Impossible Journey, A Tale of Times and Truth

The swinging door swings wide as the three enter. They walk causally up to the bar and order drinks. They stand there for a while watching the couples dance. Every now and then some of the men come to the bar to order drinks for their lady friends. Then they sit with them at one of the tables in the center and drink. When they finish their drinks, they get back up and dance again.

Soon one of the men at the bar starts to make eyes at one of the girls at the side of the room. He turns to the bartender and asks in quiet tones: "How much for that one?"

"The usual price is $25.00," says the bartender softly, but not too softly for our friends to hear, "but   she’s special. $30.00."

The man hands the money to the bartender and walks over to the woman. Soon they are dancing with the rest. Our friends think to themselves that it’s a high price to pay for a dance. But then they begin to notice that one by one the couples, who were dancing so beautifully on the floor, begin to slip away upstairs.

"Where are they going?" asks Kerry, upon seeing one couple ascend the long circular staircase.

"Who?" replies the bartender.

"That couple over there."

"Oh, them. Well now, where would you think? Upstairs to have a little privacy." The bartender winked at Kerry. "If you’d like some of th' same, it’ll cost you only $30.00."

"What are you running here?" quires Walt, "a brothel?"

"Call it what you will," replies the bartender. "We’re providing a service to these lonely miners." The bartender appears slightly frightened as he says: "Say, you fellows aren’t federal agents or somethin' like that are y'?"

"Nah! Don’t worry, we’re nothing like that. We’re just a bunch of guys who happen to believe that such things are wrong."

By now, the other men at the bar are perking up their ears and looking askance at the three strangers. The bartender speaks again. "It may be wrong by the law of the land where you guys come from, but out here, mister, we ain't got no law."

This time it is Daniel who speaks. "And what about the laws of Almighty God? Don’t they apply here either?"

"Well, well, well!" exclaims one of the men at the bar. "What have we got here?--a bunch o' Bible thumpin' fanatics?"

"No!" protests Walt, "We’re not Bible thumping fanatics either. We just happen to believe in common every day decency and morality."

A short distance from them, one of the miners to whom they had spoken at the stream earlier yells out: "Hey! These are th’ feelers who claim t' be from over 100 years from now."

At this, the miner standing closest to the three yells back: "Oh! I knew they had to be crazy!"