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  Spurs jangled and heavily booted feet pounded along the boards laid along the sides of the muddy street. Low pitched male voices whispered back and forth through the dark. 
    "Buck, where are you?"
    "Over here. Do you see her?"
    "No, dammit! She's disappeared!"
    "Well, Henry, I don't much care to tell the boss we lost'er. He ain't never going to believe that a helpless gal got away from us in this one horse town"
     As the footsteps faded away in the dark, Kate remained crouched behind the barrel in the alley next to the saloon. Almost sobbing with exhaustion, she glanced up at the storm-dark sky, silently praying the roiling clouds would continue to dim the light of the full moon.  Drenched from the recent thunderstorm which had shielded her presence from the searchers, her hands shook as she pushed the wet strings of hair away from her face. Mud caked her boots and the hem of her long green calico skirt.
    Kate clung to the hiding place, afraid that any movement would betray her position to the rough men pursuing her. When she heard no further whispers or footsteps, she eased herself into a standing position, grimacing at the cramps in her legs. Peering toward the street, she decided it would be safer to go behind the buildings and try to find her way out of town.
    Faint strains of tinny piano music and raucous voices drifted out on a cloud of tobacco smoke from the back door of the saloon, and Kate carefully skirted the pool of light that fell in her path. Just two more buildings and she would reach the livery stable, the first stop on her journey home.