No one under the age of fourteen has any sex in this story.

SHORTY OF THE WEST:

INTRODUCTION:

This written version of an oft repeated oral history of an in-family famous personage of our relationship, has been a project of mine from the first times I heard the story at family gatherings and around the dinner table. The more intimate details left out on those occasions, because of the presence of young ears, of course.

I have tried to sort through all of the accounts and facts (s) attributed to him and made a substantial effort through research to get down to the real truth of his life. And though I never got to meet him in person, though our lives intersected in times of history, he has always been real to me.

Shorty was born sometime in the eighteen sixties in Nebraska and left home in his early teens to escape a trial-some family situation. He died in his nineties in Alaska in the nineteen fifties. His life was reported on in many instances in his life in newspaper accounts that I have stored up for anyone that wants to write a more expansive account of their own.

And now for his story:

Shorty had had it, he was again assigned to work drag for the cattle drive, picking up strays and laggers to get up to the main mass of cattle on the way to the markets. If left to their own resources, these cattle behind would fall victim to rustlers, wolves or natives. They were going to die anyway at the slaughtering houses, but at least it would be more humane than being dragged down and eviscerated while still alive.

But, in those duties he along with the trailing hands had to put up with dust, flies and the terrible smell from unwashed cattle on the drive. Shorty felt that he deserved much better, perhaps riding outrigger to close in the sides of the main body of the herd. After all he had started riding on these drives at the age of thirteen and was reckoned as a first rate hand by anyone that would comment on it. He was now nineteen and working this drive to get enough money together to add to his already savings in the bank back home in Texas.

He already had a small spread next to the Lopez ranch, and Mr. Lopez had the gal that he wanted to establish his place with, her name was Esmeralda. She was sixteen and pretty as a picture, a Hispanic one. And Senor Lopez was all for it, because he only had two children both daughters. So, he was hoping that the two of them would provide a lot of children, mostly boys to help work both of the ranches.

If it worked out as the senor desired, he knew that they would be sturdy boys, because though Shorty was only five feet-four inches tall, he was sturdy himself and no slouch when it came to rough and ready work or play. And besides, he knew that Shorty was very hot for his girl. Their eyes blazed at each other when he was permitted to associate with her at the senor’s rancho.

What Shorty didn’t know was that while he was on this drive that Senor Lopez had taken it upon himself to have an adobe starter home built for the coming marriage of Shorty and his daughter. But, because of a conversation that he had had with his wife, they had added an extra room on it to accommodate the older daughter, who seemed to have no prospective mate for her approaching main reproductive years.

This would not be pleasing to the Padre at the mission where Shorty and Esmeralda would be getting married, but would greatly facilitate the generation of a sizable body of children to help the coming unified ranch to prosper. No ranch in those days could long survive if most of the work was done by hired hands. There wasn’t a lot of money to go around.

But, a fly in the ointment was brewing because Shorty had nearly had enough and his normally long fuse was shortening very quickly. Finally on a particularly onerous day, Shorty notified the trail boss that he had had enough and was checking out of the drive at that time. The boss informed him that unless he found a local replacement, that he would be forfeiting his trail pay. So, Shorty rode over the short distance to a small town nearby and inquired if any of the local boys wanted some adventure with a trail drive, and surprisingly quickly he found two. So, the trail boss accepted that the two should just about replace Shorty and he would figure out Shorty’s share and have it for him, when he got back to his Texas area.

Then Shorty moved to the town to find some work to make up for his lost pay on the drive. He found a position at the local in-town stable as a general hand, taking care of the horses, mules and any cattle that happened to stray in. One of his jobs was to ride each of the horses on the premise regularly so that they didn’t become lagging in their training level for when either their owners decided to use them or they were sold. With this Shorty got to ride them about town and got a good reputation as to his horse handling and honesty very quickly.

He had only been in the town of Sage Brush for a couple of weeks, when notice was raised in the town of a federal marshal coming to lead a posse to break up a local band of outlaws who were making life miserable for folk outside of the town in the surrounding area. The reward for dispensing with this band was sizable and to be shared with the members of the posse who stayed the course of the search and destroy mission.

