"Miss Kitty, I sure am obliged to you for helpin' me with this here
choosin' a ring."
Kitty smiled at him, and pat his arm, "It's my pleasure, Festus."
She watched him as he looked over the rings in the General Store. She'd never seen him so proud or so happy, and it made her warm inside. But in some way, she was the tiniest bit jealous. Kitty Russell secretly hoped that someday Matt Dillon would choose a ring for her; but then, she knew it would probably never happen. Festus noticed the sad look in Kitty's eyes, and he guessed what it had to be. He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him.
"Here now, Miss Kitty, don't you go gittin' sad on me."
She shook her head, "I'm not, really."
"Uh-huh." He squeezed her shoulder, and then let her go, "Now which one of these here shiny bobbles should I git?"
"Depends on how much you want to spend, Festus."
"Well now.... I've been puttin' me a little aside ev'ry month since I been here in Dodge...."
Kitty's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "You have?"
"Oh yes ma'am. I got me a couple hunderd dollars here."
Kitty's eyes grew wide, "A couple of hundred?"
"You betcha. I think we can git Rose a real purty ring for that, cain't we?"
She pat his back, "Yes, Festus, I'd say so."
Kitty looked over the rings in the case, and settled on one that wasn't too ostentatious, but had sparkle and style. She pointed to a round cut with extreme clarity and brilliance.
"I'd go for that one there."
Festus looked up at the storekeeper, "Mr. Lathrop, can we see that bright bobble thar?"
"Sure enough... You got the money to pay for it, deputy?"
Festus squinted at Lathrop, "I done got the money. Now are you gonna let us see the ring, or ain'tcha?"
Lathrop pulled the diamond out, and handed it to Festus, who looked it over and handed it to Kitty. She studied it, and then tried it on.
"She'll like this one, Festus."
Lathrop smiled, "Gonna ask that Rose Sullivan to marry you, huh Festus?"
"That's none o' your business, Lathrop. Man cain't do nothin' in this town without somebody sayin' somethin' 'bout it...."
Kitty smiled, "I don't think you'll find a better one in these parts, Festus."
"How much you want fer it, Lathrop?"
"Two-hundred and fifty dollars."
"Two-hunderd and fifty? That thar is robbery!"
"That's what it costs."
"Then you can jes' keep it."
Lathrop sighed, "How much you got deputy?"
"Two hunderd, not a penny more."
Lathrop glared at Haggen, and then sighed dramatically, "If that's all you got, then I guess I'll have to take it. For now."
"Whaddya mean fer now?"
"You can owe me the fifty."
Kitty glared at Lathrop, "And what about the forty-five you owe on your bar tab at the Long Branch?"
Festus stared at Lathrop, "How in the heck didja rack up a saloon bill that high?"
"Tell you what, Mr. Lathrop, you give Festus the ring for two-hundred, and I'll wipe your bill clean."
"I cain't allow you to do that, Miss Kitty--"
"--Festus, consider it a wedding present. How about it Lathrop?"
"Well, seein' as how I don't want to be owin' you nothing, that'll do fine."
Haggen smiled at Miss Kitty, handed Lathrop two-hundred dollars in cash, and took the ring. Now he just had to make sure he had a chance to propose before someone in town did it for him!
***********
Festus chattered on while Doc drove the buggy. Adams was losing patience with the entire charade.
"Do you mind tellin' me what in tarnation you've dragged me all the way out here for? We're three miles from town for pete's sake!"
"You can stop here."
"Where?"
"Here!"
"Just where in the hell are we? Middle of nowhere, Kansas it looks like."
"Now Doc, you said yerself that we were three miles from Dodge, and this here's the onliest place I could buy a little lot o' land liken you tolt me too."
Adams looked at the deputy, as if thunder had struck.
"Are you telling me that you actually parted with money in order to purchase land? I can't believe what I'm hearin'!"
Festus glared, "Now thar ain't no call to start funnin' me. You tolt me to buy land a longest time ago, and now I gone and done whut you tolt me, and you're makin' fun outta it."
Doc softened slightly, "I'm not making fun of you, Festus. But why so far out of town?"
"I wanted a nice place for me and the Mrs...."
"The what?"
"You heard me."
