Kitty savored the feel of Matt's closeness and warmth as he slept peacefully beside her. He was the most important thing in her life, yet as she thought about her past she wondered if she would have survived to meet Matt, if she hadn't met River.

She was 17, alone in the world, and doing the things a saloon girl had to do to scrape by. That morning she woke early after sleeping fitfully, her skin crawling with the loathsome feel and smell of the men she'd been with the night before. Coins and dollar bills were scattered on the floor next to her bed. She got down on her hands and knees to scoop up the desperately needed money, and was filled with self-hatred. Her need to feel clean was overwhelming and she dipped a cloth in water and started washing her body. She scrubbed harder and harder until she was furiously rubbing at her skin. Tears started pouring down her face. She wanted to scrub herself away and become someone else, anyone else. Her skin grew red and raw, and she was sinking further into despair when a tiny bit of survival instinct rose up. An idea took hold, a simple idea, but one that might help her get her through another day. Maybe she could be someone else for a little while, or at least pretend to be. She'd dress as simply and nicely as possible, and go to one of the finer eateries in town for breakfast. Breakfast in one of those places would use up a good part of the night's earnings, but she didn't care. She needed, even for a short time, to feel respectable and be treated like a person not a thing.

Encouraged by the prospect, she put on a white blouse and buttoned it to the top. She looked in her closet and decided that the dark blue skirt that she usually wore to funerals was the best she could do. Then she removed any vestiges of make-up from her face, brushed her hair out and tied it back neatly. Already feeling better she lifted her chin and walked 10 blocks to the "Cordon Bleu."

She entered the restaurant and stood erect as she waited to be seated. While waiting she looked around and wasn't surprised to see some of her customers from the previous night having breakfast with wives and children. The maitre de came bustling over and spoke quietly but harshly, "You have to leave."

Kitty was startled, "Why? I see empty tables, and I'd like to have breakfast."

The man looked at her sternly, "This is a respectable establishment with a particular kind of clientele. I'm sure you understand."

Knowing that men who had paid for her services the night before were part of that respectable clientele made her furious. She tried to stand firm, "In fact, I do not understand."

The man stepped closer and peered down at her threateningly, "It would be wise of you to leave without making a scene."

Kitty saw the fury in the man's face, and was intimidated. Feeling like a worthless piece of trash yet again, she wanted to die. Her shoulders slumped and she turned to leave quietly, when she heard a voice.

"She's with me."

Startled, Kitty looked up and saw a young, pretty woman smiling at her. They had never met, which was no surprise, Kitty had seen the young woman around and knew she was the daughter of a prominent minister. The woman looked at Kitty, "I'm so sorry I'm late." Then she smiled sweetly at the maitre de, "Would you be so kind as to show us to a table."

The maitre de was stumped. He didn't want to seat a saloon woman, but couldn't refuse to seat the daughter of one of the most respected man in the city. Finally he said curtly, "Please come this way." They followed him to a table in the back and off to the side. He handed them menus and walked away hoping they'd order fast, eat quickly and be gone.

Kitty looked at her savior and whispered, "That was so kind of you, but why did you do it?"

"I can't stand to see people being treated unkindly or unfairly. My name's River, you're Kitty aren't you?"

Kitty nodded, "How did you know?"

"I guess I'm pretty observant, and I've seen you around. You work in the Golden Horse right?"

Surprised that a minister's daughter even knew that such a place existed, Kitty smiled wryly, "Then you must know what my work entails."

River blushed but was matter of fact, "I think I do, but that doesn't mean I know everything about you. There's more to a person than what they do for a living. My father says we shouldn't judge because we never know what's in a person's heart. He thinks we ought to spend more time doing acts of kindness, and less time judging." River looked directly into Kitty's eyes, "I'll bet you've never done an unkind thing in your whole life."

Kitty eyes swelled with tears of gratitude at being treated not only like a person, but a good person. River smiled warmly, "Kitty, I'm going shopping this afternoon. Would you come with me? You always look wonderful, maybe you could help me choose some things." River giggled, "To be honest, my father wouldn't allow me to wear some of the beautiful clothes you wear, but I'm sure you could give me advice."

From that moment they were the best of friends. They were nearly the same age and despite the different lives they led, understood each other. Some people were shocked at seeing the saloon girl and the minister's daughter together, but River smiled and figured they'd get used to it. Of course, the realities of Kitty's life and job were still harsh, but having a real friend made things more bearable, especially a friend like River. There was no one like her. Young or old, rich or poor, friendly or disagreeable, River treated everyone with a sweet kindness that seemed to have no limits.

They had been friends for 7 or 8 months when Eric Cassidy came to town. He was handsome, charming, kind and full of life, and before long River fell head over heels in love. Eric never mentioned how he earned a living, but he always had plenty of money, and Kitty suspected he was a high stakes gambler. Eric lavished River with gifts, took her places, even wrote poetry to her. He was as smitten with her as she was with him. It didn't take long for Eric to ask River's father for her hand in marriage. The minister hesitated because he knew so little about Eric, but soon relented, he couldn't deny his beloved daughter something she wanted so badly. They married and moved away. Kitty remembered waving goodbye as the coach carried the happy couple off.

Shortly after that wedding Kitty moved on with a new found confidence, and a couple of years later settled in Dodge. Although she hadn't seen River again until now, she never forgot her acts of kindness.

The Jail Cell

While Kitty was awake thinking about River, River was in her jail cell thinking about her life, and the men who shaped it.

Her mother had died giving birth to her and her father raised her with love and wisdom. It still saddened her that he died just 1 year after she married, but an even deeper sorrow was that she was sure he'd be disappointed in the way she'd lived for the past 2 years, even though she hadn't had a choice.

She thought about her husband, charming, handsome, loving Eric. They'd had 10 years of happiness, then things went bad, and Eric took a big risk. She had no doubt that he regretted it with every fiber of his being, but it couldn't be undone. She still loved him. You don't stopping loving a person for making a mistake, no matter how big.

Finally, she thought of Jack, Jerry and Larry. She'd suffered every kind of humiliation and abuse a woman could be subjected to from them. Larry was dead, but Jack and Jerry would make sure she'd be convicted of murder and hanged. Her only hope was that Kitty would perform an act of kindness and let her escape.

TBC