Chapter 2 Dodge City Blanketed

The storm struck Dodge City with a fury. Matt Dillon and his assistant Chester Goode had just reached the office after having breakfast with Doc Adams when the wind reach gale force and the expected rainfall turned into heavy snow as the temperature plummeted. They thankfully closed the door and built up the fire in their stove to try to stay warm. Matt didn't believe there would be any need for them to be anywhere but the jailhouse until after the storm passed. That was the good news. The bad news was the stage from Larned, wouldn't make it today, which meant one more night without Kitty. He'd come home two days ago to find she'd used his absence to go on another one of her trips. She might tease him about being away so much because of his job, but that didn't mean he disliked it any less when she was away. He planned to wire Larned to find out if she was on it and then Spearville to find out if the stage made it that far.

The wires hadn't gone down when the storm passed through Dodge on its way east so Matt was able to confirm that Kitty was on the stage and it never made it as far as Spearville. By one he was ready to head out toward Spearville to find out whatever he could, leaving Chester in charge of his town. That's when Lieutenant McClendon rode in from Fort Dodge with a couple of troopers to find out what Matt knew about the $10,000 that was being transferred from Fort Larned to Fort Dodge and to go with him to search for it.

"Lieutenant, I'll see to it the army gets its money, but I'll go on my own. A missing stage caught in Kansas weather isn't army business."

"Have it your way, Marshal. Just be sure to find what became of the army's money in that storm or you'll have to answer to Washington."

Matt didn't care the stage wasn't due to arrive for another hour or so, but that was under ordinary circumstances. A blizzard dumping two feet of snow on western Kansas wasn't ordinary at all and Kitty was somewhere in the middle of it. Once he found her, he'd worry about the treasure box the stage was carrying. He rode as fast as he dared out of town toward Spearville, some 30 to 40 miles away. It was now two and the weather was warming with each passing hour.

Matt rode into Spearville 15 minutes after four. There was still no word on the missing stage when he checked the depot and the telegraph office. After giving Buck some much needed rest and grabbing a sandwich at a café, he continued east. He hoped he'd find some news at the relay station two miles further along the road. There just weren't that many hours of daylight left. He reached the station at five and was welcomed by Janet Walling when he knocked on the door.

"Come on in out of the chill," she said as she stepped aside to let him enter. "My son and husband will be back directly. They're just out salvaging what more they can from the stage. It was wrecked in the storm. I'd fill you in on more details, but I have a hurt young woman in the back bedroom who needs tending. Help yourself to the stew warming on the stove. I'm keeping it hot for my menfolk."

Matt watched the woman go toward the bedroom with a basin filled with water and clean rags before heading toward the stove. He found a plate and utensils on the table. Taking the plate, he dished up a plate of stew, poured a cup of coffee and sat down to wait. While he did, he mechanically alternated between putting stew in his mouth and sipping coffee. He was so absorbed in his thoughts about what might have happened to Kitty now that he knew the stage had been wrecked that he failed to notice a man and boy had joined him at the table until the man spoke.

"I reckon the missus told you to help yerself, mister. What brings you here?"

"Information on the stage from Larned that was due into Dodge this afternoon. Mrs. Walling told me you and your son found it."

"That we did. We buried three men and a woman in a cave. I'm afraid they were killed in the accident."

"What did the woman look like?" Matt asked frantically. "Did she have red hair?"

"No she didn't, it was brown. What's your interest in this anyway? By the way, I still don't know your name or where you're from."

"It's Matt Dillon, I'm the marshal over in Dodge and the redheaded woman I'm asking about is a very good friend of mine. She was coming home on the stage."

As Matt told his name, Mrs. Walling came into the room to get more cool water. She'd heard most of what her husband had said and then looked at the tall man with the name she'd just heard.

"Marshal, your red haired friend is the woman I've been tending to. My menfolk brought her home from where the stage was wrecked before going back out there to get whatever else they could salvage. I'm afraid she's in a bad way. I don't know how badly she's hurt besides what we were able to patch up – a bad ankle and some busted ribs. She's got a nasty couple of bumps on her head her fever's climbin'. In her fever dream she's been callin' for a man named Matt. I reckon that's you. You best go sit with her. It might help and it sure won't hurt."