Letting Go Page 2

was the only justice that was needed. Such was the case in El Paso, Texas in 1872.”

  “The town had no sheriff or marshal. There were many ranches, composed of thousands of acres of grazing land and tens of thousands of head of cattle.”

  “El Paso started as a single trading post way back in 1836 and the town grew out of necessity. Ranchers needed supplies and someone was needed to shoe the horses, so a general store and a blacksmith shop sprang up in town. Soon, saloons, hotels and restaurants were built.”

  “These businesses brought in people who began to build homes and soon the town was a thriving community.

  “To Sam Miller, El Paso was a strange new world compared to his home in New York City where he had been raised. At the age of seventeen, Sam found himself hundreds of miles away from home, and from his family. It had taken him several days by train and stagecoach to get to El Paso. Sam had spent nearly all of his money on the trip west.”

  “Sam had only three dollars in his pocket. He didn’t have a job, he had no place to live and he had not eaten anything in two days.”

  Jim stopped reading the book and looked over at Mr. Crawford. The old man was sitting up in his bed, listening intently to the story, so Jim continued reading.

  “Sam walked into the Red Dog Saloon which served food as well as whiskey, and sat down at an empty table in the corner. The bartender brought Sam a bowl of steaming hot stew and some slices of freshly baked bread, as well as a cup of very strong coffee. In those days, you ate whatever the restaurant served you and you were glad to get it. Sam was so hungry, that he would have eaten barbed wire.”

  “Sam quickly devoured the stew, three thick slices of bread and a piece of hot apple pie. He was on his third cup of coffee, as he contemplated his situation. At the next table, Sam overheard two men talking about cattle and the dry spell they were having. Sam heard the younger man call the older one ‘Buck’.”

  “Sam finished his coffee and left money on the table to pay for the meal. Then he walked out of the saloon, onto the hot dusty street.”

  “Sam crossed the street and was thinking about his family and feeling homesick, when he noticed a rough looking character lurking in the shadows on the side of the side of the Red Dog Saloon. Sam could see that he was holding a six-shooter in his hand.”

  “At that moment, Buck and a few ranch hands walked out of the saloon. As they turned towards their horses, the stranger stepped out of the shadows, behind the group of men and started to raise his gun, aiming it at them.”

  “As Sam watched, everything seemed to be in slow motion. For a second, Sam froze, and could not move. Then, Sam quickly yelled; ‘Buck, watch out behind you.’”

  “Buck took a step to the right before turning around with his six-shooter drawn. That move saved his life. As he turned around, he felt a bullet go past his ear as it sped onward. Buck fired his Colt revolver at the man who had tried to shoot him in the back. Unlike the stranger, Buck didn’t miss and the stranger lay dead in the street.”

  “The street soon filled with people who emerged from the saloon and other businesses on the street. The dead man was a former ranch hand whom Buck had fired a week before.”

  “Buck walked over to Sam to thank him for the warning that saved his life. As the two of them talked, Buck learned that Sam had just arrived in town and did not have a job. He had come to Texas in search of his father, who had gone west some years back and never returned home. Buck was so grateful to Sam, that he offered the seventeen-year boy a job working with his outfit. Buck owned the Circle-X ranch.”

  “Buck told Sam that if he was willing to work hard, he could teach the youngster everything he needed to know about ranching. Sam accepted Buck’s offer and they shook hands to seal the deal.”

  After reading a few more chapters, Jim stopped when his cell phone rang. He answered the call from his mother who had called to remind him that they were going out to dinner that evening. Jim looked at his watch and realized that it was almost five o’clock. He had been reading for over an hour. He told Mr. Crawford that he would read more of the book the following Saturday, when Jim was scheduled to work again.

  When Jim reported to work the next Saturday, his supervisor told him that she was impressed with his hard work, but she was even more impressed that he was having success in turning Mr. Crawford from a grouch into a much happier man.

  All day long, Jim worked harder that he had ever worked before. He really enjoyed working with the rest of the staff.

  When three o’clock came, Jim clocked out and headed to Mr. Crawford’s room. Mr. Crawford’s eyes lit up when he saw Jim walk into the room. He had been looking forward to the visit all week long. After the two of them chatted for a while, Mr. Crawford asked Jim if he brought the book with him.

