Lucas was waiting for us when we arrived back at the house. Molly and I had taken time off to ride up the river a short ways. Two-Bits needed a ride as did Star. I really don’t work the horses since the train is around. It’s faster, but I do miss my time in the saddle riding through God’s great cathedral.
Molly, she never gets away from that diner. So, today after the morning rush, we took off. She told Marta that she would be gone through lunch, but would be back in time for supper. Edith Jones said that she would help out.
The ride had been nice. The river was running fast and finishing with the spring run-off. We rode for a couple of hours to a place where there are several boulders that reach out into the water forming a deep pool. It made me wish I had brought along a fishing pole. The sun was shining bright and we laid out on a flat rock, just watching the river roll by.
“Are you sorry?” asked Molly out of nowhere.
I turned to look at her. “Sorry for what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Being stuck in one place. Not taking that job in New Orleans. Not starting your horse ranch,” she responded.
I moved up to put my head on her lap. “Nah, no regrets. I learned many years ago to try my best to follow God’s plan. He said my steps would be ordered by Him. So, no, I’m not sorry about where I am and what I’m doin’,” I paused to look at the clouds moving slowly in the sky. “I do get some weary with this new job. Mateo is a real help, but he is inexperienced. It will only last until January.”
I must have dozed on her lap as I felt her shaking me. “Miles, Miles, wake up. We have to be getting back. I promised Marta I’d be there for supper.”
Pulling her down to me, I gave her a kiss. “Thanks for takin’ the time off to ride up here. We don’t get alone very often,” I said pulling myself up and donning my hat.
Coming to the corral I knew we had plenty of time. Lucas, my that boy has grown. He came up taking the reins for Two-Bit as Molly dismounted. “Senor Marshal, I theenk you had better hurry to town. There may be trouble.”
“Lucas! What is it?” questioned Molly.
He pulled off his straw hat to scratch at his head. “Trouble, I theenk.”
Molly came to me to hug my leg. “Miles, you better go see. I’ll be alright.”
Swinging Star away from him, I nudged him into a trot heading for town. I could see quickly that there was some commotion down by the stockyards. They were built not long ago so ranchers in the area could ship cattle to market. Bert Winfield used them some; Silas Postman came in once a year. As I rode up I could see an argument going on between Mr. Simmons, the person who took care of the shipping. His job was to make sure there was feed for the animals while they were in the pens. I didn’t recognize the person he was arguing with. Mateo was standing close by listening.
I was on the far side of the pens when I saw Mateo motion to the man to leave. The man turned, started to take a step away, then abruptly turned pushing Mateo off the platform. Even though I was on the far sides of the pens, I could make out what the man said, “No bean-pusher is ordering me around!”
There was scuffling going on, but I couldn’t make out what was happening. The man who pushed Mateo was moving down the platform. I gave Star a kick to head him off. I reached the end of the platform before he did jumping from the saddle. Grabbing him by the collar I slapped him a couple of times. He tried to fight but I had momentum behind me and I knocked him down, dragging him back down the platform.
Mateo was grappling with two men on the ground. I continued to hold the man’s collar, twisting it tighter each time a punch was thrown by the men below.
Pete Simmons came up beside me. “Aren’t you going to help him, Miles?”
I glanced at Pete, “If he needs it. I haven’t seen him in action yet.”
Mateo must have heard me for he looked up. I pulled at my moustache, not loosening the grip on the man’s collar. He was red in the face when Pete tapped me on the shoulder. “Marshal, you might want to release your hold.”
As I did I pulled him up to let him watch Mateo finish the fight. “If you don’t want thumped alongside the head, you’ll be still, calm, and collected,” I warned.
One man was down, and Mateo had the other in a headlock. He looked up at me and I nodded. As he released his combatant the man fell forward and Mateo brought up his knee to meet his chin. He fell like a piece of wood.
“Grab your hat and get up here,” I barked.
