*****************
Two days later, an announcement was made
by the conductor. “This is the end of the line, folks! The tracks have not yet
been repaired past this point. You may obtain passage on a stagecoach, if you
wish to head on north. Everyone should exit at this stop.”
Samantha saw no need in going farther.
Nashville, she could see, was a large town. She could find a room, and maybe a
job. Besides, she was tired of riding this train. And, she was excited about
Nashville. Here, she could live and work in this large town while she made her
plans. She was excited.
She found a nice room only a few blocks
from the station. Tomorrow, she would look for a job. But for today, she only
wanted to get her room organized, and sit outside, watching life go by. This is
exciting!
Samantha had always dreamed of working in
a large, bustling town. Maybe the downtown area, only a few blocks away, would
be a good place to look about a job.
Samantha was thinking as she walked toward
downtown. When she was out, on her own like this, among these nice, friendly
people, she always thought of herself as Samantha.
That fit her self-image better. But when she was living life with the Dudley’s,
where she constantly had to pretend to be something she was not, she
automatically thought of herself as Sam. That
fit her tough-girl image better. Hopefully, in her new life, she could mostly
be Samantha. She also had noticed
that when her .50 caliber Buffalo gun was in her hand, Sam worked better. Oh well. During these rough times following
this war, she would sometimes need to be Sam.
It was just the way things were. She could smoothly move from Samantha to Sam, when the situation called for it. Millie had taught her that
being a Sam often made life easier.
Samantha hit the jackpot at her very first
stop, Wilson’s Family Restaurant. It was nice, large, and Alvin and Lorna
Wilson were very friendly. They seemed to take a liking to Samantha immediately.
And, best of all, they needed a waitress. Samantha thought her friendly
disposition would make her perfect for this job. She would start tomorrow
morning.
Samantha soon found that to be true. Her
naturally kind and helpful disposition to all made her a favorite with her
customers, and many were soon asking for her by name. The good tips were
rolling in. Things were wonderful in Samantha’s new life; she loved every
minute of it.
After a week or so on the job, she was
serving coffee for three of her customers one morning. She soon became
interested in their conversation. They seemed to be excited about a major
upcoming event in Nashville. Before the War, a very large shooting contest was
a yearly event, and it attracted the very best shooters from miles around. This
would be the first year it had been held again since the war started. Sam was
fascinated by this; it would give her a chance to let everyone around Nashville
know how she could shoot, and could very well help prevent any trouble that might
come up for her in this large town, being a young woman on her own as she was.
Maybe she should slip into her Sam
persona for a short time, so that she could be Samantha for the rest of her time in Nashville.
One of the men had been her good customer
for some time, and she talked to him for a few moments on his way out.
“Yes ma’am, miss Samantha, this is one of
the biggest events we have here. At least, it was before th’ war. All th’ best
shooters will be there. Ever’body’s wonderin’, will shootin’ at th’ Yankees fer
four years make fer better shooters? It’s still two weeks away. Ya aughta come
see it. Might find ye a good man,” he kidded.
She smiled. “I just might! Anyway, I know
someone who might be interested. Tell me all the details!”
Jordan was happy to spend a little extra
time with Samantha. It would give him a chance to see her bright smile and
beautiful dimples for a little longer today.
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