A fictional story by Junior Johnson

Dylan wasted no time as he left Aiden and Noah with his Mom and Grandmother Lodrigue.  He knew that Reverend Cryer’s life was at stake as he headed toward Cloutierville to find Doctor Scruggs.

Not long after Aiden’s departure Abslom and Levy arrived with their boys pulling Reverend Cryer on a litter behind one of the horses.  His condition seemed to have stabilized but he was still unconscious and extremely pale.

Levy and Abslom’s wives Lucille and Martha had already begun to boil a large pot of water and had Levaine, Ramona, and Gayle prepare a comfortable bed for Reverend Cryer, along with fresh bandages.

Levy’s father Tony was well known in the area for his use of herbs and potions to cure minor and some major ailments of people who came to see him. He considered himself a faith healer and said that prayer and herbs were a good combination to make a person well again.  He had never used his herbs for a gunshot wound though.

While waiting for Dylan to return with Doctor Scruggs, Tony Lodrigue did the best that he could to make Reverend Cryer comfortable.  Being careful not to open the wound to more bleeding, he cleaned and applied a herbal ointment to help prevent infection, and covered the wound with a sterile bandage.  All they could do now was wait, and pray.

In a filthy little shack on the bank of Cane River at Monett’s Ferry, another Doctor had a difficult decision to make and he knew time was important.

Once he was able to get Captain John Winston on his surgeons table and look at the condition of his leg from the snake bite, he knew that there was not much hope of saving the leg, and it was quite a possibility that he would not even be able to save Winston’s life.

The Doctor had dealt with snake bites before but in this case too much time had taken place since the big water moccasin had sunk its fangs into this cowardly murderer.  Infection had set in and too much poison remained in his system.

The leg had to be removed before gangrene set in, and there was no guarantee that Winston’s life could be saved even then.

Had the Doctor known of Captain John Winston’s past, the decision may have been easier to make, but he was a Doctor after all, and he had to do what he could to save the life, if not the leg.

While decisions had to be made at Monett’s Ferry, Dylan finally arrived in Cloutierville to find Doctor Scruggs in his office.  After quickly telling of Reverend Cryer’s gunshot wound to the chest, Dylan followed the Doctor’s instructions and saddled two horses from the stable behind the office.  Dylan’s horse had been pushed to it’s limit on the ride from CoCo Bed.

As soon as Doctor Scruggs had gathered the equipment he would need to treat the Reverend, they both mounted up and departed hurriedly for CoCo Bed, both saying prayers that they would not be too late.

Back at the Johnson home on CoCo Bed, Abslom, Levy, and the two Deputies from Mississippi gathered to discuss how to deal with the treacherous Captain John Winston.  There was nothing more they could do for Reverend Cryer, except to wait for Dylan and Doctor Scruggs to return.

The Deputies told of Captain John’s jailbreak and the murder of their jailer. He was wanted for murder in Mississippi and they were determined to bring him back to face the gallows.  One of the Deputies had a vested interest in Winston’s capture and return.  The jailer had been his brother.