  Jim pulled the manuscript out of his backpack and began reading where he left off the week before.

  “Sam had been working on the ranch for several weeks. He was a fast learner and not afraid of hard work. He was doing as much work, if not more than anybody else on the ranch was. He worked from sunup to sundown, seven days per week.” He branded cattle, cut timber, built fences, cleaned out watering holes and helped build and repair buildings on the ranch.”

  “Sam sent nearly his entire pay home to his mother. He kept enough to purchase clothes that made him fit in around the ranch. He also bought a Colt revolver and a gun belt.”

  “Buck taught Sam how to shoot the gun and how to draw. Every night, Sam would ride several miles away from the ranch, to practice his fast draw and his shooting when no one was around. Sam remembered what Buck had told him. ‘Think of the six-shooter as an extension of your pointer finger. Just point it at your target and shoot.’”

  “After several weeks, Sam could hit his target every time. He wondered if he would be as confident and accurate if he ever had to shoot in self-defense, when his target was shooting back at him. Buck told him that he could die just as easily as the other person and that wearing a six-shooter was for self-defense only.”

  “Sam also became proficient in using a rifle as well. The first time he went out with Buck to hunt for meat, Sam killed two deer and one antelope and he only fired three shots.”

  “Sam had been working for the Circle-X for almost a year when he had to face his first bit of trouble. He had gone into town with some of his outfit, one Saturday night, to blow off some steam.”

  “Sam sat at a table back in the corner of the saloon, where he could see all that was going on around him. He sat facing into the room, drinking coffee and reading some old newspapers that had been left on the table. Sam never drank whiskey or beer, because he saw what it did to men. He saw drunken men do foolish things that got them killed.”

  “As Sam drank his coffee, he was watching the other men in the saloon. Some of the other hands from the Circle-X were drinking and playing cards. Sam noticed a couple of men at the bar, looking in his direction and talking among themselves. They were a few years older than Sam, and they had a few drinks under their belt.”

  “One of the cowhands got up and walked over to where Sam sat. When he saw that Sam was just drinking coffee, he asked; ‘Won’t your mama let you drink whiskey?’”

  “Sam replied; ‘I prefer coffee.’, and then turned away.”

  “When the cowhand offered to buy Sam a drink, he politely refused. This made the man angry. ‘Nobody refuses a drink when it is offered’, he said in a loud voice.”

  “The other cowhand at the bar tried to steer his friend back to the bar, but the guy just pushed his friend away. Suddenly, the cowhand turned towards Sam drawing his six-shooter as he turned, ready to shoot Sam.”

  “Sam acted without thinking; he drew his own gun, shot the gun out of the other man’s hand, before he could shoot at Sam. The saloon got very quiet as Sam got out of his chair and walked over to the stranger. Sam unbuckled his gun belt and han
ded it to a man from his outfit and then, with one quick movement, he hit the drunken cowhand in the mouth.”

  “At eighteen, Sam stood six foot two in his stocking feet and weighed two hundred thirty pounds, most of it muscle. He had been working up to eighteen hours per day for over a year at the ranch. Buck had been teaching him to fistfight and to box.”

  “The cowhand was still stunned, when Sam hit him again. As the big man staggered, Sam hit him hard in the belly. The cowhand made feeble attempts to hit Sam, but Sam kept hitting him. Finally, Sam picked the guy up off the floor and threw him into the street, where he lay alive, but motionless.”

  “Then, Sam put his gun belt back on, reloaded his Colt and then resumed drinking his coffee, as if nothing had happened.

  “Buck and the rest of the outfit just stared at Sam. They had never seen anyone draw that fast and shoot with such accuracy and precision. They had a newfound respect for Sam.”

  Jim read a few more chapters before he stopped for the afternoon. It was getting late and he had to get home. He told Mr. Crawford that he would finish the book the following Saturday. Jim could tell that he was really enjoying listening to Jim read the book.

  Jim put the manuscript back in his backpack and he was getting ready to leave, when he heard a commotion in the hallway. Jim set his backpack on a chair