RESCUED: CHAPTER 11
First stop after she dropped Sara off with Ava was Bodkin's house. It was still much too early for him to be at the bank, and besides, she'd promised Matt she wouldn't be seen there. He was surprised to see her, but welcomed her in, thinking she might be bringing some sort of message from her husband. She proved him completely wrong.
"Mr. Bodkin, I have here in my reticule five thousand dollars in cash. If I give you this money, are you able to open a new account today at the bank?"
"Yes, of course Kitty. I can open an account for anyone at any time. But why would you want to open a new account with the bank in trouble like it is?"
"Because it's going to be a special kind of account. Let's call it a charitable donation on behalf of Dodge City. An account YOU and ONLY you can withdraw money from."
"Not even you or the marshal?"
Kitty smiled. "Not even me or the marshal. Only you."
"All right. I'll do that."
"It's going to require some accounting to manage, Mr. Bodkin. And I don't know anyone in town better at that than you."
Bodkin's face flushed and he cleared his throat, filled with renewed self-importance after three days of looking like a fool.
"Well, I don't know about that but I AM the most accomplished accountant in Ford County," he said with a deep voice booming with authority. "It's your money, Kitty. Tell me what I have to do."
Maybe the most accomplished accountant, but certainly not the busiest right now, Kitty thought to herself.
"If I'm right about a plan to help this situation, you'll have a lot more deposits into this account from a lot of other people. You'll need to keep track of all those. By tomorrow, you'll be making withdrawals and distributing them. You'll need to keep track of all those, too. Can you do that?"
"Of course. But why don't YOU handle it?"
"Wouldn't be right. I'm partial to a lot of your customers and I'm the marshal's wife. Neither of us has a part in any of this. It's strictly a banking matter, and you're the expert."
The word "expert" sealed the deal. He puffed out his chest and put a thumb in his watch pocket.
"The bank will be able to pay you back when it's replenished," he offered. "Capital is what we call it Kitty. Working capital. Dodge has grown so much that the bank depends on a flow of money in and out of the Kansas City bank."
"I'm not asking to be paid back. Dodge has to survive, Mr. Bodkin. That's all I care about."
"But you WILL be paid back, I can assure you. I'll need to give you a passbook after I deposit this," he said when she put the money in his hand.
"You keep it. I don't want a passbook. Don't put my name on it. It's seed money. Label it 'Dodge Rescue'." Her business concluded, she stood and showed herself out before Bodkin could even clear his chair.
Next stop was the newspaper office. The pressman was only too glad to print her posters, especially because she paid cash. She took the stack under her arm and headed for Judge Brooker's office, knowing she'd be out the cost of printing them if he wasn't there, or worse yet, if he denied her request.
"Kitty! What a delight to see you! Come right in! I didn't know you were back. Have you met my son yet?"
"Good morning, Cyrus!" She tested her use of his first name, proffered her best smile, and waited while he kissed her cheek. "No, I've only been home for a day. With all the goings on at the bank I decided not to venture out until now. Is he in town?"
"More than 'in town,' Kitty. He took a position with Doctor Adams right after you left. He's the new physician in the office."
"No!" Her surprise was genuine. "Oh Cyrus, you must be so proud of him after all those years of schooling! Doc's a pretty tough taskmaster."
"He loves it. And selfishly I love having him here. I'm spending a lot more of my time here in Dodge now."
She took a deep breath and looked around the office. It was spacious and impeccably furnished, perfect for a man who'd given his life to the law. And to her own benefit, perfect for the task at hand.
"How's your little Sara?" He broke the spell.
"She's wonderful. Not quite ready to manage a big hotel or practice medicine, but she'll get there."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry," she waved a hand dismissively. "I've been talking with enough proud parents lately, I got sidetracked. Cyrus, I came to ask a favor."
"Well certainly, you just name it."
"May I use your courtroom to host a meeting of the town merchants at four this afternoon?"
"You may. What's the agenda?"
"I'd love to share it with you. Maybe you'll tell me I'm crazy. I'd love to hear your ideas."
"Sit down, Kitty. I'm all ears."
"Judge," she reverted to his title since this was nothing but business. "I just took my own money and made a donation into an account with Harry Bodkin. It's a charitable account, completely separate from mine. I gave it away, I have no claim to it. I got to thinking that if I led by example, I could get nearly all the other merchants in Dodge to do the same. I have a list here of eighteen prominent citizens who can easily afford to donate a thousand dollars. The meeting is to explain the plan and ask for their support."
Brooker rubbed his chin and nodded in agreement. "Go on, Kitty."
"Mr. Bodkin could have twenty thousand dollars in that account by tomorrow. He's the only person who has the authority to make withdrawals, and he'll make them in small amounts called 'loans.' Just enough to pay for the necessities, nothing extravagant. Anyone who's his customer and has his funds locked up by the bank collapse can have one of these loans until the bank re-opens. That should be enough money to buy the basics of life for a family: Flour, sugar, meat, coffee, even clothing if they need it. When their funds are replenished, they'll have to pay the loans back."
