Posted on Jan 17, 2026
SGT Kevin Hughes
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Okay, so I am a sucker for Louis L'Amour and his tales of the "Old West." Those "fastest draw in the West", or the "Gunslinger/Shooter, Quick Draw" tales where the good guys win. Loved them all. As he would say: "Where men were cut wide and deep up in the High Country."
But...I am also a Romantic guy. So what would happen if two Gunslingers met...one guy...one girl...what happens then? So here you go a Tale from the Old West: The Gunslingers.

“Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.”
Grey smoke hung in the air. Four men lay in the dust and manure of Main Street. Blood left a stain on the dirt, souls left the bodies lying on the dirt.
She looked around to see if any more men would try their luck.
One of them spoke up.
“That’s some good shooting girl.”
Her eyes were still cold from delivering death at the end of a smoking barrel.
“How would you know?”
He smiled and pointed at the dead men sprawled on the ground. Each with a single bullet whole just to the right of their sternum.
She nodded acknowledgment with a brief flick of her eyes.
“My name is John.”
“Is that your real name?”
He smiled as he took his hat off to wipe his brow.
“Well…yeah…but some folks call me the Sirocco Kid.”
Her eyes widened. Her mouth grew dry. Her hand nestled against the still warm handle of her twin colt forty fives.
“You calling me out?”
He smiled and put his hat back on. One boot scuffed the dirt in a small circular pattern. He looked, for a moment, like nothing more than a shy kid in a school yard somewhere…talking to a girl for the first time.
“Nope. I was thinking of asking you to marry me.”
She moved her hand from the hilt of her revolver. Nineteen notches slid under the light touch of her fingers. Four more to be added today.
“Well, what if we don’t get along?”
“I think people would pay a hefty fee to see that shootout. And I wouldn’t bet against you…or me.”
She laughed. It had been a long time since a man made her laugh. It was a good sign. Good enough for her.
“My name is Jane."
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Edited 23 d ago
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Responses: 4
PO3 Phyllis Maynard
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@sgt kevin Hughes this is a nice cowgirl picture.
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CPL Douglas Chrysler
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19 notches... More legend than fact I think.
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MSG Stan Hutchison
MSG Stan Hutchison
22 d
SGT Kevin Hughes - No problem, brother.
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CPL Douglas Chrysler
CPL Douglas Chrysler
22 d
MSG Stan Hutchison Get published!!!
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MSG Stan Hutchison
MSG Stan Hutchison
22 d
CPL Douglas Chrysler - I went through all that back 20 years ago. I did get one novel published by a vanity publisher, but to no avail. A vanity publisher does nothing to help promote the book.
Also, in today's "tech" world, there is little or no demand for any type of poetry in book form. I went to a printer and got 100 copies of a book I put together. That one was "Cowboy Poetry." I did another on "Vietnam Memories. I took those copies to various stores around the area and could not sell even one copy.
I considered setting up a website, but with all the traffic out there, I just do not think it would be worth the effort.
But thanks for the encouragement.
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CPL Douglas Chrysler
CPL Douglas Chrysler
21 d
MSG Stan Hutchison Local newspapers still consider new authors. I did sports stories on the lesser known colleges in the area. They even assigned a photographer. The pay wasn't much but it sure was fun.
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SGT Aaron Atwood
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My dad has multiple Louis L'amour titles. Among his favorites to sit down and delve into when nothing else mattered.
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SGT Kevin Hughes
SGT Kevin Hughes
23 d
I know what he means. I use to read and re- read my favorites too. Like: Flint, Gallagher, The Sacketts - Hondo, etc... At one time- a long time ago, I had (in paperback) every single one of his books. I donated them to a local Mom and Pop shop that was having a rough patch. And it boosted their sales quite a bit. He was one popular Writer.
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