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Charlie MacNeil, SASS #48580

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Posts posted by Charlie MacNeil, SASS #48580

  1. Kid Sopris 7-25-07

     

    By the time the big wilderness man had entered the General Store, rev. Sopris had gotten his fresh coffee and had exited the back, walking in the direction of the church. He has some work to do, before he visited the dance.

    By the time Sopris arrived at the dance it was in full swing, He had noticed, Ms. Wales leave, and followed by the Big Stranger. Within minutes Sopris heard gun shots, and then a huge shadow appeared out the back of Sam’s place and it looked like he had a body draped over his shoulder.

    Sopris then intercepted the Sheriff, who was headed towards Sam’s place. “Good Evening Sheriff’, Sopris greeted the diligent duty bound man. “Howdy Preacher” responded the Sheriff, “Say Preacher did you hear gun shots?”

    “Sheriff, listen to yourself, a large party going on and shots are normally heard, what makes you think tonight would be different?” Sheriff, thought for a moment, “Yeah you are right, I suppose if it was serious, someone would come get me!”

    “You, the doc or me”, replied Sopris. “Say Sheriff, you play Checkers?”

    The night continued on without much further incidents. Esther and Ms. Wales seemed to be discussing some type of disagreement; Bonnie was acting a bit suspiciously. But Sopris figured most women do, particularly after gunplay.

    Morning had come and Sopris and the Sheriff were still playing checkers. Nobody even missed the abusive Bert. Not even Sarah.

    It was mid day when the preacher was out and about in his buggy, when he encountered the Big Stranger, and figured it was a good time to introduce himself to the new self proclaimed undertaker.

     

  2. William A.A. Wallace 7-25-07

     

    Watching form the edges of the humanity at the dance, not willing to participate...Bigfoot Wallace noticed that the fair young woman he had noticed earlier in the day, left the dance floor and left the building as well. Noted for his silent progress in life, Wallace followed her to the place known as "Sam's Place". Not having visited such a place in his lifetime, Wallace waited outside, wondering what would the outcome would be of this visit of such a fair maiden to this house of ill repute.

    While waiting outside, Bigfoot Wallace, with his uncanny hearing, practiced among the hunting fields of his fathers, heard a scream and the sobbing of a woman...then, a gunshot! Rushing in, fearing for the life of the fair skinned young woman that he had spied earlier in the day, he saw that the young woman was with the girl child that he had noticed earlier, given a piece of cake and led of by that unsavory character known as Bert...

    Seeing the bloody body of Bert, lying next to the bed with a hole in his chest, Walllace quickly gathered the young woman and her newfound ward and ushered them out of the room. Telling them to go to a place of safety whilst he took care of the rest.

    Gathering up the body, with his great strength, he slung the hapless corpse over his shoulder and proceeded down the stairs. Met halfway down the stairs by the proprietor, Sam, he fingered the long knife that was always by his side. Sam knew instinctively not to bother this large and impressive stranger, moving aside and letting him pass without comment. Bigfoot proceeded down the stairs and carried the body through the back alleys of the newly formed town.

    Upon reaching the livery, he trussed the body across his trusty mule and proceeded to carry it to the outskirts of town.

    Easily escaping detection by the townfolk that were at the dance, he proceeded to bury the body in a rough grave...six feet long and six feet deep, and then left to go to his campsite. Bigfoot Wallace slept well that evening, knowing that he had helped a young woman in need and a young girl child as well...

     

  3. Duzy Wales 7-25-07

     

    Duzy was dancing with a young man when she suddenly had a feeling, something pulled at her like bees to honey, except there was a sense of danger about it....she tried to make polite conversation as they went through the moves, but her mind was not on dancing. "Excuse me please," she said and walked away quickly to lose him in the crowd. She didn't think at that moment that she was being inconsiderate or rude....she reacted instead.

    Soon she was down the street, having eluded everyone so far, including her Aunt, who had been dancing at the time. Oh, how she hated to face Aunt Esther after this, knowing how hurt she would be if something happened to her on her watch.

    She was drawn directly to Sam's Place.....feeling the woman who had stared at her through the window, feeling little Sarah....

    She quickly mussled her appearance, even in her silk gown, to look disheveled and hurried up the steps past the drunken men and women downstairs....trying to fit in. She reached for her derringer inside her redicule and pulled it out, dropping everything else as she moved forward. She had already known where to come, but it was as if there were visions of where to go at the same time. Her heart was pounding.....hurry, hurry, hurry....

