The Bandit King rode in at noon,
his crown a shining plate.
He bowed so low it struck his nose
and made him curse its weight.
“A royal greeting!” cried the crowd.
He wished they’d not been quite so loud.
Betty sat outside the smith,
her boots across a chair.
She’d come to buy a freight wagon;
the money wasn’t there.
Her mother hauled with one bad wheel.
The smith wanted cash, not charm or steel.
Now Betty’s teeth were big and bright;
she liked them as they were.
The king looked down his royal nose.
“A rabbit’s grin,” said he to her.
She smiled. “This rabbit wants,” she said,
“to claim the price upon your head.”
Behind the king rode six lean men
who’d not been paid all week.
One wore a coat with missing sleeves;
one rode a horse named Squeak.
He’d robbed the coach, then kept the pay.
His men had heard enough that day.
Sheriff Inez came from jail.
“Don’t shoot to kill,” said she.
“I need that stolen money back.
Bring him alive to me.
His bounty buys your wagon outright.
Don’t trade it for a foolish fight.”
The king had backed against a wall.
His men blocked Inez’s way.
“The sun is hot,” he told the crowd.
“Let’s make a game today.
Three targets choose who wears my crown.
The loser bows before the town.”
Betty drew and split the rope
that rang the blacksmith’s bell.
The bell dropped down into a tub.
The water rose and fell.
The smith stood dripping in the street.
“Your wagon price just grew,” said Pete.
“A pretty trick,” the king declared.
“But mine is finer still.”
He shot the weather vane above
the empty flour mill.
It spun three times and pointed south.
He blew the smoke out with his mouth.
“One point apiece!” cried Betty then.
“One target left to go.
That crown of yours is wide enough
to catch a flying crow.
Set it upon that hitching rail.
I’ll shoot it loose and claim the sale.”
He clutched it hard with both his hands.
“A crown is not a toy.”
“You offered it,” said Squeak’s lean rider,
a tired, hungry boy.
“You promised us our wages, King.
We’re starving while you wear that thing.”
The king began a long, grand speech
on how a king must rule.
Betty watched his shaking arm
and sweat beneath his jewel.
His sweat ran down the silver rim.
That heavy hat was troubling him.
Betty loaded one more shot;
the king had used his last.
He watched the coach road while he spoke
and hoped the guard had passed.
She’d brought more powder in her pack.
He’d left his on the trail out back.
Then from the coach road came a bell:
the guard’s returning team.
The king jumped half a boot-length high,
which cracked his royal gleam.
He’d hoped to stall till dusk and flee.
Now twice the law was here to see.
He turned to mount. His crown tipped back;
he cried, “What’s this about?”
A bright coin slipped beneath the rim
and rolled right out.
Betty saw the hollow metal band.
He’d hidden stolen pay beneath his hand.
“The game is off!” the king declared.
His men looked at the coin.
“The game is on,” said Betty. “Pete,
step back and let me join.”
She waited till the street was clear.
The king held up his crown in fear.
She shot its tall and empty peak;
the crown flew from his grip.
It struck the rail and burst apart
with one wide silver rip.
The hidden coins poured out like rain.
His men forgot his noble reign.
“Our wages!” cried the sleeveless man.
He stooped to grab his share.
Inez stood upon the coins.
“Don’t touch them. Leave them there.
Move back, or join him in a cell.”
The rider took her warning well.
The king reached for his empty gun.
Betty kept hers steady.
“Don’t,” she said. He let it drop.
The guard stood near and ready.
His crown lay flat. His men stood clear.
He wished he’d not come riding here.
Inez checked the coachman’s claim,
then paid the bounty due.
Betty paid the wagon price
and for a bell rope, too.
Her fancy shot had cost her pride
and half the cash she’d set aside.
The king owned twenty honest coins
his mother sent each year.
He paid the smith for one bent tub
and tried to shed a tear.
“A royal debt!” cried Pete with glee.
“Your Majesty, that comes to three.”
Next day her mother drove through town.
The wagon rolled just right.
Betty called up to the jail,
“Your crown was quite a sight.”
The king said, “Must you grin like that?”
“I can. And now you need a hat.”
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