So, Shorty joined in and left the stable with one of the still green horses to finish training it to be a reliable riding horse. The posse circled the town in an ever increasing arc and soon found the trail of misery that that band was causing. The marshal from the direction of the trail of destruction, guessed where they were headed and so broke up the posse into three parts one on each side of the predicted destination and one trailing the path. The side members swung out very wide to not give the action away to the band, that was very confident in their actions and not paying very good attentions to what was behind them.

Just when they three bodies of the posse were about to pinch in on the outlaw band, the still somewhat green horse that Shorty was riding, freaked out and dove ahead into the enemy band and so surprised them that in the confusion, they were taken into custody with little trouble. The members of the band were much annoyed at being taken so easily, but even more when they found out that it had all been a mistake initiated by a green horse and holding on for life rider of very short stature. It sort of reminded them of a local humorous saying about short outlaw’s horses, “Shoot low sheriff, they’re riding Shetlands!” But, they weren’t laughing at all over it. Funny how the real threat of hanging can steal a man’s sense of humor.

Shorty got his share of the reward and a pat on the back by the marshal, even though he knew of what had really happened. A short man on a bolting horse drives right into the middle of a gang of cutthroat criminals and helps to save the day. Well, at least he was a small target, because though Shorty was able with a pistol, he was no match for real gun hands.

With his share of the reward money, he took out a few dollars and had the rest forwarded by the local bank to his bank back home. And he returned the horse to the stable in a much better level of training and finished out the month to get his stable pay. He had this forwarded also, and with it, he finally had enough to get his little ranch moving forward.

But, the night before he left town, as he was settling down in the tiny shack behind the stables that he had called home for the couple of months of his sojourn in this town, a pretty woman in very worn clothing moved in on him to spend the night. She was a prostitute at the local saloon, and as she put it tired of having men with graying beards riding her day after day. She thought that it would be fun to be ridden by a man of about her own age for a change and was willing to sleep with him for no charge. He let her know that he had a girl back home that he was going back to marry, but she was okay with that. She just wanted a diversion for the night, and had dressed down to avoid any attentions by men on the way to the stables.

She was used to the guys getting right to the action, by giving her a couple of sloppy kisses, mangling her tits and then throwing up her dress to push their dicks up into her pussy and then cum up into her after only a few minutes. Then, ‘thank you ma’am,’ with a twenty dollar gold piece and off back to return to their drinking, which was their main sort of pleasure, anyway.

But, though Shorty was still more than a little ignorant of this kind of proceeding, he was a humble and eager learner, and Sheila, the little saloon girl, gave him some lessons that night that would stand in good stead for the rest of his life.

First, she undressed and asked him to do the same. Fortunately both of them had bathed that day, and so they were smelling very okay for their foray. Then she indicated that he should kiss her gently and then work up to much more vigorous smooching. So, he followed the recipe for that and she rewarded him with a kissing and sucking session on her tits, which were very pretty and firm. He enjoyed that a lot.

Then she moved his face down to her privates and told him to kiss, lick and suck on the things that he found there. This was a new and original idea to him, but after a false start, he got into his obedience to her and when he caught her clit up into his mouth and simulated it fucking his mouth, she was suitably amazed at his progress. She then had him settle back on his bed and she took his cock up into her mouth and tongued, licked and finally sucked on it to bring it up to its full erection.

Afterwards, she laid back herself and opened her legs and indicated to Shorty to take his place between her knees and when settled there to move slowly up to engage his member with the hole that she conveniently had placed in the slit of her privates. He found that he fit in just fine, despite his initial estimation that he might just be too big for her. To the contrary, she was delighted with the fit and showed it by bucking up to him and sounding out her pleasures in moans, shudders and joyful tears. And when he unleashed his semen fury up into her pussy, she was just beside herself in satisfactions and took him into her arms and settled in for the night. In the morning, she indoctrinated him into ass play, too.

When he prepared to leave, she was a bit teary-eyed, but bid him a fair good will journey back home with no little amount of regret that she wouldn’t be going home with him. She did ask him to return if he was on another trail drive, and he said that he might, but he didn’t know if he would ever be this way again. So, with a firm hug and kiss, he was back on his way to his dear Esmeralda.

When he arrived home, he went first to the Lopez’s and his fiance rushed out to take him into her arms, very relieved to see him alive and home again. And for once, her parents let them go to check on his little ranch. He was dumbfounded when he noticed the very new adobe starter home just waiting for him and Esmeralda. But, he wondered at the back room attached, but decided to not spoil the mood by asking about it.

