The Running Iron

The Running Iron

<P>ROUGH TIMES</P><P>Old Joe Jessup was a buffalo hunter before he married May, a Pawnee woman, and went into the cattle business. Every year at roundup time, the Jessups went into the mountains to enlist the help of May's people, who hid from the government to remain free. But once Old Joe died and left the ranch to his son, Young Joe, things started to change. A local banker claimed to have a lien on the ranch, a neighboring ranch started stealing cattle, and folks began talking about getting rid of the fugitive Indians. Then May was shot and wounded while out riding. Times had changed, all right...but they were about to get a whole lot worse.</P>