Chester's Return (Conclusion)

Kitty and Ann dished up some stew for the kids and buttered a piece of bread for each child. When the children had their food, Kitty and Ann fixed up their own plates. Both Matt and Chester patiently waited for their wives and children to have their food before dishing up their own. It wasn't long until everyone was eating stew and bread.

"I don't remember you boys thanking Mr. Dillon for taking you to the jail," Chester addressed his boys.

Adam swallowed his stew. "Thank you for showing us the jail, Mr. Dillon."

"Thank you, Mista Dillon," said Maxwell, his mouth full of bread.

"You are most welcome," said Matt. "But I think if Ruby calls your dad, Uncle Chester, then you're more than welcome to call me Uncle Matt."

"And before you call me Mrs. Dillon or Miss Kitty, I insist that you call me Aunt Kitty," said Kitty.

The boys had no objections to calling Matt and Kitty their uncle and their aunt. They thought it was neat to have an uncle and an aunt that lived so far away from them. The two uncles and two aunts they already had lived close to them. If Matt and Kitty were going to be their uncle and aunt, did that mean Ruby was their cousin? Their other uncle and aunts' kids were their cousins. Adam wanted to know.

"Does that mean Ruby is our cousin?" he asked.

"I guess it does," Kitty answered.

Ruby smiled. She knew what cousins were. Uncle Will and Auntie Bess's kids were her cousins. It didn't matter that they weren't related by blood. In fact, Ruby wasn't even aware of that fact.

"Chester, how's your job at the shoe cobbler going?" Matt asked.

Matt and Kitty knew that Ann's father was a prominent judge in Philadelphia and Ann's family had money. They also knew that Chester and Ann were set to inherit a nice sum of money when Ann's parents passed away. Chester and Ann were offered some of their inheritance in advance, but they refused it. They decided to wait and earn their own way of living. Ann's parents liked and respected Chester immediately, but that decision made them respect him even more.

"I must not have mentioned it in my last letter. I got a new job," said Chester. He was about to say what he did, but Maxwell beat him to it.

"Daddy makes toys," the little boy proudly announced.

Matt and Kitty waited for Chester to elaborate. "I guess all that whittling I did paid off. I carve small toy boats for a local toy store. I keep really busy around Christmas time."

"Daddy is the best toy boat maker in the world," Adam boasted. "And mommy makes the best apple pies in the world. She bakes them for a bakery."

"My momma bakes the best booberry muffins," Ruby said proudly.

"Maybe my mommy can make a pie and your mommy can make blueberry muffins. Then we can trade," Adam suggested.

"My momma wets me howp her," said Ruby. "Do you howp your momma?"

"No, that stuff is for girls," Adam replied, scrunching his face up. "I do things with my daddy when mommy makes pies."

"I wike doing that stuff," Ruby declared. "I'm gwad I'm a giro."

The adults around the table silently listened to the children's conversation. It was quite amusing and entertaining. Kitty and Ann had a feeling that they would both be baking in the near future.

"I know Ann is on vacation, but if she doesn't mind, maybe the two of us and Ruby can set aside a day for baking," said Kitty.

"I don't mind a bit," Ann replied. "We girls can have a girls' day and bake and the men can take the boys out for boys' day. I will need ingredients to make the pie."

"Tomorrow's Saturday," said Matt. "Kitty, Ruby, and I usually go into town on Saturday's and get any supplies we need. All of us can head into town in the morning. There are a few items we need to get."

"Perfect," said Chester. "I wanted to take Ann and the boys into town to introduce them to a few folks and show them around. We'll rent a horse and buggy from Moss, so we're not taking your wagon from you. Moss does still work there. Correct?"

"Yes he does," Matt replied.

"Miss Kitty, I'd like to take Ann and the boys to the Long Branch to meet Sam," said Chester. "What would be the best time to do that?"

Kitty understood what Chester was getting at. "Sam isn't busy in the morning, especially on a Saturday morning."

Ann knew the Long Branch was a saloon. Normally she would never allow her little boys to step foot in a saloon. However, she knew that Kitty would never allow her boys to be exposed to the atmosphere of what took place in saloons. She trusted that they wouldn't be Saturday morning.

