"Well, golly bill, if you ain't a sight for sore eyes. Chester Goode. How in the world have ya' been? What brings ya' back to Dodge?" Festus asked as he stepped out of Mr. Jonas's store and shook Chester's hand.
"Oh, I was just passing through."
"Passing through? Aww, fiddle. Nobody just passes through Dodge, especially having once lived here."
Chester smiled and said, "Nobody never could get anything passed you, Festus."
Festus smirked and said, "Let's go see Matthew. Whatcha say?"
"Well, actually, that's why I came here."
"See, Chester, what did I tells ya'? I knew it was not per chance. Matthew is gonna be so surprised."
Festus led Chester to the office he once called home. When he opened the door, he said, "Hey Matthew, look what the possum drug out of the prairie!"
Matt looked up from playing checkers with Doc. Doc was still looking at the board trying to formulate his next move.
"Chester!" Matt said and Doc turned his head and looked himself.
"Mr. Dillon. Doc," Chester said as he took off his hat.
"Well I'll be, Chester. It's been a while," Doc said.
"Yeah, yeah, it's been too long."
"A couple years at least Chester. How have you been?" Matt asked.
"Oh, you know, just making it."
"Now Chester, what kind of an answer is that? Either you are or you aren't. Now which is it?"
"Well I see you haven't changed much Doc."
"No, I can't say I have. Well go on. Which is it?" Doc asked.
"I'm doing okay Doc. My wife and I run a little store in Cody."
"Wife? Bend her over yer knee did you Chester?"
"Festus, what kind of talk is that? Bend her over his knee? Why, you should be ashamed of yourself?"
Festus squinted his eye at Doc and said, "All I meant was Doc, that Chester went and found him a shemale is all. If's ya' wasn't sucha 'onry ol' scudder, you'd 'a knowed that!"
"Oh Doc, it's all right. I knew what Festus meant," Chester answered.
"There, 'ya see!" Festus said and eyed Doc.
Doc just rubbed his mustache and looked at Festus. There was not much he could say.
"Cody? Wyoming?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, Mr. Dillon. After I left Dodge, I just kept going and well, then saw Amethyst and suddenly, Cody became my home."
"Well that's fine Chester, but why are you so far from home now?"
"Well, you see Mr. Dillon, I came for your help. You're the only one I know that can help," Chester said as he held his hat in his hand.
"Help you do what Chester?"
"Find my wife."
There was a sudden quiet lull in the Marshal's office now.
Doc, Festus, and Matt all looked at Chester. Matt stood straight up and faced Chester. Festus and Doc just stood, kind of fumbling.
"Find your wife? Chester, Cody is way out of my jurisdiction."
"Well I know that Mr. Dillon, but I didn't know who else too turn to."
"Chester, why don't you tell me what happened. Why is your wife missing?"
"Festus, come on. Let's let Chester and Matt talk," Doc said as he put his hat on.
"Aww, but Doc, I..."
"Don't but me Festus. Now come on. I'll buy you beer at the Long Branch."
"In that case, let's go Doc!"
Doc and Festus both headed out Matt's office and to the watering hole that Miss Kitty provided.
"Mr. Dillon, I had to let her go. They had me against the hearth of our fireplace and were gonna torch me they said."
"Who's 'they,' Chester?"
"Joe Turp and Riley Dean."
"Turp and Dean! Chester, they are wanted for several murders, you know."
"I do now after I went to Cody's sheriff."
"Well, isn't he doing anything Chester?"
"No Mr. Dillon. That's why I came to you."
"Well Chester, I'd love to help, but I can't."
"What if I told you they are coming to Dodge?"
"Chester, do you know something you're not telling me?"
Chester paused and looked at his former employer before he said anything, but he did not have to say anything. Matt beat him to it.
"You've been tracking them haven't you Chester?"
"Aww, Mr. Dillon, you still know me very well."
"There's one thing though I don't understand Chester. If you've been tracking them, haven't you seen your wife?"
"That's the thing Mr. Dillon. It's just them two. Not Amethyst. I haven't seen her since they took her."
"Chester, where are Turp and Dean now?"
"At a camp on the bank of Elm Creek."
"Well, I'll tell you what we are gonna do. We are going to the Long Branch and I'm gonna buy you a beer. And we are going to wait."
Matt grabbed his hat and opened the door. Chester smiled as he followed Matt out. It was going to feel good to be in the Long Branch again.
When Matt and Chester walked in, Festus was letting out a hoot at something Sam had said. Doc was just shaking his head.
Miss Kitty eyed Chester behind Matt and smiled. She did not even acknowledge Matt. She sauntered passed him and headed to Chester.
"My word, Doc and Festus were not storying. Chester, you look the same as the day you rode out of here. Come on, give me a hug."
Chester did not see the woman who was sitting at the table with two patrons keeping them company turn and smile. But he did when he turned his head to make room for Miss Kitty to embrace him.
"Amethyst!" Chester exclaimed.
"Why no, diamonds, but thank you for noticing, Chester," Miss Kitty said and suddenly felt herself being pushed away by Chester.
