Journey to Fate

Journey to Fate

Suzanne Marsh

It had been twenty four years since she’d last seen it but the place looked exactly the same. Sally Miles dressed in her best silk dress, sat quietly on the steam locomotive, hating the cinders blowing on her dress; into her eyes. She had no real desire to return to Fate but it was something only she could do. Her brother Sam had become a notorious bank robber, her fate was Madam of the best brothel in New York City. Why, she questioned herself was she returning to her shack of a home, here in Fate. The answer was simple, Jed Miles had the sheriff of Fate send a telegram to Sally, informing her that he wished to see her before he passed away. She hated him, she would always hate him. He raped her the first time when she was twelve, he continued until she ran away at fourteen. Her brother Sam, tried to protect her but it was not enough. Her Mother, was a drunken miserable woman. Together they had lived in that shack. The shack with no windows, one door and about sixty acres, of wind blow sod. Sally sighed, as the train rambled through Dallas, Texas toward Fate.

Finally, the conductor yelled in a loud clear voice:

“Fate, Texas folks.”

Fate, was a small town made up of a saloon, bank, and general store and blacksmith shop. Sally, found herself disembarking from the train, marveling that nothing had changed in twenty four years, no boardwalks, no nothing except for drunks and rattle snakes. She walked over to the blacksmith shop and livery stable. Tom Hopkins, had taken over when his pa passed. Sally entered the barn:

“Hello, hello I need a horse and buggy to rent for a few days.”

Tom, strode out of a horse stall, he stood stock still, his jaw dropping:

“Sally, Sally Miles it sure has been a long time. Last time I saw you, you was knee high to a

jackrabbit. Now look at ya, all growed up and such.”

Sally, smiled:

“Tom, it has been so many years. I thought you would have left Fate years ago.”

“I reckon I did just that but then Pa got sick. I come back here to help. He up

and died a few years back.”

“What brings you back to Fate?”

“Sheriff, sent for me it was Pa’s idea. I guess he’s purty sick.”

“Yeah, he ain’t got long to live. They are gonna hang him day after tomorrow.”

“Hang him, what he do?”

“He and your brother Sam robbed the bank, Mr. Applebee, was murdered.”

“Where is Sam?”

“Sam disappeared right after the robbery, left your Pa behind.”

“Thanks Tom.”

“Hey you gonna be here for the big square dance on Saturday? If ya are

would you do me the honor of going with me/”

“Yes, sure Tom, I would enjoy that. I guess I better head over to the sheriff’s office.

See Pa. Does the hotel got any rooms?”

“Yep. See later Sally.”

Sally, traversed the dirt street, holding the bottom of her dress in one hand, her portmanteau in the other. The jail was where she remembered it, how many times she had visited Pa and Sam there. She wondered where Sam disappeared to, why had he left Pa, with the smoking gun and no where to run. Strange she thought. Sally opened the door to the jail, before she could enter further the sheriff strode over to her:

“You must be Miss Sally, your Pa is in the back cell. He ain’t takin to kindly being

locked up. We ain’t been able to find Sam but when we do he’s gonna hang too.”

“I see sheriff. I am going to be here until at least Sunday. I’ll be staying at the Hotel.”

“That’s fine Miss Sally. I’ll take you back to talk to you Pa now.”

Sally followed the sheriff to the end cell, there she found her Pa just exactly as she remembered him. His long frame stretched out, his feet dangling off the bed. He was grayer now than when she left but nothing else about him had changed:

“Well, Sally where you been all these years? You never sent no money nor nothin else.”

“Pa,” she began sweetly: “you don’t deserve no money or nothin else. I came because

the sheriff sent for me not because you asked me ta come. You dragged Sam down to the

same place you are, the gutter.”

“Sally, I git outta here I’ll find you this time an kill ya.”

The sheriff overheard that:

“Miles, you hush, you ain’t gonna kill anybody else.”

“Miss Sally I think you better leave...now.”

“Thank you sheriff.”

Sally, picked up her things; heading toward the Hotel. She was going to change, then see if the hotel still had good food. She, was surprised when she arrived at the hotel, Tom had walked over to inform Jake, the hotel manager that Miss Sally Miles would be staying for several days. Sally took her key, climbed the staircase. She found her room satisfactory. At least she did not have to share a bed with someone else. She changed putting on a gingham dress, she decided to take a ride out to the shack. There was something that she wanted to take before they hung her Pa.