    She reached the door and pushed it open, no one else seemed to mind that there was screaming coming from the room, so it wasn't hard to get in. What was hard was seeing Bonnie with her face swollen and blue, marks on her body and fear in her eyes. The man started to lunge at Duzy and she fired, stopping his heart and leaving his eyes without a soul in this lifetime.

    Then, she looked at little Sarah, standing there watching and all she could think is "what have I done?" "Oh Sarah, please honey, please come to me, please, let me try to explain.....but what was she to say?

    Coming from the wisdom of a small child who had known the cruel ways of her Father, and what she had seen for herself, Sarah said, "It was not your fault, Miz Wales!" With that, Duzy reached for her and knew she would never let go. Sarah would be for her to love and take care of. She would find a way.

    Duzy went to Bonnie and their eyes met. There was a connection there...Duzy couldn't understand, she didn't know for sure about Bonnie, but they both knew that there would always be a bond between them. Something had brought them to this place at this time....

    Then it came to both of them.....calling the sheriff, the questions, how it was to be explained when neither of them knew at the moment what was best to say or if they would have time to talk about it before someone arrived.

  4. Lady Leigh 7-25-07

     

    "Bonnie? I know my Mama's front name was, Mama ... do you know what her next name was?"

    Bonnie laughed while she and Sarah were sitting on the pallet in the pantry with Sarah half sitting on her lap and her fingers tracing the outline of Bonnie's ear and checkbone. Bert Graves having thrown the child at Bonnie not a half hour ago, ranting and raving at how much trouble Sarah was, it was meaning Bonnie had to console the wee thing for a time, and try to get her to sleep.

    Sarah a problem child? Never! Scared? Yes. Confused? Yes. Filthy? Absolutely. But a problem? Not Sarah. Under her torn dress and limited undergarments, Sarah had the milkiest skin with not a hint of a freckle. Hair the color of cornsilk ... she was a beauty.

    "I'm not really sure what your Mama's name was, Sweetheart. Clara, Clarabelle ... something like that. Your Mama and I didn't really have a chance to visit when she was in Firelands."

    Sarah responded. "Mama told me once that Sarah means Princess. I don't think I live like a Princess, do you?"

    "Well .... we can pretend, Ok? I'll be your Fairy Godmother, and you can be Princess Sarah."

    "Bonnie?" Sarah asked, "Does your name have a meaning to it?"

    Bonnie just sat there .... tears puddled and almost spilled. She remebered sitting with her Papa while he held her in is massive arms that so gently cradled her. He often told her the meaning behind her name ... reminiscing the love he had for his beloved Scotland.

    "Yes, Sarah ... my name has a meaning," Bonnie finally said.

    "What is it?"

    "My Papa was from Scotland, and he was so very proud of that home so far away from here in Colorado. It takes weeks and weeks to get there, you see. You have to ride on a ship way across the world." Bonnie began.

    "Why did he come here?"

    "Oh, Sweets, that is a story that I don't even totally understand, and really not important for your dear little ears right now," Bonnie told her.

    Sarah was not wanting to fall asleep, and Bonnie knowing she was already going to catch the devil for the delay on being back out on the floor, continued to hold Sarah within her arems ... just like her Papa did with her.

    "My Papa told me I was named after Bonnie Prince Charlie, Sarah. He would tell me over and over of a nursery rhyme that claimed a child born on the Sabbath Day is bonny and blithe and good and gay. I guess because I was born on the Sabbath, the dicision for Bonnie was set in stone."

    "Do you believe in God, Bonnie?"

    "Now aren't you full of questions and chatter tonight, Sarah!!! I think you need to keep yourself quiet and pretend to fall asleep. Your Fairy Godmother just sprinkled sleep dust over Princess Sarah. Go to sleep, Sarah ... One of the girls or myself will check on you from time to time, ok?"

    A kiss on Bonnies finger, and pressing lovingly to Sarahs nose, Bonnie got up and pulled the curtian closed.

    "Do you believe in God, Bonnie?" ... Hmmmm .... "do I?" What a struggle that thought was for Bonnie. She looked around her miserable exsistence, witnessing everyday the vulgar place she lived . The entertainment practices that went on within the walls of Sam's Place were NO place for anyone, if truth be told. God? Bonnie didn't see him! Except for maybe in the beautiful angel eyes Sarah had.

