As soon as those rough-looking characters left, I got up, grabbed my hat, and took one more swallow of coffee. It was cold. I started to reach for the Greener, but decided to leave it leaning against the wall.
“Be back in a bit,” and I hurried on out the door.
They were not in sight, but I continued to amble on down toward the undertaker. Parker had a reputable business as a cabinet maker and served as the undertaker; oh, and on the side he made trunks.
Lillian had said she was going down to see the mortified remains of her father, and I had the notion that the two men followed her. I don’t know why exactly, and I didn’t know if there was a connection or not, but something in my gut said things were not as they seemed.
I had just passed Jensen’s Hardware & Feed and was about half a block from Parker’s. My eyes were focused on his place when….
Groggedly I felt someone shaking my shoulder. “Mr. Forrest, Mr. Forrest, are you all right?”
“All but my head. Someone thumped me good,” I replied. I felt silly, sitting there in the alley-way with a knot on my head. If was a mistake a tenderfoot might make. He could as easily shot me as whacked me over the head. I had no idea how long I was out, fifteen, twenty minutes maybe.
Then I wondered, so I asked, “How’d you see me layin’ in the alley?”
“I was walking from Mr. Parker’s and happened to glance in the alley as I passed by and saw a boot, so I went to examine who it might be. Oh, Mr. Forrest, you were right, my Father looked frightful,” she cried and reached up to dab her eyes with a hankie.
By that time I had struggled and was standing. “Did you see two fellas outside here, maybe followin’ you?”
“No, no, you said they were following me?” she gasped throwing her hands to the top of her chest. “Do you think I have anything to worry about?” She looked at me and continued, “Do you think it was one of them that hit you?”
I started to shake my head, but that made it throb worse. Looking at her I asked, “Do you have a place to stay?”
“Yes, thank you for asking. I’ll stay at my Father’s house. I was just going that direction now. I need to get his things in order.”
“Let me walk you there, just in case,” I took a stumbling step.
“Shouldn’t you just sit down? I know where he lives and I’m sure I’ll be alright.”
“Once I’ve taken a few steps I’ll be okay,” I paused. “Could I trouble you to reach down an’ pick up my hat?” I didn’t want to lean over and then fall flat on my face.
She handed my hat to me and I gently placed it on my head. Then we started walking.
As we walked along she asked, “Did you know my Father?”
“I did. He was the banker so most of the folk in town knew him.” I didn’t want to come out and say I was the one who blew off his leg.
I hoped she didn’t ask more about him, but then she went off in a different direction. “I heard my cousin was in town. Do you know him–Billy Denton?”
Now how do I answer that, I thought to myself? “Our paths have crossed a time or two.”
Her eyes seemed to light up. “Do you know where I might find him?”
“Most likely down at the jail.”
“Wonderful! I heard that he became marshal.”
Should I tell her, I wondered? Thankfully we were almost at Billington’s home. For a man with his money, he didn’t take care of his place very well. The fence needed repair and painting. The porch need to be cleaned. Then I glanced to the back of the house and thought I saw the tail of a horse swish.
She interrupted my thoughts when she said, “Thank you for walking me. I hope your head will feel better soon. Oh, you don’t have to walk me to the door.”
I turned to leave as she approached the door. Then I turned back. I wondered if she had a key. I didn’t see her trying to unlock the door; it seemed that it just swung open. I stood awhile and watched….
Month: July 2018
Echoes From the Campfire
Listen, you only have to listen. There is music on the wind.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Key-Lock Man)
“He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves.”
–Psalm 107:25
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What is the issue confronting your today? Are you feeling ill, sick, is disease hanging over you? Maybe you are under a cloud of despair for one reason or another. Whatever it may be, God is in charge. You do realize that don’t you? If so, then praise Him in spite of it all.
“I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.”
–Psalm 145:1-3 (NKJV)
If we truly believe that God is in charge then we should be able to praise Him even in the midst of dire circumstances. God designed us to praise Him. Remember, God’s glory is more important than our well-being.
One thing that I have seen over the years is that too many Christians attempt to make their lives into something they were never meant to be. Then they blame God. I heard recently, and not for the first time, that you can be anything you want to be. No! Not so. God gave us different gifts, talents, and personalities. The toe can’t be the head, etc. Each person must seek Him to find what they are to do in life and for the Kingdom of God; then go about the work of doing where He placed with a praise in your heart. A reason that people get in the doldrums and plod along is that they have never know real joy and the fulfillment that God intended because they seek their own way, not God’s.
Again–God designed us to praise Him.
1) There is the necessity of praise. If we don’t praise we are repressing what we should duly give God. The repression of praise, like the repression of any natural, God-give drive, will cause in our life serious difficulties. (Brown)
2) We have a command to praise. Praise is an act of obedience to a God who is in charge. Paul says we are to “Rejoice always!… Give thanks in everything….” (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18). God will not tell us to do things just for the fun of it. He does not delight in asking us to do foolish things. He always has a purpose. Obedience to God, especially when we don’t understand, is perhaps the highest of all possible virtues. (Brown)
If you in a difficult situation, start praising. Try it and see who is really in charge.
