ABSTRACT
The Law West of the Pecos could be cruel in administering his brand of justice; but he was cruel only when he deemed the accused and the crime fully warranting such cruelty. The victim wrote at length in apology for the grief and trouble he had caused his mother and earnestly sought her forgiveness. The prisoner removed himself from the beer keg and stood erect in front of the judicial bench, befuddled at this sudden turn. Practically every cattleman and law-abiding citizen of the Bean bailiwick had an indefinite appointment as deputy constable to the Law West of the Pecos. Under authority as deputy constable, Reb Wise, Pecos rancher, brought in a cattle rustler on a hot August afternoon when business at the refreshment counter was exceptionally brisk. It was all both Roy and Oscar could do to handle the trade.
