IT'S BEEN AROUND AWHILE by Marisa Masterson

 Most of us have had it. None of us enjoyed it. I refer to chickenpox.

Believe it or not, I researched the childhood illness for my lastest novel. I had wondered if it was a relatively new problem--like polio. Turns out, chickenpox was even mentioned in historical documents. Of course, people in ancient times did not use that name for it. However, the description of the illness matches the symptoms of the virus.

Sadly, when the chickenpox rash dries on a child, the virus does not disappear. It lays dormant near the spinalcord and waits. This is why adults develop shingles. 

Yes, you read that correctly. If you have had chickenpox, the virus remains with you. That is a strong reason for receiving the shingles vaccine. (Full disclosure--I am NOT vaccinated because of allergy reasons.) 

Thankfully, very few children now suffer this childhood illness. The vaccine has all but eradicated it. 

The HealthSite.com

Maybe, like me, you have wondered how the virus got its common name. I thought people called it that because the blister looks like a chicken pecked the skin. That is not the case. Actually, it is called chickenpox because the blisters are said to resemble chick peas. Strange!

In my newest release, Maude Ropes the Sheriff, the illness and shingles both make an appearance. In truth, they bring our hero and heroine together.

From the book:

A hand lifted. Maude shook her finger. “No, Doctor. He’s quarantined.”

Niall huffed. “A doctor’s the only one who can put someone in quarantine.”

“I did it.”

Etta appeared in the doorway, amazingly free now from her bindings. “He’s got shingles. I don’t think you wanna start a chicken pox epidemic.”

Niall narrowed his gaze, looking closely at the other man’s face. “You feeling poorly, Jeff. Where is your pain?”

The sheriff pointed to his shoulder. Niall twirled a finger, wordlessly asking his patient to turn. “Usually, they are on the face, though I have seen some on the back.” He hummed. “Yes, Etta’s right. You have herpes zoster, also called shingles.”

“I got another patient,” Etta grumbled. “She’s in the second bedroom with shingles on her face.”

“Watch for any in her eyes, then. That’s when they get--.” The doctor looked down, his words lost. “What’re you doing, young man?”

Chester had wrapped the rope twice around the doctor’s legs. “Gettin’ ready to brand you,” he said. He held a potato masher. Jeff guessed it served as his branding iron.

Niall put a hand on the boy’s curls. “Not today. Too many patients to see.”

 

Later in the book, these close quarters allow Jeff and Maude time to straighten out misconceptions:

A noise, low and pain-filled, reached her. A grumble mixed with a moan sounded from the bed. She decided that must be what woke her.

Concerned, she leaned over Chet. He slept, at last peaceful and content. The creek water and willow bark tea had worked their magic. The child no longer burned with fever.

Maude savored the cooler feel of his skin as her fingers brushed his cheek. Her brother sighed and rolled away from her touch. He was on the mend.

Her other patient moaned. She moved around the bed and knelt by the sleeping sheriff. He fidgeted before he sat up. Unseeing eyes opened.

“I’ve been shot in the back!”

Saying that, he flopped back against the bed. A yowl of pain escaped him. Even after making the noise, the man did not appear to be awake.

Maude studied his restless form. He needed to sleep on his stomach. His back was enflamed or some such thing, according to the doctor. Something to do with nerves, or so she recalled.

Jeff Ritter was not overly tall. He stood perhaps three inches above her own height. And, while some might consider him skinny, Maude felt his ropey muscles as she gripped his upper arm.

She had noticed those muscles. Earlier, he had removed his shirt. Its material had irritated the skin around the shingles. Maude had ducked her head to hide her interest in his well-developed chest covered with a spattering of dark hair.

The man was strong, no matter his appearance. And those muscles added to his weight. She struggled to turn him. He would be more comfortable if he laid on his stomach.

Slipping a hand under his shoulder, she tried to use her fist and elbow as a wedge. Something stopped him from rolling. Peeking over his shoulder, she realized an extra pillow, heavily stuffed, lay beside him on the bed. It halted any movement. She had to get rid of it.

With her right hand still jammed under his shoulder, she reached across Jeff. Her left hand brushed the pillow. As she grabbed for it, powerful arms wrapped around her.

Trapped in the embrace, Maude landed on her former fiancé’s bare chest. The dim light from the lamp on the bureau allowed her to see his face. His eyes were open, and he wore a wide grin.

“Why, Miss Maude, you surely do know how to comfort a sick man!” The warmth in his tone teased her.

