Chapter 12

Tom had noticed the door up high on the back of the barn and when he went back in to bed down for the night, he stepped up on the top rail of the stall partition to see what was up there. There was a small loft over the tack room and some hay piled up by the door. ‘This is where I’ll sleep’ Tom thought.

He came back down and opened his bedroll on the floor of the barn near a stall. He stuffed some hay inside the bedroll and pulled the top over it, placing his hat as if it were covering his face. Emptying the cartridges out of his Henry rifle, he leaned it against the wall by the bedroll.

Tom grabbed two blankets that were folded on the stall rail and climbed up into the small loft. He could see the three horses in the low light of the rising moon. Tom saw his horse shining in the light, his mane and tail white as snow.

Tom pulled his flute out and blew his breath up and down the long slender tube to remove any dust. He put the piece to his mouth and breathed life into the flute, making the sounds of the plains come to life and whisper through the barn loft. The soft drifting sounds floated out over the corrals, and across the pastures. Into the open windows of the ranch house the soft whispering sounds came, as if riding on the night breeze. The soft sounds carried to the pillows where the Canady’s lay listening to the beautiful but sorrowful music playing softly in the night.

He went to sleep and dreamed of Indian girls, bloody hands and horses breeding. He dreamed of naked butts playing in the water and pretty girls doubled over laughing.

Before first light Tom was up and shook the blankets out, he folded them and took them back down to lay across the rail. He took a lamp from the shelf on the barn wall by the door and lit it. When he went to the stall to get his bedroll, a cold chill went through him as he saw a pitch fork stuck through his bed roll where his chest would be. He sat down and tried to decide who would have done this. The only answer he came up with was Mr. Roller, the Canady ramrod.

Tom’s face began to burn, he felt an itch in his hands. Tom was mad. Someone wanted him dead and for no reason at all. He got his rifle and loaded it, made sure that his Colt was loaded full. Then he checked his saddle bags to see if they had been tampered with. Tom sat down on his saddle and opened a box of .44’s. He filled the empty loops on his gunbelt.

Tom was mad and he was itchin’ to find out who did this cowardly thing in the night. He remembered what his dad had told him, don’t go looking for a fight while you’re mad.

‘I’ll be cooled down some when I find out who wants me dead, then they can worry about how mad I am’ Tom thought. Tom threw his saddle across the blankets on the rail and walked out back of the barn to look around. It was too dark to see. He walked back to the front of the barn and sat down on a short wooden keg just inside the door but off to one side so as not to be seen.

Tom saw Runt come in the back door pulling his suspenders up over his scrawny shoulders. Runt walked to within six feet of Tom before he saw him.

“Damn Injun, you scared the shit out of me settin’ there in the dark like that, what the hell you doin’ up so early anyway?”

“You’re up early too Runt, don’t you sleep good?”

“I always sleep good, I just don’t sleep long hours, never did, even when I was a kid.

“You gonna be heading back to town this morning?”

“I want to show off my horse one more time to Mr. Canady, he wants to see him run.”

“Well he’s got a fast racing filly out there that he’s gonna breed as soon as she starts horsin’. She ain’t but three years old and she’s damned fast they said. I bet he wants to run her against your stud to measure him out.”

“Well we’ll see won’t we?

“Runt did you hear anything last night here in the barn?”

“No Tom I didn’t, why?”

“Just wondering is all.”

“There’s one thing I’ve noted about you in the short time you been here, you don’t wonder out loud about nuthin’. If you got something itchin and scratchin’ in yer head, you can let it out. I ain’t one to talk behind a man’s back.”

“Just keep your eyes and ears open for anything you don’t think is normal today, or if you see someone that seems nervous.”

“I don’t know what’s happened Tom, but I’ll do as you say. If I don’t get wind of anything I’ll still keep an eye out when you leave too.”

“Thanks Runt, good to know you got my back.”

“Count on it Injun,” Runt said with a grin that Tom could barely make out in the gray light of early dawn.

Dale Canady came across the yard as Tom and Runt stood there inside the barn watching him, he had a tin plate in his hand with a cloth over it. Mr. Canady nearly stumbled when he saw Tom and Runt standing in the dark barn.

“Damn, what the hell are you two doing standing there in the dark, I nearly spilled Runt’s breakfast.

“Runt here’s a couple of the steaks left over from last night, thought you might want to get your snaggled teeth tangled up in some good meat for a change.”

“Hot Damn Mr. Canady, that’s real nice of you folks, I sure thank you.”

“Come on over to the house Tom, I told the cook to start rustling up some breakfast, I knew you wanted to get a early start, but not ‘til after we measure your horses speed.”

“What you got in mind Mr. Canady, you got a horse you want to race against him, or you just want to see him run?”

“A little of both Tom. Would you mind riding against Elizabeth, she’s about as good a rider as we got on the place and she would love to beat you.”

“Don’t bother me none Mr. Canady, that is if the both of you won’t get upset when my horse kicks dirt on her.”

“You’re really sure of that horse aren’t you Tom?”

“Yes Sir, I am. You’ll see Mr. Canady.”

