Epilogue:
The little girl ran along the river, then turned to wait. She was a bit thin and pale but still very pretty, with enormous hazel eyes and dark hair gleaming with red highlights in the sun. Her given name was Kathleen, but everybody called her Kitty.
The old lady making her slow way after the child smiled and waved. "I'll be right there, honey!"
Kitty waved back, then ran off again. When the woman finally reached the huge cottonwood tree the child was nowhere to be seen, but she was not alarmed. She sat on a little bench, laying aside the flowers they had brought. She knew Kitty could not be far and would soon join her, and it was only a moment before the little girl ran up and climbed in her lap.
"Grandma Letty, why does it take you so long to walk over here now?"
Letty sighed. "I must be getting old."
Kitty frowned. "How old are you?"
"That's no question to ask a lady!" Kitty laughed and Letty asked, "Do you want to take the flowers?"
"Yes, please." Kitty picked up the bouquet and laid it against a white granite headstone next to the bench, then ran her hand over the letters. "Festus Haggen...Galen Adams."
Letty smiled fondly. "Can you read the rest?"
Kitty wrinkled her nose in concentration. "They were lovely and...and...wait. Let me start again. They were lovely and pleasant in their lives and in their deaths they were not divided."
"Very good!" Letty clapped her hands and Kitty smiled proudly.
"What does not divided mean?"
"It means Festus and Doc were always best friends."
Kitty sat down in the grass by the stone. "Tell me about them again, Grandma Letty. Tell me all about the marshal and Miss Kitty and Festus and Doc."
"Well, Festus was a hillman and the first time I ever met him he caught me with his lasso..." Kitty was entranced as Letty's voice went on and on, weaving another tale of the bygone days of Dodge City. The two were lost, one in her memories and the other in her dreams, until the evening breeze sprang to life and Letty shivered. "It's time we were getting home."
Kitty ran her hand over the stone. "I don't want to go yet."
Letty got stiffly to her feet. "Kathleen Hite, you know I promised your mother we'd get back in time for dinner." She held out her hand and Kitty took it as they started back along the river...
...and the legend was born.