Arizona Blue—Gunfighter, in: Maggie O’Brian’s Quest (Episode #31)
Arizona Blue—Gunfighter, in: Maggie O’Brian’s Quest (Episode #31)
Arizona Blue was on his bed half asleep, when someone knocked at the door of his hotel room, it was May of 1877, a year since he had been down around the rim of the Grand Canyon. He was in El Pasco. He reached for his holster, and started to pull out his gun. Who it could be, he wondered, who knew he was here, no one to his understanding. He knew Tom Brady, the Sheriff, he would not be knocking, or Doc Fremont he was an old friend, taken a few bullets out of his back, legs and chest in years past, he wasn’t him, he was always coughing. It wouldn’t' be that sheriff either, the one from Falstaff, Arizona; he didn’t have the guts to try to bring him back for an inquest. He shook his head; he felt a bit washed up, empty from the drinking and card games the night before, a bottle of whisky by his bedside, half full.
The knock came again.
“Who’s there?” Blue called, thinking no one with any sense perhaps, because if they knew him, they were putting their lives on a hot iron.
“Sure glad I found you,” said Maggie, as she opened the door, saw Blue on the bed. “You took a long chance coming back to save me, and tell me about my husband being dead, I saw the grave you dug for him, when the Indians captured me they showed me. You are a very brave man, I wish I would have taken your advice but I just couldn’t at the time.”
Then abruptly, and curious, Blue sat up along side of her on his bed, she stood meekly close to him, and he said “I don’t see how you could have gotten away from the Indians…?”
Maggie shrugged from her stillness, resenting her captivity, and somewhat embarrassed by standing next to Blue, yet gratitude were on her face. It seemingly was to her kind of a kindred sharing moment, and meeting, and Blue not quite understanding the why of it all.
“I was looking for you for two months.” She stated. “I was always thinking you were going to hightail it back to find me, but you didn’t.” Blue was a tinge embarrassed, “Since the last time we met, it looks like you have been busy,” she said with an odd flat voice, almost annoyingly.
Blue smiled, she sat down on the side of the bed by him. “I don’t really have anybody, I mean, when they captured me, I got pregnant, and they didn’t want me to take care of the child, so they left me at my husband’s gravesite to die: they wanted my boy to be raised by them, to be a warrior. All of a sudden I was in the way. Then a camper came by, a hunter of sorts, smelly he was, and took me for his mate, until I got away from him, and heard you were in Texas. It was odd how the memory of you came to mind, a devil man like you, a hunter and killer of men.”
Blue buckled on his gun belt and stood up, she was still pretty and slim and eye catching he thought.
“I didn’t know were to go, and life could be lonely, you know, a lonely thing, and I knew you could protect me, and perhaps you would like some companionship?”
Blue looked out his window, the sheriff was going down his steps, Sheriff Tom Brady walking onto the road, talking to a few passerby’s; Blue he picked up the quart bottle of whisky, took a swig, looked at Maggie, she sure was cute, and he knew she had her pound of bad luck, there was a tense tone to her face and voice now, one he didn’t recognized before, one you acquire from hard times.
“Come with me Maggie, let’s have breakfast.” She smiled, figured it was all right now, as Blue was utterly astonished, in disbelief of what had just taken place. As they crossed the street Blue bumped into Sheriff Tom Brady, “Come along Sheriff, join me and my sister for breakfast.”
Maggie looked at Blue strangely, as Tom Brady said, “Did you say sister?” Blue nodded his head—yes. Tom was perhaps 35-years old, but a good man, and tough, Maggie, perhaps 23 or 26, but it seemed to Blue, a good fit, Blue was in his 40s.
As they sat and ate, Blue looked at both Tom and Maggie, it seemed to Blue it was inevitable they would like one another, he was similar to Blue, but just not as dangerous, more stable you could say, and younger.
After breakfast Blue told Tom, in his ear, when Maggie went to the powder room, “What you waiting for?”
“Right now!” said Tom, “I don’t even know her.”
“Listen, I brought her all the way down here from St. Paul, Minnesota to marry you.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yes,” said the gunfighter. This was really the most unexpected words Blue had ever said, and he was wholly confused when he said them, but he said them nonetheless spontaneously. When Maggie rejoined him, Blue got up walked outside, and Maggie was about to follow, when Tom grabbed her hand, “Your brother said he invited you down from Minnesota to meet me, now seeing you, perhaps we can…(he hesitated),” Blue came back in the café, patted Maggie on the shoulder, “Sis, he wants to marry you; he’s a good man, and tough, he knows the west, and no one fools around with him, you’ll be safe with him, and he has a little house at the end of the street, but I can’t force you to take him, it’s up to you, think about it.” Now she was taken off guard, as she had done to Blue.
They both ended up smiling and just looking at one another, Tom to Maggie, and Maggie to Tom. “I think Tom, she’s got you,” said Blue, laughingly with a smile. Her lips were moist, sweet and they both knew there’d be no more chances like this one, ever.