"All right, Kitty. But what about the people coming into Dodge to sell their fall harvest who aren't his customers? I can think of a couple dozen families like that right off the top of my head. The Whartons, for example. You know who they are. They've never seen the inside of a bank. They haul everything up here from Liberal every fall, sell their produce, then buy what they need to plant in the spring."
Kitty couldn't help herself. Right there in Judge Brooker's chambers, she giggled.
"I'm sorry, Judge. It's just that you're asking all the same questions I asked myself last night when I came up with this idea. Makes me feel good about it, that's all! The answer is every Dodge merchant they sell to will write out a credit slip they can put on file down at the bank. Harry Bodkin will save all the credit slips, and when the bank re-opens, that money will be deposited straight into the merchants' accounts. Meanwhile, these people can stay in Dodge long enough to buy what they need and then head home. They won't be camping down by the river just waiting around, and the merchants will do fine because the families will be coming right back to them to spend their money. That means they can afford to re-stock their shelves."
"Like funding our own little independent banking system right here in Dodge." Brooker rubbed his chin again, a sure sign he was engrossed in the plan. "Interest?" He tapped his pencil on the desk for emphasis.
"No interest, Judge. This isn't going to go on long enough for interest to matter. Nobody pays any, nobody collects any. The whole premise here is to work together to keep Dodge from falling apart."
"But there's risk."
"Not much, but I'll agree maybe there's some. Thing is, if each benefactor kicks in a thousand dollars, any risk is being spread around so no one person suffers. I know all these people. To a man, each has a lot more than a thousand dollars sitting at home in a safe, a desk drawer, the icehouse, you name it. Nobody in this crowd would be ruined over losing a thousand, especially when it's to keep the commerce of Dodge City moving! The restaurants can stay open, the mercantiles, the feed stores, the saddle shops, all the businesses they need. Everybody wins. Some of them might put more in, some less. The point is nobody's being pressured. Right now all the pressure is on Harry Bodkin and Matt's team guarding the bank day and night. Matt's closing all the saloons effective today. Somebody's going to get hurt, and he doesn't want that."
"Kitty, it's a great plan!" He smiled broadly. "How did you ever come up with this so quickly?"
"I never gave that any thought. I guess it came from all the years of struggling to make ends meet in my own business."
"There's no teacher like experience," he nodded in agreement. Now, let me add just a couple of enhancements."
He stood and walked to his safe, retrieving a small envelope.
"Certainly I'm not authorized to spend the judiciary's funds, even for a worthy project like this. However, the money in this envelope belongs to me personally." He carefully counted out a stack of hundred dollar bills and slid it across his desk to Kitty. "Let me be the first to make my contribution to the cause: one thousand dollars."
"Thank you, Judge. Thank you SO much! But you see, I can't act as the custodian for the money, only Harry Bodkin can. So if you don't mind, please keep it right here and give it to him at the meeting this afternoon."
"He's going to collect so much he'll need an armed guard to walk back to the bank!"
"Oh, that's something I CAN do, Judge! I'm in cahoots with the marshal in this town. I'm real sure I can persuade him to leave the bank long enough to walk Mr. Bodkin over here and back. And with any luck at all, tonight will be the last night poor Festus and Quint have to stand guard."
"There is one thing the judiciary itself can contribute, Kitty, if you'll hear me out. I can walk a court order over to the land office and enjoin Mr. Hathaway from serving foreclosure notices on anyone who has land encumbered there. I can't require him to stop compounding interest, but with such an order no one will lose his farm over this. It certainly won't have any bearing on the men in today's meeting, but that marshal friend of yours will probably be pretty grateful."
The twinkle in his eyes was undeniable. If it had been appropriate, she would have given him a kiss on the cheek, but as it was, she settled for sharing a warm hug.
"Thank you." She said softly.
"You're welcome as always, Mrs. Dillon." His eyes never lost their gleam.
XOXOXO
She found Sara right where she'd left her earlier that morning. Ava had kept her busy, or maybe it was the other way around. In any event, there was only time for Kitty and her daughter to share a quick lunch together before she had to leave again to get all the posters circulated. Ava promised to feed Sara mashed potatoes and gravy with slow simmered chicken soup that afternoon. In return, Kitty promised to pick her up between five and six. She had a hard time deciding if Ava, Harry Bodkin, or Cyrus Brooker deserved more of her thanks. It had been a morning filled with friends who had her back.
Her next stroke of luck was stopping at John Hoyt's saddle shop first, because with her brief explanation of the agenda, he not only promised to come to the meeting, he volunteered his clerk to become the town crier, and also tack up the flyers in key locations. In two hours, she'd be able to cover all the major merchants on her own. There wasn't much time. Fingers crossed that the meeting would be well attended.
