Hanging

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I married the woman of my dreams, Ella Hines, now Mrs. Melvin Baines. We met in high school during our senior years. It may not have been love at first sight, but it was close. I was somewhat shy, and she was the opposite as she never hesitated to speak up when she saw the need. Her assertiveness and intelligence attracted me to her, not to mention her good looks and charm. What she saw in me I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask her. All I know is she has helped me to be more decisive and I love her so much that I asked her to marry me. She kissed me and then said, “Yes!”

After our wedding, we drove to Las Vegas for our honeymoon and acted like any newlywed couple. We didn’t gamble or go to the Vegas shows very much as we were busy doing other things. It was the best time. We were in love and still are.

The week flew by and before long we were on the road heading home. Not in a hurry to get started on our regular routine, we decided to take our time and take the back roads through the summer desert. That’s how we found ourselves in the small western town of Molly, Nevada.

Molly is a town that refuses to modernize beyond the most basic amenities. This is done on purpose as they want to project an “old west” atmosphere to lure in the tourists who want to see what life was like in the late 1800’s. This has worked as people flock there, especially in the cooler spring and autumn. Of course, there are enough modern conveniences to keep the locals satisfied and from abandoning the town. The tourist’s dollars help keep them there too.

Once reaching the town limits, we drove in slowly down Main Street. We were greeted by a wooden water tank standing about thirty feet tall. The street was lined with old looking buildings with signs hanging above the doors just like what you could see on TV in the old western shows. The road was paved but the sidewalks were made of wood. We passed a building where a sign above it read “Madame’s Place.” Ella glanced at me and muttered, “Surely not.” I simply smiled.

We rolled past a General Store that looked as if it sold everything needed to live the Western life. There was the barber shop with a doctor’s office up the outside stairs from it. Then I saw the building I was waiting to see. The saloon. Ella and I nodded at each other. This was what we wanted to see.

After riding through the town, we turned around and went back. Ella wanted to shop in the store and I, of course, wanted to visit the saloon. She said she would meet me there when she was finished shopping. I parked our car, we kissed and headed off in separate directions to soak up the old west.

The wooden boards creaked and sagged a bit when I stepped onto the sidewalk. I took a moment to look around and soak in the atmosphere. It was as if I had stepped into an old timey movie. I paused at the swinging doors and surveyed the inside of the saloon. It had the long wooden bar with the bartender gently wiping it with a cloth. In the corner was a piano. There was no one playing it, but I was sure someone would eventually be banging out ragtime music. A dozen tables were scattered around with a couple of them occupied with poker players and the others with people talking and laughing. Two lightly clad young ladies were delivering drinks and snacks to them. This was going to be fun.

So, I strolled into the saloon trying to look cool and collective to hide my excitement of being in a place I dreamed of since I was a kid. I made my way over to the bar and laid my hands on top of it the way I had seen in so many western movies. The bartender put his wash rag away and walked down to face me.

“What can I get you?” he asked in that western drawl.

“I think I’ll take a beer,” I replied.

He nodded and turned to fill a mug for me. After handing me the beer he said, “That’ll be six bits.” I added a tip and gave him eight.

“Thank you. Where you from stranger?”

“I’m from Seattle,” I answered. “My wife and I were on our honeymoon in Vegas and now we’re heading home.”

“Well, I’m glad you took the time to stop here in Molly. Let me be the first to welcome you here.”

“Thank you. My name’s Mel.”

“Good to meet you, Mel,” he said with a smile. “My name’s Joe.”

I took a swig of beer and tried to make small talk since Joe was still standing near me.

“Were you born here, Joe?” I asked.

“No, I’m actually from Chicago,” he replied. “I came through here on vacation about thirty years ago and liked what I saw. I never left.”

“That’s pretty amazing,” I said before inquiring, “Is there a story behind the woman this town’s name after?”

Joe snickered and answered, “There wasn’t a woman named Molly, well not at least one to name this town.”

“There’s not?”

