The daily walk has the opportunity to show me something new. I have to keep my eyes and ears open to fulfill the wish to learn “something new every day.” Today’s item of interest, which took me by surprise, was a Wanted poster. Stapled to an electric pole and they weren’t looking for their pets.

The poster read, “Wanted: Dead or Alive with an award of $500.” There was a sketched likeness of Red Bart, a known outlaw. Looking past the pole was the wide expanse of prairie. It was hot and the prairie was dry. There was a man riding towards me who looked strangely familiar and as he got closer, fear gripped my gut. Red Bart. His reputation meant that I would soon die.

“Hello stranger,” he said.

“Hello,” said I with a voice I thought was too low and with a throat I thought was too dry.

He continued, “Is that your farm down there?” motioning to my shack with the underfed goats, cattle and horses.

I replied that it was and then he asked me how old I was. I told him that I was sixty-seven.

He then said, “Sixty-seven. You know, I would be doing you a favor if I shot you right now.”

My mouth opened but nothing came out.

He then said, “I’m well known for not liking people, but I’m also well known for liking animals. If I shoot you, those penned up animals down there are likely to starve. So today, stranger, is your lucky day.”

He rode away and I stood there thanking God for his creatures. I looked at the poster again.

They weren’t looking for stage robbers or gunfighters, who in their time were actually called ‘shootists’. What they were looking for, and paying for, was information about a house robbery and a stolen car.

I continued my walk, down past the old farmhouse museum, with its well-fed goats, cattle and horses. A Wanted poster was on a pole.

Jack Sakalauskas is senior citizen and has the blog Pensioners Rants.