    Sarah ... what will become of her as time goes by? Bonnie struggled with that, too. She knew very well the type of a future that would easily embrace a child like her. A life like Bonnie was living ...

    "If you really are there God, help me to get Sarah and me away from this .... hell hole!"

  5. William A.A. Wallace 7-25-07

     

    After tying his mule to a hitching post near the town livery, Bigfoot Wallace stepped inside to find some feed and water for his trusty animal. Long ago, Wallace learned to take care of your animals first and yourself later. Wallace noticed some movement in one of the stalls and inquired, "Anyone in here?"

    A short, wiry man stepped from behind the horse that he was grooming and Wallace noticed that he walked with a limp...one leg was crooked and looked to have been poorly set from a bad break. The fellow seemed to move fairly well though and walked up to Wallace and said, "My name's Shorty and I run this here livery...what can I do for you, stranger?"

    Wallace said, "I've got my mule hitched up outside and need some grain and water for him before I check out the town. I won't be needing any stall space since I plan on camping just outside the town. How much for feed and water now and an additional sack of feed for later?"

    Shorty tells Wallace that, "It'll be two bits for now and a dollar for the sack of grain." Wallace nods and says "that'll be fine...here's an extra two bits if you'll brush the dust of'n him and check his feet and such."

    Shorty takes Wallace's money and Bigfoot leaves the livery to look around town. Townfolk try not to stare as the large man strides through the town. Rarely has anyone seen a fellow as large that moves with such purpose and yet so quietly. Bigfoot doesn't hold most folks in very high regard, keeping to himself most of the time, he is more at ease with nature than humankind.

    Bigfoot notices a pretty young lady walking with a more matronly woman down the street. The younger of the two stopped in the street to speak to what appeared to Wallace to be a young girl in tattered clothes. Wallace, although not very social, had a soft spot in his heart for young children and animals, never allowing either one to be taken advantage of or abused. The young lady offered the girl a piece of cake and at that moment a dirty looking man accosted the young lady and spoke to her in a very disrespectful manner.

    Bigfoot fingered the handle of his fourteen inch knife, wondering and almost wishing that the scruffy looking fellow would make an attempt to harm the child or the young lady and her escort. Wallace was well known as a man of strong convictions and never one to just stand idly by when someone was in need. The young lady gave the cake to the girl and quickly walked away, while the scruffy and dirty looking fellow ambled off with the little girl child in tow.

    Bigfoot notices a stern looking fellow watching the proceedings as well and catches a glimpse of a Colt pistol under the fellow's coat. Never having much use for handguns, Wallace wonders if this fellow is a gunfighter of some sort. He notices that the fellow also has a book under one arm and watches him as he turns and moves toward the General Store. Needing some supplies, Wallace follows the fellow into the store, smelling the aroma of strong "cowboy" coffee in the air as he enters...

  6. Lady Leigh 7-25-07

     

    "That's quite a scowl, Bonnie ... whatcha lookin at?"

    "Berts is town, Tilly. Best be tellin Sam with the heads up," Bonnie replied.

    On closer inspection, Bonnie saw Sarah. "Probably ought to make up the pallet in the pantry closet, too, Tilly. Sarah's with him."

    "That poor little thing." Tilly added, "Can't someone in this blasted town do somethin' to help that child ... Like the Reverand over there!"

    It wasn't a queston, but more of a statement. There were many nights Sarah slept at Sams Place. When Sarah wasn't at Sams, Bonnie and the girls knew Sarah was home alone. Not that Sam's was the best environmet for the child, but at least the girls knew she was safe.

    Bonnie walked back into Sam's running her hand down her waist length Auburn hair, Bonnies only prideful possesion she allowed within her life anymore. Her tall, well porportioned figure was long ago abused, and with Bert, more than likely being entertained at Sam's tonight, she, like most nights, would have rather crawled into a hole than entertain the likes of Berts drunken self. It was Berts anger while drinking that upset her the most. His callous comments were unsetteling.

    Lately, those nasty remarks were directed toward Duzy Wales and her Aunt.

    "What did he have against her," Bonnie questioned. "Was it Duzy, or women in general?"

  7. Kid Sopris 7-25-07

     

    Rev. Sopris, or Kid, depending on how well you knew him, seldom smiled. He smirked really usually catching many off guard. His way to delivering his message was a common sense approach. He allowed the parishioners to believe as they wished based on their interpretations of the Bible, rather than force feed the flock.

