Plot

A man carrying a tempting sum of money is attacked from behind by someone who beats him and leaves him for dead. Lucky for the injured man, an old friend of Matt is there to take him in to Doc Adams for mending.

A man rides into town with a badly beaten stranger in tow. Matt finds out he was a friend who befriended him ten years ago under similar circumstances and rides to the town he calls home when he hears he was killed shortly after Doc sent the stranger on his way.—DrDOS

Judd Nellis, an old friend of Matt's, arrives in Dodge carrying an unconscious man beaten and left for dead on the prairie. While Judd waits to see whether the man will recover, he and Matt catch up on old times. Years earlier, Judd rescued Matt, who'd been attacked from behind and left for dead on the prairie. Some time after Judd departs for his home, the town of Friend, the stranger, Frank Gore, recovers fully and tells Matt and Doc how he came to be in need of rescue: he'd been carrying a large amount of money, which more than a few men knew about, and never saw his assailant, who hit him from behind. Gore leaves Dodge hoping to find Judd and thank him. Several weeks later, a priest from Friend writes to Matt, telling him that Judd's grave has been found, and asking that Matt come to Friend, which has no lawman of its own, to investigate. Matt arrives in Friend and learns that Gore came through town a few weeks earlier, looking for Judd to thank him. Matt meets an orphaned boy who idolized Judd; a taciturn, bruised saloon gal, who was Judd's woman; and the priest who'd written Matt. The priest tells Matt how his friendship with Judd began: the priest had been riding alone, carrying several hundred dollars, when an unseen assailant struck him from behind.—Morganalee