The next day both families headed into town. The organization of the families in the wagon was the same as the day before. When they arrived in town, Chester drove the wagon to Moss' livery stable so he could rent a horse and buggy for his family to use while they were in Dodge. Now that the Goodes were getting their own buggy, Matt helped his girls get down from the back of the wagon and up to the front. Matt drove the wagon to Jonas' store, while Chester and his family stayed at Moss' stable.

Moss' Stable

"Chester, is that you?" asked Moss. He couldn't believe his eyes. He always liked Chester and was upset to see him go. "Are ya back for good?"

"No, me and my family are visiting from Philadelphia," Chester answered.

"Family?" Moss questioned.

"Yup," Chester replied. "This is my wife, Ann and our two boys, Adam and Maxwell."

Moss smiled at the trio. "In addition to meeting your lovely family, is there something else I can do for you?"

"We'd like to rent a horse and buggy while we're in Dodge," Chester responded.

"That's no problem," said Moss. "I have a couple available and I'd like you to use one at no cost."

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Moss," said Ann. "We greatly appreciate it."

The Goodes got into the buggy and headed to Jonas' store.

Jonas' Store

Chester drove the buggy to Jonas' store. Last night Chester had been pleased when he heard Matt say that he and Kitty went to Jonas' store on Saturdays. That meant that Jonas was still around. Arriving at the store, Chester helped his family out of the buggy. They all walked into the store.

At the sound of the bell, Jonas looked up from his figures. A huge smile spread across his face. Matt and Kitty had told him that Chester was in town. They even told him that Chester had a wife and kids. Jonas walked around from the counter.

"Chester," said Jonas as he took Chester's hand and shook it with eagerness. "Matt told me you and your family were in town. It's so nice to see you. Please, introduce me to your family."

"Mr. Jonas the feeling is mutual," said Chester. "This is my wife, Ann and our two little boys, Adam and Maxwell."

"It's so nice to meet you," Ann sweetly said. "Chester has mentioned you a time or two. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Jonas looked at Adam and Maxwell. "You two are very handsome young boys."

"Thanks, mister," said Adam. "People say we look like our daddy."

"That explains it," Jonas chuckled. "Did you know that your daddy used to buy horehound sticks from me? In fact, I just got an order for them a few days ago." Jonas went to the shelf where he always kept the jar of horehound sticks. When he returned, he set the jar down in front of Chester.

"The boys are well aware of horehound sticks," Chester remarked. Chester opened the jar and let the scent overwhelm him. He took twelve sticks out. "Mr. Jonas, I'm gonna take twelve sticks."

Jonas immediately remembered the day Chester was reenacting. "That'll be twelve cents." Even after all those years the cost of horehound sticks was the same.

"Can I pay you at the end of the week?" asked Chester. "I've run into a little bit of bad luck."

"Have you been gambling again?" asked Jonas. "I'm gonna start charging you interest."

"Well, I won't take them," said Chester.

"Of course you're gonna take them, now that you've had your grubby hands all over them," said Jonas.

Ann and the boys weren't quite sure what to make of the scene before them. Ann was about to ask what was going on, but Chester and Jonas bursted out in laughter. They explained to Ann the significance of the conversation. Ann could only smile. That sounded like something her Chester would do back during his Dodge days. Before they left the store, Chester did pay for the horehound sticks and Ann got the ingredients she would need to bake her pie. The next stop was the Long Branch.

Long Branch

Chester, Ann, and the boys walked to the Long Branch. Walking up to the batwing doors, Chester was relieved that the saloon was empty, except for Sam behind the counter. Through his observation of Sam, Chester could see the man really hadn't changed. He pushed the batwing doors forward and let his family pass before him. Sam was wiping down the counter when the small family walked in. Like Moss and Jonas, Sam had a smile on his face when he saw Chester. He stopped wiping the counter.

"Chester, I'm so thrilled to see you," said Sam.

Sam thought about offering Chester a beer, but then thought it would probably be best not to, especially in front of Chester's boys. Sam heard Chester was going to be in town for a few weeks. Perhaps he would have the opportunity to offer Chester a beer another time.