“I can hardly wait.”

They went in through a side door into the kitchen. The cook looked up and started putting breakfast on the table as they came in.

Mr. Canady walked over to the pump in the kitchen and pumped his hands full of water, washed them then dried on a cloth hanging there.

Tom did the same as he looked at the water pump inside the kitchen. Who’d ever thought of that. The two sat down for an early meal of eggs, biscuits, bacon, and gravy.

Elizabeth came busting through the door from the dining room, walked to her daddy and kissed his cheek and sat down next to him, smiling at Tom as she looked up.

“Morning Injun.”

“Morning Paleface,”

Dale Canady laughed aloud as he looked at Tom and shook his head. The cook smiled and turned his head back to the stove.

“Tom, you sure got some come backs for this young’un of mine, just what she needed too.

“Elizabeth, we’re gonna let you ride the little Thoroughbred filly against Tom’s stud this morning, he said he hoped you didn’t mind getting some dirt kicked in your face.”

“I’m ready daddy, and we’ll see who gets the dirt in their face. That is if they even get close enough to get hit by my dirt.”

Tom smiled at both of them and ate his breakfast.

The three of them went out to the barn and Runt was told to go get the little three year old and put the lightweight rig on her.

Tom walked to the back of the barn and whistled shrilly through his lips. Elizabeth and Mr. Canady had walked to the back door too and looked to see the big Palomino turn and break into a dead run right at the fence, then leap high in the air as he easily cleared it, hitting the ground with his white mane and tail flying. The horse ran right up to Tom and put his nose right to his chest and stood there while Tom rubbed his jaw and neck.

Tom reached over and grabbed his saddle blanket and the big Spanish saddle and threw over his horse and cinched it tight.

“We’re ready Sir,” Tom said with a smile.

“I have lighter saddles Tom if you’d like to use one.”

“This is the only saddle his sire used and the only one he’s ever had on his back. This’ll do.”

Runt led the long legged three year old filly into the barn and the stud grunted his welcome to her as he sniffed the air.

“She must be getting close,” Tom said.

“She isn’t due for another three weeks yet,” Mr. Canady said.

“She’ll be horsin’ in a week or less,” Tom said matter of factly and walked out of the barn, his horse right on his heels.

They all walked out to the edge of the short pasture and through a gate.

“Tom, you see that tall pole way out across the pasture there with the whitewashed top and the flag on it?”

“Yes Sir.”

“You’ll ride out there, around the pole and back through this gate, that is one mile.

“How many times do we run it?” Tom asked

“Injun, you are being funny now,” Elizabeth said.

Tom just looked at her.

The wranglers had all walked out to the fence and were either leaned up over it or sitting on top so they could see this. Mrs. Canady and her other two daughters were here too.

Mr. Roller leaned over to the man next to him and said loudly, “Ain’t no injun pony ever out run a pure bred racer that I ever heered tell of.”

Tom swung to the back of his saddle without using the stirrups and Mr. Canady helped Beth up on her skinny little saddle.

“Runt, you stand out there with the flag in the air. Riders, when the flag comes down the race is on.”

“I’ll see you when you get back Injun,” Beth said as they sat side by side on their horses.

“Yep,” Tom said.

Runt dropped the flag and Beth cropped her horse hard across the rump, Tom clicked his tongue and hooked the heels of his moccasins in his horses flanks. The long legged three year old jumped, with its front feet off the ground as she sprang forward. Tom’s big horse left in a long stride and was side by side Beth and her horse as they raced across the open land. Beth was whipping her horse with the crop and she picked up speed.

About a hundred yards from the pole, Tom clicked his tongue and hollered, ‘IYAYA’. The big horse nearly ran from under him as he left Beth and her horse in the flying dirt. Tom leaned his knee into the right side of his horse as they came to the pole. They slid around the pole almost on his side and came out with a stride that made Tom’s eyes water in the wind.

Halfway back, Tom clicked his tongue and patted his horse on the neck, the big horse ran all out, its tail out behind and its mane flying up in Tom’s face. When he got to the gate, Tom pulled his right knee in hard and the big stud whirled around and started another lap. They met Beth about halfway and Tom tipped his big black hat to her.

Tom ran his horse all out to the pole then back to the gate. Beth had just gotten off her mount when he rode up. Everyone standing or sitting there at the fence had their mouth open. No one said a word as Runt ran to Tom and shook his hand.

“Damn Injun that was some kinda ridin’ and that big sonofabitch’n horse is the fastest thing I ever seen on four legs.”

“Tom I share Runts sentiments exactly, that was not a race, that was an exhibition.”

“Injun I owe you an apology, I thought you were just braggin’ about your big fine horse, you don’t brag do you?” Beth said as she shook his hand.

“Never had a reason to brag Paleface, it ain’t me that’s doing the runnin.” Tom grinned.

“I want to know what you yelled to your horse when you left me so fast.”

“I told him to GO.”

“Tom, we can have us some fun if you are agreeable, plus we can make a little side money too if you are in,” Mr. Canady said.

