."  I looked at Lou.  She looked smug.  She knew all along.  I said to her....."Measles huh?"  "I had to think of something," said Lou.

The next day we were standing outside the hitching post at Micah's office when Lou came by with her arms full of packages.  We said good morning to her.  She was upset.  It seems everyone showed up to work on her hotel.  She had been busy all morning buying supplies, food for the dining room.  We offered to help but she didn't want nor need anymore help.  Yesterday she didn't have any friends and today she has too many.  She was pleased; she liked it better this way.