Chapter 28

The next morning Sheriff Williams got a telegraph message from Sheriff Wade down in Hays that he needed to see Tom Cooper if he knew where he was. Tom and Cal were saddled and ready to ride in no time, and walked across the dusty street to the boarding house to tell Callie and Cathy they were leaving.

“Why did this have to happen, we had all these plans to celebrate the Fourth of July together,” Callie said as tears welled up in her eyes.

“We don’t know what this is about but if there’s any way, we’ll be back for the celebration,” Tom told them.

Both girls wanted to kiss their friends goodbye but settled for a hug.

Tom and Cal set out on a trail cross country that would take them directly to Hays. They rode hard for close to three hours and stopped to rest the horses.

“Wonder what has happened Tom, that Sheriff Wade wants to see us back in Hays before we even make one round through the counties?”

“I would think it has something to do with the cattlemen’s association. Maybe McDonnough has started a ruckus about you and me. Maybe Sheriff Wade has some information we need to know about, we’ll just have to see when we get there,” Tom said.

They were back in the saddle in a short while and let the horses run at a fast easy lope for another couple of hours before they stopped again. Tom and Cal rode this way all day Friday and decided to camp an hour or so from Hays and ride in the next morning. The two deputies were sitting on the wooden porch of the sheriff’s office when Sheriff Wade walked up the next morning.

“Tom, Cal I didn’t expect to see you here this soon, but I’m glad you came on down. Gale Fortenberry came in here Friday and told me that Will McDonnough had petitioned him as president and the other members of the cattlemens association to fire you two.”

“He said that you were nothing but trouble makers and that you were causing more trouble than they could cover up.”

“Well Sheriff Wade, if that’s what they want then we’ll ride on out. There’s some things that’s happening out there in the farm and ranch areas that’s gonna need some attention soon. You can bet that Mac Willamacher is the cause of it. Cal and I both think Will McDonnough is the head of the snake though. We’ve been told this by the farmers as well as the Tanner brothers up in Osborne.”

“Let me get my horse and we’ll ride out to Gale’s place and visit with him. Regardless of whether the cattlemens association cuts you men loose or not, I want you ridin for me. If that happens I’ll send out telegraphs to the other sheriff’s and from the reports I have gotten on you two, they’ll all agree to the same thing. We need someone out there with a level head handling our affairs.”

Sheriff Wade came back shortly and they rode on out to the Fortenberry spread.

“Tom I heard what happened to those girls up there and how you and Cal handled the situation. I gotta tell you that you got the respect of a lot of men with young daughters, for what you did to those fellers. Where in the world did you ever come up with that anyway?”

“Sheriff, it just came to me that they needed to start payin right away for what they did. I remembered watchin a Sioux do that to a young horse once and I asked why he did it. He told me that even though the colt would make a good horse for the squaws to have in camp and to carry loads of hides, he didn’t want his seed spread to the horses the Sioux braves rode. I just got the idea that I would stop the seed of these men too.”

“Well, I’m sure that it’ll be a long time before this is forgotten, and even longer before another rape takes place in these parts.”

Gale Fortenberry invited the sheriff and his two deputies into his study and asked them to sit. They all preferred to stand as he told them about the complaints and the decision of the board of directors.

“First of all I want to thank you and Cal for what you’ve done out there Tom, we’ve had a lot of good reports about how you’ve conducted yourselves over the area. As for McDonnough and his cousin Willamacher, the board and I have decided to turn down his request for the dismissal of you two. McDonnough has vowed that he will do things his way in his county and he’ll make sure the two of you answer for the trouble you’ve caused him and for the abuse you gave him and Willamacher. He refused to tell the board at the meeting exactly what you did, but did say that you blindsided both of them from behind. I questioned him more and he stormed out of the meeting.

“He’s someone that you’ll have to reckon with in the near future. When he walked out, the board and I agreed that we’ll terminate Willamacher and his two cohorts from the cattlemens association’s payroll. We’ll send out this notice to the other members this week and to the sheriff’s that are involved too. We don’t need this kind of attitude in our association, we have enough problems as it is.”

“Mr. Fortenberry, Cal and I both thank you for your support in what we’re doing. We’ve tried to be friends to both the cattlemen and the farmers. We’ve tried to represent you and your association they way you explained to us when you hired us. I want to tell you both too, that Sheriff Williams and the Tanner brothers asked me to invite you up to Osborne Wednesday for the Fourth of July Celebration.”