“No, old man Joshua Moritmer first settled here during the civil war. He discovered the Suschew river and started to spread word around as to how nice this area was for farming; good land and plenty of water. So, when the town started growing, they knew they had to have a name for it. Well, old Moritmer had a donkey he had raised from a foal. He loved that donkey. He had named her Molly and since she was getting on in years, he thought it would be fitting to name the town after her so the memory of her wouldn’t fade away.”

“So, the town is named after a donkey,” I reiterated trying hard to avoid the jokes that quickly came to mind.

“Yep,” Joe said with a smirk. “At least, the donkey was a female, or this town might have been named ‘Jackass.’”

I had to laugh at that. Joe did, too.

“So, where’s your bride?”

“Oh, Ella, she’s over at the General Store looking around,” I answered. “She’s going to join me here when she gets finished.”

We chatted some more. Joe told me some of the history of the area and how the town now had four hundred sixty-two residents. I told him how Ella and I had met and about some of our family background.

“Would you like another beer?”

“No, I’d better not,” I replied. “I’ve got some driving to do.”

I had hardly finished talking when a man burst through the saloon doors yelling at everyone. Almost everybody started shouting back at him. There was so much mayhem I couldn’t tell what was being said nor what was going on. Finally, Joe started banging on the bar with a beer mug to get everyone’s attention. It wasn’t long until the roar had quieted down, and Joe bellowed, “Levi! What in the world’s wrong with you coming in here making all that ruckus?”

“I can’t take it anymore!” Levi yelled back. “I’m not gonna take it!”

Joe calmly offered, “Now, come over here and have a beer on the house and tell me what’s wrong.”

“No, you’re not gonna talk me down this time, Joe,” Levi shot back. “I’ve had enough and this time I’m gonna do something. It ends now!”

One of the men at a poker table spoke up and asked, “What happened?”

Levi pursed his lips and blurted out, “It’s The Kid. He’s up to his old tricks again!” A murmur rose from the room, and I looked around trying to make sense of what was happening.

Joe dropped his head in despair. Talking to himself but loud enough for all to hear he said, “I thought The Kid had changed this time. He promised he was going to.”

“Well, believe me he ain’t changed nothing!” Levi declared. “He’s the same old ornery devil he’s always been.”

Joe shook his head and asked, “Are you sure about this, Levi? I mean, maybe it’s all just a misunderstanding. Are you sure you’ve got your facts straight?”

“Oh, I’m sure!” Levi asserted. “There ain’t no doubt. The Kid is going to pay this time and pay big.”

“Well, Levi, I just don’t think…”

“Joe, you might as well save your breath,” interrupted Levi.

“Are you sure?” Joe attempted again to calm the room down.

“Oh yeah,” Levi almost shouted. “Judith came home…my Judith…came home with her hair all messed up and her clothes all rumpled.”

Another murmur spread through the saloon. The two waitresses’ eyes got as big as fifty cent pieces.

“Now, you know it’s not like Judith to go around looking like that,” Levi continued. “As soon as I saw her, I knew something was wrong!”

“What did she say?” the man at the table asked.

“She wouldn’t say anything,” Levi answered. “She just stood there looking at me with a big grin on her face.”

The roar from the saloon caught me by surprise. Joe banged on the bar again to get everyone’s attention. “Now, Levi, I can see what you’re saying, but that’s no proof The Kid had anything to do with it,” Joe offered. “It pains me to say it, but there’s probably several men in this town that would be capable of such a misdeed. You know, Judith is quite a good-looking woman.”

Someone shouted, “She’s friendly, too!”

“I know what you’re saying Joe, but I know it was The Kid,” Levi asserted.

“How do you know that?”

“Cause when I asked her if she had been with The Kid, she wouldn’t say anything,” Levi declared. “But her smile got bigger!”

Another roar went through the room. Levi shouted over them, “Besides, I could smell The Kid on her! It was his aftershave lotion! He’s the only one in town that wears that brand.”

Someone yelled, “He’s gone too far!”

One of the men at the tables stood up and offered, “Levi, just give me the word and I’ll get some rope.”

Levi stared at him for some time before finally saying, “Okay, Sam. Get the rope.”

