"No, Mother," I whispered. "It was my own fault." I could see Charley's face. It was drawn up into a guilty fret. He held his hat in both hands at the foot of the bed.

"I'm really sorry, Billy," he said. "I shoulda looked out for you better."

I started to respond when Dr. Crumbine cut in. "That's enough jabber for today. We need to get this boy fed and cleaned up a bit."

My mother bristled at this suggestion. "Why, can't I help? He is my son, after all."

"I understand, but I think it's best if Katherine and I deal with this." Katherine, I would learn later, was Dr. Crumbine's wife. They had settled in Dodge City only a few months before, and he had...

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