THE LEGEND OF JOSHUA ALAN & KAYLEIGH FAITH (cont'd)

Hi folks, this is Two Texas PawPaw with the continuing story of Josh and Kayleigh.-----I ARRIVED IN ROXTON AROUND NOON TIME AND FIGURED IF I WENT DOWN TO THE TOWN SQUARE I MIGHT FIND SOME OF THE OLD SETTLERS WHO REMEMBERED JOSH AND KAYLEIGH. SURE ENOUGH I MET AN OLD FELLA SETTING ON A BENCH WHITLING ON A PIECE OF WOOD. HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS TOMMY WOODS AND TOLD ME HE WAS PRESIDENT OF THE SPIT AND WHITLERS CLUB THERE IN ROXTON. I INFORMED HIM OF THE NATURE OF MY BUSINESS AND HE TOLD ME IF I WANTED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN OR AROUND ROXTON IN SAY THE PAST 100 TO 150 YEARS, I NEEDED TO GO DOWN TO THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE AND TALK TO LEAD BETTERS, THE EDITOR, CAUSE LEAD KNEW EVERYTHING. NOW OLD TOMMY WAS OVER 100 YEARS OLD, NOBODY KNEW FOR SURE JUST HOW OLD HE WAS, OLD TOMMY DIDNT EVEN KNOW HIMSELF. BUT, I THANKED HIM FOR THE INFORMATION AND WENT ON DOWN THE STREET. I FOUND THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE, WENT IN, AND SURE ENOUGH, THERE WAS OLD LEAD SITTING AT HIS DESK. NOW OLD LEAD TOO WAS OVER A 100 YEARS OLD HIMSELF. WE BEGAN VISITING AND SHORTLY INTO OUR CONVERSATION, HE TOLD ME THAT A LOT HAPPENED IN THE LIVES OF JOSH AND KAYLEIGH AFTER THE ROXTON RED INCIDENT, HE SAID JOSH RETIRED FROM THE TEXAS RANGERS, HE DID IT FOR THREE REASONS. ONE, HE GOT TIRED OF RUNNING AROUND OVER THE STATE OF TEXAS CHASING BADMEN, TWO, HE WAS READY TO SETTLE DOWN IN ONE PLACE AND HE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A TOWN MARSHALL AND ROXTON TOWN COUNCIL HAD HIRED JOSH TO BE THEIR TOWN MARSHALL. AND THE THIRD AND MOST IMPORTANT REASON WAS THAT MISS KAYLEIGH HAD SETTLED DOWN IN ROXTON AND HE WANTED TO BE AS CLOSE TO HER AS HE POSSIBLY COULD TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS SAFE. NOW, MISS KAYLEIGH, WELL HER LIFE WAS ALMOST PERFECT, IF YOU REMEMBER, HER FATHER WAS THE BANKER IN ROXTON, AND SHORTLY AFTER THE ROXTON RED INCIDENT, HE PASSED ON, AND KAYLEIGH CAME INTO A LOT OF MONEY, I MEAN A LOTTTTTT OF MONEY. NOW, WHEN THE TRAIL HANDS CAME IN TO ROXTON OFF THE CATTLE DRIVES, THEY WOULD GO TO THE LOCAL SALOON CALLED THE "SHORT LIMB" SALOON. THEY WOULD DRINK ,GET DRUNK, HAVE FIGHTS AND NOW AND THEN THERE WAS A LITTLE GUN PLAY. JOSH, BEING THE MARSHALL, WOULD HAVE TO GO IN AND ARREST THEM AND A LOT OF TIMES HE WOULD END UP IN THE FIGHTS AND THE SHOOTOUTS. WELL, KAYLEIGH WAS AFRAID JOSH WAS GOING TO GET HURT, SO SHE DECIDED TO ELIMINATE THIS PROBLEM FROM HER LIFE FOR GOOD. SHE WENT DOWN TO TALK TO THE OWNER OF THE SALOON WHO WAS MISS DOGGIE. NOW MISS DOGGIE HAD A SISTER UP IN DODGE CITY, KANSAS NAMED MISS KITTY, AND MISS KITTY OWNED THE LONG BRANCH SALOON THERE, WELL MISS DOGGIE OWNED THE SHORT LIMB DOWN HERE IN ROXTON. SHE TOLD MISS DOGGIE THAT SHE WANTED TO BUY THE SALOON AND MISS DOGGIE, KNOWING SHE HAD A GOLDMINE HERE, SAID THE SALOON WASN'T FOR SALE..MISS KAYLEIGH SAID IT BETTER BE, BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO GO BROKE AND OUT OF BUSINESS. MISS DOGGIE SAID, I DONT UNDERSTAND, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? MISS KAYLEIGH REPLIED, I HAVE GONE TO THE TOWN COUNCIL AND PERSUADED THEM TO PASS A NEW ORDINANCE THAT PROHIBITS THE SALE, SERVING, OR ACCEPTING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WITHIN THE TOWN LIMITS OF ROXTON, AND IF YOU SERVE ONE MORE DRINK ACROSS THAT BAR, YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL, AND WHOEVER YOU SERVE IT TO IS GOING TO JAIL WITH