They wasted no time and got married at the local mission in only two weeks after his arrival. And with that they settled into their lives together and the beginnings of making a family of their own.

On his wedding night, she was amazed at his sexual knowledge and sensual abilities, but she was wise and didn’t ask about it. She just enjoyed their couplings from his wise and gentle manner. She got pregnant within the first month of their marriage and then he got another surprise.

On his arrival back home after checking up on his existing stock and putting bids on further additions to it, he found the back room of his dear little house inhabited by Esmeralda’s older sister, Conchita. He passed engaging her in conversation at that moment and moved to query his new wife as to the meaning of this. And with a delightful blushing, his wife informed him that Conchita had no prospects of marriage at any time soon, and was in a hurry to begin a family until she did. And so, Shorty asked about her parent’s feelings about this, and Essy informed him that it was their idea. So, he moved to outdoors to take up his favorite lounging chair to contemplate this while Essy prepared dinner for the two of them.

When dinner was ready, Chita came around the house to join in with them and she huddled up to Shorty’s side, with Essy on the other side. He deduced that he would be busy in more than one way by all of this, but at the time was concentrating on the lovely dinner before him.

Later while in bed after dark, Essy whispered to him, “She is waiting for you!” And he knew who that was and so in his underwear he moved through the cool night air to the back of the house and when he entered into Chita’s room, she opened her bedding to allow him in. And so he took his place beside her. But, she was not interested in playing this out, she wanted to get right to business and so after only a few genuine kisses, she moved her pussy up to his mouth to wake it up. It didn’t take any time at all, and with that she moved down to bring up his member with her mouth and hand. When it was erect, she raised up and impaled her pussy on it. There was some initial resistance that she ignored. So, he deduced that she had been a virgin, too. But, in getting what she wanted without delaying for long she pounded her pussy up and down until only several minutes later Shorty emptied up into her and she settled him down to rest with his mission for the night accomplished.

When he got his breath and legs back, she whispered to him, I will share some other things with you as soon as you get me pregnant, and he thought he knew what that would entail. But, he then moved back to his bed with Essy and cuddled up to her to spend the rest of the night.

Chita, became pregnant also in only a month and then the night that she announced this, she enabled him to take her up the ass in reward and asserted that she would grant this to him as much as he wanted until the birth. And then he would have to return to servicing her pussy until pregnant again.

To Shorty’s considerable surprise, when the Lopez’s came by to check on their daughters and the matters of the two conjoined ranches, they let it be known that they were very happy with the progress of the growing family. Shorty couldn’t bring himself to discuss this with them, since he still felt somewhat guilty over it, though it had not been his idea at all. He would have been very happy to just hug and fuck his lovely bride and not include her sister, though it had its attractions, too. But, the parents were obviously totally into this and so Shorty left it alone and just was his usual friendly self on their visit.

About a year later, it was a very hot day and Essy and Chita were busy making tortillas in the heat with two babies crying from heat miseries. Shorty took it as long as he could and then decided to check on his cattle to see that they were being watered properly in this burning heat. He swung upon to his saddle with a sombrero that had been gifted to him by Senor Lopez and rode off, not to return till it started to cool off in the evening.

As he was riding the far fringes of the combined ranch operations, he saw a plume of dust or smoke, he couldn’t tell which, in the distance towards the Lopez ranch hacienda, which was closer than his own home. So, he rode in that direction and could determine that the plume was caused by some riders leaving the area and smoke from the Lopez’s both. With a fearful heart he approached the front on their home and saw to his horror, the bodies of the senor and his senora dead in the sand in front of their door. Just about that time, one of their hands came in and Shorty sent him off to let the sheriff know about it.

Then with terror clutching his heart, he rode off to his own home to check up on his family and found the two women, both pregnant also murdered. The babies were wailing in the house, so they were spared in the slaughter. He moved in to care for them and get them settled down and while he sat in his favorite chair in the cooling evening air with two sleeping babies, he contemplated what he would do now with a sorrowful heart.

Since there was no way that he could take care of two babies and work his ranch, he located nearby relatives of the Lopez’s and left them with them. His further decisions on that day would lead him to never see them again, but he would write once in a while and send funds to help with their care.

