A Bid Farewell

A cowboy herding his longhorn rides off to the west, into the setting sun.  His cattle are grown and it's market time.  He has left behind his shanty and the few friends he has.  The town consists of a sheriff's office, a hotel, a half-dozen hand built shacks, and a stage coach station, the post office, and a mercantile all rolled into one.  There also was a white-washed church that served as a school when a teacher could be found.  Not many people passed through.  On the outskirts of the town sat a fancy home which used to belong to a wealthy family.  It used to be a jolly place.  But ever since the man of that house, the mayor, died of a rattlesnake bite it began to dwindle and dust began to settle on the shingles.  His family returned to the big city, typical for the likes of them.  Now the house remained empty, possibly to never see inhabitants again.  The stage only made its rounds every few months if you were lucky.  Moisture is non-existent and crops dutifully failed.  Another story of the great American West returned to the dust.  A coyote howls, a sign of desolation.  The cowboy turns, tipping the brim of his hat in a bid farewell.