Resembling the Past

He limped back to his seat to the back of the train, when a vision caused him to stop in his tracks. Stopping too quickly to check his thoughts on the vision, he stumbled onto the lady in her seat. Pushing him off her, she grumbled, “Get off me, you oaf! What is the matter with you?” she queried.

“I am so sorry, mam. I thought I saw something out your window that shocked me, and I stopped suddenly to get a second look. The train rattled and shook as I leaned over for a closer look and I accidentally fell. I am so sorry,” he explained as he tried to manipulate his cane back from her lap and back into the aisle to aid him in his forward steps back to his seat.

“Mam, is this young man bothering you?” a handsome fellow asked in her defense.

“No”, she replied brushing her dress out smoothly from the carelessness of the stumbling man.

“I’m not bothering her. I just accidentally fell when the train jostled me,” he explained as his eyes fell on the man’s gun that hung from his hip. Using his cane, he limped to his seat in the back of the train. He shook his head as he recognized his gun as a Colt 45. A man carrying a gun that meant to do harm was a man to stay away from.

Plumping back down in his assigned seat, he tried to calm down. He took in a breath and released it. He picked up his satchel and removed his sketch pad. He drew an image of the young lady who stopped him in his tracks when he first glanced at her. She reminded him of someone he had seen before but could not put a time or place on where that might have been. Sketching her image might ring that bell in his mind as sketching had habits of doing before. He also realized he may never see her again, and now he would have her image. His sketches were usually of animals or old houses or barns. Seldom did he sketch a person, but he felt he just had to sketch her hoping that his memory would be triggered as to where it was he had seen her before. He entitled the sketching “My Trip to Dodge City, Kansas, August 1912”.

He started with her long red hair piled under a long plume of a feathered hat. Her emerald green eyes bore down on him in a firm stare. He wanted to capture that stare. She was a striking lady yet felt very familiar. He softened her look ending the perfect face with her beauty mark on the left side near her mouth. Even though it was a short glance at her, he took in every aspect of her good looks which included the robust chest that peeked out of the top of her low-cut dress. A warm feeling began creeping up his body, so he closed the sketch book for a moment and looked outside to get his mind off her.

Thoughts stormed around inside his head about the man in the salmon colored shirt with the brown vest and the heavy iron on his hip. His size was intimating to say the least. He had to be taller than my 6’ statue by at least another 5 inches. His voice was deep, and his face wore a stubble as if he missed shaving this morning. Who was he and where was he going? However, his protectiveness of the young lady with the red hair went unnoticed.

“Who is he?” the red head asked herself. “Not the bumbling oaf but the dude with the deep, controlling yet soothing voice. His eyes were beautiful and deep that made me want to get to know him in a more intimate situation,” she thought to herself. She slapped herself back to a more reserved state of mind but could not help smiling.

“I wonder where she is headed,” the man who was sitting across the aisle from the red head thought to himself. “She seems fearless and strong which can be a good thing and a bad thing.” He tried to find a comfortable sitting position, pulled his hat down over his eyes and tried to relax. “I think I know that lady. I have met her before,” the big man told himself.

Lester Goode toyed with trying to remember where he knew the lady from. He sat back, closed his eyes and images of the man with the side arm temporarily clouded his thoughts. Shaking his head to clear his mind, his sketch book slipped off his lap onto the floor and slid under the seat in front of him.

“Land sakes,” he muttered as he slipped his flexible, thin body down to the floor to retrieve his book.

“Everybody, this is a hold up!” Lester heard.

“Do as I say and nobody will get hurt,” the outlaw shouted waving a gun from seat to seat. The big man with the side arm sat up and started to get up when the outlaw pointed the gun at him.

“Just sit back down big fella. I know how to use this gun and I will use it. I am going to move down the aisle and everyone will empty your pockets and purses and hand over anything of value. You will drop everything into this bag,” he explained dangling the bag. “I will be out the back in no time and everyone will be safe.”

