The Two Sams

by F. M. Worden

  When the stage pulled into Bisbee, darkness was falling in the Copper Canyon. The stage stopped in front of the Copper Queen Hotel. The passengers asked the clerk for a room. The other two got a key and went to their rooms. Sam asked if the clerk knew where they could get a parson as he and his lady wanted to get married. The clerk said a church was just up the canyon.

  “I’ll send a boy to see if the preacher would do the job this time of day.”

  Sam signed in for a room, the boy returned and told them the preacher was waiting. Sam and Louise walked up the hill and entered the church. The minster, a Mr. John Babbitt introduced himself and his wife. He said they must wait as another witness must be there. A lady friend was on her way. He then told them they must have an Arizona marriage license. Louise opened her hand bag and handed him a paper.

  “This will do fine,” the preacher said.

  Sam took the paper and read it. Both their names were written on the license. “When did you do this?”

  “The day before we came down here, I hoped it would be needed,” Louise said with a big smile on her face. Sam shook his head and laughed.

  “Louise you are full of surprises, that’s why I love you, on top of being so pretty.”

  In the next few minutes they became man and wife. Sam gave the minster a twenty dollar gold piece, thanked them all, the newlyweds walked down the hill to the hotel.

  The manager greeted them as “Marshal and Mrs. Duncan.” “We have a supper ready for you in our dining room, I have changed your room to our very best in this hotel, follow me to the dining room.”

  The manager led them to a candle lit table. A supper of baked ham and turkey with all the trimmings waited their pleasure. Louise was delighted. A fine red California wine was served. Sam said he had never had such treatment before. The manager asked if they had any thing else they would wish. Louise asked if she could have a bath. The manager told them he would have two hot tubs in their room by the time they were finished. He left to see to the job.

  Sam and Louise were alone at last. Louise told Sam she had never been with a man before, would he be patient with her?

  “When two people love each other the loving comes easy,” Sam told her. “No reason to be worried.”

  After the meal they were shown to their rooms. Two steaming hot tubs of water waited with soap and bath towels. Sam being very playful said to her, “Last one in’s a piker.”

  After their baths, Sam stood with a towel wrapped around him as did Louise, the night passed in pure wedded bliss.

  Next morning, they had breakfast in their room. The couple stayed in Bisbee for several more days taking in the sights around this mining town.

  They had to take the stage to the rail road town of Wilcox to get the train to Tucson. The stage traveled up the Sulphur Springs Valley to the mining town of Pearce for an overnight stay. Arriving in Wilcox late the next day they stayed in a hotel near the tracks. Louise sent Dolores a telegraph to tell everyone she and Sam had gotten married.

  They caught the early morning train to Tucson. On arrival in the Old Pueblo a crowd of well wishers awaited them. A celebration had been planned at the Martinez house. All their friends were there except Rosa. Sam missed her at once and asked Dolores where she was.

  “When we got Louise’s telegraph she decided to go to Mexico City and visit my brother and his family. She left on the early morning stage for Nogales. Sam, that girl loves you! She told me to tell you and Louise she was happy for the two of you. I think her heart is broken, she cried all last night.”

  “Dolores, I never encouraged her in any way. I love her as a father or brother would, I’ll always love her.” He wiped a tear away as he spoke. “I hope she can find a man she can love, she’ll be a wonderful wife to some lucky man.”

  Dolores thanked him and said, “I miss her already.” She started to cry. “Sam, that girl has a mind of her own, she’ll never find a man like you, I’m afraid she’ll never marry.”

  Sam tried to console her. “I’m sure she will, she’s so young, she has her whole life ahead of her.”

  The fall of 1880 came to the Old Pueblo cold and rainy. The judge returned from San Diego. He and Sam became good friends. The Mexican cowboy was found innocent. Ben Got married and later he became the bank manger and owner.

  Sam and Louise lived at the Martinez house for two more years. They purchased a ranch type home on the north side of town. It had a stable and a patio. Louise loved the house, it was much like the Martinez house.