He later found out that the deaths among his family were part of a terror sweep through the territory of some anti-Mexican elements. And over a year later, they were found and hung by a posse led by a marshal and filled with white ranchers and personnel that hated what had been done.

By that time, Shorty had sold out the combined ranches and herds and leaving most of his funds in the local bank, took some to finance a trip to find some kind of future and solace for his broken heart.

As his year long ride led him aimlessly about the West of the time, it eventually led him to the town of Sage Brush again for him to take up at the stables once more and to try to find a way to live the rest of his life. He was welcomed back by the stable owner and soon after by Sheila, too.

The first night that she came to him, she did the undressing of him, kissed him sweetly and lifted herself up onto his cock to ride him gently throughout the night. He finally came up into her early in the morning and finally felt a bit of relief of his tortured heart with it. There is something about investing cum into a woman that makes a man feel like he is reaching out to his future and unknowingly Sheila would be an important part of his.

On a sunny afternoon a month later, Shorty and Sheila were sitting outside the local restaurant, because as a saloon whore, she wasn’t welcome among ‘decent’ folk. But, since her sister worked in the place, they were allowed to sit outside and her sister, Melody served them there. As the order was in and they were awaiting their vittles, a certain conversation came up.

“You know Shorty, you don’t have to stay in that little lean-to behind the stables from now on. We could find a place to be together and love each other up when not otherwise busy.”

Shorty frowned and remarked, “You mean when you are not servicing other men?” And immediately was sorry for that cruel comment to a woman who had few other options. And when she ducked her head at that, he profusely apologized and then took more seriously what they could do to be together.

She now having his sharpened attentions mentioned that the owner/bartender of the saloon that she worked in was interested in selling it, and would give it up for a very reasonable price. And so Shorty asked, ‘what reasonable price?’ And she mentioned a number that he could well afford. Then he mentioned that he knew nothing about bartending, and she relayed to him that the owner had promised that with the sale, he promised to stay on for a couple of months to train the new owner in the business and in bar keeping in particular. So, this perked up Shorty’s ears.

Then he asked about her status as one of the whores of the place, and she said if he bought it out and came to be with her, that she would retire from active service and take on the managing of the current six girl saloon girl staff and be his alone. This was sounding better to him all of the time. To further sponsor this, she mentioned that she could make quarters for them right in the abandoned spaces in the backrooms of the saloon on the main floor. And that they would have no trouble keeping a staff of whores, because so many of the local girls on the ranches and farms regularly got tired of working from day to dark with no future or a husband in view. They figured that if they were going to work their fingers to the bones that they would rather do it in bed with their fingers around guys ‘bones.’

And when she asserted that he would have to try out some of the girls before they would be hired, he promised to be only hers. She said that he would be, but he would need to take the girls in bed to make sure that they were right for the business. Because there would be no excuses for them passing on any man, unless he was unruly or refused to clean up. So, he then made sure that she knew that it would have to be at her assignment, and she agreed with that…..or else.

They soon after settled into the saloon that they had purchased and the previous owner kept his promise and stayed to teach him how to run this kind of business. It helped to keep him, too. Since he was allowed one of the girls each day until he left. And Shorty after some initial difficulties got the hand of tending with mostly rather plain brews and rarely whiskey in order anyway.

After the first couple of months, of losing a little money, things picked up when three tables for gambling were opened and they were rented out to local professional gamblers. They were each required to pay out twenty-five percent of their take each day, and Pete, the previous owner let Shorty know how much that would regularly be. But, there was an upper limit, and so he had little trouble with them short-changing them, because the rental agreement openly stated that he could fire them at any time for any reason, or even no reason at all.

Some really famous western characters bought into these tables over the years, like the Earps on their way to Arizona. They only stayed for a month to replenish their monetary resources, but the saloon did crazy business for their stay, because a person would be surprised at how many people took pleasure in losing to the Earps, because of their fame. The Earps were very gracious in satisfying this yearning on the losers’ parts.

The place got a reputation of being a very honest establishment for its kind. Honest gambling, honest drinks, honest fucking and a very pleasant atmosphere. Shorty had found his calling, since he was very much liked by the cowboys that came in. They felt that he was one of them, because of his years on cattle drives and working on ranches. He understood them well, but kept twin shotguns in plain sight over the back of the bar. He had to use them rarely, but he never killed or seriously maimed anyone, because they were very lightly loaded to sting and not seriously harm. But, to get a load on the receiving end was unpleasant enough to head off most troubles that might brew up.