YOU. MISS DOGGIE SAID, YOU CAN'T DO THAT. MISS KAYLEIGH SAID, I ALREADY HAVE, BUT, THERE IS A BRIGHT SIDE TO THIS, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU ENOUGH MONEY SO YOU CAN GO OUTSIDE THE TOWN LIMITS AND BUILD YOU A BIGGER, BETTER, AND NICER SALOON. THAT WAY WHEN THE TRAIL HANDS COME TO TOWN, THEY CAN GO OUT THERE TO GET DRUNK AND FIGHT AND SHOOT EACH OTHER, JOSHIE HAS NO JURISDICTION OUTSIDE THE TOWN LIMITS, HE CANT GO OUT THERE AND I DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HIM GETTING HURT. WELL, MISS DOGGIE, FIGURING SHE WAS BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, ASK HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY ME FOR THE SALOON. MISS KAYLEIGH SAID HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT. MISS DOGGIE WAS A VERY CLEVER BUSINESS WOMAN, AND SHE FIGURED IF SHE STARTED HIGH, SHE COULD COME DOWN IF SHE HAD TOO. SHE SAID I'LL TAKE $10,000.00. WELL ANYONE KNEW THE PLACE WASN'T WORTH THAT KIND OF MONEY, BUT, MISS KAYLEIGH WAS A VERY CLEVER BUSINESS WOMAN HERSELF AND SHE REPLIED, HOW 'BOUT I GIVE YOU $20,000.00. WELL, BEFORE KAYLEIGH COULD GET THE T-Y OFF OF TWENTY OUT OF HER MOUTH, MISS DOGGIE WAS PACKING HER BAGS, SHE WAS READY TO GO. NOW, YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHAT DID MISS KAYLEIGH WANT WITH A SALOON IN ROXTON, FINE, UPSTANDING, CHURCH GOING LADY LIKE KAYLEIGH. HERES WHAT SHE DID. SHE RENOVATED THE WHOLE PLACE, AND SHE PUT A WALL RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE. ON ONE SIDE OF THE WALL SHE OPENED A RESTAURANT SERVING SOME OF THE FINEST FOOD YOU WOULD EVER HOPE TO FIND IN THE WEST. THE ONLY THING YOU COULD GET TO DRINK IN KAYLEIGHS SALOON WAS WATER, COFFEE, MILK, SODA POP OR SASPARILLA. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL, SHE PUT IN AN AUDITORIUM, WITH A BIG STAGE UP FRONT, AND OUTFITTED IT WITH 75 SEATS. YOU SEE, THERE WAS ONLY ABOUT 75 ADULTS IN ROXTON, BUT POPULATION WAS 750 TO 800 BECAUSE EVERY MARRIED COUPLE IN TOWN HAD ANY WHERE FROM 8 TO 12 KIDS.YOU SEE, THE MEN WERE NOT ALWAYS DOWN AT THE TOWN SQUARE WHITTLING ON A PIECE OF WOOD, AND THE WOMEN WERE NOT ALWAYS OUT IN THE BACK YARD EXCHANGING GOSSIP OVER THE CLOTHES LINE, THEY WERE IN THE HOUSE TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. NOW, THE OLD WEST WAS FAMOUS FOR ITS ROAD SHOWS THAT TRAVELED AROUND THE COUNTRY. SHOWS LIKE MAE WEST, LILY LANGTRY, WILD BILL HICKOCK AND HIS TRICK SHOOTING SHOW, BUFFALO BILL AND HIS WILD WEST SHOW; WELL WHEN ONE OF THESE SHOWS CAME THROUGH ROXTON, MISS KAYLEIGH WOULD RENT OUT THE AUDITORIUM TO THEM SO THEY COULD PUT THEIR SHOW ON THE BIG STAGE. SHE WOULD CHARGE THE ADULTS 15 CENTS A HEAD AND SHE LET THE KIDS IN FREE. IF YOU BROUGHT KIDS, YOU COULD ONLY BRING TWO AND THEY HAD TO SIT IN THE SAME TWO SEATS WITH MOM AND DAD BECAUSE OF THE SEATING SHORTAGE. IF THE ADULTS WERE FROM THE POOR SIDE OF TOWN, MISS KAYLEIGH JUST LET THEM IN FREE TOO ALONG WITH THE KIDS, SHE WAS THAT WAY. WELL EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT; MISS KAYLEIGH HAD EVERYTHING RUNNING SMOOTH IN HER LIFE, JOSHIE WAS ENJOYING A NICE PEACEFUL, QUIET TOWN MARSHALLS JOB, ROXTON WAS A NICE LITTLE TOWN AGAIN, UNTIL THAT DREADFUL SUMMER DAY WHEN A BAND OF OUTLAWS RODE IN TO TERRORIZE ROXTON, STEAL THE BANKS MONEY AND DISPOSE OF THE FAMOUS TOWN MARSHALL, JOSHUA ALAN.-----------Well folks, tune in to my blog tomorrow to find out the continuing saga of what happened to Josh and Kayleigh, until then, good Lord willing and the creeks dont rise, Two Texas PawPaw saying so long and I'll see you tomorrow.