The Marshal of Denver

by Judge Rodriguez

  “Ahdoeday?” Father.

  She smiled. “Not quite. Jahleesee. Ahdoeday was the next one.”

  “And you became Joey Brouwer.”

  She nods and finishes her cup.

  “Well, in a way, I’m glad that happened.” The smile she gives him gives him a warm glow. Much like seeing David and Rebekah together. He thinks if he were to ever have a daughter, he would want her to be like this enigma sitting in front of him.

  In Cherokee, she says, “Me too, Uncle.”

  The following day, while Rebekah is meeting with Laura and Brigit to discuss the bridal dinner, John and David meet her parents at the train station as the afternoon train pulls in.

  He’s dismayed, looking at the crowd that gets off, all as a part of the bridal party. There are close to thirty people there and her parents have paid for them all to come up here from Dallas.

  David looks at the crowd with a look closely akin to fear.

  John snorts and leans in to whisper to his young friend, “Think we can fill up a couple of the other hotels close by?”

  David shrugs. “Dunno. Might have to beg a few tents from the garrison.”

  John is still laughing as Rebekah’s parents walk up.

  David makes the formal introductions and has everyone follow along. John is glad they thought far enough ahead to bring a couple of wagons to have all the luggage moved to the hotel. Now, at least they can deliver it all to another hotel or two.

  Several hours later, John is there to help Rebekah’s family check in to The Emerald Fields Hotel. He makes the introductions with the Mallory’s since David ran upstairs to the bride’s room to explain to his bride why they had to fill another hotel.

  John was able to get the bride’s parents into a room and her brothers are able to share one, but there were no more rooms left for her sister. In a flash of inspiration, John remembers what David said about the maid of honor. He begs everyone’s pardon a moment and goes upstairs to mention his idea to the bride directly.

  When he gets to Rebekah’s room, he hears the couple discussing things in loud tones.

  John knocks on the door to the bride’s room loudly enough to be heard. The conversation ends abruptly. After a few seconds, John hears Rebekah’s voice call out, “Yes?”

  “We have a slight issue. Would it be okay if I come in? I need your opinion on something.”

  “Sure, John. We were done talking anyway.”

  John steels himself and enters the room. David is sitting on the bed, turned toward the open door, with his hand on his fiancé’s knee. Her face is set with a look of determination and is slightly flushed in apparent irritation.

  John closes the door quietly and says, “All the rooms are full up. We need to find a place for your sister.”

  Rebekah stands quickly and looks around, quickly making calculations. “I’ll see to it.” She makes for the door, leaving a stunned David behind.

  John snickers at her decisiveness. He looks at his young friend. “She seems irritated. Is she okay?”

  David nods. “Cold feet. From what I understand, it happens to everyone. I think she’ll be fine in a few days. I hope so, at least.”

  The following morning, after everyone was done eating breakfast, John made the announcement that the men were welcome to join him in the tent, just outside the Mallory’s property, for the bachelor party, but were not required to attend.

  John now sits on a bench in the tent, with nothing on but a breech-cloth. He has his Bible and several buckets of pure well water next to him. Blazing fire, and the smell of burning sage is thick in the air. He is the first, being the one to set it up.

  Gray-Dawn and Running-Elk were the next to show up, then Sean and Joseph Mallory, then Jason, Jackson and Josiah Morris. Josiah had brought several bottles of whiskey, but John asked him to take them to the Mallory’s, so the liquor could be saved for the wedding feast. John assures everyone he will explain the ritual of this particular bachelor party, once they all gather. As the guest of honor, David is the last to show up.

  Once David arrives, John explains, “It is traditional for the men of the tribe I grew up in to, on the day before they wed, have a sweat-lodge. This purifies the mind, body and soul. Anything said in here is to be kept away from the women-folk, as this is a gathering of the warriors of the new clan. All of us here have accepted the Gift of Grace, so I thought it would be beneficial for us to purge the foulness using tradition and Scripture. I recommend stripping down. It’s about to get very hot in here.”

  They spend the next eight hours, until well past dark, discussing matters of faith, stories in the Bible and praying. John keeps the fire going at a blaze while boiling water, turning the tent into a sauna. At several points, Sean goes outside to get more water from the well, since everyone is drinking it by the gallon.

  At the end of the sweat-lodge, John says in a quiet voice to David, “I told her I would keep you out of trouble.”

  David’s laughter is the ending to the lodge, as the men get dressed and head back to the hotel.

  Chapter 74

  John looks out at the reception. His eyes scan the crowd sitting in the restaurant of the Emerald Fields, looking for trouble. His eyes stop on Joey.

  He thinks back. At the wedding, when she entered the wedding tent in a dress, he felt like he was about to have a heart-attack. The young woman is beautiful, when she allows herself to be a woman.

  At first, she tried to sit in the back of the tent, but John frowned and pointed her closer to the front. She shook her head and tried to refuse, but when John became insistent, she just rolled her eyes and acceded to his wishes. On the bride’s side of the tent, there were close to forty people. Until then, on the groom’s side, there was Red-Feather’s family, the Mallorys, Sheriff Lyttle with his wife, and Paul.

  True to his word, the gigantic livery-man wore sleigh-bells. When John asked him about them, the huge man simply said “tradition.”