Note: Episodes #27 thru #31 are interlinked. #31, written: 5-11-2007
Arizona Blue was on his bed half asleep, when someone knocked at the door of his hotel room, it was May of 1877, a year since he had been down around the rim of the Grand Canyon. He was in El Pasco. He reached for his holster, and started to pull out his gun. Who it could be, he wondered, who knew he was here, no one to his understanding. He knew Tom Brady, the Sheriff, he would not be knocking, or Doc Fremont he was an old friend, taken a few bullets out of his back, legs and chest in years past, he wasn’t him, he was always coughing. It wouldn’t' be that sheriff either, the one from Falstaff, Arizona; he didn’t have the guts to try to bring him back for an inquest. He shook his head; he felt a bit washed up, empty from the drinking and card games the night before, a bottle of whisky by his bedside, half full.
The knock came again.
“Who’s there?” Blue called, thinking no one with any sense perhaps, because if they knew him, they were putting their lives on a hot iron.
“Sure glad I found you,” said Maggie, as she opened the door, saw Blue on the bed. “You took a long chance coming back to save me, and tell me about my husband being dead, I saw the grave you dug for him, when the Indians captured me they showed me. You are a very brave man, I wish I would have taken your advice but I just couldn’t at the time.”
Then abruptly, and curious, Blue sat up along side of her on his bed, she stood meekly close to him, and he said “I don’t see how you could have gotten away from the Indians…?”
Maggie shrugged from her stillness, resenting her captivity, and somewhat embarrassed by standing next to Blue, yet gratitude were on her face. It seemingly was to her kind of a kindred sharing moment, and meeting, and Blue not quite understanding the why of it all.
“I was looking for you for two months.” She stated. “I was always thinking you were going to hightail it back to find me, but you didn’t.” Blue was a tinge embarrassed, “Since the last time we met, it looks like you have been busy,” she said with an odd flat voice, almost annoyingly.
Blue smiled, she sat down on the side of the bed by him. “I don’t really have anybody, I mean, when they captured me, I got pregnant, and they didn’t want me to take care of the child, so they left me at my husband’s gravesite to die: they wanted my boy to be raised by them, to be a warrior. All of a sudden I was in the way. Then a camper came by, a hunter of sorts, smelly he was, and took me for his mate, until I got away from him, and heard you were in Texas. It was odd how the memory of you came to mind, a devil man like you, a hunter and killer of men.”
Blue buckled on his gun belt and stood up, she was still pretty and slim and eye catching he thought.
“I didn’t know were to go, and life could be lonely, you know, a lonely thing, and I knew you could protect me, and perhaps you would like some companionship?”
Blue looked out his window, the sheriff was going down his steps, Sheriff Tom Brady walking onto the road, talking to a few passerby’s; Blue he picked up the quart bottle of whisky, took a swig, looked at Maggie, she sure was cute, and he knew she had her pound of bad luck, there was a tense tone to her face and voice now, one he didn’t recognized before, one you acquire from hard times.
“Come with me Maggie, let’s have breakfast.” She smiled, figured it was all right now, as Blue was utterly astonished, in disbelief of what had just taken place. As they crossed the street Blue bumped into Sheriff Tom Brady, “Come along Sheriff, join me and my sister for breakfast.”
Maggie looked at Blue strangely, as Tom Brady said, “Did you say sister?” Blue nodded his head—yes. Tom was perhaps 35-years old, but a good man, and tough, Maggie, perhaps 23 or 26, but it seemed to Blue, a good fit, Blue was in his 40s.
As they sat and ate, Blue looked at both Tom and Maggie, it seemed to Blue it was inevitable they would like one another, he was similar to Blue, but just not as dangerous, more stable you could say, and younger.
After breakfast Blue told Tom, in his ear, when Maggie went to the powder room, “What you waiting for?”
“Right now!” said Tom, “I don’t even know her.”
“Listen, I brought her all the way down here from St. Paul, Minnesota to marry you.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yes,” said the gunfighter. This was really the most unexpected words Blue had ever said, and he was wholly confused when he said them, but he said them nonetheless spontaneously. When Maggie rejoined him, Blue got up walked outside, and Maggie was about to follow, when Tom grabbed her hand, “Your brother said he invited you down from Minnesota to meet me, now seeing you, perhaps we can…(he hesitated),” Blue came back in the café, patted Maggie on the shoulder, “Sis, he wants to marry you; he’s a good man, and tough, he knows the west, and no one fools around with him, you’ll be safe with him, and he has a little house at the end of the street, but I can’t force you to take him, it’s up to you, think about it.” Now she was taken off guard, as she had done to Blue.
They both ended up smiling and just looking at one another, Tom to Maggie, and Maggie to Tom. “I think Tom, she’s got you,” said Blue, laughingly with a smile. Her lips were moist, sweet and they both knew there’d be no more chances like this one, ever.
Note: Episodes #27 thru #31 are interlinked. #31, written: 5-11-2007
posted by Dennis and Rosa Siluk at 6:37 PM
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