    Sopris lived modestly, even though he had money, and didn’t rely on the offerings of the Church members. He was also known to carry a Colt, concealed underneath his jacket, even from the pulpit. Nonsense was not tolerated while Church was in progress.
    Many town folks would come into his view, he studied each one, and talked with those who approached him but very rarely did he engage a stranger in conversation. But he knew everyone, their faults, and sins; their views on morality, life and death. Not from conversing; just by studying their habits.

    Some questioned his unorthodox ways, but quietly. Personal confrontations were not in the aggressor’s best interest.

    Sopris watched as the two ladies crossed the street. Both very attractive, one in particular appeared to want more than a single glance. He recognized the lady identified as Esther, from an earlier exchange of glances. He continued to watch as the ladies encountered the gruff old reprobate known as Bert Graves. Bert wasn’t totally bad, just lacked social skills and had a fondness for liquor. Seems he was grouchy when he wasn’t drinking and mean when he was.

    Bert had been admonished about his treatment of the little girl once before, Sopris thought it was only a matter of time before the Angels of Mercy visited him.

    Sopris watched a large stature of a man come into town, at over six feet, a true pioneer of the West,. He had the look of one who had used his will upon the wild frontier and influenced his enemies with his opinions. Sopris thought, “I wonder if Bert will give this stranger the same treatment has he gave the ladies?”

    Sopris’ coffee was getting cold, so he sauntered toward the coffee at the general store. Maybe he could scare up a game of checkers with a follower.

  8. Duzy Wales 7-24-07

     

    As Duzy and Aunt Esther joined the festivities, Duzy felt like someone was watching her. The feeling was uncomfortable. As she looked around her, she noticed a lady peering out of a stained window in the upstairs of one of the saloons in Firelands. Shrugging it off, she thought that was all it was. She was planning to do a story on the prostitutes in an upcoming article and made a mental picture of the window where the woman was watching. Maybe she could get an interview with her at a later date. Duzy was interested in the backgrounds of the women and hoped that she could help them out of the profession they were in, if that was their wish. She knew from reading that some of the women were forced into working in the brothels, others had lost their husbands and had no one to help take care of them, not being able to run their farms by themselves, usually losing them to an unsavory land grabber. Then, there were the women who seemed to enjoy the life they led and the money that they made, giving them the chance to move on and start over in another place. She realized she may be turned away, but she was always willing to take the chance to get her story and to help anyone that she could, as her Mama had taught her.

    Duzy noticed a handsome middle aged man standing in front of the mercantile, with blue eyes that seemed to pierce her to her soul. Their eyes had only met for a moment before Duzy looked away. “Aunt Esther, do you know that man over there?” Her Aunt took one look and whispered “yes my dear, he is the Reverend Kid Sopris and is building the new church here.” Duzy was surprised, as he was dressed like the other cowboys in town. Taking another look, she noticed that his clothes fit like a glove, his body was muscular and he surely didn’t look like any preacher she had ever seen! He would look more at home on the range, and it amused her that he could probably fill the church with all the women in town, without any problem whatsoever. As she looked up, she realized he was still watching her, and she blushed that he had caught her looking at him not just once, but twice in a matter of minutes. She recovered quickly, thinking that it didn’t matter as she believed one made their own fate by being a good person and didn’t believe in organized religion, a source of many wars in the past and most likely the future as well. She couldn't foresee herself sitting in his church.