  Sam was becoming more discontented as time grew on. Louise could see it. She knew he had something on his mind as he seemed preoccupied when they were together. She confronted him and asked, “What’s up Sam? You’re not very talkative this morning, some thing wrong? What’s on your mind?”

  Sam answered, “I’m tired of law work, I’m fifty three and not as good as I should be, when you get a step slow you should hang it up and quit, don’t you think?”

  “What do you want to do if you stop being a Marshal?” Louise tried to be understanding.

  “Let’s take a ride Sunday afternoon, I’ll show you what I want to do.” Sam watched her intently to see her reaction to his suggestion. She was more than ready to go.

  “I know what you’re up to,” She mused.

  Sunday afternoon found them in their buggy and on the road west along the Santa Cruz River. Several miles out of town, they turned and drove onto a road a mile north, a small adobe ranch house loomed before them in a patch of mesquite trees. An older man came out to greet them. Sam introduced him to Louise.

  “This is Clyde Reed, he wants to sell this place and move to town. Says he’s get-n too old to chase cows. I offered him a thousand dollars for this place, he’s gonna give us an answer today.”

  “Sam, I have to have more than that.” Clyde watched to see how they were gonna take his answer.

  Before Sam could reply, Louise spoke, “What’s your price? If Sam wants it we will pay any thing you want.”

  Clyde smiled and said, “Could you make it fifteen hundred?”

  Louise spoke right up, “Let’s make it two thousand, okay with you Clyde?”

  Clyde nodded yes as he shook both their hands and said he would sell his cattle the coming week and Sam could have the place after that.

  Back on the river road, Sam stopped the buggy and walked over to look in the river. Louise followed pulling her skirt up to walk thru the weeds. “What’s the matter Sam?”

  Sam turned to her with tears in his eyes and told her he was a lucky man to have married a lady like her. He took her in his arms, hugged her so hard she cried, “Don’t break my ribs. Why didn’t you tell me long ago what you wanted? We have money to buy any thing you want”

  Sam kissed her lips and repeated how lucky he was to have married her.

  In the following weeks Sam resigned his marshal job and Louise quit hers. The judge was understanding. The little ranch was pretty run down. Sam spent a lot of time there building new pens and a new barn of adobe. With Manuel’s help he purchased a few mares and turned the black stallion out with the mares, he had his horse ranch up and going.

  On a trip to Sonora, Mexico, Manuel and Sam found a rancher with many good mares who wanted to sell, he purchased thirty on this trip. They herded the horses up the trail toward the states. It was getting toward dark. Manuel was in the lead, Sam was bringing up the drag. Mesquite trees closed in the trail ahead. Sam heard a loud Mexican voice, demanding them, “ALTO.” Sam rode the left side of the herd and stopped a few feet from a Mexican horseman blocking their way, another Mexican with a large sombrero, a Winchester across his saddle, blocked Manuel’s way. Sam asked what they wanted.

  Manuel told him, “They want five horses to let us pass.”

  “The hell they do!”

  Sam spurred his mount into the horse and rider to his front knocking them down. At the same time he shot the Mexican to his right with the Schofield, the bullet hit him square in the chest, he was dead before
he hit the ground, the other rider was scurrying away into the mesquite thicket, Sam threw a shot after him, the bandit’s horse went down and struggled to get up, a broken front leg stopped him. Sam ended his pain with one shot from the Schofield.

  He yelled to Manuel, “MOVE-EM OUT!”

  Up the trail they went at a lope. In a few hours they crossed into Arizona. On to Pete Kitchen’s ranch and into a corral. Pete had his boys feed the herd and invited the two horsemen inside to eat. The kitchen was warm and friendly, Pete’s woman had a big meal of beans, meat, flour tortillas and coffee.

  After the meal the men sat before the fire place and talked. Manuel told Pete of the trouble they had on the trail. Pete said this had been going on for some time.

  “These men are banditos who rob anyone on the trail, the Federales have been trying to get them for some time with no luck.”

  “Who are they?” asked Sam.