Doc's eyes grew wide, "Are you tellin' me that you're going to ask Rose to marry you?"
"And whut's wrong with that?"
Adam's voice grew soft, covering his emotions, "Nothin'... nothin' at all."
Doc smiled and pat Festus on the back, pride filling his eyes. For as much as the two of them argued, Doc was extremely fond of the deputy, although he'd sooner see his eyes poked out than tell the man so.
"Have you asked her yet?"
"Nope. Gonna do it tonight."
"What about a ring?"
"Don't go gittin' yerself in a twist, Miss Kitty gone with me this mornin' to Lathrop's and we picked out a fine ring."
Doc didn't know what to say. A clean-shaven, bathed Festus, who in one week had purchased land and a wedding ring; Adams never thought he'd live to see the day. Doc's eyes filled with emotion, and he turned away. Festus frowned.
"Doc? Doc....did I say somethin' wrong?"
The old man shook his head, "No, no you didn't. I'm just danged proud of you, that's all. Now come on, you'd better go tell Matt, you don't want him hearin' it from anyone else."
"I'm thinkin' on askin' Matthew to be my best man....."
"I think that's a right fine idea."
"You ain't mad or nothin', are ya?"
"Hell no."
"You see, I had a tough time a-tryin' to decide which one of you to ask, but then it occurred to me that Rose'll need somebody to walk her down the aisle of that thar little church, and well, I thought maybe you'd do that fer us."
Doc put his arm around Haggen's shoulder, "I'd be pleased, Festus. Real pleased."
They didn't say another word on the way back to Dodge. There was so much unspoken emotion between them, neither wanted to break the spell.
***********
As the sun began to set over the prairies of Kansas, Hopkins smiled. He was within a day's ride of Dodge City, and finding Rose. She had humiliated him in Denver, and the only way to save face with the local ranchers was to bring her back, and tame her into a suitable wife. He should have known better than to marry an Irish girl, but temperament and spunk aside, she would be domesticated. He'd see to it. It was no different than breaking a horse, although Hopkins preferred dealing with cattle. Horses made him nervous. And she would pay for the fact that he had had to ride on one all the way from Denver trying to find her.
Damned woman. If she weren't his property, he wouldn't have bothered.
Kitty smiled at him, and pat his arm, "It's my pleasure, Festus."
She watched him as he looked over the rings in the General Store. She'd never seen him so proud or so happy, and it made her warm inside. But in some way, she was the tiniest bit jealous. Kitty Russell secretly hoped that someday Matt Dillon would choose a ring for her; but then, she knew it would probably never happen. Festus noticed the sad look in Kitty's eyes, and he guessed what it had to be. He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him.
"Here now, Miss Kitty, don't you go gittin' sad on me."
She shook her head, "I'm not, really."
"Uh-huh." He squeezed her shoulder, and then let her go, "Now which one of these here shiny bobbles should I git?"
"Depends on how much you want to spend, Festus."
"Well now.... I've been puttin' me a little aside ev'ry month since I been here in Dodge...."
Kitty's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "You have?"
"Oh yes ma'am. I got me a couple hunderd dollars here."
Kitty's eyes grew wide, "A couple of hundred?"
"You betcha. I think we can git Rose a real purty ring for that, cain't we?"
She pat his back, "Yes, Festus, I'd say so."
Kitty looked over the rings in the case, and settled on one that wasn't too ostentatious, but had sparkle and style. She pointed to a round cut with extreme clarity and brilliance.
"I'd go for that one there."
Festus looked up at the storekeeper, "Mr. Lathrop, can we see that bright bobble thar?"
"Sure enough... You got the money to pay for it, deputy?"
Festus squinted at Lathrop, "I done got the money. Now are you gonna let us see the ring, or ain'tcha?"
Lathrop pulled the diamond out, and handed it to Festus, who looked it over and handed it to Kitty. She studied it, and then tried it on.
"She'll like this one, Festus."
Lathrop smiled, "Gonna ask that Rose Sullivan to marry you, huh Festus?"
"That's none o' your business, Lathrop. Man cain't do nothin' in this town without somebody sayin' somethin' 'bout it...."
Kitty smiled, "I don't think you'll find a better one in these parts, Festus."
"How much you want fer it, Lathrop?"
"Two-hundred and fifty dollars."