“As long as its legal, count me in I reckon,” Tom said.

Mr. Canady counted out one six hundred dollars in gold and handed to Tom.

“Not gonna take your money, we agreed on two hundred for my stud. He stuck two mares, that’s four hundred. That’s all I’m taking. I don’t take money for helping people. I’m not gonna take money for helping your daughter.”

“Tom, I’ll be in town later today, I hope you’ll let me buy your dinner,” Mr. Canady said.

“Now that I can do Sir. I need to be gettin’ on back I reckon. I told the sheriff I’d be there early.”

“I sure do thank you and your family for the hospitality, and for letting my stud spread his seed in your herd.”

They all said their goodbyes and Tom started out. He looked back to see Beth riding hard to catch up.

“I know I’m making a fool of myself Injun, but I sure would like to see you again, that is if you’d like to anyway.”

“I was planning on it Paleface.” Tom smiled.

“Injun, if you knew what I’m thinking right now you’d think I was a shameless hussy but I don’t care. I just met you and I can’t get you out of my head. I thought of you all night, I thought of us at the creek and you making me laugh so hard I peed down my leg, I thought of you yesterday as I watched your stud stick those mares, I thought of you as I saw you race away from me this morning.”

Beth was crying because she was letting it all out to a half breed Sioux she had just met. She was making a complete fool of herself and she couldn’t help it.

“I’m sorry Injun I just had to tell you, I’ll let you go now. Please don’t think of me as a sniveling little girl.”

“I’ll never think of you as a sniveling little girl, I will always see you as my Paleface friend. I’ve not left town yet, I’ll be here for another five days at least. I’ve already thought too that I didn’t ride but maybe four days slow to get here. Not that far really from The Dakotas.”

“You thought of all this Injun? You just made me weak in the knees, do you really like me? I gotta go, see you soon.” Beth whirled her horse and raced back to the ranch.

Before she was out of hearing, she heard, “See ya Paleface”. Elizabeth started laughing so hard she had tears, ‘Damned Injun.’

Tom let his horse pick his on gait and rode the trail back to town. He was proud of his horse and knew all the times they had ran across the prairie for hours at a time had put strength in a horse that was already full of heart and spirit from his breeding.

Once again Tom pulled his flute from it’s cylinder and blew the light dust off the long wooden tube. He gently touched his lips to the piece as he rode the big horse slowly back to town. The soft drifting sounds carried across the open plains as his fingers slid smoothly from one hole to the next along the length of the flute. Tom let his mind seek and linger on the events of the past few days. His spirit was refreshed by the soothing sounds of the Nakota Sioux. Though he was far from his homeland, he was at peace with himself and where was. There was one nagging thought that even the flute music couldn’t get out of his mind. He would tell the sheriff about the pitch fork and see what his thoughts were.

When Tom got back to town, he went straight to the boarding house. He had seen a sign on the front porch yesterday that read ‘Laundry Service’. He left his shirt and buckskin breeches to be cleaned and the woman said she would have them done by mid afternoon. Tom went to the livery stable and talked to Mr. Langley for a while as he got his horse settled in. He took his Henry and walked up the street where he met the sheriff coming out of the hotel.

“Morning sheriff.”

“Morning Tom.”

The two walked back to the office where Tom told sheriff Keyes all about his stay at the Canady Ranch. Tom told him about the race and then told him about the pitch fork he found in his bedroll.

“Tom why did you feel that you needed to sleep in the loft and rig your bedroll up like that anyway?”

“Well, I just had a funny feeling about sleeping in that barn, you know how sometimes you just do things without thinking?”

“Yep, but you say that the only thing that happened out there was when Roller cussed you and called you names? He’s a rough one, and likes to bully folks around because of his size. Don’t think he’s ever caused any big problems that I know of.

“He is rude as hell though, and spits his tobacco juice out on the floor of the saloon when the spittoon is right by his chair. I think he just does that to rile up Bud the barkeep.”

“Sheriff you just said something that made my hair burr up on the back of my neck. You say Mr. Roller chews tobacco?”

“Yes, he just about always has his jaw all packed with a cud, why.”

“There was a big wad of tobacco juice right where the pitch fork was stuck in my bedroll.”

“The hell you say Tom.”

“Yes Sir, sure was.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him, he’ll be in town tonight and most of the weekend. He isn’t a hell raiser but likes to mock the lady folks and bully the towns people some. He gets a belly full of hooch and thinks he’s some kind of bad ass. Mostly talk though is all I ever see out of him.”

“Thanks sheriff, I knew you’d know these folks better than anyone, I see you watchin’ just like I do.”

“You can learn more by watchin’ a man than you can by askin’ him questions. His mouth will lie to you, his actions won’t.”

“Yep.”

The streets of the quiet little town had very little activity until mid day. Then the wagons came and stopped at Miller’s store, the hardware store and the hotel. Soon there were wagons, mules and horses everywhere. There were lone riders, and groups of riders. The hitchin’ rail at the saloon was lined with horses. Even the hitchin’ rails at the stores on either side of the saloon had horses tied up.