An even louder roar spread through the saloon. As far as I could tell all the men were on Levi’s side and were wanting to make The Kid pay for his indiscretion.

I turned back to the bar and asked, “Joe, what’s going on here?”

He rubbed his brow and sighed, “I’m afraid The Kid has pushed this town to the point they’re gonna string him up.”

“Are you serious?”

“It appears to be so,” he replied. “The Kid has always been a womanizer, especially with the married ladies. I guess we’ve just turned a blind eye to it too long.”

“Yeah, but to hang a man for that seems to be pretty extreme,” I objected.

“I know,” Joe agreed. “But it’s his fault and I believe the menfolk have had enough.”

“Oh, come on, you can’t do that,” I protested. “What about the women. Aren’t they as guilty as he is?”

“You do make a good point, Mel,” Joe surmised. “None of them have really complained about him. I think they just fall under his charm and don’t say anything. Some probably enjoy the extra attention.”

“Well, there you have it,” I asserted. “They are guilty too.”

“Yeah, but this town’s not going to hang every woman who’s been with The Kid,” Joe contended. “There would hardly be any womenfolk left if we did that. No, it makes sense as much as it pains me to say, if they get rid of The Kid then the problem goes away.”

I was trying to wrap my brain around what was happening when it dawned on me that maybe I was taking this more seriously than I should. So, I laughed and said, “Okay, Joe, the joke’s on me. It was a good one.”

“Huh?”

“I see what you guys are doing here,” I continued with a chuckle. “A stranger comes to town, and you want to have a little fun, so you put on this show for me. I appreciate the effort. It was fun but you can stop now. I figured it out.”

“Mel, this is not a show. This is real,” Joe declared as serious as he could. “We don’t play act here. The town is designed to look like an old western town, but we don’t have any actors. Believe me, this is as real as it gets. The Kid is going to hang.”

I searched his face for any clue that he was acting but I couldn’t tell. If he was acting, then he’s good at it. My concentration was broken when the saloon doors swung open and the whole room became deadly quiet.

Everyone was staring at the door when I turned around to look. There stood a little old man. He was barely five feet tall, wrinkle skin, no hair on his head, horn rimmed glasses, big bushy eyebrows, evidently no teeth as his chin almost touched the end of his nose, hunched over and leaning on a cane.

Levi rushed over to him and said, “You’ve got a lot of nerve to show your face in here, Kid.”

I was startled. “That’s The Kid?”

“Yep,” Joe whispered.

“But he’s old. I mean he’s really old,” I said trying not to laugh.

“That’s him,” Joe repeated. “He’s one hundred four years old and still gets around good.”

“Evidently a little too good,” I inserted.

 Joe ignored my attempt at humor and said, “Next month is his birthday, but I don’t think he’s gonna live that long, not if Levi has anything to do with it.”

“That’s the man all the women in town are smitten with?” I asked in disbelief.

“It is,” Joe answered. “He sure has a way with women. I wish I was half that good.”

Shaking my head at such a preposterous idea I glanced at the two waitresses. They were staring at The Kid with adoring looks on their faces. It was the type of look every man wishes to see on the face of the woman he loves. I must admit my senses were having a hard time registering all I was seeing.

In the meantime, The Kid looked at Levi and declared, “Get out of my way! I’ll go anywhere I want at any time.”

Levi didn’t budge and yelled, “You’ve been hitting on my Judith, you lowdown slimy snake!”

“Which one’s she?” The Kid asked with a smirk.

I thought Levi was going to deck The Kid right then and there, but Sam came running in with a rope in his hand and interrupted him. It was easy to see a noose loop on the end.

“Here’s the rope,” declared Sam. “Let’s string the old geezer up!”

The crowd started rumbling again as The Kid slowly backed toward the door. “Now, wait a minute!” he shouted.

“It’s what you deserve!” yelled Levi. “The men of this town are sick and tired of you going around hitting on our women. We’re gonna end this. We’re gonna end you!”

