A fictional story by Junior Johnson
The following morning at breakfast in the Gallien dining room, Levy Lodrigue revealed
the discussion that had taken place the night before with Rita Johnson and her boys Aiden and Dylan, to his sons Tony and John Levy, about their sister moving her family to CoCo Bed. The boys were overjoyed to learn that they would be reunited with Rita and her sons.
Abslom Johnson said that he and Levy would go over to the office of Ronnie Smith, their lawyer, and get the necessary paperwork processed giving Rita land to have her new home built on.
He then gave his son John Wesley a list of supplies that they needed back home, and instructed him to take Dempsey and Harvis over to the Masson General Store, a very successful enterprise
operated by Clyde and John Masson. They were to secure the needed items and load the wagon they’d brought from CoCo Bed. Levy told Tony and John Levy to accompany them along with Rita and her boys, and for them to get anything they might need as well.
Soon after breakfast, as they were getting ready to leave the Gallien Boarding House, the operator of the telegraph office stopped by with a wire that he had just received from Mississippi.
The day before, after laying out the proposal they were going to make with Captain John Winston, one of the Deputies had sent a telegram to Sheriff Jones explaining what they hoped Winston would agree to. He wanted a list of all the property in Winston’s name at the Assessor’s Office, and a list of his money on deposit at the local bank.
Sheriff Jones was able to get this information before he departed on his trip to Louisiana. Abslom and Levy told the Mississippi Deputies, along with Deputy Moran, to accompany them to Ronnie Smith’s office. He would draw up papers to transfer the property back to its original owners, and divide the money. They would gladly witness this and hoped it wouldn’t be long before the families were back in their respective homes. The telegraph also said that Sheriff Jones expected to be in Natchitoches within two days and to have the prisoners there waiting for him.
Things were coming together nicely as they departed the Boarding House for Ronnie Smith’s office and the Masson General Store. Business was conducted at both places within a couple of hours and they were ready for a return trip to CoCo Bed, except the two Mississippi Deputies, who’d remain to help watch over the prisoners with Deputy Moran.
Abslom Johnson suggested they make one more stop before they left town, and that was at the Spurgeon Sawmill. The mill was operated by the Spurgeon brothers, Wilmer and Jerry. Abslom knew they were excellent at their craft and had one of the best logging contractors around in Dennis LaCaze. Dennis was the son of Harold LaCaze who worked for Alexis Cloutier.
There was a large tract of virgin cypress trees on Abslom and Levy’s property and a portion of this timber could be used to construct Rita Johnson’s new home.
It didn’t take long for arrangements to be made with the Spurgeon’s. They would arrange for Dennis to cut and deliver the logs to their mill for processing.
After this business deal was completed they finally departed Cloutierville for CoCo Bed where news of the new addition to the community would be joyously received.
It was nearing sundown when they arrived at the Johnson and Lodrigue homes on CoCo Bed. Lucille and Martha was getting ready to put out supper for the family. The first thing that Abslom did was summon Noah and tell him to ring the big bell that would announce to everyone that a meeting was to take place.
Workers began to gather after the sound of the bell and immediately began helping to unload the
wagon loaded with supplies purchased from Masson’s General Store. Once this project was completed Levy told everyone to gather before his and Lucille’s home where he had an announcement to make.
As Levy was unveiling plans for his daughter and her children to join the community, cheers rang out from those crowed around. There was joy on CoCo Bed and everyone was excited about what the future would bring. Reverend Cryer, who was mending nicely from the surgery Doctor Scruggs had performed, raised his hand for silence and began a prayer of thanksgiving.
Back at the little one cell jail in Cloutierville, Doctor Scruggs had just finished treating his newest patient, Captain John Winston. With a much better qualified Doctor and the proper medical supplies, Winston was doing remarkably well in the two days that he had been locked in the cell.
As Deputy Moran locked the cell door behind the good Doctor after he had finished, he looked over at the evil Captain John Winston and saw something Winston had not done
in ages.
The murdering carpetbagger Captain John Winston hung his head and began to cry like a baby. Deputy Moran only smiled.
