She came to him after dark, and he took her under his many blankets. Alice Roman Nose was immensely cold, and he did his best to warm her, though she was more interested in his intimacy.

Finally, Garrett Johnstone gave in, and they spent the remainder of the small hour making love.

It was nearing sunrise when he got up and stoked the tent stove to reduce the chill. Then Johnstone returned to the pallet where the war chief’s daughter still slept.

He laid beside Alice and thanked his lucky star that she finally saw his love for her before drifting back to sleep.

Johnstone woke overheated from the noonday sun, so he opened the tent flaps to cool the interior. Next, he moved to the stove and found his coffee pot.

As he placed it on the stove, Johnstone saw Alice was no longer among the blankets. He raced to the doorway and looked out, finding not even a footprint in the freshly fallen snow.

Puzzled, he quickly dressed and stepped outside. It took Johnstone no time to find the odd-looking snowdrift a few feet to the left of the tent and Alice’s body frozen from the night before.

My Cousin Elmo says, “You know you drink too much coffee when someone asks how you are, and you answer, ‘Good to the last drop.’”

peddling stanza cheap
where truth lies buried deep
and media sleep

President Biden received his COVID-19 vaccine booster after public health officials recommended them for many Americans, including those 65 and older. Mr. Biden, 78, got his third shot on camera.

Over this last weekend, the Street Vibrations Fall Festival was in Virginia City. The town is part of my news beat, so naturally, I spent a lot of my time there.

It amazes me to walk into one of the local saloons and find myself in conversation with strangers. In this case, it was several members of a Marine Corps motorcycle club.

As we sat jawing, one guy asked me what I did for a living. I explained that I write for the local newspaper, and he asked, “You mean the one Mark Twain wrote for?”

“No,” I said, “That paper is no longer in print, but I do work for the one that took its place.”

He immediately turned to the other members of the club and hollered, “Sam Clemen’s replacement is here.”

Perfect Marine humor.

To that, the entire bar burst out in laughter, and I turned beet-red. And when I thought my embarrassment couldn’t get any worse, someone in the back of the bar shouted, “You mean Foghorn Leghorn?”

My Cousin Elmo says. “Scientists say they’re almost ready with a pill to treat COVID but don’t know if it should be ‘red’ or ‘blue.’”

It was just before midnight when the dog hopped from the bed and started down the hallway. There was a brief light than a sound as the man gently returned to sleep.

As he slipped into unconsciousness, he was sure that the light was the hallway nightlight and the sound, the plastic flap on the dog door. Then it happened again, but he was too far asleep to realize the light had come before the sound when it should have been in reverse.

He felt the dog hop onto the bed and curl up. He’d learn the truth come daylight.

My Cousin Elmo says, “Normal is a mental illness.”

Over the last couple of days, I have seen a broad spectrum of complaints that a missing “white woman” is getting more press time than a missing “black man.” The blame rests with the national media and their reporting practices. Odd how half of the nation knows and understands how biased the media are and how the other half continues to defend these so-called journalists.

In 2019, Daniel Robinson graduated from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Not long after, he was hired as a field geologist and moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

Co-workers last saw Robinson at about 9:15 a.m. on Wed., Jun. 23, 2021, testing groundwater near Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road. At some point, he got into his blue 2017 Jeep Renegade and drove away.

The Buckeye, Ariz., Police Department received the report of his disappearance that evening.

Authorities immediately checked with local hospitals and conducted a ground search for the missing man. Later, the Arizona Civil Air Patrol completed several rigorous air searches for Robinson.

Investigators spoke with his friends and family to gather information about him and where he may have gone. They learned that before vanishing, he had been “acting strange” and “seemed withdrawn.”

Detectives obtained cellphone and financial records but were unable to locate any information to aid in the search. They also tried to access the On-Star technology from his Jeep, but there was no power to it. Police pinged his cellphone but could not get location data because it was either turned off or out of range.

On Tues., Jul. 20, 2021, a cattle rancher found his Jeep about four miles southwest of his last known location. The Jeep appeared to have rolled 20 feet down into a ravine.

The airbags had deployed. But it was determined that Robinson had been wearing his seatbelt when the Jeep entered the ravine. The driver-side window, however, was smashed, and the windshield cracked.

His boots, safety vest, cellphone wallet, and keys were near the vehicle. Detectives conducted a ground search of the area surrounding the Jeep but came up empty.

The 24-year-old Robinson stands five-foot-eight, weighs between 150 to 165 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. He was born without his lower right arm.

If you have information regarding Robinson, contact the Buckeye Police Department at 623-349-6400 or 623-523-0234. You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-274-6372.

My Cousin Elmo says, “My wife says I can be a jerk sometimes. I thanked her for giving me permission.”

My Cousin Elmo says, “I got the COVID vaccine but I noticed a weird side effect. Every time I sneeze I hear the Microsoft error sound.”