Tombstone.
Tonight I headed over to the group of people in front of the sheriff’s office and asked Mr. Ansar if he’d seen where my dad was.
“Have ya checked the road? Maybe his like a lost coin,” Mr. Ansar suggested.
“Hey there little rascal, you been getting candy from folks in town?” Pa asked as he came over.
“Nu uh. No one givin me candy yet,” I frowned.
“Have you asked for any?” Mr. Ansar asked.
“Um…” I looked over and went to the door of the sheriff’s office. “Trick or treat!!!”
“Aw Nat, candy in bank from me and here and in my bakery,” Miss Bree told me.
“They ain’t?! Well let me see…” Pa reached into his vest and pulled out a handful of candy. “Here ya go… A spooky ghost told me to give that to you,” he smiled.
“Iz a bowl of candy zer cna take some,” Miss Angel giggled at me.
I grinned at Pa and said, “Thanks Daddy!” as I took the candy. I turned and saw the bowl and exclaimed, “Wow! So much candy!”
“You’re welcome half pint,” Pa smiled.
“You take az much az you vant little vone. Iz halloveen,” Miss Angel said to me.
I giggled and took a handful as I asked, “I has a question. Why do ya hand out candy at halloween?”
“You’re welcome Thomas,” Mr. Ansar chuckled. “One hyper kid coming up.”
“Iz half the fun of halloveen!” Miss Angel said.
“Oooh.”
“So mizter Thomas ave finally gotten vord on your application,” Miss Angel said then.
“You getting badge daddy?” I looked at Pa.
“Oh yes ma’am? I hope it;s a good one, ma’am!” Pa looked at her.
“That it iz,” she nodded and handed him a tin star.
“My daddy gonna wear a badge like mommy!” I giggled and watched with pride. “He gonna make town good and safe!”
“Oh he applied for the get shoot by Ansar job?” Mr. Ansar asked.
“Well I am happier than a skinny tick on a fat dog fer sure,” Pa grinned and put the star on his vest.
“Oh Ansar,” Miss Bree punched his arm.
“Careful, I am like a tater. I bruise,” Mr. Ansar said.
“Now venever you vish Thomas ve can get right to training you on procedures and so on,” Miss Angel told him. “Am going to leave the teaching of teaching you to shoot to Ansar since he’z so set on talking about gunz.”
“Mommy can help you daddy! She good shooter!” I grinned.
“I can teach ya shoot. But not getting shot. You’ll have to learn on ya own,” Mr. Ansar said.
Miss Angel headed to hang up the warrant board and I grinned wide. “Daddy gonna help get em now!”
“Yep, I gonna help clean up this town, if that’s possible,” Pa smiled.
“When law around, it’s pretty clean. But warning ya now… Them outlaws like fresh meat,” Mr. Ansar warned.
“Well, they just better stay on their toes, I may be new, but I know if they is bs’ing or not,” Pa said.
“Daddy is the smartest man ever, he in love with mommy!” I beamed.
“Awww thanks Natalie, you are pretty smart yoreself, you get that from Trin,” Pa smiled.
“I know you and mommy ain’t married but I figure it’s okay to call you Daddy still right?” I giggled.
“Tater, as deputy, where do my boundaries run around here?” Pa asked Mr. Ansar, and then smiled down at me. “You sure can half pint, I love ya like a daughter either way.”
“Well… the whole area of town, and the sister town of Bisbee,” Mr. Ansar replied.
“There ve go new varrant board is up,” Miss Angel said.
“Sister town? Tombstone and Bisbee are brother and sisters?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Mr. Ansar nodded.
“Okay, I wasn’t sure,” Pa said.
“They have parents?” I asked, confused.
“Yup, they share law.”
“Oooh. Mommy likes Bisbee cause she goes there to talk important stuff. When she says she’s goin’ to Bsibee I know I gotta let her go and not ask. Cause she don’t get interrupted there.”
“Bisbee sheiff can come here if needed but many stays there.. and Tombstone can go there if needed,” Mr. Ansar said.
“Ok, are we allowed to assist in other towns if they need someone?” Pa asked.
“Well say if your in ... Pearce for example. And I am there and I say, ‘Hey you, want to help me deal with this fella?’ You say, ‘yes.’ You can aid me.”
“Ok, sounds good to me.”
“If I’m not there. then you can report what you see and give it to the sheriff. Which we don’t have a Pearce sheriff. So you give it to me. since I’m the main law there,” Mr. Ansar said.