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Sheriff Jeff Ritter watches the woman he fancies marry another man. He realizes there is only one thing to do. The gruff man decides to remedy his broken heart by sending for a bride. In fact, he advertises for a woman who will be like the lady he loved and lost. Little does he know he is in for a surprise!

Maude Connelly has more than she can handle. Her rascally brothers need a man. When she reads an advertisement in the newspaper for a sheriff who wants a wife, she knows the situation will be ideal. Who better to handle the rascals than a lawman?

She has brown hair! It is the first thing Jeff notices when Maude steps off the train. He wanted a blonde. Worse, she is chasing two young boys. He did not want a widow.

The train carries more than his bride to Fox Creek. His childhood enemy arrives as well. The man, Clyde Fergus, proudly waves a deed, declaring the land where the town sits belongs to him. What will the residents do and why do they expect him to have the answer?

Does Clyde really own the land the town stands on? And what about Maude? Jeff initially rejects her. Can he win her after refusing to marry her?

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Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo! ROLLING DOWN THE RAILS ON FREE LAND by Marisa Masterson

 

Oxford Science Archive/Print Collector/Getty Images

How was the West settled? Last month, I spent a good deal of my free time (not that there was a lot of it) researching land claims given to railroads in the United States.

No, I used the wrong word. They were not land claims. The government awarded grants and 'right of ways' to various railroads laying tracks west of the Mississippi River.

This is where it gets interesting. While most railroads received 400 feet right of ways, divided in half by the tracks, this changed after 1850. In that year, the government began to give away large chunks of land. 

Officially, this award was designated to be used exclusively for 'railroad business'. It gave the railroad a chance to survey the land and choose what would be the best stretch for their right of way. Then the railroad was supposed to file their choice and give back the other acres. 

Again, the word is OFFICIALLY. That rarely happened.

Instead, the General Land Office that oversaw claims withdrew almost two hundred million acres from what was available to claim based on the grants. For example, this made two-thirds of the land in Iowa no longer available to settlers. 

But what business did Congress imagine the railroads had that required this amount of land?

Settlement! The government turned a blind eye while railroads sold off parcels of land. At the same time, a growing part of the population was pushing westward, wanting to claim that land--but they wanted it under the free land act passed by Congress. 

Learning that the railroads owed huge chunks pushed the public to act. They forced the government to stop giving away the land. 

But what about the land already given to railroads? They were selling land for cash. These were the best parcels if a person wanted to settle near a town. The Homestead Act that allowed for free land had virtually no claims near to what some would call 'civilization', and all because of the railroad grants.

Confusing, right? Laws went back and forth, based on the elected Congress. It gave me a great idea, though.

My imaginary town named Fox Creek sits near the railroad tracks. In my next book for the Uncertain Sweethearts series, a man arrives in town and announces that he owns it. 

From the book, Maude Ropes the Sheriff:

A chair scraped. The rancher stood. He rolled up the deed, showing he was finished reading it. “You bought the land from the railroad. It’s what I thought.”

“So you know I got a right to everything.”

Evans moved his chin from side to side, denying Clyde’s statement. “Folks in town will need a judge to rule that you own their places. The government sold this same land to Paul’s father.”

“Hey! You tryin’ to pull a fast one? The land agents wouldn’t make that kind of mistake,” Clyde protested.

Paul shrugged as he stood and offered his hand. He looked at it and reluctantly took it. The two shook, with Clyde gripping the offered hand more tightly than he should. The other man did not grimace, and that disappointed him.

“We will need a judge to visit and decide the matter,” O’Hanlon said, repeating the rancher’s conclusion.

“What about the rent owed me? I want that money.”

Evans sighed. “Wait for the judge.”

He spoke slowly, as if he gave instructions to an idiot. It rankled Clyde. He wanted to reach across the desk and grab the rancher by the throat. His fingers clenched, ready to act.

A sudden question distracted him. “Why’d you choose Fox Creek to build your saloon?”

“Huh?”

He turned and stared at O’Hanlon. “What kind of question is that?”

The store owner shrugged. “I’m curious. Seems kind of a big coincidence, you knowing the sheriff and all.”

“Yeah, Fergus, how come you settled here?” The rancher asked, his green gaze piercing. He wanted an answer.

O'Hanlon was the kind of man Fergus could ignore. Sort of mild and wimpy. Evans was a different matter. He was all steel and iron, as hard as a man could be. Clyde knew he would appear weak if he refused to answer.

“Well, I ran into a woman who told me ‘bout the place. She lived here, but she hated it.”

The store owner’s eyes widened. “Did she tell you her father is the blacksmith in town?”

“Yeah, Mick something or other.”

“Murphy,” the other man supplied. “She left her two little girls and ran off with a salesman.”