    As they crossed the street, Duzy had that uncomfortable feeling again of being watched. Just at that moment, some children ran through the streets in front of her Aunt and herself, and she noticed one little girl in particular, dressed in tattered clothes and standing back from the rest of the children, a wistful look on her face, as if she would like to join in but was afraid to. Duzy walked over to the tables of food and sliced the little girl a piece of cake, hoping to find out more about her, as she walked over to her. Just as she reached her, Duzy heard a man say, “No need to be spoilin her, lady!” Duzy turned and looked at a man who sneered at her, boldly looking at her, from her eyes to the bodice of her dress and downward, then back up again. “And why is that sir,” Duzy said, holding her head high. “It is only a piece of cake!” “Yeah, wel this’n is mine and she don’t need no cake from some uppity piece like you, thinkin’ youse so high’n mighty with that new job of yourn.” He spit his tobacco on the ground beside Duzy and she could only wonder why he held such hostility toward her. “What is your name sir, and why do you seem to dislike me so? The question seemed to surprise him and he blurted out, “Bert Graves, but taint no bisness of yourn who I am.” “Sorry to hear that, sir, as I do not understand your dislike of me; would you let me give your daughter the cake?” Still looking taken aback that she would continue to talk to him after insulting her, he relented and let her give her the cake. “Jis the one, and she aint mine, my ole lady left and left the brat with me, but she will be good for sompin when she grows some.” Aunt Esther had stayed quiet, watching the exchange of words and making a mental note to keep an eye on the man. He seemed dangerous and it was obvious he didn’t like her niece, and she didn’t like the way he look at her either! She had known Duzy would not give up if there was any way she could help the little girl. She watched Duzy as she handed the cake to her, asking her name, and the girl replied, “Sarah,” her eyes lighting up as she took the first bite of the cake. “Sarah, my name is Duzy Wales, and it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope we meet again soon.” Duzy knew not to push her luck, so she turned and walked away, knowing that she would find a way to help little Sarah.

    Duzy heard the music start and urged her Aunt to where the dancing would begin. As they got closer, she saw a large man, dressed in buckskin pants and moccosins watching the crowd. He must be new in town, Duzy thought, or she would have noticed him before! Perhaps he would be one of her dance partners tonight and she could find out more about him. She smiled to herself, thinking that someday her curiosity just might land her in trouble, but that was the journalist in her, as much a part of her as breathing, and she would handle it as it came.

  9.  

    William A.A. Wallace 7-24-07

     

    A large, quiet man surveys the town from high above on the near side of the ridgeline that lies North of the newly formed and busy new town. He has heard of this place in the few towns that he has passed through on his way to Texas from Lexington, Virginia. Dressed in soft and supple buckskins, with a single shot rifle, large hunting knife and leading a pack mule with the few items that he calls his own, he surveys the town known only as "Firelands"...somewhere between his homeplace in the East and his soon to be new found home of Texas. "Bigfoot" Wallace is a very large man compared to many men of the day. Standing six feet two inches in his moccasins and weighing over 240 pounds, he is a massive figure of a man. He is not a learned man by any means when it comes to knowledge gained from the school house. Rather, he has learned the ways of the world as a scout, trapper, and hunter. No man will stand in his way on his quest to avenge the killing of his cousin by the Mexicans down in Texas. In need of refreshment and supplies, he descends upon the town like a ghost, barely noticed by the residents of this small, outpost on the frontier of westward expansion.

  10. Lady Leigh 7-24-07

     

    The only thing holding the glass in the window frame was probably the yellowish brown tobacco stains . . . at least that was what Bonnie McKenna thought. Clad in an equally stained corset and bloomers, Bonnie picked up a tattered cotton stocking and rubbed out a section of the grime to peer outside.

    She long ago quit praying for a life out there, but just look at that ski! It reminded her of the outside edges of Bachelor Buttons as they were on the tail end of its bloom cycle. The palest of blue laced with that silvery touch . . . “hmmmm” she breathed allowed.

    Just as she was turning away, she noticed the new “Talk of the Town” . . . Bonnie shuddered as she thought about what the men downstairs were saying about her. D. Wales had better watch her step! Most of the men were decent enough, but, a chill ran up both her arms as she recalled what Bert Graves said . . .

  11. Kid Sopris 7-24-07

     

    WARNING AND CAUTION: any similarities between the characters portrayed or any comparision to those person(s) living or dead is purely coincidental. In no event should anyone draw conclusions based on the story lines! All rights are reserved by the Authors.

     

     

     

    Kid Sopris 7-24-07

     

    Back in the days when the cowman with his herds made a new frontier, there was no law on the range. Lack of written law made it necessary for him to frame some of his own, thus developing a rule of behavior which became known as the "Code of the West." The Kid was a product of this environment. Innocence of age gave way to surviving and doing what had to be done. Kid Sopris traveled the cow trails, and gunfighters of the West. Eventually maturing and surviving his youth and mistakes, Kid “Reverend” Sopris turned to the Bible and the teachings of the Lord. He used his Colt’s to make followers out of the Non-believers.