"John, be sure he hands one to Marshal Dillon and Mr. Bodkin at the bank," she added before heading for the door. "Both of them need to come to this meeting or it'll be pointless."
"Consider it done, Miss Kitty." As was so often the case, he wanted to chat when there was anything but time to chat. "How's my young man Tip Dooley doing in San Francisco?" She stuck with him, because it was part of salesmanship, something she'd learned from all the drummers over the years. Besides, John had hired Tip two years ago solely on Matt's recommendation. So she took her time and explained Tip's success in his new career, making sure to credit him for helping develop Tip's work ethic. The remaining stops had to be quicker than this!
She walked her legs off all over Dodge, but at long last it was 3:30 and she was at Clab Chalmers' Mercantile, her dreaded last stop. He was in his typical foul mood.
"So you and the marshal have some kind of a scheme, eh?" He squinted his eyes menacingly.
"Clab, it's not a 'scheme,' and the marshal and I have nothing to do with it. Mr. Bodkin is in charge of the whole thing. I just volunteered to help get everyone together."
"Mr. Bodkin is the reason we've got this foul mess."
"That's not true, and you know it! The investor run on the Federal National Bank in Kansas City caused it. Mr. Bodkin is trying to do right by Dodge, that's all. If you'll come to the meeting, you can decide about him."
"And you're colluding with Bodkin!"
"Look, Clab, I've got a business to run same as you. It's a good idea for all of us. If that's colluding, I'm guilty."
"Yeah, well, I'll think about it. Should have given me a couple days."
"We don't have a couple days, Clab! You've seen the parade of angry people in front of the bank. I don't see any wagons parked in front of Chalmers Mercantile. Suit yourself."
Fed up with the man, she stormed out of the store in a huff, wishing she hadn't gone in in the first place. Clab Chalmers was like a rotten apple in a barrel full of choice ones. It'd be best if he just stayed away. And as it turned out, her decision to use Brooker's courtroom for the meeting location saved the day.
The room was already packed when she got there at 3:45, a sure sign that there was interest. With the short notice, she'd hoped to have a dozen men. As it turned out, there were more than twice that many, most already in heated conversations with one another, and two other women, dressmaker Elsie Wagner and Dierdre Smalley, who quietly took seats front and center. The big surprise was Jake Wirth, who had almost nothing to gain since he shipped most of his cattle through Dodge and right on to Kansas City, with very few held back for the local restaurants.
"Jake," she shook his hand and offered a big smile. "How in the world did you find out about this?"
"Hello, Kitty. I've been in town all day. Stopped in at Hoyt's place to drop off a repair. Then I went to look for a poker game at the Long Branch. Maybe you'd like to tell me why my favorite saloon is closed."
"All the saloons are closed on Matt's order, Jake. We've got a lot of angry people in Dodge. If they can't get liquored up they might get out of here unscathed."
"Yeah, and we've got a lot of people who don't hold stock with getting liquored up, myself included. It's sure not fair to us."
"If we can agree on a solution here, they won't have to be closed more than a couple of days."
Harry Bodkin was seated, ledgers and receipt book open and ready on the court reporter's desk Judge Brooker had provided for him. She watched Matt walk in. Their eyes locked with an ardent fire, but neither of them talked or even so much as greeted each other. Matt scanned the seating until he saw the vacant bailiff's desk, so he took his position there as keeper of the peace. Last to enter the room, precisely at 4:00, was Judge Brooker. Out of habit, every man in the room stood and removed his hat while the venerable man walked to the bench.
"Be seated, please!" He began softly. "I appreciate your courtesy, but this is a business meeting, not a court of law. I have a few opening remarks, and then I'm going to turn this meeting over to Kitty Dillon and Harry Bodkin. Mrs. Dillon is going to present a proposal to you this afternoon to stem the tide of financial ruination we're currently experiencing in Dodge. As you all know, this ruination has its roots far from us in Kansas City, and certainly is not of our doing. It is simply a fact that in a prosperous community like ours, the Dodge Bank is no longer a financial island, but is intricately dependent on the exchange of money with a much larger institution. If we were not keenly aware of this before this week, we certainly are now. Wealthy investors we have never met pulled so much money from the Federal National Bank that it is not able to back us. No one could have seen this coming, not even Harry Bodkin. Many of you are angry, and rightly so, but I challenge you to direct your anger at fate rather than one of our prominent citizens. Some of you are fearful, and I appreciate that. These are uncharted waters. But we must travel in the direction of our fear, not run from it. Toward this end, please give Mrs. Dillon your undivided attention."
