Mark and I just got back from a two week hunting trip.  We were hoping to be able to wash up.  I had hope the pump would keep working until the pump valve I ordered over a month ago came in.  I sent Mark out to see how much was in the rain barrel.  As Mark started out the door he saw Jim Oxford ride up.  Jim stopped by to drop off our pump valve.  This couldn't have come at a better time.  Wouldn't you know it, it was the wrong size.  Hattie knew better then that.  He told me that while we were gone, Hattie sold out.  She went to help her sister in Denver.  He said there was a new lady who bought the store.  Her name was Mildred Scott.  He said she was mixed up and didn't know her business.  I told Mark we would go into town and exchange the valve and meet the new owner of The General Store. 

 When we got to the store, Micah was helping Miss Scott in the store.  You should have seen Micah, he had an apron on.  The store was in chaos.  Things laying all over the placing and people complaining.  She was having trouble finding things.  They just kept at her.  "Oh look everybody please, please! Look, look, I'm just getting settled here.....I've got to make my inventory. If you would just come back later."  She then rushed everybody out of the store.  She turned to me and asked me to come back tomorrow.  Micah then introduced us to Miss Scott.  She was polite, but excused herself.  She wanted to get back to her work.  She sure was pretty. I was preoccupied with watching her when Micah asked how our hunting trip went.  Mark told him we had three deer hanging in the cooler.  Micah asked us if that was an invite for supper sometime.

I told Miss Scott I didn't want to add to her troubles but the pump valve she sent out to our place with Jim Oxford was the wrong one. She said it had come all the way from Santa Fe and that Hattie Denton must had written up the order wrong.  I laid it on the counter and started to leave.  "What do you want me to do with it?" She asked.  "Take it back and order the right one."  "Mr. McCain, I'm not set up to do business, much less exchanging merchandise."  "We don't want to spend the rest of our lives getting our bath water out of a rain barrel either."  "Well, I'm sure it's no concern of mine," said Milly.  "Now wait a minute Miss Scott. What are you gonna do about the valve? Are you gonna take it back or not?"  "I don't think you understand Mr. McCain. I just bought this business. I've put a lot of money into it. Practically every cent I've got. Well I paid for that for you. You didn't even put a deposit down on it. Now you want me to send it back." "Of course I do."  "People here must think that whoever owns the store is a bank. When I took Hattie Denton's accounts receivable I didn't realize that it included practically the whole town. Don't people around here pay money? Or don't they have any money?"  I tried to explain to her that it had been a dry year. Crops hadn't been good.  We all will have to sell cattle to make ends meet.  She went and got her ledger.  She told me I owed her thirty-two dollars.  I told her that Hattie always kept a running account for me and everybody else in North Fork.  "Well I'm not Hattie Denton! I can't afford it! There'll be no more credit in this store for anyone until all these accounts are paid up. Now if you'd like to bring yours up to date!"  "Well don't you worry about it Miss Scott. It'll be taken care of." That was it I got Mark and left.  Micah called to me.  He told me that in the ledger she was carrying an awful lot of people.  Micah reminded me that Hattie knew that we were all good for what we owed.  Miss Scott didn't know that yet. He told me what a nice person she was.  It's hard starting up in a new town and a new business.  He told me she was a school teacher in Santa Fe before she came here.  You should have heard Mark when he heard that.  He also told me she had come into a small inheritance.  She always wanted to go into business for herself and when she heard Hattie was selling out she came and made her an offer. "Give her a chance, Lucasboy."              

Jack Adams was outside the store. He overheard our conversation.  He felt he came up with the perfect scheme.  He offered to collect for Milly, money owed by the people of North Fork.  Milly wasn't sure at first.  She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  She didn't want any enemies if she could help it.  He told her he would ride out and see her customers and talk to them in a nice friendly way.  He wanted 10% of what he collected.  She didn't know he planned on charging the people a fee for collecting the money besides the 10% from her amount.  Another thing she didn't know was that he planned on collecting the money one way or another.  "Alright, let's try it," she said.  They shook hands.  "You won't be sorry," said Adams.  She gave him the ledger.  "Mr. Adams, you will be nice won't you?"  "Of course I will. Don't worry about a thing."  He then went on his way.  Little did she know that Adams had a partner, Marty Ryan.  He then went over to the saloon and showed Marty the ledger.  He told Marty they were going into business.  "What kind of business is that?" Asked Marty.  "Money, collecting money. Let's see here," said Adams as he scrolled thru the ledger.  "McCain.....McCain.....Lucas McCain."  "Who's that?" Asked Marty.  "Our first customer."

