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"Where ya from, Blondie?" Brad said it but it could have been anyone's voice.
"Deutschland." The cowboy lifted his chin slightly.
"Dutch land," Gordy screamed. "Where's that?"
"I think it's near England.'
"It's next to Norway."
"Isn't that where they make those wooden shoes?"
Lilly felt as if she'd been slugged. No, it's our enemy, the people who were trying to kill your sons and husbands. They had a German right here in their midst.
Brad took the confusion and turned it into violence. He cursed and shoved the German with his stick. Lilly held in a horrified scream as Gordy pounded on the German's back and Brad landed a blow onto the German's chest. He sagged slightly, lost his hat. Brad trampled it and slammed his fist into the German's stomach. He grunted. Lilly winced. A broken bottle suddenly appeared in Allen's grip. The wiry Craffey sneered at the German and slashed wildly.
Lilly's breath caught when the German threw Gordy off his back then caught Brad's stick above his head. He wrenched it from Brad's grasp while dodging Allen's jagged weapon.
Why didn't the German attack? Throw a punch to defend himself? Lilly teetered at the edge of the boardwalk, horrified yet transfixed.
The Caffrey's came at him time and again, yet he stood his ground. No quarter given, but none taken.
Allen hurled the bottle at the German and it ripped a gash along the side of his face.
Lilly bit her trembling lip and fought with herself. She should help him. Not one had moved to his defense. Shame tasted like bile in her throat. What kind of town had Mobridge turned into when a group of Christians let a man be beaten? What had he done but be a foreigner in a suffering town?
Then again, he wasn't any foreigner. He was German. He deserved to be beaten.
Her sense of justice grabbed her and screamed logic. This German was not part of the Central powers, the German/Austrian force that started the Great War. He might be an unwelcome presence in their town — but he hadn't caused the death of their South Dakota cowboys. And Lilly could not let the Craffey boys cause his death.
She dropped the basket and ran headlong into the fight.
Want to know what happens next? Buy a copy for yourself by following the link below!
Prairie Hills: Letters from the Enemy/Treasure in the Hills/The Dreams of Hannah Williams (Heartsong Novella Collection)