Blessed are the Merciful (21 page)

“Certainly,” Lila said.

Adam placed her overnight bag next to his. “If it pleases you, I’ll sit with you as far as North Platte so I can take care of this heavy bag for you.”

“That would please me very much, Mr. Burke.”

“Sorry I won’t be there to take it down for you at Sidney.”

“Maybe there’ll be another gentleman nearby who will help a lady with her bag.”

They sat there for a moment, watching people pass by.

“Miss Scott, I’m curious.”

“About what?”

“Well, I don’t mean to be nosy, but you haven’t told me why you left Cuyahoga Falls to live on a cattle ranch in Colorado.”

“Oh, haven’t I?”

“We’ve been talking too much about me and my career.”

“I’m going there to marry a young cattle rancher, Mr. Burke. He recently inherited the ranch when his widowed father died. His name is Jess Powers.”

“So I take it Jess is actually from Cuyahoga Falls but moved to Colorado when he inherited the ranch?”

“Oh, no. Jess was born and raised on the ranch. I’ve never met him in person.” Lila smiled at Adam’s look of consternation.

“You have never met the man, but you’re on your way to marry him?”

“Mr. Burke, surely you’ve heard of mail order brides?”

“Oh, sure! But I’ve never met a mail order bride. Nor have I ever met a man who sent for one.”

“Well, you won’t be able to say that again.” She opened her purse and pulled out a small photograph. “This is Jess.”

It was a picture of a tall, lanky cowboy. Adam forced a smile and said, “Nice-looking man, Miss Scott. I hope you will be very happy.”

The announcement came that it was time to board the train, and Adam and Lila made their way to one of the coaches. They found two empty seats together, and Adam once again placed her overnight bag in the overhead rack.

“And what about you, Mr. Burke?” Lila asked. “Is there a young lady in your life?”

“Not at the moment. I was engaged once, but it didn’t work out.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Adam shrugged. “That’s life. Maybe I’ll find the girl of my dreams in North Platte.”

“Maybe. But don’t be surprised if you find young unmarried women scarce there. When the first letter came from Jess, he told me that in the West there are about two hundred unmarried men for every unmarried woman.”

“Really?”

“That’s what he said. He couldn’t find any eligible young women anywhere around Sterling. That’s why he put ads in the Mail Order Bride section of several Eastern newspapers. I won’t bore you with the details, but I needed to get away from Cuyahoga Falls because of family problems. So I answered Jess’s ad in the Cleveland paper.
Everything is working out beautifully for me.”

The miles rolled by quickly, and soon the train slowed to enter North Platte. When it chugged to a halt, Adam stood up, took his small bag down from the rack, and said, “Well, I guess this is good-bye, Miss Scott. It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

“Likewise. Thank you for all the meals, and for the very delightful company.”

“It’s been a pleasure, ma’am.”

“Mr. Burke, I hope you find the right young woman in North Platte.” She paused, then added, “Or maybe you’ll have to get your bride through the mail.”

Adam gave her a slanted grin. “Good-bye, ma’am.”

Adam reached the door, and he looked back and nodded. Lila gave a tiny wave, and he moved out onto the platform. As he stepped down from the train, he mumbled, “Not me, ma’am. I’d never order a bride through the mail.”

There were only a few people moving about as Adam headed for the baggage coach. He was nearly there when he saw two men coming toward him. The short, stout man had a badge on his chest. The other man, who was tall, dark, and hollow-cheeked said, “Adam Burke?”

“Yes, sir. And I think I must be looking at Lincoln County Sheriff Ben Colter and North Platte’s town council chairman, Mr. William Dauntt.”

“That’s right,” said the tall man. “I’m Sheriff Colter, but William here borrowed my badge!”

All three laughed, then shook hands.

“I assume you have some baggage to pick up?” Dauntt said.

“Four large trunks, sir.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Sheriff Colter said. “Be right back.”

Colter went after a porter to bring a cart, and Adam said to Dauntt, “I know right now that you and I will become good friends.”

