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McCook Gazette
Letter to the Editor

Happy trails

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Dear Editor,

The unusually tall man in the saddle with a marshal's badge pinned to his vest was feeling better than he had in months. The pain was finally subsiding and he looked forward to seeing Dodge again.

He couldn't recall a brighter morning sun. The glare nearly blinded him as he struggled to see the edge of the familiar town. It seemed as though the heavens suddenly opened up, bathing the desert floor in brilliant light.

As the big roan horse trotted past the first building, the rider could make out the Long Branch at the end of the parched, dirt street. Outside the swinging doors stood Miss Kitty, Chester, Doc and Juley. They never looked so good, he thought.

"Rider comin' in, Doc," said Chester. "My gum it looks like Matthew."

"He's long overdue," said a relieved Doc.

"Thank God he's safe," murmured Kitty.

As the tall man rode in and jumped down from his horse, the familiar faces ran up to him with tears in their eyes. Kitty rushed up and hugged him.

"Welcome home, Matt. It's been a long time."

Happy trails, big fella. We'll see you again one day.

Sincerely,

Thomas Kope,

Baldwin Park, California

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  • May we all ride into that town as you describe, armed only with the two arms God gave us, with our "Miss Kitty's,' Doc's, Chester's and Julie's," awaiting our homecoming. AMEN

    -- Posted by Navyblue on Wed, Jun 22, 2011, at 5:32 PM

  • GUNSMOKE was a huge part in my life from an early age. My Grandfather and one of my Great Uncles both listened to it on the radio when William Conrad(?) was the voice of Matt Dillon. When it first came to TV in the 1950s televisions were very expensive and out of reach of a lot of folks. My Grandfather ran a shoe shop and a TV set was a luxury. Right across the street was the Gant Furniture store. Mr. Gant let people in to his showroom on the night that GUNSMOKE was on TV. I am sure he sold a bunch of TV sets to these customers. My more affluent Great Uncle bought one from Mr. Gant and a few years later my Grandpa did also. I have NetFlix and I watch at least two episodes of GUNSMOKE every week. Every time I watch it I am reminded of both my Uncle and Grandpa.

    -- Posted by Big Chief on Sat, Jul 2, 2011, at 10:20 AM
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