  “They’re led by a man whose name is Pancho Villa, he’s a real big man among the people. If you go again, ask the feds for help, they’ll sent a troop with you.”

  Sam and Manuel got the herd to his little ranch two days later. They did return to Sonora several times the coming year. Sam took Pete’s advice and asked for help, but he had to pay for it in cold hard cash.

  The ranch started to pay well and Sam stayed there a lot of the time. He was building a new house for Louise and himself. It was in the fall when a rider on a well lathered horse rode in telling him that he was needed at home. He saddled and rode hard for home.

  He put the horse in the stable and entered the house. Dolores and their house keeper Maria were waiting. Dolores told him Louise was sick and in bed. “It don’t look good Sam,” she said. “Doc Fenn is in the room with her, you better go in.”

  Louise smiled a weak smile as Sam came to her bed side.

  “Here girl we can’t have you sick.”

  “Come close, I must tell you what I want. I’m so tired, I want you to promise me something I want you to do for me if I die.”

  The tears swelled up in her eyes as she spoke. He kneeled by her bed.

  “No!” Sam almost yelled as he spoke. “You can’t leave me now, I won’t let you go.”

  She in her usual quiet way, pushed his hair back. “Sam if I go, I want you to take me home and put me beside my mother and father. Promise me, Sam, promise you will Sam.”

  “I’ll do any thing you want Louise.”

  She told him she wanted to sleep and closed her eyes.

  Doc Fenn and Sam went into the living room. There the Doctor told him Louise’s heart was failing. “It’s very weak and you must be ready when she goes, it won’t be long.”

  Sam told him, “It must be my fault she’s so weak.”

  “No,” the Doctor said. “She’s been fail-n a long time, I told you when you married her she won’t have a long life. Remember what I said? You made her happy. She’s had a good time of it with you, so face up to it and be gentle with her now.” He could see Sam was in pain. He said goodbye and told Dolores to watch Sam, as he was not taking this very well. She said she would. She told Sam she would go sit with Louise.

  “Go on to bed,” she urged him. “There’s nothing you can do now.”

  Sam built a fire in the fire place, walked the floor, went out and talked to the horses and asked God to help Louise. He made a pot of coffee and smoked his pipe. Maria came and sat with him awhile, then he lay down and fell asleep.

  Just after midnight the Angels came for Louise. Sam was asleep on the couch in the living room. Dolores sent Maria for Manuel.

  “Tell him to bring some strong boys.” She didn’t know how Sam was going to be after learning of her passing. They came just at sun up.

  Dolores woke Sam and told him. He went into her room and locked the door. Manuel tried to talk him out to no avail. Dolores had them break in, Sam was in the process of cutting his arms as the Indians do on the death of someone you love. Manuel and the boys overpowered him and tied him to his rocker. Doctor Fenn had come by then and gave Sam something to make him sleep, he slept all day and all night. When he was awake the doctor talked to him almost all day, along with Dolores. A service would be held the next day at her church, would he go?

  “No! I’ll never enter a church again, never again,” Sam said loud and clear.

  Dolores scolded him badly as did Doc Fenn. Doc Fenn reminded him he had made a promise to Louise. He told him he was having a box made for her coffin for the shipping, was he going to take her home? Sam said he would.

  The judge came to talk to Sam, as Louise had instructed him.

  “You’re a wealthy man Sam,” he said. “Louise made a will before she quit her job. Her father gave his daughters an endowment of several thousand dollars a year. She had quite a bit of cash, all was given to you, here’s a letter she left for you.”

  Sam opened and read it, it told how much she had loved him and how she had enjoyed her time with him. At that Sam wept unashamed.

  Sam and Louise caught the evening train east two days later. Sam rode the baggage cars all the way to Albany New York, at each change, Sam was there to see she was handled easy and with care. The station people could see not to anger this man, he was firm but gentle. He had strength in his words.

  “This is my sweetheart handle her with care,” he told them and they did.

  As they set the box off at her home station, a light snow was falling. Sam asked to have her put inside the station, the men refused saying, “We don’t put coffins in our station.”

