During those intense moments, danger had ridden with simple miscalculation or a careless slip of the foot and not, as onlookers might believe, from the wild Ruby swinging.
Could the people of Newport comprehend the skilled balance of his attack? Could they appreciate the countless training hours that allowed him to manipulate a wooden club or steel blade with a grace as casual as their own when tossing or kicking a football?
No, those who sought to lay blame would again place responsibility on old boxing skills. It would be pointless to try to explain skills even more exacting than boxing. So some would claim he had been lucky and others would consider him a vicious and dangerous individual. He considered the latter possibility momentarily and knew it to be false. His intent had been only to get the Rubys off his back. He guessed he'd done so.
True, there had been an option. He could have remained within the school and accepted the protection of the state patrolmen, but to what end? Encouraged by his timidity, the Rubys would have merely bided their time waiting for another opportunity.
When facing the town bully, a million fathers have instructed a million sons, "Get a club and beat the hell out of him and you won't have any more trouble!" Usually, the sons were incapable of such aggressiveness and expended their boyish energies dodging and running from the neighborhood tough guys.
In this case, Ben Troop had met the bulls of the Ruby herd and smashed them into the ground. It had been unnecessary to add hulking Ralph to the count, but he had served added warning by deliberately mortifying the man. Loud Ruby noises would be lacking for many a moon and their paths would steer wide around Ben Troop.
So, back to school on Monday? To smile modestly? To absorb good-natured wisecracks? To explain his side (again and again)? To ignore John Luther's poorly masked antagonism? The thought doused his last glow of excitement.
He quickened his step, wishing that Lin was around and the wish brought awareness of a growing dependence. He wondered if things were becoming too tight here in Perry County. He had returned expecting to build a new life and finish his days amid the wooded hills and brick-walked villages, but so far he had not been accepted by many of the people that he had been born and raised among.
Perhaps the years away had changed him too much. He felt at home, but if he didn't fit, there was little point in struggling for some sort of shallow toleration. Maybe this should be his last year at Newport. He would sorely miss Bob Boden and Al and a lot of his students, but it was a big world. There would be some place that could use him. He'd have to ask David Campbell.
It had felt good going all out against the Rubys. He hoped he hadn't destroyed his credibility as a responsible individual. The town would reach new conclusions and finally the majority would agree. He could only hope they would not decide against him, but if it came to that, he had all winter and spring to pick a new place to teach.
He shook himself physically, shadow boxed a few steps, and sucked in deep lungful's of crisp night air. In the meantime, he'd promised that sandy haired kid in 9C to bring in a Spanish doubloon and he had better start poking around for it . . . and those three girls wanted to research the stone arch in American architecture. Engrossed, he momentarily forgot the Rubys and the town.
+++++
Crouching bird-like over her phone, Clara Coons heard whistling passing her house. Carefully parting the long linen draperies with the delicately crocheted edging, she saw Ben Troop striding along, head erect, hands hung loosely in his pockets, making his way homeward. Infuriated, she pressed her bony nose against the cold windowpane to watch Troop pass from sight.
"There he goes, Emily!" She spoke into the phone, dislike coloring her voice. "Just whistling along as though nothing had happened!
"You look out now. He should be just coming into sight. See him? Isn't that awful? Just as though he hadn't nearly killed two people only a little while ago. Why he could break right into our homes if he wanted to, and what could a poor woman do against a savage like that?"
She listened to horrified breathing over the line.
"But that Ben Troop better not think we're through with him! Not by a long shot, Emily. It may take a while, but we'll get him out of Perry County, Emily, you can be sure of that!
"Hmmmmph, teacher! He's nothing but a savage!"
The end
Addendum
In 1974, Ben and Linda Troop moved to rural Alaska where he principals a public school. The Troops have two sons.
About Roy Chandler
Roy F. Chandler retired following a twenty year U.S. Army career. Mr. Chandler then taught secondary school for seven years before becoming a full-time author of more than sixty books and countless magazine articles. Since 1969, he has written thirty-one published novels and as many nonfiction books on topics such as hunting, architecture, and antiques.
Now 87 years of age, Rocky Chandler remains active and still rides his Harley-Davidson across the continental United States.
He divides his time among Nokomis, FL, St Mary's City, MD, and Perry County, PA.
Rocky Chandler: Author, Educator, Soldier, Patriot in 2012
Books by Roy Chandler
Reading order of fiction books in the Perry County Series
Friend Seeker
The Warrior
Arrowmaker
The Black Rifle
Fort Robinson
Ironhawk
Song of Blue Moccasin
Tim Murphy, Rifleman
Hawk's Feather
Shatto
Chip Shatto
Shatto's Law (Ted's Story)
The Boss's Boy
Tiff's Game
Cronies
The Didactor
The Perry Countian
The Sweet Taste
Old Dog
Gray's Talent
Ramsey
Shooter Galloway
Shatto's Way
All Books By Publication Date
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965 (A colorful book for children)
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
A History of Perry County Railroads, 1970
Alaskan Hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Tales of Perry County, 1973
Arrowmaker, 1974
Hunting in Perry County, 1974
Antiques of Perry County, 1976
The Black Rifle, 1976
Homes, Barns and Outbuildings of Perry County, 1978
Shatto, 1979
The Perry County Flavor, 1980
Arms Makers of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1981
The Didactor, 1981
Fort Robinson: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1750-63, 1981
Friend Seeker: A novel of Perry County PA, 1982
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Perry County in Pen & Ink, 1983
Shatto's Way: A novel of Perry County, Pa, 1984
Chip Shatto: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1863-6, 1984
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Firefighters of Perry County, 1985
Perry County Sketchbook (And Katherine R. Chandler), 1986
A 30-foot, $6,000 Cruising Catamaran, 1987
The Gun of Joseph Smith (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
The Perry Countian, 1987
Hawk's Feather - An Adventure Story, 1988
Ted's Story, 1988
Alcatraz: The Hardest Years 1934-1938 (With Erville F. Chandler), 1989
Cronies, 1989
Song of Blue Moccasin, 1989
Chugger's Hunt, 1990
The Sweet Taste, 1990
Tiff's Game: A work of fiction, 1991
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Death From Afar I (And Norman A. Chandler), 1992
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Old Dog, 1993
Tim Murphy, Rifleman: A novel of Perry County, Pa. 1754-1840, 1993
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Ramsey: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, 1994
Gray's Talent, 1995
Hunting Alaska, 1995
Last Black Book, 1995
Dark Shadow (The Red book series), 1996
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler, 1996
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
White Feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Ironhawk: A frontier novel of Perry County Pennsylvania 1759-1765, 1999
Sniper One, 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler), 2001
Shooter Galloway, 2004
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
Pardners, 2009
Hawk's Revenge, 2010
Antique Guns (included above)
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Arms Makers of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1981
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Hunting
Alaskan Hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Hunting Alaska, 1995
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
Sniper Series
Death From Afar I (And Norman A. Chandler), 1992
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler), 1996
White Feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC Scout Sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Sniper One, 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler)
Gun of Joseph Smith Trilogy (Young Adult)
Gun of Joseph Smith, The (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
Children's Books
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965