"Two-hunderd and fifty? That thar is robbery!"
"That's what it costs."
"Then you can jes' keep it."
Lathrop sighed, "How much you got deputy?"
"Two hunderd, not a penny more."
Lathrop glared at Haggen, and then sighed dramatically, "If that's all you got, then I guess I'll have to take it. For now."
"Whaddya mean fer now?"
"You can owe me the fifty."
Kitty glared at Lathrop, "And what about the forty-five you owe on your bar tab at the Long Branch?"
Festus stared at Lathrop, "How in the heck didja rack up a saloon bill that high?"
"Tell you what, Mr. Lathrop, you give Festus the ring for two-hundred, and I'll wipe your bill clean."
"I cain't allow you to do that, Miss Kitty--"
"--Festus, consider it a wedding present. How about it Lathrop?"
"Well, seein' as how I don't want to be owin' you nothing, that'll do fine."
Haggen smiled at Miss Kitty, handed Lathrop two-hundred dollars in cash, and took the ring. Now he just had to make sure he had a chance to propose before someone in town did it for him!
***********
Festus chattered on while Doc drove the buggy. Adams was losing patience with the entire charade.
"Do you mind tellin' me what in tarnation you've dragged me all the way out here for? We're three miles from town for pete's sake!"
"You can stop here."
"Where?"
"Here!"
"Just where in the hell are we? Middle of nowhere, Kansas it looks like."
"Now Doc, you said yerself that we were three miles from Dodge, and this here's the onliest place I could buy a little lot o' land liken you tolt me too."
Adams looked at the deputy, as if thunder had struck.
"Are you telling me that you actually parted with money in order to purchase land? I can't believe what I'm hearin'!"
Festus glared, "Now thar ain't no call to start funnin' me. You tolt me to buy land a longest time ago, and now I gone and done whut you tolt me, and you're makin' fun outta it."
Doc softened slightly, "I'm not making fun of you, Festus. But why so far out of town?"
"I wanted a nice place for me and the Mrs...."
"The what?"
"You heard me."
Doc's eyes grew wide, "Are you tellin' me that you're going to ask Rose to marry you?"
"And whut's wrong with that?"
Adam's voice grew soft, covering his emotions, "Nothin'... nothin' at all."
Doc smiled and pat Festus on the back, pride filling his eyes. For as much as the two of them argued, Doc was extremely fond of the deputy, although he'd sooner see his eyes poked out than tell the man so.
"Have you asked her yet?"
"Nope. Gonna do it tonight."
"What about a ring?"
"Don't go gittin' yerself in a twist, Miss Kitty gone with me this mornin' to Lathrop's and we picked out a fine ring."
Doc didn't know what to say. A clean-shaven, bathed Festus, who in one week had purchased land and a wedding ring; Adams never thought he'd live to see the day. Doc's eyes filled with emotion, and he turned away. Festus frowned.
"Doc? Doc....did I say somethin' wrong?"
The old man shook his head, "No, no you didn't. I'm just danged proud of you, that's all. Now come on, you'd better go tell Matt, you don't want him hearin' it from anyone else."
"I'm thinkin' on askin' Matthew to be my best man....."
"I think that's a right fine idea."
"You ain't mad or nothin', are ya?"
"Hell no."
"You see, I had a tough time a-tryin' to decide which one of you to ask, but then it occurred to me that Rose'll need somebody to walk her down the aisle of that thar little church, and well, I thought maybe you'd do that fer us."
Doc put his arm around Haggen's shoulder, "I'd be pleased, Festus. Real pleased."
They didn't say another word on the way back to Dodge. There was so much unspoken emotion between them, neither wanted to break the spell.
***********
As the sun began to set over the prairies of Kansas, Hopkins smiled. He was within a day's ride of Dodge City, and finding Rose. She had humiliated him in Denver, and the only way to save face with the local ranchers was to bring her back, and tame her into a suitable wife. He should have known better than to marry an Irish girl, but temperament and spunk aside, she would be domesticated. He'd see to it. It was no different than breaking a horse, although Hopkins preferred dealing with cattle. Horses made him nervous. And she would pay for the fact that he had had to ride on one all the way from Denver trying to find her.
Damned woman. If she weren't his property, he wouldn't have bothered.