Living on This Side of the Timeline

A Second Anthology: Fresh Writings and Poems

William D. O'Toole

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781098073152
• eBook ISBN: 9781098073183
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Religious Poetry
• Index: Literature

We all are very fortunate to have been handed life, through God's grace, with an opportunity to spend eternity with him in his heavenly kingdom. As humans, we are extremely important to God. He proves it through the events of his son's thirty-three-year life. Our own personal view on salvation and how we decide to live this life, with or without Christ, are vitally important to him as well. One thing we all have in common is that we all exist together on the same created planet, doing the best we can with what we have, in a world that was once unbroken. We have a creator who knows all about everything we are now dealing with and are going to face as we travel our personal paths. He yearns to have a personal relationship with each one of us. But ultimately, that choice lies at the doormat of each of our hearts. He waits for us to answer that door. When we do, heaven rejoices! God is our only hope in life and our triumph thereafter. That is the narrative these books have endeavored to tell, through the author's poetry and short tales.

This is the author's second anthology of Living on This Side of the Timeline (Fresh Writings and Poems). These new selections delve into various themes, leading the reader down roads of faith, hope, praise, wonder, humor, encouragement, the profound, and that of simple daily life. Together as earthly neighbors, we all share our precious lives with challenges, joys, and personal dreams Living on This Side of the Timeline.

Writings (Tales and Adventures)

Tales and Adventures

Like Drawing Pictures in Water: A Western Tale (June 2019)

Sunlen came out of the farmhouse and crossed the open yard where the red barn stood, which Stuart had built three years ago. She swung open the large doors and made her way inside. Stuart was standing next to Molly, double-checking the tension on her saddle straps. He slung the saddle bags across her back and secured them to the saddle with two leather straps. His 44-40 Henry rifle was in its scabbard leaning against the stable gate. He reached for it and proceeded to attached it in place on Molly’s right side. Sunlen calmly walked over to him and put her arms around her husband as he returned in kind. She handed him a paper bag containing a couple of sandwiches, fruit, and some freshly made beef jerky. She stepped back with her hands in his and repeated what she had said in the house earlier: “You don’t have to go and do this, Stuart. It isn’t that important now, after all this time.”

Nearly four years ago now, Stuart Hayward and his grandson Cade were out hunting deer in the hills near Winthrop, Washington. This was their third outing for the season, and they were both hoping that one of them would get a chance at a buck. All they had seen so far were does and plenty of them. Stuart wasn’t wild about shooting does, so he had taught Cade that they were only looking for bucks. “The less we have of does each year, the less deer there are to hunt.” Cade was now nineteen, and he loved nothing more than being in the outdoors with his grandfather. They often hiked together as well.

Now, Rodney Banes was also hunting near Winthrop that day. He, however, did not care, one way or the other, what he shot. Stuart and Cade had risen early, left camp, and had found the perfect spot to sit and wait for the sun to rise and lift the fog, that was like clouds that had fallen to the ground and lodged themselves between the hills. The downed whitewashed tree they had found was a nice addition, as they could rest their firearms on it for stability. Stuart handed Cade a banana, and he ate the other one. A couple of crows were making a racket some distance away. Then, with no warning, two does ran by on Stuart’s side leaping over the tree. A third animal was close behind which leaped right over where Cade was sitting and disappeared into the fog. “That one was a buck,” said Cade, as two more does had heard Cade’s high voice and stopped right in front of them in plain sight.

“Don’t shoot, buddy. They are both does,” said Stuart to his grandson. No sooner had he said that, a shot hang out, and Cade slumped to the ground. Stuart fell back on his hands in shock and immediately went to his grandson’s aid. It wasn’t good. Cade had been shot in the chest and was bleeding heavily. Stuart heard rapid footsteps approaching from the direction the deer had come and a man appeared out of the fog, apparently looking for the deer he thought he had shot. The man’s name was Rodney Banes. He stopped in his tracks about ten yards away when he realized what had transpired. He looked straight at Stuart, staring for what seemed like minutes, said nothing, turned, and disappeared in the direction from where he had come. Stuart would not forget that face. He had got a good look at the man. Right now, he was concerned for his grandson. He stuffed his neckerchief under Cade’s shirt and applied pressure. He knew he had to get him to a doctor immediately.

