Killing Day at Squaw Gap

by Robert Kammen

Snugged in the western reaches of the Dakota Badlands, Squaw Gap was a peaceable enough cowtown for its size. There were the usual Saturday night fisticuffs and some petty thievery, but no one had ever gotten killed. So when Rain Lonigan was asked to stand in for the town marshal for a spell, he agreed. After all, territorial representative, Johnston Pettigrew, was comin' to town for the big Fourth of July shindig, and everyone was too busy gearin' up for the celebration to make trouble...or so it seemed. But with the Independence Day festivities in full swing, and Pettigrew oratin' to a crowd of townfolk in front of the courthouse, a pack of rough-ridin' gunslicks suddenly rode through town pumping lead into every livin' thing sight -- including Johnston Pettigrew and Rain Lonigan's young and expectant wife. Whoever those scummy owlhoots were gunnin' for didn't much matter to Rain, and makin' them stretch hemp the legal way might take too much time. So he saddled up and rode into the