Dawn was just breaking over the little town of Stone Creek and the surrounding community, the clouds in the east all turning various shades of pink, purple, and orange.  The night had been cool, but the coming spring day promised to be pleasant and warm.  Not many of the townsfolk were up yet to see the sun peeking above the horizon, but there were a couple of exceptions.  Down at the livery stable, DocWard was getting ready to feed the horses in his care.  There was no official station in Stone