Mark rode out to the south section of our ranch to check on some of our cattle when he noticed several post's were down.  It looked as if they might have rotted off at the base.  We rode out to round up the ten head of cattle that was grazing there and took them over to the east pasture until we could put up some new post.

After we tended the cattle we headed for home.  As we rode in we noticed a strange horse tied up in front.  I motioned for Mark to stay behind as I got my rifle out of it's holster.  I quietly approached the house and opened the door slowly.  There was a man leaning over the table with his back towards me.  "Looking for somethin' mister?" I asked him as I held my rifle on him.  As he turned to face me I noticed he had his right hand behind his back.  "What are you doing here?" I asked him.  "The Door was unlocked.....I took the liberty of entering," said the stranger.  I looked to his right arm and motioned to him to see what was in his hand.  I thought it might be a weapon, but it was only a pencil.  "I was just about to leave a note to let you know that I had called Mr. McCain."  "You are Lucas McCain?" He asked.  He told me his name was Mario Rosati.  He was sure that I had never heard of him, but he certainly had heard of me.  He said he had heard a lot about me from my hometown of Enid Oklahoma.  He then showed me a card from a lawyer, Johnny Morgan, one of my oldest and best friends.  He told me on his way out west he had stopped in Oklahoma, he needed some legal advice and Johnny was most helpful to him.  I told him I was glad to meet him as we shook hands.  We then talked over coffee.  He told me he was on his way to San Francisco and Johnny had suggested he stop by and meet me.  I apologized for the greeting that I had given him.  He understood.  I told him anyone who was a friend of Johnny's was no stranger to me.  Mark was standing at the door listening to our conversation.  When I went to introduce him to Mark, he already knew his name.  I sent Mark into town for Rosati's baggage.  I told him we would set up a cot for him in the living room.  I told him to make himself at home while I tended his horse.  

       Mario was getting ready to settle in when Mark approached him.  "Mario.....I was thinking.....it sure is hard to believe," said Mark.  "What!" Asked Mario, wondering if Mark suspected something.  "Hard to believe?" Questioned Mario.  "Yeah.....what you were tellin' Pa and me at supper. About the way things are in your country," stated Mark.  "Oh," said Mario as he told Mark to sit down next to him.  Mario had told Mark and I how his father was killed by the Society.  "All those people workin' the land from the time they were young.....'till the time they die and then just to have someone just come in and take it all away from them.....to always live in such fear."  "Society is something to fear.....never knowing when or where it's going to strike," said Mario.  "Yeah but they're just a bunch of bandits!" Exclaimed Mark.  Mario told him it was much more then that, they are an organization.  Which spread's far and wide like the tentacles of an octopus.  Mark could get over no one trying to stop them.  Mario told him that fear paralyzes most men.  Some brave men have spoken up, but unfortunately their voices were stilled by either bullets to the heart.....a stiletto to the throat or a garrote, which is a weapon of strangulation prided by the societies trained by the professional assassinations.  He told Mark they would come in the middle of the nice while the victim was sleeping and with one hard pull the life is snuffed out.  "Anyhow.....that's all behind you now," said Mark.  "The wound heals Mark, but there's always the scar to remind one of the pain," said Mario.  Mark told him he would forget.  In this country a man keeps what he works for.  "I'll guess I'll have to get used to that," said Mario.  "Like my Pa says, with hard work there's nothing you set your mind to that you can't get."  "And there's nothing to fear either. Course I'm not saying that we never run into any trouble but then my Pa, why he stands up and fights! Mario asked Mark if I usually won.  "He always wins, against all comers!"  As Mark talked, Mario could see the devotion and admiration Mark had for me.               

When I had come in from the barn Mario had told me how much he envied me and what a passionate champion I was to Mark.  I felt Mark couldn't be a fair judge.  Maybe a partial one.  "Well I'd like to know of anyone around here who can get the better of ya'!" Exclaimed Mark.  I told them there must be somebody.  Mario disagreed, he knew how Mark felt because that was the exact way he felt about his father....."So it must be true."  I told Mark that we had a big day of ahead of us and that we better turn in for the night.  Before turning in Mark took Mario a blanket and told him it got chilly at night.  He then told Mario he was glad he was staying here. 