Kitty stood and walked as slowly as she could to the bench, astounded at the impromptu speech Cyrus Brooker had just delivered. An ominous cloud of doubt reached out to grab her. How could she possibly follow that eloquent introduction? How could she compete with one of the most revered orators in the federal judiciary? Slowly, she turned to face the jury of her peers, knowing she had but one chance to measure up and do her best for Dodge City.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." She paused for emphasis and took a deep breath. "As I look around this room, I see the men and women responsible for the success of our community. Each of you has worked tirelessly to ensure our collective accomplishments. We've all shared stories over the years about that work. The risk. The heartache. The time away from family. The late nights and the all-nights. The payout for all your work is the Dodge City we know today. We're not just growing, we're booming. I'm not willing to throw up my hands and run when some out of town strangers decide to play games with my livelihood, and I know you're not either."
The opener she'd chosen had struck the perfect chord. She wasn't just some "saloon woman," she was a respected businesswoman. But it wasn't just about her, she'd shared it with all of them. She'd fought the same battles, endured the same heartaches, and even celebrated the same victories. Heads nodded and murmurs of agreement filled the room, the cloud of doubt gone. When she continued, not a single person in the room wiggled in his or her seat. Every eye, every ear, was on Kitty Dillon. Presenting the entire idea to both Harry Bodkin and Cyrus Brooker had given her the unforeseen opportunity to practice. So, confidently and methodically, she laid it out for her fellow businesspeople. Skepticism was slowly replaced by smiles of agreement. One by one, half a dozen politely raised a hand and asked a question. They were the same questions Mr. Bodkin and Judge Brooker had already asked, so her straightforward answers were crisp and clear. That is, until the voice of suspicion reared his ugly head in the person of Clab Chalmers, not to be denied his moment of glory.
"You realize," he stood up without permission and boomed at the crowd. "You realize that the marshal and Mrs. Dillon could end up with all our money!"
Judge Brooker banged his gavel on the sound block.
"ORDER! ORDER IN THE . . ." and then he caught himself before saying the last word that came so naturally to him.
"MISTER CHALMERS!" He threatened instead, with a scowl. "SIT DOWN! You will ask permission to speak, and if you are recognized, you will ask a NEW question, not one that has already been answered!"
"HEE!" Zeb Titus let out a squeal of delight, then quickly put his hand over his mouth.
"MR. TITUS!" The judge banged his gavel three more times. "I will have NO MORE outbursts!"
Titus looked down submissively.
Her heart filled with confidence, Kitty fought to choke back her very own giggle. What an amazing man! For the first time since she'd held the floor, she let her eyes meet Matt's. She was sure no one else in the room noticed his wink. Clab had only been in Dodge for two years and had built his business by resolutely undercutting both Wilbur Jonas and Zeb Titus.
When she'd finished answering everyone's questions, she turned the floor back to their host, who banged his gavel twice and spoke briefly.
"I want you all to know that Mrs. Dillon and I have already made sizeable contributions to the fund. Mr. Bodkin is waiting at the back of the room to accept your money and will be all day tomorrow at the bank. Distributions will begin tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for your valuable time and attention."
People started talking enthusiastically with one another. Mr. Bodkin was immediately busy, taking deposits and writing receipts for the first dozen people in line. Kitty finally had time to sit down next to Judge Brooker, her heart filled with belief that her fellow businesspeople were going to make this work.
"Judge, that speech you gave was remarkable! I'll never forget what you said about traveling in the direction of our fear. I'm going to teach that to Sara when she's old enough to understand."
Brooker chuckled. "Rightly so, my dear. It's good advice to pass along to a youngster. You and her father sure understand it. It appears as well that my son Joseph has learned it. And as to remarkable, that was genius to open your talk by telling these people how amazing they are. Most people can rise to any challenge on a good compliment. It was inspirational."
Before the two had time to trade any more accolades, the judge tapped her hand and nodded at the growing line of people waiting politely to speak with them. Both immediately stood and smiled.
"Judge, Mrs. Dillon, we're all behind this plan. I don't have that kind of money on me today, but I'll be at the bank first thing in the morning."
"Judge, Kitty, this is gonna work. You've got a thousand from me!"
"Hello! I didn't want to leave without thanking you. My money's going in the till tomorrow. Only have five hundred on me today. I'll donate in my name and in the ranch's name, too."
"Kitty, you probably saw ol' Clab slink out the front door without stopping at Bodkin's table." It was Wilbur Jonas looking at her over his ever-present reading glasses. "Just want you to know the value of reasonable pricing and good service. I'll put two thousand dollars in that account tomorrow, and I'm proud to be in a position do that."
It was more than Kitty could stand. She and Jonas had gone around about his prices many times over the years, but neither of them had ever taken their tiffs seriously, and in the end, she had remained his most loyal customer.
"Thank you, Mr. Jonas!" She took his hand and shook it warmly, then smiled and shook her head slowly in disbelief as he turned and walked away.
And so it went until the room was finally empty.
tbc