  John resolved to find out what he meant, later.

  The ceremony went off without a hitch. However, the gasps of shock as the couple repeated their vows in Cherokee resounded off the fabric of the tent.

  As the people mingle during the reception, John motions to Joey, quietly calling her over.

  “Nice wedding,” she says, as she approaches. “I’m glad they said their vows in the Cherokee. That was a really nice touch.”

  “That it was. Nice dress. You’re full of surprises, lately. Sorry to see that you weren’t in the wedding, though.”

  She shrugs, apparently trying to act like it didn’t hurt. “Not my wedding. Places needed to be saved for close friends and family.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “It’s okay, John. I’m used to it. I’m just glad I got invited at all.”

  “What? What do you mean, you’re glad you got invited. Of course he would invite you. You’re one of his only friends in the world.”

  She shrugs again. “I was never invited to parties or weddings. Actually, this is the first one I’ve been invited to. My one and only friend growing up moved to Oklahoma Station with his family when I was twelve. Once he left, it was just as easy to stay home.”

  “That doesn’t make it any less painful.”

  She snorts. “No, no it doesn’t.” She turns and looks at him. “And what of you? What makes you so withdrawn on this wonderful and joyous occasion?”

  John looks at the pint of Guinness in his hand. “I had a fiancé, once. She died just before the war. I can’t help but wonder, if we would be—” he points to David and Rebekah “—that happy, if we were to have gotten married.”

  “And this is part of being a Christian.” She shifts her position. “To mourn with those who mourn, but then to help them dry their tears and stand back up.”

  A new understanding passes between them and he knows she has his back in a way like never before. Something in her voice, though, makes him curious. “Yeah?”

  She nods. “It’s okay to mourn, when the pain
comes, the nerves are raw. It’s even wise to question God. He wants His children to ask questions.”

  “I think if I start doubting Him, I will slide back into being a non-believer.”

  “Think of it this way. You’re a father and have a small child. They have to go through something that will be very difficult and hurtful, but at the end, you know they will be better for it. But they can’t see the ending. They can’t understand it. But you still listen to their why’s, their questions. You still hold them close and comfort them, dry their tears and tell them you are with them, and love them.” She smiles. “God’s like that. I have found that He doesn’t even twitch when His daughter is having a complete temper tantrum and pounding on His chest, demanding why she’s not good enough.” Her smile softens. “And still, He holds me.”

  John looks at her for a long moment. “How did you get to be so wise at such a young age?”

  She ducks her head a moment before looking up at him. “I watched. I listened. I learned. I lived.”

  I lived. Those two words hold such meaning for him. He has lived. And he’s still living. God, I don’t know what Your plans are for me, but I pray I will be open to them.

  Shortly after the conversation, Joey steps over to the bridal couple and quietly says her congratulations to the both of them, before ducking out of the reception.

  Rather than making a toast, John asks the gathered throng to pray with him for the happy couple to have a healthy love for each other, a healthy walk in their faith and healthy children. The prayer was met with enthusiasm, ending with a rousing “Amen” from everyone.

  Before Paul ducked out of the reception, John cornered him to find out about the “with bells on.”

  Paul laughed a good-natured laugh and answered, “Where I come from, we believe the bells frighten away the evil spirits, keeping them from cursing the union.”

  John smiles and nods. It might be a superstition, but it is after all, a harmless tradition.

  After they share a dance, John approaches the young couple and says quietly, “Rather than going up to your room, David, I have a surprise for you.” He looks David directly in the eye. “I want you two to go to the tent we had the bachelor party in. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

  David nods and promises they will.

  John smiles at the memory of being able to shanghai Running-Elk and Gray-Dawn into helping him with setting up the wedding gift their father sent, in the “bridal suite.” It took them some time this morning to set up the numerous buffalo furs, the tarps, the fire-pit and getting the refreshments set up for the young couple.

  Two days after the wedding, the wedding party is headed back to Denver, in a joyous mood. Last night, it snowed heavily. When they set out, with all of the wedding gifts, it felt to John as if they had to cut a new road, instead of following the Shawnee road out of Norman.

  John grinds his teeth in frustration. The trip from Norman to White would normally take about three or four hours, even in poor weather. This time, it took them from mid-morning to evening. They weren’t able to pick up the pace, since every time they tried, one of the wagons would become mired in the muck.

  That night they stay at the White hotel. John doesn’t mention to the desk clerk whom all the rooms are for, having Red-Feather’s family go upstairs to their rooms under cover.

  The following morning, the crew gets an early start, eating breakfast on the road to Denver. When they reach the creek that borders Red-Feather’s old lands, John reins in his horse.

  Hanging by the neck from a tree is the bullet-ridden, frozen body of Jeff Jacobson. Pinned to his shirt is a note, written in blood:

  “Marshal,

  Enjoy this gift.

  Richard”

  John calls David over. When the young doctor approaches in the wagon with his wife, John hears Rebekah’s gasp of shock as she sees the young man’s body. At the same time, David utters a quick prayer, asking for mercy for the cursed young man’s soul.

  They cut the body down, tie it to one of the pack-horses and continue on to Denver.

  The hunt for this, one of the latest of his enemies, is now over. Worse yet, it’s not by his hand.

  John rides on grimly, knowing that this is just the beginning.