  Sam opened his coat exposing the Schofield, he fingered it with his right hand. “You will this day,” he told them. Sam meant business, the men got the idea in a hurry and started to move her into the station.

  Two women came up the platform and introduced themselves, they were Louise’s sisters, they would take charge now.

  “Come stay at our house.” A service would be held for Louise the next day.

  The church was full and people stood out in the snow, as did Sam. The preacher told of Louise’s child hood and how kind and gentle she was, how little children always loved her, how the whole community missed her when she had to go to Arizona and all the great things she had done for this community.

  She was laid to rest next to her Mother and Father as requested. The sisters wanted Sam to stay awhile. They told him he was part of their family, Louise had written so much about him. He told them he had to go home, he couldn’t be away any longer.

  The trip took five long days on the train. He spoke to people only when he was spoken to. When he got back to Arizona he sold the house in town. The ranch house was finished enough that he could live in it.

  He sat on the porch and rocked the days away smoking a pipe and gazing into space. Manuel came and tried several times to talk to him, he just rocked and mumbled and looked away. People who saw him began to say he had lost his mind, Sam Duncan has gone crazy they said.

  He had two Mexican cowboys working the horse ranch. Sam paid little mind of the goings on around him. None of his friends or neighbors came to see him. There was more talk of him losing his mind. Dolores had heard of the talk about Sam, talk she couldn’t understand about her friend.

  She decided to pay him a visit, Manuel drove her out to the ranch on a Sunday afternoon. As they approached the house she could see him sitting on the porch in his rocker. When she got out of the buggy, she lit into him and left nothing unsaid, she jumped on him with all the power of the words she commanded.

  “What kind of man are you?” He could see she was boiling mad. “You think you’re the only man who has lost some one you love? You look like some kind of a tired old man sitting here and looking crazy, get off your dead butt and do something.” She had no mercy. “The world don’t stop for you or any one, we all lose some one we love.”

  She shook his shoulders and took him by the arm she forced him to stand.

  “Come out in the yard,” she demanded. “Come with me.”

  Sam slowly followed
her into the yard. “Look,” she said, “look at those mountains.” She was pointing to the majestic Catalinas. “The Papago Indians tell that a God lives up there on that mountain, take yourself, go up there and try to make peace with your maker, or so help me I may do something I will be sorry for.”

  He was looking at her wide eyed. He could see this woman he so admired was mad as hell at him. Of all the people in the world, he wanted her to like and respect him. Tears started to run down his face. She put her arms around him and hugged him. She was sobbing as she told him he was loved.

  “Don’t give up, Sam. Please don’t give up, you’re too good to give in like this for me, for all of us, don’t give up, please do as I ask.”

  “I will, I’ll go to the mountain, I’ll go tomorrow.”

  The next morning he took a saddle and a pack horse. He rode high into the mountain, in the pines he found a cool mountain spring and made camp nearby. It was quiet and peaceful, only the sounds of the birds and the whistling of the wind thru the trees could be heard. Not far from camp he could walk to a large rock. He would sit and look into the valley below. He had to cook his meals and take care of the horses, that way his mind stayed somewhat busy. He spent many hours sitting on the rock and watching the clouds pass thru the sky, he would set and watch the colorful sun sets, reminded him of being with Louise.

  At last he began to feel a little better. “Maybe there’s a meaning to my life yet.” He began to think what a lucky man he had been to have had Fawn and Louise for his wives.

  One sunny, cloudless afternoon a bald eagle began to circle in the clear blue sky above him, he could not keep his eyes off the bird. The eagle circled lower and lower and landed on a dead tree branch near him. The bird’s piercing eyes stared into his. “Are you a God? Were you sent by God?”

  The eagle ruffled his feathers and pushed his wings forward. Sam in a begging voice asked, “Give me a sign, tell me what I should do.”

  The Eagle with all his power lifted his wings and raised himself into the air, almost hanging stationary for a minute, the bird slowly turned and glided away disappearing into the valley below.