“Well, I’m glad you feel that way, but why didn’t you know it before?”

“I figured you were a good man by the spirit of your correspondence, but since you look so much like my hero, Abraham Lincoln, I know for sure you’ve got to be all right!”

Dauntt laughed. “I guess I look more like honest Abe than I realize. So many people have told me that.”

“It’s something to be proud of, Mr. Dauntt. Abraham Lincoln, in my estimation, was the greatest president this country’s ever had. Don’t misunderstand me. I like Hayes. He’s a good man, and I’m sure he’ll be a great president. But it was Mr. Lincoln’s influence that caused me to want to become a lawyer.”

“Well, good for Mr. Lincoln. And I’m honored that God gave me a resemblance to him.”

Sheriff Colter returned with the porter and his cart. The four trunks were loaded and taken to the parking lot where they were transferred to William Dauntt’s wagon.

“We’ll take you to your office after we go to the boardinghouse,” Dauntt said. “I’ve put you with Wallace and Minnie Melroy. Their place is a little bit nicer than the other boardinghouse, and the rooms are a bit larger.”

“Fine,” Adam said. He was all eyes as they rolled into town and up Main Street. The numerous trees along the street and in the yards were beginning to take on their autumn hues.

Dauntt turned south on Main and pointed in a northerly direction. “Your office is back that way. Right in the heart of the business section.”

Adam glanced that way and nodded. “Can’t wait to see it.”

They went two blocks and turned west off Main onto a side street. Moments later, they hauled up in front of a large two-story frame building. A fresh coat of light gray paint shone in the late afternoon sunlight. The windows were trimmed in white with black shutters. Tied-back filmy curtains decorated each sparkling window. There was a wide, inviting front porch with a few tables and matching chairs scattered about, and a large porch swing.

Adam took a deep breath. The air was clean. He smiled as he
looked at the oversized house. “It’s just what I imagined, Mr. Dauntt,” he said.

Both Melroys came to the door at William Dauntt’s knock. Introductions were made, and the bright-eyed couple welcomed Adam warmly.

Minnie Melroy was tall and almost gaunt. Careworn lines crisscrossed her face, but she had an enchanting smile that lit up her whole countenance and the kindest brown eyes Adam had ever seen. She was dressed in blue printed calico partially covered with a stiff white apron. Wallace Melroy was a mite taller than his wife. His shoulders were a little stooped. As they moved into the foyer, Adam noticed that he walked with a slight limp.

“Your room is on the second floor, Mr. Burke,” Wallace said. “You have luggage, I assume?”

“Yes, sir. Out in Mr. Dauntt’s wagon.”

“We’ll get it for you, Mr. Burke,” Colter said. “You go on up and take a look at your room.”

Wallace reached into his pocket, handed a key on a small chain to Adam, and said, “Go ahead, son. Minnie will be right behind you. It takes me a little longer to climb the stairs. I was thrown from a horse when I was seven. Broke this left leg in three places. The limp is because there was no doctor near where we lived. Dad and Mom did the best they could, but the bones weren’t set correctly. But when I get to heaven, I’ll have a new body … no more limp!”

Adam smiled. Key in hand, he bounded up the stairs. When the Melroys arrived at the door, Adam told them how attractive and comfortable the room was. The Melroys explained the boardinghouse procedure to him, including the meal schedule. There was a dining hall next to the kitchen on the first floor where all the tenants ate Minnie’s cooking three times a day.

Dauntt and Colter set the last of the trunks in the parlor section of the large room. “Well, Mr. Burke,” Dauntt said, “we’ll take you to your office if you’re ready to go.”

“Sure am!” said Adam, his eyes dancing.

As the five of them stepped out of the room into the hall, Minnie said, “Remember, Mr. Burke, supper is at six o’clock sharp.”

“I won’t forget, ma’am.”

“Sure glad to have you here, son,” Wallace said.

“You folks are the perfect example of good old Western hospitality. I found it this way when traveling through the West a few years ago. It was one of the things that made me fall in love with this part of the country.”