Stuart had done every single thing he could possibly do for his grandson, but the doctors couldn’t save him. The high-powered round had done its dreadful deed, and that was that. For years Stuart lived with the self-blame for his grandson’s fate. It was his daughter Hallie’s only son and he was extremely close with her too, so that made it extremely unbearable.

The Haywards left their home in Washington after the funeral, moving to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where they purchased a large acreage spread and built a modest ranch house and horse barn. They bought a few head of cattle and acquired a variety of other livestock. Sunlen and Hallie kept busy with the garden, the chickens, and house chores. Stew and a few ranch hands took care of the rest. It was a change they needed in order to move on from the past. Hallie stayed on as support for her parents. She had her share of suffering through all of this as well and held onto the Lord and her parents for comfort. She had lost her husband, when Cade was six, in a stampede accident where her husband worked as a ranch hand. She knew where she needed to be to keep the family together. Her two older brothers remained in Washington but often came over and spent time there working, while the house and barn were under construction. The neighbors and friends in Washington were an amazing comfort to the whole family, yet it was time for a change.

One day while Stuart was in town at Jed’s Mercantile, collecting as many items as he could on Sunlen’s grocery list, a hunting buddy of his saw Molly tied up to a wagon outside the store and came inside to find his friend. Stuart heard the bell on the door jingle as Jesse Anders strolled in. Stuart turned to glance at who entered and, to his surprise, saw his friend walking toward him with an unusual somber look on his face. Jesse reached out for a handshake, with Stuart receiving it.

“What in the world are you doing in Bonners Ferry, Jess? This is a far cry from Eastern Montana.”

“I came over to visit you and found something in Troy on the way. I have some news you may find interesting, but not sure what you will do with it,” Jesse said without changing his expression.

“Well, I’m happy to see you too!” Stuart returned, with a flavor of jest in his voice.

Jesse cracked a slight grin and said, “You ’bout done here so we can have a sit and catch up a bit?”

Stuart looked at Jed behind the store counter and said, “Sure, um, let me grab a few more items and we’ll head over to Slim’s and I’ll buy you a beer or two.” Stuart read off the remaining items on the list to Jed. Jed scratched his head for a second, then turned and went for the hunt in the stockroom. Stuart looked over at Jesse, who was leaning against a stack of wooden cases, nervously rocking his right foot up and down. “Would you like to meet me over there and I’ll join you shortly?” Stuart proposed.

“I can wait, Stew,” Jesse replied. Jed reappeared behind the counter with all the items, save the two-pound bag of sugar he wanted. “I should be getting my shipment of staples end of week, Stew,” said Jed, sliding over to the cash register. “If you’re in a rush to meet with your friend there, I can put this on a tab for later?”

“No, but thanks, Jed, I’ll pay for it all now and pick up the sugar on Friday.”

“Not a problem at all” came Jed’s reply.

The bell on the door rang again as Stuart and Jesse made their way out of the store, down the wooden boardwalk, and across the parched street to Slim’s Saloon. The place was dead except for five fellas in the back, who were in deep thought at a poker table. Nell came over the minute they seated themselves. “You boys look like you just lost your life savings at a crap table. Everything all right?”

“I’ll let you know in about two minutes, Nell,” said Stuart in reply. “Can you bring us a couple of beers, please?”

Nell smiled and went to fill the request. Stuart’s eyes went to Jesse, in wait for the conversation that would no doubt soon ensue. Jesse’s mouth partially opened in slow motion, while looking at Stuart, and then he abruptly said, “I know where Banes is!”

Stuart had spent a great deal of time with posse’s, sheriffs, and federal marshals in identifying and eventually apprehending Rodney Banes. He went to trial pleading his innocence. With the lack of definitive evidence placing him at the scene, he was found not guilty by a jury and released from jail. Stuart was the only person who saw Banes that day. The defense lawyers had claimed that with the heavy fog and Stuart’s emotions, he could have easily made a mistake in his identification of the suspect. His word against Banes.