    Yet there was not only much that was attractive in their wild, free, reckless lives, but there was also very much good about the men themselves. They were—and such of them as are left still are—frank, bold, and self-reliant to a degree. They fear neither man, brute, nor element. They are generous and hospitable; they stand loyally by their friends, and pursue their enemies with bitter and vindictive hatred. Rev. Sopris was a perfect example and embodied, if not the life, the spirit of what was real about the time. Out on the border of virtue and wickedness alike, men take on very pronounce colors. A man who in civilization would be merely a backbiter becomes a murderer on the frontier; and, on the other hand, he who in the city would do nothing more than bid you a cheery good-morning, shares his last bit of sun-jerked venison with you when threatened by starvation in the wilderness. One hunter may be a dark-browed, evil-eyed ruffian, ready to kill cattle or run off horses without hesitation, who if game fails will at once, in Western phrase, "take to the road,"—that is, become a highwayman. The next is perhaps a quiet, kindly, simple-hearted man, law-abiding, modestly unconscious of the worth of his own fearless courage and iron endurance, always faithful to his friends, and full of chivalric and tender loyalty to women.

    Tall, dark brown hair turning gray, his blue eyes are said to change with the environment, and neatly dressed, Rev. Sopris was delighted to be building a new Christian Church in FIRELANDS.



    Rev. Sopris, though he dressed in his usual Sunday Rev. Clothes on day of worship, was also known to dress casually during the week bridging the gap of those on the edge.

  12. As I said in my other topic regarding posting the original Firelands story from Belle Alley, this story was begun by Duzy Wales and carried on by her and a lot of other folks. As I post that story, I ask that all and sundry refrain from commenting here. I will start a thread for comments but please, please do not comment on this thread. I would much prefer that the story have a chance to unfold as it was originally written. Thanks in advance for your consideration.

     

    The above having been said, let the story begin:

     

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    Duzy Wales 7-24-07

     

    Duzy nudged her Paint, Edi, named after her Grandmother Edith, to a halt and stepped down. Overlooking the valley below, she watched the progress of the new building being completed. It was a day of celebration, with the town’s people helping each other attend business, while taking turns to meet friends, who had ridden in from miles around. Things were good in Firelands, the name of the thriving little town. The women were setting up tables of food, the children running and playing in the dusty streets, and the air of excitement, laughter and music reached her ears, as her heart swelled with anticipation and pride. The building would be her place of employment, the first newspaper office in the area. The Sheriff had been surprised when D. Wales had arrived, thinking that they were hiring a man to run the office, but after a nice lunch and getting to know her, along with her credentials, he had decided to take a chance by hiring her, much to the amusement and ridicule of his male friends.

    She smiled and wished her parents could have made the trip to live there, as she missed them terribly, and then she chided herself, knowing that they would were happier not leaving their home and friends, and that this was her dream. Her Mama and Papa had encouraged her that she could do anything, if she would do what was expected of her. It was simple, Mama said, “Say your prayers, think for yourself, make good friends, use good manners, be honest, help the less fortunate, make a stand against wrong, make your word your bond, your handshake your word, and work hard to find something you loved to do.” They were passionate about life and loved each other more than any two she had ever seen or known and she knew deep in her heart that she dreamed of a love like that someday.

    Duzy had loved books and had fantasized about the far away places that she read about. She had been fortunate, attending some of the best schools in the East, and now she was here, reminiscing about the day she had picked up the news paper, with the clipping that had changed her life. She had been expected by many to finish school, come home, and marry a handsome young man she had known all her life, whose property had adjoined her parents. He was smart and kind, always the gentleman, but she didn’t feel the spark she expected when he held her hand, his touch didn’t make her heart pound, the first kiss had been almost like that of a brother, making Duzy wonder if there was something wrong with her. Sometimes she wondered if she were being foolish, and had taken the love stories and poetry of her books too seriously, giving her the wrong impression of how it should be, but she thought again of her Mama and Papa and remembered watching them leave to take walks at night, holding hands and then she would watch as they kissed in the moonlight under the pine tree….never seeming to want to pull away or let go of each other

    Her beau, as everyone thought him to be, had been shocked, hurt, and angry that she would leave him for the unknown, as he was already an established attorney, located in the foothills of North Carolina, where they had been born and raised. He had finally quit trying to persuade her not to leave, and Duzy knew that he thought she would come running back to him, that the little western town, “Firelands,” he had scoffed, whose clipping had brought her here, would be too boring, too rugged, or both, for a lady of fine breeding and the daughter of a respected family. Duzy was at home in the grand ballrooms in the South. She had once met the inventor, Mr. Thomas Edison, asking her Papa to buy his new invention, the phonograph in 1877. A year later, she had the honor of being introduced to Rutherford Hayes, President of the United States of America. Her Mama had taught her the proper way to entertain, always mingling while seeing to the guest’s needs, and flirting with the young men who kept her dance card full.