He leaned towards the big man first and removed his gun from his holster and demanded his wallet which was handed over. He then jerked something off the big man’s chest. His next stop was the red head. He cupped his hand under her chin and pulled her up for a kiss and pulled the cameo necklace from her neck and demanded her purse. She reached up to slap him and he grabbed her wrist, squeezed it and pushed her back into her seat.

Lester was down on the floor and remained out of sight and apparently was not seen by the outlaw. The outlaw moved on down the aisle, slowly approaching the last seat on the train where Lester laid crouched down. He was very close to Lester’s seat. Reaching out with the cane, he was able to wrap the hook around the man’s foot dragging him down. A shot was fired to the back of the train hitting the outlaw in the shoulder finalizing his thieving event.

The man in the salmon colored shirt flew down the aisle and shouted for a doctor to come help the bleeding man on the floor. As he charged, he tucked the small gun back in the pocket of his vest. For a big man, he was quick as he handcuffed the thief’s uninjured wrist to the leg of the seat. He grabbed his star from the outlaw’s closed fist. He then looked at Lester and nodded at him. Words were not needed. Lester knew he was being thanked by the lawman as he was responsible for stopping the one-man raid.

The next morning, Lester was sitting alone waiting for his breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. The red head lady entered the restaurant dressed in a blue western style skirt and blouse. Without raising his head, Lester’s eyes were glued on her. He noticed her as soon as she entered. Soon after, the big man with the sidearm stepped inside. He saw Lester and joined him at his table followed by the lady.

Introductions were made. Lester learned Levi Dillon was a marshal from Dallas, Texas and Samantha, or Sammi Russell, was from Louisiana.

“What brings ya’ll here to Dodge City?” Lester asked. "I got a telegram asking me to come. I am to meet the banker, Mr. Asper, today at 10:00,” he further explained. “Did each of you get a telegram too?”

“I didn’t get a telegram,” Sammi answered back. “But I got a letter asking me to see the banker, too, at 9:30 this morning.”

“I got a telegram with the same instructions. I am to meet Mr. Asper at 10:30. I wonder what this is all about. “Do ya’ll know anyone from Dodge?” Levi asked.

“Not really,” Lester said. “My uncle lived here about 40 years ago. He worked for the marshal. As a matter of fact, I believe his name was Dillon, like you Levi. Any relation?”

“Yep. “Marshal Matt Dillon was my grandfather. He died about 10 years ago here in Dodge. He finally met the one who was faster at the gun than he was. He’s buried up on Boot Hill. I plan on visiting his grave before I leave.”

“My grandmother was Kitty Russell,” said Sammi. She looked down and fiddled nervously with the napkin in her lap. She’s buried up on Boot Hill too.”

The trio spent the next hour getting to know each other and enjoying the camaraderie and becoming friends.

Lester finally stood up and said, “Well, I need to go take a walk and walk off those biscuits and gravy.”

The three went their separate ways as Sammi headed to the bank to meet with the banker.

At 11:00, after they all met with Mr. Asper they gathered back at Del Monico’s for lunch and discussed what they learned from the meeting.

Mr. Asper told them the bank had gone through a major renovation and during the renovation they discovered an old safe that was shoved in the basement covered with dust and furniture. Upon opening it, there were old documents of deeds, wills, titles to property, birth certificates and other paper work. The most interesting thing uncovered was a deed to a ranch outside of Dodge that belonged to Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell. Nobody had laid claim to the ranch and there are no other living relatives except for Levi and Sammi. Therefore the ranch now belonged to the surviving relatives. There was also a will left by Mr. Dillon and Miss Russell leaving 100 acres to the survivor of Chester Goode. Lester Goode is the only living survivor therefore the land was now willed to Lester.

After learning of the documents, Lester shed a tear, shook his head and limped away. He walked down to the Marshall’s office and sat down in the old wooden chair outside. He looked up and down the street of Dodge City and felt like it was very familiar to him. He had been to Dodge numerous times visiting his uncle, he knew that, but this was a different feeling. A chill crept over his body. He jumped up from the old chair and ambled across the street. With the cane in his hand a thumping sound from the cane and the foot fall from his boots on the board walk could be heard from a distance. He saw someone standing in front of an abandoned, boarded up building.