Coffee Percs
I could smell the coffee and the bacon. My stomach could smell it too and started to grumble.”
–Lou Bradshaw (One Man Standing)
Come in here an’ light; don’t be a-grumblin’ the coffee’s on its way. It’s hot, pard, so don’t go burnin’ yur lips. Ahhh, the simple delight of a small pleasure.
Pard, the wife and I were a-sittin’, just like we are now, last week when our gizzards almost jumped right out of our mouth. Crash! Without lookin’ at each other we lept up out of our chairs an’ rushed to the sound. There it was, “The End of the Trail”, lying there, on the floor of my office, the glass broken as it had fallen from where I had it hung. It was a painting given to me by my Grandma Jones many years ago. Upon closer inspection we found that the painting had not been damaged by the broken glass, that was a relief. The second thing we discovered was that the string that held it on the wall had broke.
I need a swaller before I continue. It was my fault. When we dug out the picture I noticed the string and wondered how long it had been on the frame. I even thought about changin’ it, but no, didn’t listen to myself and hung it up. My goodness, pard, that string might have been older than yur’s truly, and that would make it old. At least no harm was done and it’s back up on the wall, right at the exit of my office.
It’s like the fella that went fishin’. He hadn’t been in a year or so an’ he was enjoyin’ himself. Then he got a strike, set the hook and started reelin’ the fish in when it happened. The line broke. The line was old, weak, and frayed, and he didn’t bother to put on new line or at least check the line on the reel. Yep, the big one got away, again.
We need to be checkin’ our equipment and tools ever so often. Probably more than we do. That’s why I keep tellin’ yuh to keep yur gun cleaned and oiled. To be readin’ and learnin’ yur Bible. Reminds me, I need to sharpen a couple of knives. Hmmmm, do you have the “sword of the Spirit” sharp and ready for use?
You be checkin’ that cinch before yuh mount! Maybe it’s time to check the shoes of that ol’ hoss as well. You be havin’ a good week!
Echoes From the Campfire
You find a man who is heedless of others and it will often carry over into other things. And the wild country, the desert and the mountains, leaves one very little margin for survival. You ride down a corridor, and as long as you stay within the limits you are safe. But if you get out of line you’re in trouble.”
–Louis L’Amour (Where the Long Grass Blows)
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.”
–Joshua 1:7 (NLT)
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A person can get careless along the way. It’s important to watch where you’re going, where you place your feet on the trail. Looking around, getting distracted, can cause you to stumble and maybe even get hurt. The eyes must be on the road when driving, not looking at the sights, or at your cell phone.
Trouble seems to come when distractions gain our attention rather than making it to the destination safe and sound. We have a guide, the Holy Spirit to help us on our journey. However, it takes listening to His instruction to make it to the final destination. If we do not listen to His instructions we can find ourselves in a world of hurt. If we do not heed the Guide, we can get lost, but “as long as we stay within in the limits we are safe.”
Often, we push the limits. We want to just put our toe over the line. We want to see the sights. A few years back, I was driving over Cumberland Pass in my ol’ Dodge Dakota. It was raining, snowing, sleeting, and the road was becoming more and more muddy. I had to keep my complete attention on the road in front of me. But eventually we reached the summit and the clouds finally broke and we had decent weather for our decent. It was a time that I could not afford to be distracted by anything else. I couldn’t turn to the right or the left. The journey demanded my total concentration.
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Smile: This is for parents of daughters and the daughters as well. I came across this piece of advice a couple of weeks ago. It was written sometime in the 18th or 19th century.
“If a man wipes his feet on the floor mat before coming into the room, you may be sure he will make a good domestic husband. If a man, in snuffing the candle, puts it out, you may be sure he will make a stupid husband. If a man puts a handkerchief on his knee while taking tea, you may be sure he will make a prudent husband. In the same way, always mistrust the man who will not take the last piece of toast, but prefers waiting for the next warm batch. It is not unlikely that he will make a greedy and very selfish husband, with whom you will enjoy no ‘frown’ at dinner, no crust at tea, no peace whatever at home. The man, my dears, who wears galoshes, and is careful about wrapping himself up before venturing into the night air not infrequently makes an invalid husband, that mostly stops at home and is easily confronted with slops. The man who watches the kettle and prevents its boiling over, will not fail my dears, in his married state, in exercising the same care in always keeping the pot boiling. The man who does not take tea, ill treats cats, takes snuff, stands with his back to the fire, is a brute whom I would not advise you my dears, to marry upon any consideration, either for love or money; but decidedly not for money. But the man, when tea is over, is discovered to have had none, is sure to make a good husband. Patience like his deserves being rewarded with the best of wives and the best of mother-in-laws. My dears, when you meet with such a man, do your utmost to marry him. In the severest winters he would not mind going to bed first.”
How about that advice? I would say it boils down to this: get to know the person, his habits and character. Don’t be hasty. The journey is much better with two and those two in agreement.
Have yourself a good Friday, and enjoy your weekend.