"It feels good to be back, Sam," said Chester. "I don't know if you remember Ann." Sam nodded and smiled. "She's now my wife and these are our sons, Adam and Maxwell."

Chester and Sam got reacquainted, while Ann and the boys got acquainted with the barkeep. The conversation between the group was light. Chester asked Sam how he had been and how business had been at the Long Branch. Sam asked Chester how life was in Philadelphia. After their visit to the Long Branch, Chester and his family headed to Delmonico's to eat lunch.

Delmonico's

By now it was close to lunch and the family of four was quite hungry. They chose a good time to go to Delmonico's. It wasn't too busy yet. Chester and Ann ordered the special for themselves and the boys. The boys finished their plates, and as a reward for doing so, they were allowed to have dessert. Chester was excited to see pumpkin loaf on the menu. He ordered some with extra cream for his family. The last stop for the day was Doc's.

Doc's Office

Chester noticed Doc's buggy parked outside his office. That was a good indication that the old man was in his office. Chester saved his visit to Doc for last. He figured he would save the best for last. Chester had kept in touch with Doc through letters, but missed him something fierce. His thoughts were interrupted by Adam.

"What's this place, daddy?" Adam asked.

"This is Doc's office," Chester replied.

"We not sick," remarked Maxwell.

"I know that. Doc's a really good friend of mine," laughed Chester. "I can't wait for you to meet him."

Doc had been up in his office. He had the window open to let in a nice breeze. He heard the voices from down below and instantly recognized Chester's voice. It had been so long since he had seen the young man. Doc actually couldn't wait to see Chester. It didn't take long for Doc to hear the knock on the door. Opening the door, a lump formed in Doc's throat when he saw Chester. Chester had the same reaction.

"Doc," Chester sighed. "It's absolutely wonderful to see you."

"Chester, the feeling is mutual," said Doc. "Please introduce me to your family."

"I'm sure you remember Ann," said Chester. "And these are our boys, Adam and Maxwell."

Doc smiled at the boys, taking extra notice of Adam. He remembered the letter announcing the young boy's birth. In the letter, Chester wrote that he and Ann had named Adam after him. Doc was completely honored. He really wasn't expecting that. If he recalled, Maxwell was named after Ann's great uncle or something like that.

"Boys, your daddy is a great friend of mine," said Doc. "I always enjoyed the conversations we had with each other."

Doc had thought about having a few barbs with Chester, but then decided not to do so in front of the boys. He didn't know if the boys would understand at such a young age that he was just kidding around. Doc also didn't want the boys to think he was disrespecting their daddy. He would save the barbs for later.

"In addition to our two boys, we're expecting another family member," said Ann, rubbing her growing abdomen.

"Congratulations," said Doc. "When are you due?"

"Four months from now," Ann answered. "We'll send you a letter after the baby is born."

"You better," said Doc. "I'll pray for a safe and healthy delivery for both mother and child."

"We appreciate that, Doc," said Chester.

Doc showed the boys around his office and his doctoring tools. The boys thought it was pretty neat, and Adam said he would think about becoming a doctor. Doc was pleased to hear those words, but knew Adam's plan could change. After all, the boy was only six years old. Chester and his family visited with Doc for almost an hour and then left.

Rest of Chester's Visit

For the next few weeks, Chester, Ann and the boys enjoyed their stay in Dodge City. As planned, Kitty, Ann, and Ruby spent a day baking blueberry muffins and an apple pie. While they did that, Matt and Chester took the boys tracking. The boys had never been tracking and greatly enjoyed it. When it came time for the Goode family to leave, a sadness filled the air. It was hard to say goodbye, but promises were made that the Dillons would travel to Philadelphia to see where Chester and his family lived. It wouldn't be soon. They would at least wait until after the baby was born. Seeing the new baby would be as good of a reason as any for a future visit to Philadelphia.

The End of "Chester's Return"

*Author's note: There was so much more I could have written. I had other ideas in mind, but I needed a place to end it. However, it does open the door for a future story in which the Dillons visit the Goodes in Philadelphia.