DECEMBER 13, 1861

Sitting in the dining room having supper and thinking about what to get Jimmy and Lee for a wedding present, Ted heard a crash in the kitchen and hurried to see what it was. As he entered the room, he smelled smoke. Right away he saw the fire. Marta came running in and smacked right into Ted. "Marta go and get help. There's a fire. Get buckets of water." He pushed Marta out of the room. Then he went to Desiree who was trying to stamp out the fire with a big towel and her feet. Ted took off his jacket and tried to snuff out some of the fire.

Soon Marta, Jennie and Walter joined them with buckets of water. Ted let his coat drop on the fire and went to pump out more water to fill their buckets. The fire lost its control over the room and died. It was a short lived blaze, lasting only ten minutes, but to the five
people who had tackled it with their pulses racing and their hearts beating fast, it seemed like an eternity. Finally, all of them stumbled out into the dining room and dropped into chairs trying to calm their heart rates down.

When Walter could get his breath and start thinking straight once again, he angrily asked, "What happened?"

"I'm sorry Walter, it was all my fault. I knocked over the lantern." The expression on his face scared her. She had never seen him look so angry before. "I was trying to get the food prepared. I was trying to do too much at once, and I knocked it over."

"She has been working a lot lately, Mr. Simmons," Marta spoke up for her friend.

"I think you need to hire another cook to help out," Ted said. "Desiree has been working an awful lot lately. I could see that she was worn out before she even went into the kitchen."

Walter's anger subsided, and he looked at Desiree intently. He had been working her a lot lately, especially when she wasn't over at the saloon singing. He did need some more help in the hotel. He would have to put an advertisement in the PEG. "You're right Ted, I need to advertise for some more help. Maybe someone passing through town will decide to stay and apply. I'll do it immediately. I guess will have to close the dining room down for a while until I can get the kitchen fixed. Desiree why don't-" Daniel walked in. "Doc come over here." As the doctor joined them, Walter stood up. "How about taking a look at these three."

"What happened?" Daniel inquired.

"We had a little accident in the kitchen." The hotel owner explained what had happened and then Daniel took a look at all of them. None of them were badly hurt. They all had just minor burns which the doctor withdrew a bottle of salve out of his doctor's bag and applied to them. He also bandaged the bigger burns, so that the salve wouldn't
get rubbed off by accident.

"Desiree you go up and rest, and Marta can you make me a sign saying that we won't be serving meals for a while. I'll see what I can do about the kitchen." After the girls were off to do as instructed, Walter ventured back into the kitchen with Ted on his heels.

The two men took up the burnt boards and measured. Walter left the back door open so that the smoky air would dissipate, and then he rode out to the mill to purchase some wood to fix the floor, and Ted cleaned up the kitchen as best he could, and then he went over to the mercantile to pick up some things that they had lost in the fire.

Later that afternoon, Walter and Ted were back in the kitchen making the repairs. Walter decided to not reopen that evening. He wanted the kitchen to air out and for Desiree and Marta to have some rest. He gave Ted some money for him to purchase Desiree, Jennie, Marta, and himself some food, and he also told Ted to tell Charlie that anyone
that came in from the hotel to put their bill on his tab.

After taking supper to the girls, Ted ate alone at the restaurant. Afterwards he went over to the mercantile to purchase some wedding presents. He purchased a few lamps and lanterns. The fire had triggered the thought of them, and he had decided that the couple
would need them for their new home.

"What are those for?" Walter inquired as he came inside the establishment.

"They're for Lee and Jimmy's wedding presents. Have you got them anything yet?"

"I'm just giving them some money. People can always use money."

"That's good." Ted replied and then left the store.

Walter picked up some kitchen ingredients and then returned to the hotel. The place felt lonely with no one about. He had even given Jennie the evening off. He was looking after the front desk in case anybody wanted to check in.