One day at about noon, two young girls of about sixteen and eighteen, came into the salon and approached Sheila and Shorty, to ask about a job opening for a saloon girl at the time. With the success of the business, they now had twelve girls in shifts of active fucking and had room for four more. But, when the girls came in at the same time, and they weren’t together, Sheila, with a wink to Shorty maintained that there was only one position available and they would have to contend for it.

The two girls glanced at each other and took very adversarial attitudes towards the other. Sheila was enjoying this to a fault. And one of them asked how the decision would be made, and Sheila remarked that it would be made in bed, with each of them showing what they had to share on the job. With this Shorty saw what was coming, so he waved to the assistant bartender to take over, and Sheila escorted the two up to one of the larger cribs upstairs. Then she asked Shorty to undress and get on the bed, and he did with no small amount of curiosity as to how this would proceed this time.

Then with the two young girls looking down upon the naked man, Sheila backed up and ordered them to show what they got! The girls looked back at her and said, “Both of us at the same time, and with you her to watch?”

“Of course, Sheila replied, because I am the one that will make the decision between you two!”

So, the two girls, Gertie and Mollie, moved over to Shorty and began to kiss and stroke his body. Shorty reflected back to them that this was pleasant, with his hands on them over their clothing. But, Sheila was becoming impatient. “Do you think that that will get you hired and please a man who has waited months to get your body into bed and fuck it?” And with that, they realized that they better raise the ante here or neither of them would be hired and they would have to go back home to be the drudges that they had been there before………..and to fend off their brother’s attentions again.

So, the girls thinking of the fact that their brothers had tried to maneuver things many times to see their tits, opened up their blouses to Shorty’s views and gentle touching’s. Shorty advanced thing by pulling them down in rotation to kiss and suckle on them, which was a very new experience for each. They quickly recognized that they liked it, too. With this, they then raised their skirts remembering that their privates were very much of interest to their brothers also. Spying on them as they used the outhouse was a regular sport in the family back home for each of them.

But, Shorty couldn’t get much satisfaction out of that because of other clothing under their skirts and so with a sharp rebuke from Sheila, they removed the offending articles so that Shorty could see and engage with them, too. And they found that having their privates caressed and fingered was just another pleasant thing to enjoy in this mode of pleasing a man.

With the two girls now lit up a bit, Sheila stepped in and ordered them to back up and each take a chair in the room. This room had been prepared for just such sessions over the years and this was one of many that Sheila and Shorty enjoyed playing out there.

“Now girls, I was a practicing whore for here for five years before I partnered up with that Shorty down there on the bed. I know all of the tricks that a woman needs to use to please a man in this profession and I am now going to demonstrate some of them with Shorty. Then each of you will practice them with him. And then upon satisfying me and only then, will you be eligible to be hired. But, you are also in competition for the one job (with this she smiled down to Shorty on the bed with her face hidden from the views of the intrigued girls,) so pay attention because you will be doing at least the same if you really want this job.”

So, Sheila then threw off her clothes and nakedly climbed up on the bed to be with Shorty. As she proceeded with the usual hooker’s little sexy drama, she carried on a narration of what she was doing and why.

“You see the guy has been bathed and is naked awaiting your servicing him. He is expectant, but not usually in love with you. That kind of relationship calls for a very different mode of sexual interactions.

At first I simply caress him to wake up his body to what follows and to set his mind at ease that I mean him no harm. ( And as she progresses in her actions,) now I will start kissing him to wake him up to magnify the feelings that he will get from all of the things I will do from now on and to give a significance to them beyond just the doing of the things themselves would have. To a very real effect, he will be totally in love with you at this point and that fact very much works to your favor.

Now you two come over to the bed and watch very carefully what I do with him, because in a very few minutes, you will be doing the same if you really want the position that you came to interview for.”

So with this, Gertie and Molly rose and came up to put their faces very close to the actions on the bed to note what they were and how they were accomplished. They especially noted the 69 position and felt that it would be very embarrassing, with his face up to their privates, but also very much fun, too. And when Sheila got up to plow down on Shorty’s cock, she remarked that it was good for the woman to keep things under her control to prevent undesired aggression’s from starting and to keep control of the pace of things to give the man his full time, but to also contain it so that she could serve the next one in line for the day.