Stuart didn’t know what to say at first. This was news he didn’t need. The nightmare had followed him to Bonners Ferry. “I don’t want to know this, Jess, and neither does Hallie or Sunlen. I really need to head back to the ranch with these supplies. We’ve moved on. Why are you telling me this after what this has done to our family?”

“I thought you might be interested,” Jess whispered, as Nell came back with two large frothy beers.

She paused a moment next to the table and, after an odd look from Jesse, she made herself scarce back behind the bar. Jesse continued, “I thought maybe the two of us could go find this guy and give him a touch of justice he deserves.”

“That’s not how I row, Jesse, and you know that. As awful as this whole event has been, I need to be there for the family that I have left. If we were to attack Banes, we would be the ones to end up behind bars, and that would be devastating to my family and to my faith.”

“There’s one other thing,” Jesse added as he sat back in his chair. “The son of a bitch has been bragging about it with a bunch of his lowly friends. I heard it myself while checking to see if he really was at the place I was told he was.”

Stuart stared at the beer in front of him and noticed Nell looking his way. He picked the mug of beer up by its handle, downed half of it, and set it back on the table. Stuart looked at Jesse. “Look, I need to get back to the ranch, my friend. Tell me…where is Banes?”

The days that followed the meeting with Jesse were filled with mixed emotions of anxiety, disgust, and sleepless nights. It was beginning to show in Stuart’s daily work or lack of it. He eventually sat down with Sunlen, while Hallie was off visiting one of her good friends and told her about what Jesse had told him at Slim’s. Stuart said that he needed to confront the man and ask him why he didn’t stay and try to help his grandson, since he knew it was Banes’s bullet that had taken his grandson’s life. All he wanted was an answer to why and not an altercation, like Jesse had suggested. “I know I need to forgive him, as I’ve been taught by my parents and through Scripture, but I feel strongly about seeing him face-to-face and finely laying this all to rest.” Sunlen looked at Stuart’s face and knew it was a lost cause to change his mind. He was a determined man that needed closure, and this was it, yet Sunlen stated her concern.

“You don’t have to go and do this, Stuart. It isn’t that important now, after all this time. He may be a dangerous man and do something rash before you even have a chance to speak your peace.”

Stuart leaned toward Sunlen “I know you are right and I love you for it, but I’m riding out in the morning and will see you in six to eight days. We’ll get this behind us and I’ll be fine. I can’t live with this gnawing at me any longer.”

“Is Jesse going with you?” Sunlen asked.

Stuart quickly answered, “No, just Molly and me. I plan on stopping in to see the town sheriff before I approach Banes. You know me…by the book.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about, Stuart. It’s Rodney Banes.”

Stuart finished the conversation by saying, “I can always use some additional prayers?”

Sunlen, Stuart, and Molly walked out of the barn into a bright sunny afternoon. The farm was in good hands. Charlie Wiggins and Hutch Baxter would help out while Stuart was gone. Good honest friends and hardworking men. Sunlen and Hallie were safe with those two around. Stuart had been offered from a dozen men to ride alongside him to Troy, Montana, but he refused all of them, with thanks and appreciation. The distance was about thirty-two miles and would follow the Kootenay River the entire way straight into Troy. Plenty of water for Molly. A good portion of the trip would be through the mountains. Before mounting Molly, Stuart and Sunlen embraced as a tear rushed down Sunlen’s right cheek. Stuart caught it and kissed her again. Sunlen looked at Stuart’s rifle and said, “Do ...

Table of contents

• Preface
• Poems (Thoughts to Encourage)
• Poems (Upward Praise)
• Poems (Trials to Persecution)
• Poems (For Indecisive Souls)
• Poems (Nature and Beyond)
• Poems (The Pacific Northwest)
• Poems (Penned for Friends)
• Poems (The Lighter Side)
• Poems (At Day’s End)
• Writings (Tales and Adventures)
• Writings (Sketches from Home)