Chapter Text
My daddy lived until he was seventy-five. A life of sin and debauchery that would make an emperor blush. He was a bigamist three times over, reckoned he had over a hundred children. Never worked an honest day in his life. I only saw him three months in my entire life, and my god, did I love that man. Never met a finer, in a way.
I ever tell you boys about the time I was hanged? Sure, so I got caught doin’... somethin’ or other, I was just a kid, seventeen, eighteen -- long before I met Dutch. I was newly an orphan… Anyway, I got caught by some hill country sheriff, stealing a chicken, I think it was, and he decided I was gonna be hanged for it! Yes… only some folks thought it was unfair, and at the hangin’ there was a riot. They went to lynch me. But, uhh… someone I never saw, he-he shot the rope, clean through. Instead, they hanged the sheriff! And I got away with nothin’ more’n a sore neck.
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Ya know, my pa used to say, “You stare into the fire long enough, you can see the whole world pass by.” I always thought it was the most stupid thing I ever heard… Aside from all the other stupid things he used to say, a‘course. But now I know exactly what he meant. Guess that’s age for you. It’s humbled better men than me, and it’s sure humblin’ me good an’ proper… like I deserve. I ain’t been a very good man, I know that, but… right now, as I approach my reckoning, guess one thing I could do is try to teach you boys about the many errs of my ways. I ain’t repenting, ‘cept for one thing: I wish I had acquired wisdom at less of a price. ‘Cept my head was too damn hard to learn quicker. Stupidity is all I am sorry for. Worse stupidity of all is not listenin’ to them as knows better.