Chester made his way over to his wife and she stood and ran to him before he reached her. They embraced hard in the middle of the Long Branch and everyone stared.
Kitty turned to Matt and said, "And I thought he was talking about my earrings."
"Not quite Kitty. His wife Amethyst." Matt said with a sly smile.
"Ella? Chester's wife?"
"'Fraid so. But not Ella, Kitty. Amethyst. She had a good reason to tell you 'Ella'."
Doc hobbled over to Matt and Kitty and held up his beer saying, "Well, Chester found his gem!"
Matt and Kitty just looked at Doc and laughed.
Festus walked over and said, "Well don't that just warm yer innards like good whiskey wettin' yer craw."
"Festus, really?"
"What Doc? Ain't no worse than what you said. A gem? Aww fiddle you on'ry ol' scudder!"
"Amethyst, what are you doing in the Long Branch? How'd you get here?"
"I... I... escaped from those heathens and ran to the nearest town. Dodge was it."
"But Amethyst, why didn't you try to come home?"
"Chester, darling, if I had, you'd have never found me since you are here. Besides, I needed money to try and get back to Cody. Miss Kitty gave me a job."
Chester turned and smiled at Miss Kitty as a thank you. Miss Kitty smiled back.
"Amethyst, I want you to meet some of my best friends. Come on."
"Oh, I already know the Marshal, Festus, and Doc. And of course, Miss Kitty."
"Oh yeah, I s'pose so, don't you." Chester said and they walked over, arms around each other.
"Miss Kitty, I'm sorry I lied about my name. To all of you actually," Amethyst said as she looked at Matt, Doc, and Festus.
"Oh, it's all right El... I mean Amethyst." Kitty answered with a smile.
"Yeah, Amethyst. I understand. Chester told me all about it."
"I wished I could have told about myself Marshal Dillon. I just couldn't."
"I'd have listened, you know." Matt said as he pushed back his hat.
"I should have known that."
"Amethyst, why don't you call it a night and you and Chester go back to your room at the Dodge House. We'll be okay here," Kitty said with a smile.
"Do you really mean that Miss Kitty?"
"Of course I do. Now go. I'll have your money waiting for you in the morning."
"Oh, thank you Miss Kitty," Amethyst answered and Chester held out his arm so his wife could ring hers through his.
"I'll walk you two out," Matt said.
"You don't have to do that Mr. Dillon," Chester replied.
"I have to make my rounds anyway."
Chester just smiled and out the swinging doors all three of them went. As soon as they were outside, Amethyst froze because of what she saw.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here," Joe Turp said and tipped his hat back.
"I told you we should have killed her husband before we took her, Joe. And we should have kept her tied up as well," Riley said while he rested his hand on his gun still holstered. "Why don't we just go ahead and kill him now, Joe?"
Chester pushed Amethyst behind him. Amethyst kept her hand on Chester's hip though. Chester lifted his chin and said, "I'm not wearing a gun, Dean. You wouldn't shoot an unarmed man would you? Especially with the Marshal standing beside me."
"Marshal? So, you're the giant of a man named Dillon huh?" Turp said with an evil smile.
"That's right," Matt said as he stepped up closer to Chester.
"Looky there Riley, her old man is hiding behind the badged man!"
"I ain't hiding! I don't need the Marshal to fight my battles. Take off that gun and I'll prove it." Chester announced and pushed Matt out of the way.
"Only on one condition. If I win, I take your wife. And I promise darlin', you won't get away from us this time when I do."
"What kind of man are you Turp? Your mind ain't right! You've got rocks for brains. I can hear it rattling from here!"
"Listen to that Riley. He done gone and insulted me," Turp said and went for his gun.
Before he had it out of his holster, Matt had a bullet in him and then aimed his gun on Riley, who tried to pull his.
Turp hit the ground in a loud thud as Matt said, "Dean, unless you want to end up like your friend there, I'd think twice about trying."
By this time, Doc, Festus, and Kitty had made it out the door of the Long Branch and were looking. Kitty had pulled Amethyst to her side.
"We didn't mean any harm Marshal. We were just having fun," Riley said and just stood there as Festus ran down to arrest him.
Matt stepped down into the gravel and up to Riley. He holstered his Colt and said, "Fun? You call holding a man against his will and taking his wife fun? You make me sick. Get him out of here Festus."
"With pleasure. Now git going. Or am I gonna have t' drag you myself?" Festus said and jabbed Riley to make him move.
When Matt turned back around, Chester and Amethyst were holding tightly on to each other. Matt stepped back up onto the boards and said, "Chester, now you and Amethyst go back home."
"Thank you Mr. Dillon. It sure was nice to be back in Dodge." Chester then led his wife to the Dodge House to stay the night. In the morning, they'd be off to Cody.
As they walked, Matt, Kitty, and Doc watched them go. Doc adjusted his hat and said, "There they go. A gem and a gentleman. Doesn't get much better than that."
Matt did not even turn his head and said, "No Doc, it sure doesn't," and Chester and Amethyst disappeared through the Dodge House's door.