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Late Spring In Maddock |
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Nearly five months have passed since the fire that devastated the town, burning down most of the buildings in its wake. As spring wanes to a close, the town is now dotted with new construction, most notably the Saloon that looms over the town square like a well of life to the miners coming into town from the Mining Company. While some opposed the building of the saloon, most now realize that with the round up coming to an end, the town once again has the means to attract the hundreds of cowboys who will soon be flocking to town to spend there pay on new clothes, good food, good drink and of course bad ladies. This will mean a great boost to the town coffers as the local law will be quite busy collecting fines for broken town ordinances and the few local shopkeepers who have managed to rebuild or relocate will be kept quite busy. A new gunsmith shop is already underway to the south of town, Miss Isolde Balcombe bravely choosing a lot just across the street from where Mayor Evan Randolph's lot used to be. Word is also spreading rather quickly in an unconfirmed rumour that Christopher Quintan has decided to replace the General Store by setting up a shop of his own. This of course comes just upon the heels of another unconfirmed rumour that Madeline Quintan's son, Joshua was awarded the Twin Hill's Ranch during the reading of Karl Quintan's will. Throughout the town, signs of progress and recovery can be seen and with that growth comes more lawlessness. A new Deputy Sheriff, Booth Daniels, has been hired just shortly after a mob of angry miners was seen flowing through the town to turn over one of the men responsible for the Miss Taylor abduction to Sheriff Barron. A riot was miraculously averted when Damien D'aray announced to the men that saloon drinks were on the house. Doctor Zachary Kei Zungji, formerly occupying a tent on the churchyard has relocated to points west along the river. Construction on his new land is underway and while many begrudgingly respect the chinese doctor, there is a underlying current of animosity that he has chosen to bring other chinamen into the area in order to complete this building. Should these men venture into town, they are often greeted with animosity and prejudice. Seems the Doctor has also taken an a new apprentice, Nurse Caitlin Lockhart has been seen in his company quite a bit. Meanwhile, the locals from ranches, homesteads and farms have been all but sparse in town. The Brandt Ranch is busy with spring foaling, this season being one of their most productive yet. The Double M and Twin Hills Ranches are busy with round up, bringing the cattle in off the range for branding, cutting and doctoring. Local farms and homesteads like the Ellis Farm and Rhodes Homestead are also quite busy with spring planting. The construction of the new town building was halted when it was realized that the existing well had gone dry. Further investigation proved that there was no adequate supply to be found. Fortunately for the town, a new water engineer happened to be coming through town looking for work. Natan Zamir has been hired on as a consultant to determine just what should be done, including the possibility of implementing a water works in town. This facility would be just what the town needs to provide reliable running wanter not just to local businesses but to residences as well. New arrivals on the grid include Sol, Tatiana, Roland, Ramsey, Finnegan, Casey, Mandala and Theo. Return to the Archive |