As the men paced the horses toward the barn, they heard sounds of anger cut through the crowd.  Sam slid off his mount.  He felt with more than ever that it was time to return to Harrison.  He hated to collect his money from the old man, but he needed it.  Sam came into the barn in time to hear Anthony, the black boy, who lived with the Wyatts say,”that he could ride that horse better than that fellow.”  Sam collected his money and made a quick return to Harrison.

The next year Sam helped his father and brothers move to a farm south of Harrison.  Mary Sarah Sweitzner had died while Sam was away from home.  Sam found a great deal of change taking place in his life.

The railroad short lines were replacing the mule and wagon.  The towns of Gilbert and St. Joes were like magnets pulling men toward them from all walks of life.

When Sam again rode into St. Joe, he found George Sitton had left for Coffeyville, Kansas.  He found this to be the time to visit the Marshal’s daughter.  He was real pleased to see Valley open the door.  He asked her if she remembered him.  She smiled and invited him in.  Then she changed her expression and said, “Papa has gone to Coffeyville to identify a man.  The law thinks Ben is the one they shot in a bank holdup.  They say someone tipped them to the Dalton’s plan to rob the bank.  This man that was shot isn’t dead, but can’t talk and they don’t think he is going to live.”

Sam suddenly wanted to change the conversation.  He told Valley he had heard there would be a program at the school tonight and asked if he might accompany her to it.  She agreed to walk with him and told him that she was one of the speakers at the program.

Valley wrote and delivered a most successful speech about her government.  At the close of the speech, she was applaused by teachers and pupils alike.  Sam walked her home and received a cool good night from Rozene, Valley’s mother.

While getting dressed for bed, Valley was told by Bell, her sister, that San had a bad reputation and that Mother did not want her to see him again.  Bell said,

The story is this: Sam was playing cards on the Buffalo River near Gilbert and someone in the card game called him a cheat.  About the time the man was saying that a small dog came by the men and Sam caught the dog by the tail and beat the man over the head.  This surprised the man and the other players so that Sam left the game without getting hurt.

In a few days, all the town of St. Joe knew Sam to be a gambler.  Sarah Rozene made it a point to answer the door when Sam came to call.  She told him it would be better if he didn’t come back.  He politely thanked Rozene and walked away.  He was not to be so easily dismissed.  He was determined to have Valley as his wife.

The next day, Sam saw Valley walking to school.  They reasoned together that her parents would never approve of Sam.  Sam proposed that they go to Harrison and get married before George returned from Coffeyville.  Plans were made and carried out that very evening.

Sam and Valley lived for years on different farms near Gilbert, Arkansas.  They became parents of nine children.

1) Their oldest child, Maud, married Beacher Thompson.  Maud and Beacher presented Valley with seven grandchildren.

2) Their first son, Bud, married Elva and to this union was born seven children.

3) Jack, the second son, married Opal, and they had six children.