Mail Order Bride: On The Run: A Historical Mail Order Bride Story (Mail Order Brides) by Lily Wilspur Page B
Authors: Lily Wilspur
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her eyes. Two men—one wore a blacksmith’s apron and the other a grocer’s smock—picked the young man up and paraded through the streets of the town with him on their shoulders. As far as Lou Ann could see, people waved and cheered and sang and rejoiced. No one paid the slightest attention to the dead body just a few paces away.
The conductor didn’t come with his step and the porter didn’t come to help her with her bags. Lou Ann waited a few more minutes, but then the whistle sounded from the front of the train.
She jumped down from the door and landed in the dust. She didn’t know what to do or where to go next. Everyone who usually tended passengers at the train station seemed to be on a holiday in front of the General Store. In fact, the whole town seemed to be on a holiday.
She took a few more steps. The blast of steam from the engine signaled the train getting ready to leave. She could only hope someone had unloaded her luggage from the baggage car.
The parade of townspeople moved off in the direction of the church, following the young man on the shoulders of his admirers. Lou Ann didn’t want to be seen to join their festivities, so she waited until they left before she crossed the street to the General Store.
Lou Ann glanced this way and that for someone to ask about what she ought to do, but she didn’t see anyone. At loose ends, she walked back and forth in front of the General Store to the Post Office, then back again the other way. She passed the Barber Shop and stopped again. A liver-colored dog loped past her, following the crowd.
Lou Ann gave up all hope of figuring out what to do, but just then, her eye fell on the lifeless lump in the middle of the street. The first fly sailed around over it, looking for a place to land and set up shop. Someone had to do something about this. She lifted up her skirts again and stepped down into the street. She went back toward the train station.
At the other end of the street, on the opposite end of town from the church, stood the courthouse with an impressive belfry on top of it. The jail, identifiable by the bars in its windows, occupied a dumpy building next door to the courthouse.
Lou Ann bustled up to the door of the jail and peered inside.
A fat-bellied, middle-aged man sat behind a desk, writing in a ledger. If she hadn’t seen the metal star pinned to his shirt, Lou Ann never would have believed this indolent man was the town sheriff.
Chapter 3
His damp eyes rose to meet her when she appeared. “Mornin’, Miss,” he greeted her. “Welcome to town. What can I do for you?”
“It’s not what you can do for me, Sheriff,” Lou Ann told him. “I thought you might like to know there’s a murder victim lying in the middle of the street of your town. What are you going to do about that?”
“Is he dead?” the sheriff asked.
“Of course he’s dead,” Lou Ann fumed. “The other man shot him. You must have heard the shots from here.”
The sheriff pushed his hat back from his forehead and scratched the top of his head. “I’m sorry he’s dead. I didn’t think he’d be able to do it. What a shame!”
“Really, Sheriff,” Lou Ann exclaimed. “I’m surprised at you. A gun battle just took place in the main street of your town and a man was gunned down in cold blood. And you just sit here, doing nothing. Is that the way a lawman should act? I would think you have some responsibility to maintain order in this town.”
The sheriff sighed. “Lady, you’re new here. I guess you just got off the train, so you don’t know how things work in this town. But since you bring it up, I’ll explain it to you. You’re right that my job is to maintain order in this town, and that means that I know when to keep my head up and when to keep my head down. That’s my job.”
“So you just sit here and let people shoot out their differences in the street?” Lou Ann asked. “Anyone could have been hit by a stray bullet in that gun fight.
The conductor didn’t come with his step and the porter didn’t come to help her with her bags. Lou Ann waited a few more minutes, but then the whistle sounded from the front of the train.
She jumped down from the door and landed in the dust. She didn’t know what to do or where to go next. Everyone who usually tended passengers at the train station seemed to be on a holiday in front of the General Store. In fact, the whole town seemed to be on a holiday.
She took a few more steps. The blast of steam from the engine signaled the train getting ready to leave. She could only hope someone had unloaded her luggage from the baggage car.
The parade of townspeople moved off in the direction of the church, following the young man on the shoulders of his admirers. Lou Ann didn’t want to be seen to join their festivities, so she waited until they left before she crossed the street to the General Store.
Lou Ann glanced this way and that for someone to ask about what she ought to do, but she didn’t see anyone. At loose ends, she walked back and forth in front of the General Store to the Post Office, then back again the other way. She passed the Barber Shop and stopped again. A liver-colored dog loped past her, following the crowd.
Lou Ann gave up all hope of figuring out what to do, but just then, her eye fell on the lifeless lump in the middle of the street. The first fly sailed around over it, looking for a place to land and set up shop. Someone had to do something about this. She lifted up her skirts again and stepped down into the street. She went back toward the train station.
At the other end of the street, on the opposite end of town from the church, stood the courthouse with an impressive belfry on top of it. The jail, identifiable by the bars in its windows, occupied a dumpy building next door to the courthouse.
Lou Ann bustled up to the door of the jail and peered inside.
A fat-bellied, middle-aged man sat behind a desk, writing in a ledger. If she hadn’t seen the metal star pinned to his shirt, Lou Ann never would have believed this indolent man was the town sheriff.
Chapter 3
His damp eyes rose to meet her when she appeared. “Mornin’, Miss,” he greeted her. “Welcome to town. What can I do for you?”
“It’s not what you can do for me, Sheriff,” Lou Ann told him. “I thought you might like to know there’s a murder victim lying in the middle of the street of your town. What are you going to do about that?”
“Is he dead?” the sheriff asked.
“Of course he’s dead,” Lou Ann fumed. “The other man shot him. You must have heard the shots from here.”
The sheriff pushed his hat back from his forehead and scratched the top of his head. “I’m sorry he’s dead. I didn’t think he’d be able to do it. What a shame!”
“Really, Sheriff,” Lou Ann exclaimed. “I’m surprised at you. A gun battle just took place in the main street of your town and a man was gunned down in cold blood. And you just sit here, doing nothing. Is that the way a lawman should act? I would think you have some responsibility to maintain order in this town.”
The sheriff sighed. “Lady, you’re new here. I guess you just got off the train, so you don’t know how things work in this town. But since you bring it up, I’ll explain it to you. You’re right that my job is to maintain order in this town, and that means that I know when to keep my head up and when to keep my head down. That’s my job.”
“So you just sit here and let people shoot out their differences in the street?” Lou Ann asked. “Anyone could have been hit by a stray bullet in that gun fight.
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