When he reached the man, he asked, “What brings you here, Levi?”

“I’m not sure. Something told me to come here. You know, Lester, I feel like I have met Sammi before but I can’t figure out where.”

“That is strange because I had the same feeling. Do you know what this building used to be?”

“I don’t see a sign anywhere.” He wiped dirt away from an old hanging down board and uncovered an image of a large glass of beer with foam running down the side. “It looks like it was a saloon.”

They both peered inside but it was dark. They leaned closer and the piece of wood covering the door moved.

Waving his hand towards the door he said, “After you.”

They both looked up and down the board walk and street to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied they were in the clear they entered. Levi took out a flashlight and shined it all around. The bar still had glasses on shelves behind it. Tables were tossed around the room with chairs turned upside down and broken. An old piano stood against the wall with the bench still there. They stopped looking around when their eyes fell onto the sign that was hanging by one hook above the bar, between the broken mirrors, that said “Long Branch Saloon.” The two men whispered the name at the same time, “Long Branch”.

Do you remember this saloon, Lester?”

“Yeah. Vaguely.”

The beam of the light landed on the stair case leading upstairs. They carefully started up. For the building to be abandoned for so many years, they were surprised to find it sturdy. They walked to the end of the hall and glanced into a room. The door was missing so they went inside. It was a bedroom. It was empty of furniture with the exception of an old dresser against the wall. Levi shined the light around the room, and above the dresser the beam landed on a huge painting of a lady. They stepped closer to it and said again at the same time, “Sammi?”

“It sure looks like her, doesn’t it?” said Levi.

“Yes, it does. She even has the same beauty mark on her face next to her mouth just like Sammi’s. This is where I have seen her before. It was this painting of whomever this is.”

They removed the painting, turned it over and read again simultaneously, “To Miss Kitty Russell, Love, Matt”.

“Well heaven’s to Betsy,” Lester expressed with amazement.

The loud sound of music from downstairs startled the two men. They quickly put the painting back in place and stepped out of the room. Standing at the top of the stair case, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Lights were shinning bright in the saloon down below. A man wearing a shirt with billowing sleeves with a band around each arm sat playing the piano. A lady with a short dress full of petty coats, revealing the top of her breast was swaying to the music. Men were leaning against the bar with their shot glasses before them and boiled eggs in a tray sat at the end of the bar. A bartender joined in on the conversations while he filled their glasses. There were men sitting at a table and a red head shouted to Sam the bartender, “Bring us a round of beer for Doc, Matt, Chester and I.”

“Sure thing, Miss Kitty,” said Sam.

Levi and Lester looked at one another as they slipped silently down the stairs walking right next to the table of old timers.

“What do you think the future holds for us, Doc?” Chester was asking.

“There’s not much of a future for me, Chester. I reckon I will die right here in Dodge City. I see children for Matt and Kitty,” Doc said.

Matt and Kitty looked at each other and laughed at that comment.

Standing outside of the Long Branch the two Dodge City visitors along with Sammi looked in awe at one another. They waited for a few minutes before leaving just listening to the laughter and conversation from inside. Chester was playing a guitar and singing “Run Rabbit Run”.

“What do you make of that, Levi?” she asked as they walked away arm and arm alongside of Chester.

“I have no idea. That’s the strangest thing I have ever seen,” he told her.

“You should see the painting that is upstairs, Sammi,” said Lester.

“Oh really?” she said.

At the end of the day, the trio took the long walk up a hill to Boot Hill. They stood admiring the gravesites of Matt and Kitty. Next to them was the marker for Doc Adams and next to his was Chester Goode. They removed their hats and said a prayer to their deceased relatives.

Early the next morning, Levi got a knock on the door.The Dodge City judge was there wanting to talk to him.

“Can I help you, sir?” asked Levi.

“I hope so Mr. Dillon. We need a Marshall for our fine city of Dodge.