Father Merry"s neat yet tiny church lay a few miles out of town and Ritter approached it at a steady trot. White-washed walls, windows down each long side and a small belfry topped with red-tiles, gave the building a tranquil air and Ritter understood why the townsfolk would look forward to filling up the pews every Sunday morning. Both Wilbur the barkeep and Cable Hughes had asserted that Merry"s sermons were eagerly anticipated and his flock was growing. People sought solace after the uncertainties of the War. Even now, with the hostilities long over, there were many who feared what they saw as a godless land. Men like Jesse James and John Wesley seemed to underline these sentiments, despite so many believing these killers to be champions of the downtrodden. Fear walked alongside every m