Mark and I had just finished up with the supper dishes. We we're talking about Miss Scott.  I told Mark I thought Miss Scott seemed like she could be nice and that maybe we would end up being real good friends.  "Pa, do you think Miss Scott is Pretty?"  "Why do you ask son?"  "I saw the way you looked at her today."  Hmmmmm.....I didn't know it was then noticeable.  Just then we heard two riders approaching the ranch. "Good evening, Mr. McCain"  "I know you?" I asked.  "Well not exactly. My name is Adams."  "What can I do for you Mr. Adams."  "Well, my friend here and I are just paying a neighborly visit. We're making North Forth our home and we're acquiring interest in a business here."  "Is that right? What kind of business?"  "The General Store."  "I thought Miss Scott was running the General Store?"  "Well she is, we'll just helping her."  He then told me he came to collect the thirty-two dollars that I owed 'them'.  Plus he want 20% for their trouble.  I told them to turn those horses around and I'll be in town tomorrow to pay my bill, Personally!   He just wouldn't back off.  His friend was getting a little edgy, I noticed him slowly going for his gun. He told me I had a lot to loose here for just thirty-two dollars.  I flipped my rifle to cock it and told them to get out of here.  He told me the next time we wouldn't talk so much and maybe I wouldn't have this rifle with me. Yea right! What was it you said Pa, about Miss Scott windin' up being a real good friend. 

Milly was pleased.  Adams had collected almost three hundred dollars. 

Mr. Penn stopped by the store for some corn syrup.  He threw the money on the counter and told her she didn't need her ledger.  She didn't understand.  "Miss Scott, I'm only gonna say this once. I get my supplies here because it's the only place. If there was another food store in this town you'd never see me again!"  "But why?" She asked.  Micah and I  had just walked in the store.  "Maybe I can answer that Miss Scott."  Micah asked Mr. Penn what happened to his face.  "Why don't you ask
her?"   He then walked out of the store.  I asked her about Adams.  She confirmed he was working for her.  Micah told her that people weren't gonna take to that.  She felt there was no harm in asking people to pay up.  "Miss Scott, you can mark me paid up for good, thirty-two fifty."  I slammed the money on the counter.  She was sorry if she had offended anyone.  "I'm sorry but I was trying to run this business as a business. You can't give things away you know."  "Now look Miss Scott. Nobody asking you to give anything except a little bit of yourself. The people around here depend on this General Store for practically all their supplies. Now somebody without feeling and without consideration can make a pretty good thing of that. Just like you and Adams are doing. Lining your pockets with gold, so to speak. Hattie Denton wasn't that way. She loved people and she understood 'em. That was more important to her then a full cash box. Maybe you should start thinking like that before you end up the loneliest person in North Folk."  I then walked out.  "Miss Scott. Can I give you a piece of advise?"  "What else Marshal?"  "You get rid of that man and his partner, or I will."  Micah then left.  Partner?  Milly didn't know anything about a partner.

Milly was closing up the store when she saw Adams and Marty ride up.  She went over to Adams.  He was just on his way to see her.  "Would this be your partner?" Asked Millie.  Adams told her that Marty works for him from time to time.  She wanted to know if he had collected anymore money.  He told her he had but hadn't count it yet.  "Tell me Mr. Adams. The people you took the money from, did they give it of their own free will?"  "I don't understand, Miss Scott.  How else would they
pay?"  "Maybe a little friendly persuasion helped?" 
Micah, Mark and I had just come out of the Doc's when we saw Miss Scott talking to Adams.  I told Mark to wait for me at the hotel.  Micah and I then approached them.  He questioned them about Jim Oxford.  Jim had told Micah that he was pistol whipped and shot in the shoulder for Ninety-two dollars that he owed Miss Scott.  "You couldn't have," said Miss Scott.  "Marshal, I swear I didn't....."  "Now just a minute, who said we did anything?" Asked Adams. "Jim Oxford said. You left him for dead, that's what he said."  They said they did nothing.  He told Micah Oxford drew on them. "Jim Oxford never carried a gun in his life," I said.  "Your both under arrest, both of you. You'll cool your heels in jail until Oxfords well enough to testify. Now move!" said Micah.      

We started taking them to jail when they both drew on us.  First Adams then Marty.  We shot and killed them both.  Micah then walked over to Milly.  "What have I
done?" She asked with tears in her eyes."  How could I had been so stupid? Can you ever forgive me Marshal?"  "Miss Milly, I've seen a lot of things have in this town, both good and bad. This isn't the first time there's been a misunderstanding. You'll see, when the folks start finding out the truth, things will start brighten up for you,"  said Micah.  "Thank you Marshal."  She turned and looked at me. We stood there, eye contact, no words. We  understood each other now.  One of her window panes in her door got shot out in the scuffle.  "Looks like your gonna need a new pain of glass in that window, Miss Scott," I said.

The next day Mark, Micah and I went to the General Store to help Milly.  Mr. Penn had come in for a couple of things and when he went to pay Milly she told him that she knew he hadn't sold his cattle yet and that he could pay her when he got his money.  She told him if he needed anything else to come back in and get it.  He appreciated it, tip his hat and thanked her.  She then went over to Mark who was wiping out the candy jars and putting the candy away.  "Mark, are you getting everything in the right place?"  "I hope so," said Mark.  "Oh.....now that doesn't look like it's in the right place."  She was talking about some candy laying on the counter.  She then put a piece of candy in his Mark's mouth.  "There, that's where it belongs," she said.  She then came over to me.  I was fixing the broken window pane.  "Lucas, I don't know how I can thank you all." "You don't have to thank us Milly. Maybe you can help Micah figure out what that is."  He was trying to figure out how you would use the corset he was gonna put away.  "You know, the next time I lock somebody up, I just think I'll put them in one of these. That would sure be worse then going to jail."  We all stood there laughing at him. 

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