Then before Shorty could shoot up into her, she climbed off of him and pointed at Gertie, to get ready to share in all of what the two girls had just seen.

With some him hawing and a lot of red-blushed skin showing, Gertie struggled and then got her clothing off and mounted up on the bed to start the show with Shorty. She was advised that she would be watched very carefully by both Sheila herself and Mollie. And that she might have some interactions from them, but to not adversely react to them, because they could be part of the show if she was part of a multi-girl encounter.

So, Gertie with a serious purpose brewed up a smile and began to caress Shorty’s body and it began to rise to the action again. She then moved to start kissing him as his hands moved up to lightly massage her tits. This helped to light up her feelings, too. Much more than she expected because she had just engaged this in joint actions with Mollie, but it seemed to have special meaning when engaged in alone with the man.

Then she moved to serve her breasts up for Shorty to suckle on and that too, had more meaning than before, which caused her to move down to initiate a blow job on his cock. She would never had imagined that she would do this with a man, but in her excitement at the present, it just seemed to be the next thing to do. And after rising his member up to activity, she reversed herself just as she had seen Sheila do and engaged in 69 ing with Shorty for a while.

As she and Shorty were hotly active, Sheila moved Mollie up to Gertie’s pretty rear end exposed up in the air above Shorty’s face and active tongue. She then anointed her finger in some scented oil present and swiped it around and around her anal rosette. Mollie was shocked by this, but when the rear gate opened up a bit, Mollie was instructed to carefully enter her finger up inside of Gertie and probe it up as afar as it would go and move it about inside to help further light up Gertie to her coming denouement.

When both Gertie and Shorty were lit up again, she rotated on him and planted her virgin pussy down onto his stiff uprisen shaft. It obviously hurt some, but she braved it out and after several minutes got an earthquake in her belly as she got her first real climax in her life. With this, she rolled forward on to his body and practically welded her lips to his in appreciation for this unexpected gift to her. Sheila and Mollie had to pry her off, for Mollie to get her turn.

Then it was Mollie’s turn and she rose the amperage a bit with her enthusiastic reactions to each thing in its turn. She especially liked the sucking on her titties and pussy and when she rode Shorty to take her hymen, too; she was ecstatic, because though she was a real virgin, it didn’t hurt much at all. And when she took the 69 ing out of turn after riding his cock, she came profusely with Gertie’s fingers up her rump. And with this, Shorty finally unloaded his gift up into Mollie’s pussy.

After everyone cooled down, Sheila had the two girls sit on the side of the bed still naked and facing her. She nodded to Shorty who played with the girls from behind, to their now good natured acceptance. And Sheila notified them both that they were now hired to be on trial. Sheila would be choosing who they saw for a while with specific instructions to the guys that would be entertained by them. And further progressive instructive sessions would be arranged for them, the next to introduce them to ass play. This sobered up the girls. And in following, Sheila presented a smooth carved and oiled butt plug for each of them to wear at all times, except when defecating or servicing a customer until the lessons on anal sex were fulfilled. They were told that this would help them to adapt to this, and that that service would be requested in the future when they were totally qualified to render it.

In the meantime they would be on reduced pay until they were totally qualified and operative. The girls were in a swirl over all of this, but rose to hug Sheila and move to cribs of their own for their new profession.

The two girls worked out fine and took to the anal fun, very quickly when introduced to it a month later. They both served the saloon for several years and then were taken up by bewitched ranchers from far out of town to give them babies and loving attentions beyond any that they could have imagined. Sheila and Shorty smiled a lot at their weddings.

After many years of operation of the saloon/whore house, Sheila and Shorty could see the storms of public opinion moving forward, so they sold the saloon for a good price and moved to Alaska to enjoy their final years together. He worked as a bartender, of course, and she worked at keeping him wildly happy in bed. Just as it should be!!!!

They also grew some of the most fantastic veggies that could be imagined just outside of Anchorage, in a valley named Matanuska. It was for the local restaurant trade and selected stores. They sold every bit that they could raise.

But, they never did have any children of their own. Took in a wandering female soul upon occasion, though. And Sheila enjoyed reliving their sexual indoctrination sessions with them, too. Not that Shorty ever complained.

After many years together, he died in her arms in his nineties.

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