Mario then got out a briefcase that he had brought with him.  Quite an impressive selection of weapons.  You see I didn't know or even suspect that Mario was sent here to kill me.  He was hired by Haven, a man who I had put in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  Haven hated me so much that he kept a picture of me on his wall to remind him everyday of that.  Haven told Mario he had died a thousand deaths since that shootout with me and he would settle for one fast finish for me.  He had also told Mario that before he killed me he had to make me aware that he was the one who arranged his death.  Mario was angered because he found himself liking us.  He was finding it a little hard to go through with this, but he had to.

The next morning I was outside practicing with my rifle.  Mario came out and we started to talk.  I thought it must be pretty dull for him around here and thought he might like to take a ride up to Twin Peaks.  He said he couldn't he had promised to help Mark as soon as he came back from town.  Mark took to Mario and was hoping he would stay longer.  I told this to Mario and I too wanted him to stay.  He said he couldn't, he had to be on the train tomorrow night.    

      Mark and I was clearing the supper table while Mario went outside to take in the night and the thoughts that have been running thru his mind.  Mark saw Mario go outside and took this opportunity to talk with him.  Mark approached Mario and startled him.  Mario had an axe in his hand and when Mark taped on his shoulder he turned and raised the axe as to hit Mark.  "Never do that! Never sneak up behind me like that! Do you hear me? Never!"  "You could have been killed!"  Mario asked Mark what he wanted.  Mark told him he was concerned, he thought something was wrong because of the way he was standing here and looking on.  Mark apologized to Mario for frightening him and when Mark started to leave Mario told him to wait.  It was Mario who was sorry and asked Mark to forgive him.  He was starting to feel the pressure of having to kill me and liking us, especially Mark.  "I was looking into the past, reliving that day," said Mario.  Mark asked him....."What day?"  "That Day," answered Mario.  He was reliving the day his father was killed.  He told Mark he set out to avenge his father's death.  When Mark asked him if he found them he said....."Many times!" As he slammed the axe into the fence post.  He was tormented in a lot of different ways.  He saw his father and him in Mark and me. 

Mario had gone for a walk and had been gone several hours.  Mark was concerned.  I told him sometimes a man needs time to himself.  Mark told me about Mario saying he had killed his father's killer's 'many times' and asked me what that meant.  I told him that could me he has avenged his father's killer's over and over again in his mind.  We then when to bed. 

That night while Mark and I were sleeping Mario got his garrotes out and thought of strangling me while I slept.  As he slowly and quietly entered our bedroom, he realized he couldn't kill me with Mark there in the room.  He decided to wait until Mark wasn't there. 

The next day after Mark had gone to school and I was outside cutting wood, Mario came out of the house with his bag and said it was time for him to leave.  I told him it wasn't even noon yet, his train didn't leave until eight o'clock tonight.  He said he wasn't going to San Francisco and that he had a change in plans. I told him Mark would be disappointed if he didn't get to say good bye to him, maybe he could wait until Mark came home for lunch.  He said it was best if he didn't see him again, best for the both of them.  I was puzzled.  Something wasn't right here.  I asked him what he was talking about.  He then drew a derringer from inside of his coat and held it on me.  I asked him what he was doing.  He told me that he was paid to kill me.  He told me he waited until now because he had an unexpected problem, my son.  He couldn't afford personal feelings like this.  A job is a job, just like it is now.  I started to look out of the corner of my eyes to get a fix on how far my rifle was, but he warned me not to try for it, that I didn't have a chance.  I asked him....."Why me?"  He told me about Haven and about him wanting me to know it was him who wanted me dead.  Neither of us heard Mark slowly coming up the side of the barn.  When Mark heard what was being said, all he could think of was getting my rifle to me.  When Mario triggered his pistol Mark yelled to me....."Pa!" Throwing me my rifle.  I shot Mario once and he fell to the ground.  Mario was dead.  As I looked over at Mark I could see the anguish on Mark's face. 

Mark was taking it pretty hard.  That night he was outside going over in his mind the past couple of days.  I went out to talk to him, maybe somehow ease his mind.  "What are you thinking about son?"  "All along Mario had planned to kill you."   "Something's happened to change his plans," I suggested.  "In that split moment he found himself in his father in as you and me," I said.  "Split moment?" Questioned Mark.  "When you tossed me that rifle.  Mark, he could have easily fired he was an expert, a professional. "He had me son.....but he didn't squeeze the trigger."  "Then he wanted to die?" Asked Mark.  "I think in that one moment he realized he no longer had anything to live for......he found a way of going home Mark.....for good!"  "You know Pa.....it may sound kinda strange but.....I think I know how he felt."