Clyde grunted. “Yeah, she surely did hate Fox Creek. And she told me all about the people living here. Said they needed a saloon.”

“And when you heard Jeff’s name, you made your plan,” the rancher interrupted.

Rubbing his hands together, Clyde chuckled. “Yep, I decided to take this town away from him.”

Are you wondering who Jeff is? Why does the man named Clyde want to steal his town?  Also, what can be done to keep him from claiming the town? After all, he has a deed from the railroad.

You will need to read the book to find out.

COMING SOON!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DD7SB7N9

THE PORTABLE SUPREME COURT or A JUDGE ON THE GO by Marisa Masterson

 The Old West and outlaws! I love including them in my books. But, in writing my newest story, I discovered something about the other side of the law. 

Library of Congress

Circuit riders! I believed they were only preachers. Instead, while researching for my book, I learned about circuit riding judges. Even Supreme Court Justices had to travel to hear cases. Amazing!

In my book, outlaws who had been selling alcohol to the indigenous people were on trial. Rather than send them to a larger town or city, the judge came to Fox Creek to try them. 

From Lily Lassoes the Lawman:

“Eric Mueller, how do you plead?”

Travis leaned forward in his chair at the front of the makeshift courtroom. Judge Harding sat behind Sheriff Ritter’s desk. His gavel traveled with him, and it lay near his hand on the otherwise clear desktop. Ritter sat next to him with Abner Perkins on his other side. He acted as a sort of prosecutor for the case as well as a witness.

The accused were brought out one at a time. Harding had already tried Roberts and the other two men involved in the failed abduction plot. Roberts was found guilty for that and for the other crimes reported to the judge by Abner Perkins, as the local Indian Agent.

Eric Mueller was the final prisoner. Ritter had insisted on saving him for last. Travis had agreed with Ritter about Eric’s apparent innocence. Compared to the other hardened criminals, Eric seemed to be a young man who needed a second chance at doing right, or so the sheriff believed.

Travis watched as Eric’s Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed. The man croaked out, “Not guilty, Your Honor.”

“Why should I believe you?”

I wanted to be sure this really happened in the 1800s. Low and behold, I learned about circuit judges. I have heard of a circuit court, but I had never heard ot that court traveling from town to town. With easy travel in our time, we don't need to do that. On the western frontier, this would be a necessity.

Stephen Field, Wikipedia

Even Supreme Court Justices traveled, at least for about one hundred years in the court's history. One, Justice Stephen Field, had to board a ship bound for Panama. Then he crossed the Isthmus. There, he took a ship to California in order to hear a case there. 

While still in California, he was attacked by a former colleague. The US Marshal assigned to protect Field shot and killed the attacker. Both were charged with murder, charges that were later dropped. (https://www.bunkhistory.org/resources/a-brief-history-of-circuit-riding)

With the rising number of cases seeking to be heard by the present justices, perhaps they need to return to such a system. Who knows? After all, the old saying is true--what's old becomes new again.

If you want to read more about judges on horseback, check out https://www.lb8.uscourts.gov/pubsandservices/histsociety/empire-panel2-judges-on-horseback.pdf.

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

Lily Lassoes the Lawman is now available!

Lily Calhoun cannot curb her anxiety when a United States marshal enters her café. She hopes his time in Fox Creek is brief. The man’s searching gaze confirms what she already fears. He knows her secret.

Travis Strickland arrives in Fox Creek to round up Fast Gun Philly Roberts and his gang of moonshiners. At least, he allows the locals to believe that. He has another reason for coming to town, one involving Lily.

He is intent on capturing Milo Wilder, the man who wants to find Lily. Wilder is a bank robber who murdered a man during his last theft. Travis will use the café owner as bait to lure the outlaw from wherever he is hiding.

It should be easy for Travis. The man he wants to capture will come after Lily. Travis will wait and watch, ready to catch him. Except Lily alters his plan when she packs up her son and runs away in the night.

When a man from her past threatens to reveal her real identity to the townspeople, Lily decides to leave. She buys a buggy and runs away in the night with her young son. Starting over will be hard, but it is not as daunting as facing her friends after they learn the truth about her.

Travis Strickland will not let her escape. He proposed to her and wants an answer. Or so he says when he catches up with her. What follows is a visit with a drunken judge and a night spent in a bunk house—and Travis’s confession that he plans to use her as bait.

Will Lily be his ‘happily wedded wife’ after learning how he plans to use her to catch Milo Wilder? Can Travis convince her to return to Fox Creek once she knows her outlaw brother-in-law is on his way?