“I didn’t catch your name, stranger.”

Previously:

A tall stranger rode into Murdo after days on the road. He was seeking someone—someone he’d been told to find—and take care of. He didn’t know where the place was, other than it was near this town.

He figured the best place to find out would be the saloon, “Can any of you fellas tell me where the Coldwater Ranch is? I’m looking for someone.”

Season VI, Chapter 4 Predators and Victims, Episode 18:

A cowboy wearing an eye patch laughed, “You a bounty hunter? Folks around here don’t much like bounty hunters, folks come here for a fresh start. What’s this fella done?”

“I’m not a bounty hunter, and it isn’t a ‘fella’ I’m looking for—it’s a woman.”

“We are all looking fer a woman; even Sam’l here—and he’s married,” the other cowboy laughed.

“This woman got a name?”

“Shet up Pete!” Samuel Carpenter snapped at his friend and turned to the stranger, “This woman got a name?”

“Cooper.”

“Cooper? She owns the place next to mine up Cold Creek. Mister, she says she’s married.”

“Yeah, Mister, ol’ Sam’l here got hisself smacked down hard by that woman—tol’ him off sumptin fierce!”

“Really? That doesn’t exactly sound like the Cooper I’m looking for. She must have been severely provoked. Directions?”

“Take the trail west out of Murdo…”

“Take the trail west out of Murdo, until it ends at a tee, then go north a mile or so, it’ll be on your left,” Peter Schmidt replied.

Samuel Carpenter was nothing, if not a bit stupid when it comes to womenfolk, “I don’t reckon she was all that ‘provoked,’ as you say. She was dressed all man-like, an I jest made mention of that.”

“I see,” the tall stranger’s mouth hinted at a grin, “I expect she didn’t take kindly to that. Barkeep? May I get a sarsaparilla?”

“You sure can, that’ll be a nickel.”

“A real man takes a whiskey—or a beer,” Samuel sneered a bit.

“I enjoy both, but they just make you more thirsty, and your mouth feels cotton-lined after a bit, sarsaparilla quenches the thirst.”

Still sneering, Samuel replied, “I didn’t catch your name, stranger.”

“I didn’t offer it…”

Meanwhile, in the Port of Danger Bay, 2012, Kiwidinok Silverthorn had spent the morning at the library, “Hiram! The History of Moosehead County & it’s People…”

Kiwidinok Silverthorn had spent the morning at the library…

“Yes Kiwi?”

“The marshals—our friends…”

To be Continued…