Suddenly, The Kid started laughing and walked back toward the center of the room. “Is that what’s got you all stirred up?” he asked with a chuckle. “Well, I don’t do anything your women don’t want me to. Just ask those two lovely ladies serving drinks.” He lowered his head to look at the two over his glasses and grinned. The two ladies giggled and blushed. Joe cleared his throat to get their attention. He motioned for them to get behind the bar. They obeyed but kept glancing and smiling at The Kid as they made their way there.

“None of that matters,” Levi countered. “If you didn’t flirt with them then none of them would give you a second’s notice.”

“Oh, it’s my fault?” The Kid shot back sarcastically. “You’re just jealous cause I know how to treat the ladies better than you. None of you men have the balls to keep your women satisfied and it’s my fault? I don’t think so.”

“That’s not the point,” Levi said. “If you weren’t around then all our women wouldn’t be acting the way they do. We wouldn’t have a problem. So, you’ve got to go.”

“We’re gonna hang your scrawny ass!” yelled Sam.

“All right, everyone who’s with me grab him,” shouted Levi. “We’ll hang him on the big oak tree in front of the church!”

A half dozen men jumped up and took ahold of The Kid. I believe one man could have easily carried him out but all six grabbed him.

Even though I still wasn’t a hundred percent certain this was on the up and up, it was real enough to cause me concern. The old me would never have had the nerve to speak up about something so wrong but being around Ella and seeing how bold she was in the face of injustice moved me to act.

“Hey! Can we stop a minute and think about this?” I yelled. Suddenly everything was quiet, and all eyes were looking at me.

“Who are you?” asked Levi as he glared at me.

“My name’s Mel,” I replied. “I just think we all need to step back, take ten deep breaths and think really hard about whether an old man should be hung.”

Levi looked me up and down and sneered, “You’re a stranger here. This ain’t none of your business. It doesn’t affect you at all.”

“You’re right, I am a stranger, but maybe that’s what’s needed at a time like this,” I declared as I inched toward the center of the room. “Maybe someone like me who has no stake in the outcome can look at this from all angles. Maybe I can see something you can’t.”

“Well, I don’t know…”

I interrupted Levi and continued, “I mean have you thought about the law? The law says a person is to be tried and found guilty before they can be punished. So, why hasn’t The Kid been arrested by the sheriff? By the way, who is the sheriff?”

“The sheriff’s right there,” Levi answered as he pointed toward Sam.

“You’re the sheriff?” I asked in shock.

“Yes, I am,” Sam proudly declared. He reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a shiny tin star. “I keep it in my pocket cause every time I try to pin it on my shirt, I poke my titty. That hurts!”

Finding out Sam was the town sheriff almost derailed me from my thoughts, but I took a deep breath and continued, “So, Sheriff, I would think you’d be the first person to see how unjust this is. Surely, your oath to uphold the law would move you to prevent a mob from taking the law into their own hands.”

Sam rubbed his chin and then pondered, “Well, there is that.”

I felt like I was on a roll, so I persisted, “I mean what good is the law if we choose to ignore it when our emotions make it difficult to abide by? If you break the law now what will prevent you from doing it again for some other reason? Maybe someone decides one day they don’t like saloons nor beer and they come in here, run Joe off and set fire to this place. Would it be okay for them to break the law?”

I could hear different ones whispering to each other, so I continued, “But, that’s what can happen. When you start ignoring the law, such as, a man is entitled to a fair hearing, then it’s a slippery slope for everybody to ignore any law they want whenever they want. It won’t be long before this town slides right down into chaos and anarchy. I don’t believe any of you would want that to happen.”

There were some heads nodding in agreement, so I was encouraged to keep on, “That is just looking at this situation from the standpoint of the law. But what about the Greater Law? You know the Lord is watching us at this very moment to see how we react. Will we be Christlike and show loving mercy to The Kid the same way the Lord shows mercy and love to us every day of the week?”

Even more heads were nodding with me. Someone shouted, “Amen!”

“I’m sure you’ve learned this truth when you attend church on Sunday,” I continued. Then I stopped and thought for a moment, “By the way, you do have a preacher here, don’t you?”

“That would be me,” offered Levi.

