The robber who had fired the first shot, vaulted over the
bar and tore open the cash till. The other two assailants
seized her, one on each arm and yanked her up from the
floor and tossed her like a rag doll onto one of the tables,
their intentions clear. They tore the front of her blouse to
the waist, leering and pawing at her. She screamed as she
searched desperately for a utensil left from the supper
hour, a mug or a pitcher that she might reach. An arm
reached around her throat to choke her and she bit down
on it as hard as she could. A smack across the face and the
ensuing dizziness were her reward.
At that moment, the door to the inn burst open, and
several of the townsfolk, alerted by the discharge of the
firearms, came streaming into the tavern and quickly
overwhelmed the three thieves. Within fifteen minutes
their lifeless bodies swung from ropes over a sturdy bough
in one of the oaks at the edge of the village. In the
morning the bodies were cut down and buried in shallow,
unmarked graves.
Lisle remained in the village and took on managing the inn
and tavern herself. She became a solid businesswoman,
respected throughout the community. Though many of
the townsmen tried to woo her, she made it clear that
Tomas, had been her one true love, and she had no intent
to re-marry. After a time, they stopped trying and she lived
her life, as would a nun in a country convent, abstaining
from the ways of the flesh.
Tomas had been dead three years. Lisle, though more
mature, was still one of the most beautiful women in the
region. Winter was coming on. Days grew shorter and
business had fallen off sharply. There were few if any
6