As dawn broke clear over the desolate prairie, and the first, thready shafts of the cold, early morning sun hit the false front of the mercantile store in the lonely western town, the early risers, up to begin another hard frontier day, and the late revelers, regaining uneasy consciousness outside the saloon doors all heard it. It was a rhythmically hypnotic sound, “ching, ching, ching.” Industrious shopkeepers and those nursing their whisky headaches alike could see, coming in to town from the East, a lone figure, the thin, December sun forming a heavenly halo around the approaching stranger.
The law had come to town. They had all heard the legend - why, everyone west of St Joe and east of the Oregon Trail had heard some portion of it - told around lonely campfires and in cold sod houses by farmer and rancher and saloon girl alike - The Legend of Sheriff Cindy.
It was said She had reflexes faster than any rattlesnake, and could whip not only an off-color post but the link that accompanied it off the line before the average man or woman could Reload. That She was ever vigilant, that She never ate, nor slept, but simply waited, watchful and patient as a hawk waiting for its prey. There had even been talk that She didn’t really exist, that She was a will-o-the-wisp, since frequently she struck and left nothing behind... Not even her footprints.
Yet here she came, striding fearlessly through this rough-hewn town, blonde hair flying behind her like the winter wheat they planted to the north, the tiny bells encased in plastic balls on her boots “chinging” with each and every stride. Law and Order had come to Tieltown. Sheriff Cindy would see to it.
Lutino Pete had been born on the wrong side of the law, and had never strayed back over that line. From his childhood spent in a New Orleans pleasure-house, to his days as a riverboat gambler; from land speculator to claim jumper, Lutino Pete was a bad apple, and always would be. A dandy, his trademark was to dress in white from head to toe, his blonde hair artfully arranged to conceal a bald spot; Pete had no shortage of the ladies. His latest scam was his worst, though, and Lutino Pete’s cockatiel mill was the scandal of the land. Confined in tiny cages that tore their tail feathers, fed only sunflower seeds, none of Pete’s ‘tiels had toys, fresh greens, or even a single warmie pad. The kindly people of Tieltown kept Lutino Pete in business, for their giant hearts forced them to buy his birds, if only to improve their lot in life.
Normal Gray Gus had wanted a cockatiel for as long as he could remember. His parents were poor, though, and unable to pay Lutino Pete’s prices, which amounted to ransom. Normal Gray Gus had been saving for years, but a slightly spraddle-legged condition kept him from making enough in wages to help the family and set some aside for his very own ‘tiel. Normal Gray Gus had nearly given up.
| Until Sheriff Cindy came to town. |  |
Her eyes, the steely blue color of the barrel of her Colt, took in Lutino Pete’s establishment. “Ching, ching” went the bells on her boots as she climbed the steps into the shop. Taking but a single glance around the room filled with unhappy little grey birds, she made her decision. Sheriff Cindy called Lutino Pete out onto the street for a showdown.
The townspeople gathered on either side of the dusty track that served as their main street, gazing in awe as the evil man in white faced the Legend. Normal Gray Gus was hiding behind the watering trough in front of the saloon, praying for Right to vanquish Wrong.
Lutino Pete looked one last time into the determined gaze of Sheriff Cindy, then suddenly remembered important business he had - business that would take him out of Tieltown for a long, long time. The townspeople erupted into cheers of triumph as he galloped out of town on his pied pony.
Sheriff Cindy surveyed the cheering crowd, and her steely gaze softened when it landed on Normal Gray Gus. “You,” she thundered, pointing at poor Gus, balanced tremblingly on his good leg, “shall be the new proprietor of the ‘tiel shop. Warmie pads and veggies for all!”
This time the crowd exploded. Everyone knew of Normal Gray Gus’s love for the cockatiels, and now instead of none, he would have many - and all of them lovingly cared for until they were adopted by the people of Tieltown. This was going to be a wonderful Christmas!
And the next day She was gone. The footprints in the street where the showdown had occurred were erased, the “ching, ching” of Her boots but a memory. The only signs that Sheriff Cindy had been there was the one over the bird shop, which now proudly read “Normal Gray Gus’s,” and the happy whistles and chirps of the birds that resided within.
But everyone knew that another day, in another town, Lutino Pete might try again. And that Sheriff Cindy would return.