Chapter 4 Lister and Chester

The worst of winter was yet to come. After Christmas came New Year and it brought the worst snowstorm any of us had seen. The snow on Front Street was deeper than the height of the boardwalks. There was nothing anyone could do except try to stay out of it, keep warm and wait for spring.

There was no business at the Long Branch, and very little crime. In some ways it was a rest time for all of us.

Gradually the snow melted, and life got hectic again. There was an outbreak of measles that affected almost every child in Dodge and the surrounding countryside. I was called out to a homestead about twenty miles from town to see two children whose parents were worried. When I got there I realized I was not dealing with measles but Diphtheria, a deadly contagion that was so often fatal. I stayed in that home for five days and nights trying every thing I knew, but first the five year old girl and then her eight year old brother succumbed. It was a terrible ordeal. The parents thanked me for coming and trying to save them, but that did not ease my pain, or theirs I thought.

I made my way back to Dodge and wearily climbed the stairs to my office. I was hoping that the isolation of that farm would spare me from having to deal with an outbreak of that terrible disease in this town. I had read the recent publications from Joseph Lister about the spread and control of infection, and proceeded to wash every instrument I had taken into that house, with carbolic. I did the same for my medical bag, my clothes and for myself. Once I had taken every precaution I knew of, I went to bed and tried to sleep. Lord knows I was exhausted, but those children's faces haunted my dreams.

There was knocking at my door.

"Doc..Doc, are you okay?" It was Kitty. I went to let her in.

"Where have you been, we were worried about you. Matt said he saw you and your buggy come into town several hours ago. My gosh you look exhausted."

I told her briefly what had happened.

"Oh Doc," she said, "I know you feel bad, but I'm sure you did everything you could. Come on over to the Long Branch and I'll buy you a drink."

Somehow I was sitting there at there at the back of the saloon, my 'family' gathered round me. How could a man not feel better?

Fortunately Dodge managed to miss a diphtheria epidemic, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was now over a year since I arrived in Dodge. The new Marshal had made a big difference to the place. People were beginning to respect the law. Of course there were still robberies, fights and hold –ups, but on the whole things were a lot better.

Naturally Matt had made a lot of enemies along the way, a few times people who had a grudge against him or the law, or thought they did, would come looking for him. Worse still sometimes they would hire some professional killer to do their dirty work. I don't know if Matt was lucky or had some kind of instinct that protected him, but one by one they tried and one by one they failed. I was always scared that one day those guns would fire and it would be my friend lying there in the street. I know that Kitty had the same nightmare.

Matt had to go out of town frequently, either to track bandits, escort prisoners or go to give evidence in a trial. There was always something. Chester was always nervous when the marshal was gone. For a man who never carried a gun, he did not lack bravery, sometimes common sense, yes, but never bravery.

There was a night when Matt was out of town. He'd had to take a prisoner to Hays for hanging. He'd only been back for twenty-four hours when there was a stage hold up west of town. So off he went again to track the outlaws. Chester was left in charge. He took his responsibilities very seriously. Matt had never expected him to break up bar room brawls, or face gunfighters. But that night there were a couple of cowboys in the Long Branch. One of them started to pick on Kitty and became too persistent. Chester jumped in to protect her. He did well for a few punches, but a man with a stiff leg is at a disadvantage. Finally both of them set on him, one held him while the other punched. Finally two or three of the regulars joined in and threw the cowboys out, but when they got Chester up to my office he was in a bad way, several broken ribs, a black eye and a mild concussion. I sat up all that night with him.

Matt got back in town the next afternoon. He was leading two horses with a prisoner tied to each. From the look of him, they had given him a rough time too. After he had them locked in the cells he came straight up to my office to see Chester.

While I cleaned up a couple of the cuts on his face and bandaged his left hand he talked to his assistant about the cowboys that did this. I knew he was planning to take off after them.

"How's he doing Doc?" he asked me as Chester closed his eyes.

I told him he would be all right, but it would be a few weeks before those ribs healed.

I knew he was planning to head out after them, he was angry I could see it in his eyes. I had never seen that look before.

"Matt you need to get some sleep," I told him

"They won't get away with this, Chester," was all he said. As he left he office I knew he was leaving town again.

Chester improved, and five days later was ready to leave the office and return to the jail. His ribs were still painful but he was over the worst.

We had had no word from Matt, and Kitty was worried. I was in the Long Branch that evening. Kitty brought a beer to the table for me and sat down. I tried to encourage her by telling her that Matt was tough and resourceful, he would be fine. I don't think I impressed her much.

I went to bed that night asking any powers that be, to keep my young friend safe.

True to form, it was not many more days before the Marshal came back with two horses and one prisoner in tow. He didn't look too good, but the prisoner was even worse off, he was barely able to stay on his horse.

I went down to the jail a little later ostensibly to check on the prisoner, but my main reason was to check on Matt. Of course he told me he was fine, and just needed some sleep. He told Chester that the other cowboy was dead, and he would keep this one in jail until the circuit court judge arrived in town in a week or so.

I watched Kitty and Matt over the next few months. It was obvious to me, and probably half the town, that there was something more than just a casual friendship between them. He would make a habit of stopping by every night after making his rounds, ostensibly to check that the last of the cowboys had left and the doors were locked. I knew there was more to it than that. Several mornings, when I had to leave town early to go see a patient in the country, I had seen the side door to the saloon open and a tall figure emerge into the alley. To begin with I thought that in a year or so he would give up that badge and they would get married, but it never happened that way.