    Her Papa had asked his sister, her Aunt Esther, who, like Duzy had unconventional ideas at times, some that amused her Papa and some that made him scold the both of them, to move with her to watch out for her and be her escort, reporting back to him if there were any problems. Aunt Esther had never married and was excited to go. She was diligent, always watching, but Duzy had told her Aunt she had an errand to run, just to savor a few moments alone before the festivities. It was time to return for a leisurely bath, with a scent of jasmine, with her long dark hair needing to be washed and styled; another of her Aunt’s many talents. Turning to get atop Edi, she thought she heard a noise and automatically reached for her rifle, unconsciously feeling for the derringer hid in the pocket of her riding skirt, and remembering sheathing her knife in her boot when she had dressed. Duzy had been raised with brothers and learned how to fight and handle her weapons, just as they had, during her vacations from school. They had delighted in seeing how mad they could make her and how hard she would fight, finding that it was sometimes one of them who called “truce,” before using all their manly strength against her. She wondered if her dear Mama had turned her head, knowing all along that her Papa knew, that she had joined in their activities, making bets on who would win the fights, the races on their horses, the luck and skill of seeing the last card turned in a hand of poker, all the things her “beau” had thought was wrong for Papa to let a daughter see, much less do! Oh, how it had made her prickle, the hair standing up on her neck, when he suggested that when she was his wife that “all that nonsense would end!” Seeing nothing as she scanned the area, she relaxed and started her ride back to the boarding house she and her Aunt were living in temporally.
    .
    She was thinking of the gown she would wear to the dance that night, a black silk underskirt, embroidered burgundy over black silk overskirt with an off the shoulder bodice, with shots of silk threads, in burgundy and black, which seemed to change colors, depending on how you looked at it! She had ordered a set of black bloomers, chemise and petticoat to be made to wear with it, but her prized possession was her new black and burgundy corset which cinched her waist to 25 inches, without any problem. The bodice was slightly daring, showing off her creamy white skin and her cleavage, boosted by the custom made corset. She was hoping to dance with all the eligible men, young and old, never giving too much attention to any one, but flirting the way only a Southern woman could do. Duzy had just began to catch herself falling back into the habit of talking slower than the diction she had learned at school, and found that the men of the West seemed to love the slow drawl of her native tongue! Always thinking of what she was here to do, and after her experience with the Sheriff, she used it more frequently to her advantage, using her charm to break down the barriers of doing business in a man’s world.

    She was a journalist, as she loved to write and seemed to have a fire that sparked her interest in writing about the injustices of the world. She didn’t mind challenging authority and convention to get her story. Although Duzy was a Southerner, she had been against slavery, and the treating of anyone wrong seemed to fill her head with ideas of how to change the injustices. She thought women should be equal to men, with the right to vote and the right to hold office. She had found that she had to be very delicate about the way she let it be known, as she was the newcomer and would have to tread lightly to start with. She thought of the Indians plight, with all the broken promises and treaties and she could feel her blood beat in her temples, as if she were hearing the sound of their drums beating in her head.

    “Enough,” Duzy, she said aloud to herself. Tonight was a night of celebration and she was looking forward to all that was to come, possibly even meeting the man that could make her heart pound and her body afire.

  13. I'm getting out the end of July this year at age 60 and with 32 1/2 years with the company. They froze our pensions at the end of 2015 , so I've just been waiting for 60 so I get full benefits. Saved up enough vacation that my last actual day at the plant will be June 21st, Lord willing.

     

    Then my wife can try to work me to death on the ranch... 😃

  14. Lots of cross draws in this part of the world. I shoot Classic Cowboy, shot cross draw for years, but went to double strongside/double duelist for Classic a year or so ago to lighten the load on my arthritis. Had to teach my left hand to get its act together. Still working on that part.

  15. I had plumb forgot what sorts of shenanigans Saloonatics can get up to at Christmas time! Smooshed the Saloon roof, but the tree does look nice there! Anybody got a string of lights and some ornaments?

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