“You’re the preacher, the man of the cloth?”

“Yep, that’s me,” Levi replied. “I only wear the cloth on Sundays. It’s too itchy for everyday wear.”

I took a deep breath. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” I mumbled. “Well then, Levi…uh, Reverend Levi, you know what I’m saying is true.”

He threw his hands up into the air and acknowledged, “Yeah, I know you’re right, but The Kid has got to stop doing this! It ain’t right for him to keep going around town making out with our married women. We’ve talked to him and talked to him, and he just won’t listen. If we can’t hang him, then what are we going to do?”

I walked over to him and gently laid my hand on his shoulder and said as kindly as I could, “Doing what’s right can be hard. You’re hurting and I feel your pain. But what did the Lord say to do when someone slaps us on the cheek?”

Levi sighed and nodded his head before answering, “We’re to turn the other cheek.”

“That’s exactly right,” I agreed. “What The Kid has done has slapped you right in the face. But the Lord doesn’t say hang him. He says turn the other cheek. So, why don’t you let me take a few minutes and talk to The Kid and see if we can’t come up with something better than hanging him?”

He swayed back and forth a bit and finally said, “Okay, why not? Maybe you can work a miracle and get him to stop. But I’m telling you, it’s not going to take much more from him and he’s going to be dancing from the end of a rope.”

I nodded in agreement and walked over to The Kid. “Kid, may I speak privately to you for a bit?”

“Sure, young fella.”

We stepped out onto the sidewalk. He looked at me and offered, “You said some pretty words in there.”

Ignoring that I said, “Kid, they’re going to hang you if you don’t stop it with the married women. Do you want to be hung?”

He thought for a moment and answered, “No, not really. Now, I have thought at my age that if it’s my time to go then being hung by a mob of jealous husbands would be a fun way to end it. You know what I mean?”

I had to laugh at that. “Yeah, but I want you to live, and I think you want to live, too.”

“Yeah, I do,” he pondered. “You always want one more year. I know I didn’t want to live to be a hundred until I reached ninety-nine. Then I was like oh please let me live to see a hundred!”

“I think we’re all that way,” I offered. “We always want a little more time. Just think, one more month and you’ll be one o’ five. You’ve got to live to see that.”

“That would be nice.”

We both took a minute to stare off into the distance as we thought about the situation. Finally, I said, “Kid, you need to get out of town.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he agreed.

“Do you have any family left anywhere that you could go stay with for a while?”

“Well, I do have one younger brother still living up in Carson City,” he answered. “But I can’t go there. He said the next time he saw me he was gonna shoot me. I think I’d rather get hung.”

“So, that’s not an option,” I surmised. Then it dawned on me. “Look, my wife and I live in Seattle. Why don’t you come up and stay with us for a few months?”

“I don’t want to be a bother,” he protested.

“There’s no bother,” I quickly added. “We both have a lot of friends there and I’m sure they’ll be glad to help get you settled in and let some time pass so all the people in Molly can calm down. Later when you feel it’s safe to come back here you can do it. By then, they’d probably be glad to see you.”

He scratched the top of his head and said, “That does sound pretty good. I guess I could ride the bus up there.”

I pulled out one of my business cards and handed it to him. “When you get there, you can reach me at this address or phone number. This is going to be great! I tell you what, you bring me your ticket stub from the bus, and I’ll reimburse you for the trip.”

“That’s mighty nice of you!”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure,” I said. “I’m looking forward to spending some time with you, hearing your stories, all about your life, and what you’ve seen over the past century. So, it’s a plan. Deal?”

“You’ve got a deal, mister,” he agreed. We shook hands on it.

We walked back into the saloon together. Everyone quieted down and turned their attention to us. I cleared my throat and declared, “We’ve worked out a solution. There’ll be no need to hang The Kid today!” I explained to them about The Kid coming up to Seattle and staying with Ella and me to get him away from Molly and let them get back to a normal life. There was some whispering between the people in the room.

I continued, “Levi, do you think that will work for you?”

