The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow

Sheriff Hale, the idol of the citizens of a frontier town, is suspected of cowardice when he fails to bring in a noted outlaw who has been seen nearby. Earlier in the story the sheriff was befriended by the mother of the outlaw, she rescuing him from death in the desert. The mother has died and the sheriff corners Bill in her cabin after her death. The memory of her saving his life causes the sheriff to release Bill Todd, with the warning that if he ever returns to the county he will be shot.