Mateo was soon up on the platform with me, dusting himself off. He jammed his hat on his head and muttered, “Enjoy the show? I might sell tickets next time.”
The man I had been holding, the one who pushed Mateo off the platform, jerked loose from me. “I don’t know who you think you are!” he near screamed. “But I’ll have the law down on you.”
I nodded at Mateo, who opened his vest where the man could see his star. He spit. I cuffed him alongside the ear. “I was goin’ to say this was just a misunderstandin’, but mister, you’re goin’ to jail!”
“Pete, who is this guy?”
“Cecil Thompson, he just moved into a ranch to the west of town, out toward Hesperus.”
Month: June 2020
Echoes From the Campfire
You have to fight for most of the things worth havin’, or somebody does.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Quick and the Dead)
“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.”
–Jonah 2:7 (NKJV)
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Have you even been so sick you wished you would die? The stomach is turning over and over, the fever is there and is raging. You don’t want to eat, to think of food makes you gag. You don’t want to stand and when you try you get woozy and vomit. You just want to stay in a darkened room away from people, away from things, away from it all. All you can do is sup on cool water.
That’s where David finds himself in Psalm 41. He is sick. He recalls what the Lord has done, and then he cries for mercy. Not for mercy only, but to pay back his enemies.
1 – Happy is one who cares for the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.
2 – The Lord will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land. You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
3 – The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed; You will heal him on the bed where he lies.
4 – I said, “Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against You.”
5 – My enemies speak maliciously about me: “When will he die and be forgotten?”
6 – When one of them comes to visit, he speaks deceitfully; he stores up evil in his heart; he goes out and talks.
7 – All who hate me whisper together about me; they plan to harm me.
8 – “Lethal poison has been poured into him, and he won’t rise again from where he lies!”
9 – Even my friend in whom I trusted, one who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me.
10 – But You, Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up; then I will repay them.
11 – By this I know that You delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
12 – You supported me because of my integrity and set me in Your presence forever.
13 – May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen.
One reason I like the Psalms is that they know how to speak to us. I know of people who run hither and yon to various doctors and “healers”, yes, so who proclaim to be Christians. They are told they are sick because of any myriad to reasons. At the moment you don’t care about the reason, you just want to get over the sickness.
We can trust the Lord when we are sick. George O. Wood states that we can trust the Lord to: 1) deliver, 2) protect, 3) preserve, 4) bless, 5) not surrender us, 6) sustain, and 7) restore us. A lengthy sickness might cause us to do some introspection. Not only do we want healing for our bodies, but moaning and groaning will cause us to think of our souls as well.
Notice how this Psalm ends–in praise. It is important to stay in the right spirit when we are sick, knowing that the Lord has not abandoned us. “Calm fills my own heart when I rest in God’s eternity and power rather than my own frailty and helplessness. Even if my sickness separates me from my body, it can never separate me from Him, the Everlasting One.” (George O. Wood)
“O Love Divine, that stooped to share
Our sharpest pang, our bitterest tear;
On you we cast each earth-born care,
We smile at pain when you are near.”
–Oliver W. Holmes
Coffee Percs
The coffee was pitch-black and thick. It took him three cups before he decided he liked it.”
–Stephen Bly (I’m Off to Montana)
It’s been a good week, don’t yuh think Pard? The coffee’s been ready, so is yur cup, so start yur swallowin’. Yuh know the other day was my anniversary. I remember when I used to serenade the sweet gal. Now! There yuh go, snortin’ yur coffee again, an’ sloshin’ it on the table. My, I don’t know why my singin’ gets yuh all so flustered. She liked it. It sorta set the mood for spoonin’. What’s that yuh say? Her ears were stuffed with cotton? Yuh just don’t have a taste for music from the heart, that’s all.
