It was a fair sunny day that August afternoon. Kid worked on the farm with his seven-year-old son, Joseph. Lou went out to the store with their five-year-old son, Timmy, and two-year-old daughter, Maggie.

Kid grabbed good old Lightning, Lou's aging horse, by the reigns and pulled him to the barn. Joseph laughed as Lightning gave a hault as Kid tried to pull him in.

"Ain't funny, son," Kid said with a slight laugh.

"You mean, it's 'not' funny. The word 'ain't' is an improper word," Joseph corrected.

"Where'd you learn a thing like that?" Kid asked with a large smile.

"Teacher told us."

Kid, as well as Lou, grew more and more proud of their eldest son. How fortunate it was for a family to put a child through a good education even after the destruction of the war. So many of Kid's and Lou's friends met unfortunate sentences during that tragic time.

Unfortunately, Kid couldn't serve in the army. For Lou, and for his growing family, it was probably fortunate to have Kid safe at home.

Before Kid could ever enlist, he befell riding accident that injured his back and blurred the sight of his left eye. Though better than ever, his back still gave way to stints of pain and it became harder and harder for him to walk around without his glasses.

Lou had aspirations to join the army to serve her proud country, but with that one terrible moment during her's and Kid's wedding and after losing one of her fellow riders and best friends, she lost all desire to want to join something that would only bring more bloodshed into her life.

Now happily placed in a picture perfect setting with a wonderful husband and beautiful children, Lou couldn't ask for anything more.

Lou walked into the store in her new afternoon dress and bonnet with her children that peaceful day. Maggie wore a matching set as Timmy dressed proudly in his new blue button down shirt and brown pants and boots. He looked more and more like Kid as the days went by and Lou gave a laugh each time Timmy pretended to be in a shoot out.

Lou went up to the storekeeper, Ezra Boone, and asked for the usual items on the list.

"Sure thing Miss Louise," Ezra remarked. As Ezra turned to grab two loaves of bread, several cans of beans, and spices, Maggie pointed to a shiny yellow object hanging on a small pedestal.

"Oh Maggie-baby, you know we can't afford somethin' fancy as that," Lou said. "That's gold."

Ezra gave a chuckle. "Oh ever since that gold rush and the demand of gold earlier this year in the Dakotas, we've been getting more and more gold jewelry for sale here."

"Well, Kid and I believe that gold'll only bring more trouble soon. Time's changing real quickly. Kid and I like things the way they already are."

"The way they are. Ah that love and beauty of the frontier. I remember my days just ridin' my lovely horse for hours on end in that great open valley of Oklahoma or even here in Nebraska. Sure was pretty before more people came."

"I've ridden many rides over the years. The Pony Express let me see it all before it all slowly wiped away."

"Ah yes, the fine Pony Express. I sure can't believe a pretty lady like yourself posed as a boy to get that job. Now how in tarnation did you ever do that?"

"It wasn't long before Kid found out and all the rest of them boys being nosy," Lou sighed and gave a slight chuckle. "The boys. Since the war, I've lost contact with all of 'em. A few of them became famous. I think you've heard of two of 'em. Buffalo Bill Cody, hmm? Wild Bill Hickok."

Suddenly, Timmy jumped up and down after hearing that name and shouted, "Wild Bill! Wild Bill!" He then ran over to the book section searching for a certain dime novel. "Where Wild Bill books? Mama, Mama! Get me one!"

"Not today Timmy. We've already got you ten of those trashy books. I'll tell you the real stories of Cody and Jimmy before more of their days 'til their deaths are printed," Lou smiled. Her arm soon became tired so she let Maggie down on the ground. As Lou placed her on the floor, she noticed a silence in the store. She looked back up at Ezra. "What's wrong, Ezra?"

Ezra looked straight into her eye. "I thought you already knew."

"Knew what?"

"Oh Miss Louise. Didn't you hear? Last night...Wild Bill was shot!"

"What?! The hell you..." Lou soon remembered herself. "Timmy, I see your little friend Henry outside. You go out and play with him."

"All right, Mama." Timmy ran outside with that spirit of a lively soul. Lou turned back to Ezra.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me. Jimmy? Shot? By who?"

"I honestly don't know. But word went out that the great Wild Bill -"

"Shut up! He never liked that name!" Lou snapped at him. She noticed tears pouring from her eyes. She gave out a long sigh as she picked Maggie back up. Now a bit calmer, she regathered her thoughts.

"Um...I'll be comin' back a li'l later to get my stuff. I've gotta go see Kid."

Without a good-bye, Lou ran out of the store. After wiping her tears, she called to Timmy. They quickly walked back home.

Kid and Joseph poured water into the little bowl on the table placed on the porch and began washing their hands and faces from a day of sweating. From a separate pitcher, Kid poured two glasses of fresh lemonade. He shared this special moment after a hard working day with his loving son on that patio.

"Now son, I know you're smart and you got a mighty fine future ahead of you, but I want you to know, that even though it's inherently yours, I won't mind if you don't wanna keep the farm."

"I don't understand, Daddy."

"Time's changing. Changing fast. You think the town hall is big, well, you should see the buildings they have in the big cities like Boston or New York or Charleston. Structures so high it's like five town halls stacked one on top o' the other."

"Why would they want a building that high?"

"I don't know, Joseph. But someday, maybe, you might become a businessman or somethin' big like that and you might go to places like New York or even to England itself."

"Why would I want to, Daddy?"

Kid gave that humane fatherly chuckle. If only Lou were there to hear it. Kid put an arm around his son's shoulder.

"I don't know, son."

They drank their lemonade as the afternoon sun rolled by.

Down the road, Lou came running over to the house screaming for Kid. Kid's smile suddenly turned into a concerned look. He put his lemonade down and ran down the porch steps towards Lou and Maggie and Timmy.

Kid and Lou finally came up to each other. Lou, breathless from the walk, put Maggie into Kid's arms. Timmy, equally tired, walked up the porch for some lemonade. All Lou kept frantically saying was, "Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy."

"What? What about, Wild Bill?" Kid asked with a smile thinking of that glorious mark of a town marshall, but as soon as he saw the tears from Lou's eyes, he immediately stopped grinning. "What's wrong, Lou?"

Tears rolled down the face of the lovely lady's face.

"Jimmy was...Jimmy was shot last night. Ezra told me. And the sheriff told me that poor Jimmy was shot in the back playing poker...." Lou began sobbing. Kid felt the tears in his own eyes. It seemed like only yesterday all the boys met for the first time at the Pony Express station. Meeting Teaspoon for the first time. Just boys then. Now, Kid a father, Lou a mother. The rest of them either marshalls, army soldiers, and/or husbands themselves.

"God rest his soul that James Butler Hickok. God rest his good soul."

On to Part 2!