He bit his lip and then said, “Yep, I’ll go along with that. But I’m telling you Kid, if you’re not on that bus then I’m coming for you!”

“I’ll be on the bus,” The Kid assured him.

“Hey Joe, how about giving everybody a beer on me,” I shouted. The whole room broke into a cheer, except for the two waitresses. They stared at me with disgust and then jerked their heads away to start serving the beer. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the extra work they were going to have to do or if it was because I talked The Kid into leaving town.

I turned to The Kid and asked, “You want a beer?”

“No, but thank you,” he replied. “I think I’ll go pick up some supplies to take with me and then go home and start packing.”

“Great, then I’ll see you in a few days in Seattle,” I said as I patted him on the back.

Right after he left Levi came up to me. “Thanks for the beer, but I think I need to go home and have a talk with Judith. We have some things to work out.” He teared up and blubbered, “I need to tell her how much I love her.”

“I understand.”

He started to leave but turned back, “Oh, Mel, thank you for what you did here today. I was ready to hang that old geezer, but I know in my heart it would be the wrong thing to do. You’re a good man.”

“Thank you, Levi,” I said with a tear in my eye. “I wish you and Judith all the best. You deserve it.”

He shook my hand and then left. I strolled over to the bar where Joe placed a mug of beer down for me.

“It’s on the house,” he said.

“Thank you. I definitely need one after all that.”

“That was pretty awesome what you did,” he said. Then he grinned and offered, “So, you’re going to release The Kid on Seattle.”

I gave a chuckle and then stated, “Ah, it’ll all work out, I’m sure. An old man like that deserves a second chance.”

“If you say so,” Joe said with a smirk.

“You know this is a good town,” I asserted. “But the women in Seattle have a lot to choose from. It’s a big city. So, I’m not convinced The Kid is going to be any different from what they already have to put up with.”

Joe shrugged and said, “I guess time will tell.”

He moved down the bar to wait on others who were wanting their beer I was buying for them. I stood there thinking of what had almost happened and how it all turned out. It was at that moment I became convinced that everything had been real. Joe had been truthful when he said the town didn’t play act for the tourists. I was proud that I had spoken up. If I hadn’t, The Kid would be hanging from the oak tree at the church by now.

I just finished the last drop in my mug when I looked around and saw Ella coming through the door. She walked directly over to me, and I was stunned at the way she looked. Joe walked back to join us, and I stammered, “Uh, Joe this is my wife, Ella.” I could tell by the look on his face that he was somewhat taken back by her disheveled appearance. Her hair was in disarray. She had always prided herself on her looks and especially her hair. This was so out of character for her. She had a faraway wild look in her eyes and the buttons on her blouse were not lined up the way they should have been.

“Ella, is there something wrong?” I asked in disbelief. “Your blouse is not buttoned right.”

She gave a weak smile and said, “Oh, I was trying on some clothes or something at the General Store. I guess I wasn’t watching how I got dressed.”

“Okay,” I slowly said. “Also, your hair is all out of place and, wait a minute, what’s that cologne I smell on…”

“Oh, Mel I met this charming little old man at the store,” she interrupted. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He was just so…ooh…I mean, he’s really…ooh…I think I’ll go wait for you in the car.”

With that she turned and walked away. As she went through the door, I heard her say “Ooh” again. I turned back to face Joe and could tell he was enjoying my dilemma. He could barely hold the laughter in. I ignored him and looked down to study the empty mug on the bar. It was as if I had a thousand thoughts my brain was trying to compute all at the same time.

Finally, Joe broke the silence and said, “You’re being very quiet.”

I just looked up at him and stared.

He smiled, “I mean a few minutes ago you had a lot to say. Now I believe the cat’s got your tongue. You sure you don’t want to talk about The Kid going to see you two in Seattle?”

I slowly shook my head and kept staring. He stared back and we locked gazes for at least a full minute.

Without looking away he grinned and asked, “So you don’t have anything at all to say?”

I glanced down at the mug and then said, “Well, I do have one question.”

“Sure, what’s that?”

After taking a long deep breath I asked, “Where can I buy some rope?”

THE END