Yuh got yur guns all oiled up? We may be in for a rip-roarin’ time with folks callin’ for an end to the police. Do yuh know what will happen if they do away with the police? Sorta contradictory, but we’ll end up with a police state. Now, in muh studies of history, I have noticed that after any form of democracy there is a time of anarchy which will eventually turn into tyranny. These imbeciles, oops that not politically correct these days, these twinkies are so dumb, however, more than ever I’m convinced that there is something more sinister behind it all.
Don’t be spillin’ any more coffee! Next time I’ll give yuh dishwater. Fella with yur tastes wouldn’t know the difference nohow. And no, I’m not a conpiracist, but I do believe that the devil and his demons are ultimately behind it all. The spirit of antichrist is surely at work. But don’t let that rile yur liver none, for the Lord has everything under control. I’m a-thinkin’ that His appearin’ will be happenin’ shortly–be sure yur ready for that as well.
Yuh watch where yur ride; check the signs around yuh and be a-watchin’ for hostiles. Jist like the old days, Pard. Oh, an’ one more thing, be checkin’ yur cinch.
Echoes From the Campfire
What is important is the way we choose to live the life we have, however long or short it may be. God will be the judge.”
–Dan Arnold (Alta Vista)
“Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”
–Luke 12:23 (NKJV)
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Just a few words here today. Something to ponder. First, I want to ask if you are faithful? Charles H. Spurgeon said that, “The faithfulness of man is a very unreliable affair; it is mere vanity… If we are found faithful, it will be because God is faithful.” The faith of man is fickle. He may strive to be faithful, but it will be because of God, yet the Lord desires for us to be faithful. However, we never have to fear, because God is faithful.
“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
–1 Corinthians 1:9 (NKJV)
Take a moment to ponder the words of Spurgeon as he describes the faithfulness of God.
“We are variable as the wind, frail as a spider’s web, weak as water. No dependence can be placed upon our natural qualities or our spiritual attainments; but God abides faithful. He is faithful in His love; He knows no variableness, neither shadow of turning. He is faithful to His purpose; He does not begin a work and then leave it undone. He is faithful to His relationships; as a Father He will not renounce His children, as a friend He will not deny His people, as a Creator He will not forsake the work of His own hands. He is faithful to His promises and will never allow one of them to fail to a single believer. He is faithful to His covenant, which He has made in us in Christ Jesus and ratified with the blood of His sacrifice. He is faithful to His Son and will not allow His precious blood to be spilt in vain. He is faithful to His people to whom He has promised eternal life and from whom He will not turn away.”
If God were not faithful to us, there would be no use. As anarchy would prevail upon the earth, so it would within our soul. Great is His faithfulness! Keep this in mind, “This faithfulness of God is the foundation and cornerstone of our hope of final perseverance. The saints shall persevere in holiness, because God perseveres in grace. He perseveres to bless, and therefore believers persevere in being blessed. He continues to keep His people, and therefore they continue to keep His commandments.” (Spurgeon)
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I hope you realize this, that we are in a very fierce war. So far, there have been few casualties that have resulted in death, but there have certainly been casualties of the soul. There are those in America who are trying to cut out the very soul, the very heart of our great republic. If things continue on the present course there very well could be a war in which weapons to kill the body are used.
Whenever I see those of “Antifa” running around two things quickly pop up in my mind. The first is a bunch of ants scurrying around. In their little black outfits they remind me of an ant pile that has been disturbed. The second, which is close to the truth, is that they move above, sneaky, hiding their faces, bullying, and brandishing their hatred and I think of a horde of demons. In fact, they are humans carrying out the works of the devil; they are truly exhibiting the spirit of antichrist.
I have always said that something has to happen to America before the return of the Lord. Folks it is upon us.
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“Nobody ever believes it until it is too late. Everyone has the same idea: that it could not happen to them. It is always happening to somebody else, and you see it in the papers, and don’t credit it. Thieves, outlaws and the like, now, they are no braver than you, and most times less brave. They just figure you will be scared to a jelly, and will do nothing to defend yourself because you think they are so dangerous.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Man From Skibereen)