William MacLeod Raine

Gunsmoke Trail William MacLeod Raine

As a boy he was timid and shy. His parents had named him Percy, which didn t bode well for him. But a little red-haired girl with pigtails gave him the name ’Fraid Cat and bully Tim Murphy made sure the name stuck. His family moved to a new town. Percy went to college, but left in his sophomore year to serve in France during the war. He signed up as Peter, hoping he could avoid the taunts that usually came with the name of Percy. As luck would have it, he found himself in the same unit as Tim Murphy who was still a bully and who remembered Percy ’Fraid Cat Moran. Having learned boxing in college, instinct took over and Tim soon learned he was beaten. By another freak of luck, Peter saved Tim s life on the battlefield and received a citation for bravery. Although toughened by the war, Peter Moran was still timid and shy, no ruffian, no dime-novel hero."