“That where we live!” I exclaimed.
“Ok, also, who is the Bisbee sheriff or do they have one?” Pa asked.
“It’s why Pearce is so peaceful. That’s where I am based,” Mr. Ansar chuckled. “Ain’t that right, hun?” he looked at Miss Angel.
“Yes, I have seen you through there a time or two in passing through to Trin’s,” Pa said. “Have you been a US Marshall very long Ansar?”
“Let’s see. I was a US Deputy Marshal for a year… and then a US Marshal for… I think almost two years. Then before that I was a sheriff, then a deputy sheriff then a deputy before that.”
“You always eat taters mister?” I asked him.
“Every day for every meal. Just ask Angel.”
“Even in the morning??”
“Yes.” Hash browns and eggs.”
“Wow… I don’t like hash browns.”
“Taters is good fer ya Natalie, they make ya grow,” Pa laughed. “Don’t they, Ansar?”
“They do?” I looked at him.
“That’s why I am so tall,” Mr. Ansar said.
“But Mr. Ansar the same height as you daddy. You eat lots of taters too?” I asked Pa.
“Cuz he eats all the taters. Me, I just eat one big ole tater and I srouted like a weed,” Pa said and I giggled. “Did you know taters have eyes Natalie?”
“I am still growin’. Why I still need them,” Mr. Ansar chuckled. “‘least that why my belly thinks. And corn has ears.”
“They have eyes?” I blinked.
“Ok am done fiddling vith the board,” Miss Angel came back from the warrant board.
“Did ya get it straightened out Miss Angel?” Pa asked her.
“Yez, iz level now," Miss Angel chuckled.
“Are they makin this up?” I looked at Miss Angel.
“Vat that theres ears of corn?”
“How do taters have eyes?”
“I bet ya it’s crooked and I'll have to fix it later,” Mr. Ansar mumbled about the board.
“Yep, sure does, thats why Ansar is called Tater...he’s a big tater with big eyes,” Pa smiled.
“He iz,” Miss Angel nodded.
“How else they s’posed to see?” Mr. Ansar asked.
“See Natalie, you eat corn to make you hear better, and taters to see better,” Pa smiled.
“But taters and corn don’t gotta hear or see. They’re veggies,” I looked at Pa.
“Sure they do. They have to see where to make you grow big and tall when you eat them,” Mr. Ansar nodded.
“You ain’t never seen a tater look at you?" Pa asked.
“Not other than Mr. Tater," I shook my head and Mr. Ansar chuckled.
“Well, see, then one looked at you,” Pa tickled me and laughed.
“Iz okay Natalie. I ave to sneak in more corn into Ansar’s diet so he hearz better,” Miss Angel chuckled and I giggled.
“I don’t need corn. I am just ignoring ya sometimes,” Mr. Ansar said.
“Better watch it though Nat, you eat too much corn, it grow out yore ears,” Pa said.
“But how do you know how much is too much?” I asked.
“When you belly sticks out to here,” Mr. Ansar held his hand out far from his belly.
“Is he right daddy?” I looked at Pa.
“Um…. Well…” Pa looked at Mr. Ansar. “That’s right. What he just said.”
“I’m only wrong when I’m not right, and I’m always right-handed,” Mr. Ansar said.
“So Mizter Thomas, you vanting to get down to learning the ropes now or vait for another time?” Miss Angel asked him.
“Well Miss Sheriff, I is ready as I am gonna get....might as well get to learnin now ifn ya got the time,” Pa said.
I blinked, seeing Mr. Ansar pulling out some rope from the vest and he said, “Can we start with the hangman knot? It’s my fave.”
“I got plenty of time tonight,” Miss Angel said.
“Miss Angel, can I watch?” I asked.
“That’s why you keep taters in the root cellar, so they don’t spoil like Mr. Tater,” Pa giggled and whispered to me.
“Vhy don’t you stay out here vith mizter Ansar?” Sorry little vone iz grownup stuff.”
“Okay,” I hugged Pa and said, “Don’t get shot daddy.”
“I never spoil. I am finely aged like wine,” Mr. Ansar said.
“He von’t little vone. Iz going over procedures and sutch,” Miss Angel told me and looked over to Mr. Ansar. “You know libeling vine can become vinagar too.”
“I will do my best sweetheart, you stay outta trouble, and go see if Miss Pet got you some candy over at the Russ,” Pa told me.
“Oh okay. I do that,” I said and headed off.
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