Tom, decided that he would drive the horse and buggy, it just did not seem right for a lady like Sally to callous her hands driving the buggy. They headed out of town south toward the Trinity River. There on scrub land that wasn’t worth beans stood the shack. Sally, waited as Tom stepped around the buggy to help her climb down. Sally entered the shack first, Tom followed moments later. Nothing had changed in twenty four years. The place smelled of pigs and whatever else Ma let in the house. She could still see her Ma, standing in the front room of the shack, her hair matted and gray, her face haggard, dead drunk. She thought about Sam, he was three years older than her. She wondered where he was hiding. She also wondered why Sam set Pa up. She went into the back area of the shack the dirty blanket she once slept on was still there. She walked over to the east wall, pried off a small piece of wood. Beneath it the wooden wall was still waiting for her, Ma’s cameo. She gave it to Sally years ago, it was the only thing that her Pa had not been able to find and sell. She returned to where she had left Tom. Once again they headed back to town. Sally held the cameo, in her hand. She felt now that she had what she came for.

The day was fair and sunny, she told her Pa goodbye. She watched as he walked with the minister on one side the sheriff on the other. Today, he would hang. She watched his cold eyes staring at her. The sheriff put the hood over his head. The floor dropped. Pa, was dead, he couldn’t hurt anyone else. Sally, after watching the hanging went for a walk along the road toward the cypress trees. She needed to be alone for a little while. She needed a good cry, not for Pa or Ma but her and Sam. She found a copse of trees, sat down. She buried her face in her hands. She heard footsteps walking toward her. She thought maybe Tom had followed her, instead it was her brother Sam:

“I been a waitin fer ta see ya. I am gonna turn myself into the sheriff. They are gonna

hang me. I been robbin banks since I runned away from home a year after ya did.”

Sally stared up at her brother’s dark countenance. He looked like the brother she knew and loved, but he was just as full of loathing for Pa and Ma as she was.

“Sam, you can’t turn yourself in, they’ll hang ya. I just found you again.”

“Sally, I gotta do what a man’ s gotta do. I been running from the law for almost twenty

three years. I wanna stop runnin. Will ya go with me to the sheriff, when I turn myself in?”

“Yeah, sure Sam, if you are sure that is what ya wanna do.”

“I’m sure Sally. I knowed they hung Pa this morning.”

“Yeah they did Sam, he never said a word, he just glared at me.”

Later that day, after Sally and Sam talked for a while, Sam pulled her up to her feet; together they walked to the sheriff’s office. Sam was arrested. At that juncture Sally went to find a lawyer in town. There were two old John Stiles and his partner James Atwater.

“Sally, come on in.” John Stiles smiled.

“John, it has been a long time. Sam turned himself into the sheriff. Sam didn’t shoot that

banker, Pa did. Can you please help him?”

John, patted Sally’s hand:

“I’ll try my best. Did the sheriff set up a time and day?”

“Yes tomorrow the circuit judge will be in town.”

“Well, guess I better amble down to the jail and have a talk with Sam.”

“Thanks John.”

The following morning, the trial began. Sam stood tall. After hearing the evidence, the circuit judge, proclaimed:

“In as far as there is no real evidence that Sam Miles killed anybody, I find him not guilty.”

Sally smiled, she had done the right thing in helping Sam. She knew they would try him for robbing banks over the years but at least he would not swing at the end of a rope.

Saturday night finally arrived. Sally dressed in her pink silk dress, a huge hat on her fair hair. She waited patiently for Tom. Tom arrived, in a stiff white collar, string tie, boots and jeans. He gave Sally his arm, as he escorted her down the staircase. They walked over to huge barn. The fiddlers were already playing. The square dance was called. Tom and Sally danced every dance. Later that night, under a full moon and stars, Tom proposed to Sally. She cried nodding her head yes. She had left life behind her as a madam. She told Tom what she did to keep herself alive. Tom and Sally found true happiness and that is all that mattered in the tiny town of Fate.