Tommy Maaltman's Wild, Wild West, Minerva finds happiness.

No matter how wretched and despicable an existence, all human beings have dreams, goals, and a desire to seek happiness. Minerva Lassiter, the daughter of Colton Lassiter, the stone cold, lone gunman, killer for hire, was no exception. Upon stepping off the train in St. Louis, she was immediately overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of this big thriving supply city on the Eastern edge of Tommy Maaltman's Wild, Wild West. It didn't take her long to realize that Mr. Bagette, the President of the Southern Union Bank in Valdosta, Georgia, cheated her out of all her money and that the nicely dressed Preacher Man, that she encountered on the train, got her drunk and stole what little self esteem she had left. She had to assume that she was lied to and that her father, Colton Lassiter, was nowhere near the city of St. Louis. However, Colton Lassiter was well known in these parts and it didn't take long to find out that he resided in the dusty, dirty, forgotten town of.....Forgotten. Minerva, a true survivor, did what she does best, and signed up to be the wash woman for a wagon train departing for the Northwest Territory of Oregon. As luck would have it, the path of the wagon train would go through Forgotten on it's way west. In exchange for washing the settlers filthy, sweat drenched clothes in some parasite infested streams, she would earn her food and keep until she arrived in Forgotten. Well, there was a lot of washing to do, not much food to eat, and her "keep" consisted of sleeping under a wagon at night with a flea and small pox infested blanket to keep her warm. After many days on the trail, the wagon trained rolled into Forgotten. Minerva thanked her boss the wagon master, Mr. Rowdy Higgins, and parted ways searching for the father who walked out on her many years ago back East. Lassiter was nowhere to be found, having taken a couple of jobs in the Territory of Arizona settling land disputes between the powerful and wealthy cattle ranchers and the less prosperous sheep herders. Despondent, desperate, barely alive, suffering from malnutrition, fatigued and depressed, Minerva made her way to the Forgotten Flea Bag Boarding House and offered to work as a wash woman. The owners laughed at the proposition, never having a need to wash the bedding, but feeling sorry for her said she could sleep in the barn overnight next to the mules providing she shoveled out the manure the next morning. That is where she met Jimmy, the 16 year old, third grade frontier school drop out whose family had been scalped and massacred in a Nez Pierce injun raid, recovering from having both clavicles broken by Lassiter in a recent confrontation in The Hole in the Wall Saloon. It was love at first sight. Jimmy was just beginning to get feeling back in his arms and hands and offered Minerva a dram of Lagavulin, Distillers Edition, Double Matured, 43 vol. Finished in Pedro Ximenex Sherry Casks with a rich amber color, smoke and fish nose, smoke, peat and Spanish Sherry taste and a long soft smoke and gently spiced finish. The bottle was a gift from Gums, the unshaven, toothless bar keep at The Hole in the Wall Saloon paid for my Lassiter with two gold nuggets with instructions to give it to Jimmy when he recovers. Minerva, a bit wary, accepted a small dram and as she savored the God's nectar, she felt like she finally found her little slice of Heaven on Earth. Slainte, Tommy Maaltman