Chapter 34 - A Place To Stay

Maggie offers the cowboys a place to stay and a steady job.

          Maggie took a handkerchief from her apron pocket and dabbed the tears away from her eyes.  “That was such a beautiful story,” she told the old man with a smile.  “Thank you for allowing me to join you.”

          The old man grinned toothlessly and nodded his head.  “Glad to hear you liked it,” he told her as he pushed away from the table.  “Well, s’pose it’s gettin' a bit late.  Don’t want to keep ya from yer rest.  Reckon we need to be gettin' along and gettin' some ourselves.”

          “You boys have a place nearby to go?” Maggie inquired.

          “We got ourselves a little cabin a ways east of the city,” Joe answered, stretching in his seat.

          Maggie looked to the old man, “And you?”

          “Got me a place up in the mountains.”

          “What kind of work you boys do?” Maggie asked making her way to the counter with the men’s empty cups.

          “Well, we just do odd jobs around,” Boots told her.  “Someone needs work done, carpentry or such, they come call on us.”

          “You needin’ any work done around here?” Joe asked.

          “I think this old building is just falling apart, sometimes,” she told them.  Then as if suddenly falling upon a marvelous idea, Maggie’s eyes grew big and sparkled.  “You boys want to come work for me?  I got all sorts of stuff needs to be fixed around here.  I may not be able to pay much, but I can guarantee you as many home cooked meals as you could eat.  And I would just love to hear more of your stories.”

          “Well, I ain’t never been one to turn down a free meal,” Boots told her rubbing his stomach.

          “S’pose we could come back up in the mornin’ and see what you need done,” Joe told her.  He stood slowly from his seat.

          Duke, still seated, remained oblivious to the conversation taking place.  He continued to play with the lighter.  Finally a flame jumped up from it and burned steadily.  He smiled to himself, in satisfaction.  Boots leaned over and blew a puff of air, extinguishing the flame.  Duke shot him a dirty look and shoved the lighter into his pocket.

          “You gonna burn the place down, playin’ with that damn thing,” Boots told him as he stood up.

          “I have plenty of rooms upstairs,” Maggie informed them.  “If you boys want, you’re more than welcome to stay here.  Won’t have to ride back to your cabin in the dark.”

          “No, ma’am,” Joe told her.  “That might not look right.  A bunch of men stayin’ overnight with a purty lady like yourself.  We wouldn’t want to give you a bad reputation.  People get talkin’ ‘bout stuff like that.”

          “I don’t care much what people have to say,” she told them with a smile.  “The Lord’s judgment is the only one I’m concerned with, and he clearly states it’s our duty to open our homes to help others.  Besides, I ran a boarding house above this café for years.  It never caused no rumors or a bad reputation before.  I insist.  There ain’t no sense in you boys ridin’ all the way out there just to come right back first thing in the mornin’.  I can have breakfast on for you before I open.  Get you boys fed, before you start any work.”

          “Well, I suppose we can,” the men reluctantly agreed.

          “I don’t s’pose I’ll be much use to you,” the old man told her.  “Too old to do much work.”

          “Well, then you can pay for your breakfast with another story,” she told him with a smile.

          “I got plenty of those,” he informed her, grinning widely.

          “Well then.  I guess it’s settled.”

          She showed the men to the vacant rooms upstairs over the café.  Each went to sleep that night with the old man’s story playing over in their heads.  Each looked back on their own lives and the bridges they had burned along the way.  Each were able to find peace with themselves as they drifted slowly off to sleep.