Free Many Loves of Buffalo Bill by Chris Enss Page B

through. His overly generous nature nearly brought the business to ruin, however. Guests with little or no money were allowed to stay at the hotel for free, and meals were included in the price. 5

    In addition to William’s abysmal business practices, there was another hint of his restlessness: an absent, far-off expression that lingered in his eyes. Louisa’s sympathy for his passion to travel was heightened by the many books on the subject of frontier life. Knowing he would never be truly happy as a landlord, she released him from the obligation of the inn and sent him back to work on the open range. In the decade since that time, William had been appointed Chief of Scouts for the Fifth U.S. Cavalry, won the Medal of Honor with George Custer, and hunted buffalo for the railroad, subsequently earning him the nickname Buffalo Bill. Along with those accomplishments, William and the dime novelist Ned Buntline formed a successful theatrical troupe with Bill Hickok and Texas Jack Omohundro called the Buffalo Bill Combination.
    Reports in newspapers and magazines about William’s many heroic deeds helped make him famous from coast to coast. Such notoriety brought more demands on his time. Home and family were sandwiched between jobs such as scouting for the military and performances onstage and in lecture halls.
    Louisa resigned herself to waiting supportively in the background while William shared his exciting exploits with an adoring public, but she resented the overt attention of many of the women in his sphere of influence. Against warring Indians, inhospitable terrains, and wild animals, he was a strong, resilient man, but he was vulnerable to charming female supporters.
    The party was in full swing, and Louisa helped herself to a glass of wine and occasionally chatted with a guest or two. The evening progressed without a clear opportunity for her to be in William’s immediate orbit. The festivities slowly wound down, and one by one the guests said their good-byes and left the hotel suite. Undaunted by the late hour, William continued to hold court with the actresses who had been with him throughout the night. Eventually, they too realized it was time to go and bade farewell to their host by kissing him on the cheek. Louisa’s eyes were glued to the scene. She was shocked by such a public display and even more so when she saw William return the women’s kisses. 6
    Louisa pushed through the dwindling group of partygoers and marched over to William. He could see she was upset and attempted to calm her distressed demeanor. She disregarded his attempt to talk to her and loudly scolded him for his insensitive behavior. A hush fell over the room, and only Louisa’s heated words rose above the quiet. William handled the intense, embarrassing exchange with as much dignity as he could muster. After she spoke her mind, Louisa stormed out of the room. William watched his wife walk away; then he turned his attention to the uncomfortable guests and wished them well as they made their way out.
    Looking back on the incident years later, William didn’t understand why Louisa objected to the simple gestures of appreciation. “I do not think most wives would have felt a little angry to know and hear her husband in an adjoining room on Sunday morning, drinking beer and kissing theatrical girls of his company,” he wrote in his memoirs. “I think they would have been rather proud of a husband who had six or seven months work with a party of people who were in his employ, to know and feel that they were on a kindly footing…. Not one of them got up and kissed papa goodbye, but all four of them rushed up and kissed papa, their old manager, goodbye.” 7
    The Codys made the trip from Omaha to their home in North Platte, Nebraska, with barely a word spoken between them. Both were occupied with their own thoughts. William was only nineteen when they had met, but he had already lived more life than