“You’ll love it more the longer you’re here,” Minnie said. “I guarantee it.”

“And I believe it! All right, gentlemen, let’s go take a look at my office.”

Soon the wagon was entering the business district on Main Street. Adam looked from side to side on the broad thoroughfare, taking in the stores, shops, and professional offices. People on the street waved at Dauntt and Colter, calling out greetings.

Dauntt made a sudden turn onto a side street and a quick turn a few seconds later into an alley. “We’re going to take you in the back door,” he said. “We have a special reason for it, and you’ll understand shortly.”

“Okay,” Adam said with a grin.

Near the next side street, Dauntt swung the wagon up behind a false-fronted clapboard building that stood on the corner. The entrance faced Main Street. They led Adam inside the building, and he saw a large room at the back and two smaller rooms up front. The place was sparkling clean and smelled of new paint.

“You no doubt noticed,” Colter said, “that these quarters make up half the building. The other half is the Lincoln County Land Office. They’re nice neighbors; I promise.”

“North Platte has two doctors, Mr. Burke,” Dauntt said. “Dr. Todd Hill and Dr. Darrell Brown. This side of the building was Dr. Brown’s office. His practice outgrew it, so he’s relocated in his new clinic on the west side of town. The county owns this building, but I
doubt the land office will ever need this side. So you won’t have to worry about being moved out.”

“As long as you pay the rent!” the sheriff said.

“Yes, sir, Sheriff! Seriously, this is better than I had imagined.”

Dauntt grinned. “I’m glad you’re happy with it. As you can tell, the entire inside has been painted since Dr. Brown left.”

Adam ran his gaze around the interior of the building. “This setup will be perfect. I’ll hire a secretary and put her up here on this side as a front office. My office will be in the back. And I’ll use this other room for files and storage.”

“Now,” Dauntt said, “the reason we came in the back way … just a little surprise. Come out here.”

Adam followed Dauntt and Colter out the front door onto the boardwalk, and Dauntt pointed to a sign in the window. Bold, black letters announced: Law Office to Be Opened Soon.

“Hey, look at that!” Adam said. “I suppose you had that done, Mr. Dauntt?”

“You might say that.”

“Well, thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”

Colter laughed. “If you like that, Mr. Burke, look above your head.”

Adam looked up and saw a large sign in a fancy metal frame. Both sides read:

The young attorney shook his head. “Gentlemen, I’ve never been treated so royally in all my life!”

Dauntt laid a hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Burke, we’re mighty pleased to have you in North Platte. We know you’ll be a wonderful asset to this town and to the entire county.”

The three men stepped back into the empty office and closed the
door. Adam ran his gaze between them and said, “I assume there’s a furniture store in town?”

“Sure is,” the sheriff said.

“I’ll need to furnish this office and make it functional.”

“Ben has to get back to his office,” Dauntt said, “but if you’d like to go to the furniture store and browse, I’ll be glad to take you.”

Adam shook Colter’s hand and said, “Thank you, Sheriff, for being half of the welcoming committee. I sure appreciate it.”

“My pleasure, sir. We’ll get to know each other quite well, I’m sure. If there’s anything I can ever do for you, just holler.”

When Colter was out the door and gone, Dauntt locked it and said, “All right, Mr. Burke, let’s go find you some furniture.”

Adam looked at the sign over his office door. “Just think, Mr. Dauntt—my shingle is up!”

When they were rolling down the street, headed north, Adam said, “All I know about you, Mr. Dauntt, is that you’re the town council chairman. I never thought to ask you what you do for a living.”

William Dauntt laughed and said, “I own the Dauntt Furniture Store!”

I
N EARLY
O
CTOBER
, S
ETH
C
OLEMAN
finished his training course in Washington, D.C., and was formally commissioned as a deputy United States marshal. The day after the commissioning ceremonies, he and eleven other men who had finished the course were gathered in a room, waiting to be addressed by Deputy U.S. Marshal Kenneth Fortner, who was in charge of assigning the new recruits to their districts of service.