“The Tanners did mention that to me at our meeting this week, but we had so much going on I forgot to get the details, I’ll plan on leaving out on Monday. Sheriff I’d be glad to have some company if you’re up for it,” Gale said.

“You’re on Gale, come on by the office when you head out and we’ll ride over there together.”

The four men all shook hands and made plans to all see each other in Osborne in a couple of days. Tom and Cal headed out from the Fortenberry spread on an angle that would take them up through Stockton in Rooks County and then on over to Osborne. They wanted to see Sheriff Neely again and ask if he had any more run ins with the MDR riders.

Once inside Rooks County they noticed a place where some cattle had been driven through a break in the fence, then the fence repaired.

Tom stood on the ground looking at the tracks, he saw where someone had stood in boots and walked the length of the break after the cattle had gone through. This looked like the one he saw over in Graham County. They followed the tracks for a while and saw where they were driven off into a dry creek bed. Tom rode the creek bed and Cal rode on up the main trail. After a mile or more, the cattle were driven into another pasture and the fence put back.

Tom sat looking at this and trying to think why someone would move only a few head of cattle and not all, why would they take them to another pasture, cut the fence and put it back. This was gonna take some pondering and they would have to do some more scoutin’ out here. They rode on into Stockton after dark and slept in the stable at the blacksmith shop. The next morning early, when they went over to the boarding house to get some breakfast. Sheriff Neely was sitting at a table alone and they joined him.

“Tom, Cal it’s good to see you fellers again, you been stayin out of trouble?” the sheriff asked and grinned.

“Well we’ve been trying to sheriff, but trouble still sniffs us out like a good huntin dog.”

“You two have gotten quite a reputation around the counties so I hear, a lot of folks are really proud that you’re ridin for the law as well as the cattlemen. Have you had anymore run ins with Willamacher since you left Stockton?”

“No Sir, and that’s the reason we stopped in here to see you, we were down in Ellis County yesterday and met with Sheriff Wade and Gale Fortenberry about the cattlemens association. When we left, we decided to come through here before we headed back to Osborne to ask you the same thing.”

“Seems McDonnough petitioned the association to fire Cal and me, said we were causing too much trouble in his county. His plan backfired on him and the association voted to fire Willamacher and his two gunhands that ride with him. We figure that’s gonna more’n likely put the spurs to whatever was about to happen anyway.”

“I’ll keep a close watch on things here, now that I know about Willamacher and his two bullies, you can bet they’re still ridin for the MDR.”

“Sheriff we’ll be over at Osborne until Thursday then we will more’n likely ride back down to Hays to meet with Sheriff Wade and Gale Fortenberry again. When we leave Osborne, we’ll ride back through here on the way.”

“Sounds good, you fellers try to stay out of trouble.”

“Sheriff the town of Osborne is having a big celebration on Wednesday for the Fourth of July you ought to ride over that morning, Sheriff Wade and Mr. Fortenberry are ridin up from Hays to be there and Sheriff Williams is helping with the get together.”

“I may just do that Tom, if I do I’ll leave here before daylight and get there before noon, sounds like a good idea to me.”

“Well sheriff we’re gonna ride on back over to Osborne, it was good to see you again.” Tom stood to shake his hand.

“Always good to see you both and I’ll see you again in a couple of days.”

When they all shook hands and the two deputies left, Tom looked at Cal as they mounted up.

“Cal you sure are quiet today, you got something on your mind?”

“You know I do and now that we’re only thirty miles away I’m getting that itchy feelin to see Callie again.”

“I thought maybe that was it. You two got along real good the other day didn’t you?”

“Tom it was even better than you said, I remembered all you told me and it all just felt so natural to be with her. She’s sure something special and I reckon I’m starting to feel about her like you said you did about the girl up in Nebraska.”

“Well Cal, whatever happens, just take your time and both of you be sure that’s what you want. I’m happy that you finally got the jitters under control enough to at least get to know her.”

They were riding out of Stockton and would be back in Osborne by mid afternoon. This was the first time they had really talked about the Bowers sisters since they left the other day.

“Tom, we still gonna ride out to west Kansas and down into Indian Territory ain’t we?”

“Yep, I plan to Cal but if you’ve made other plans now that you’ve met Callie, then I understand.”

“No, I meant that I was wanting to ride out there with you if you were still goin.”

“We’ve got some things here that we need to clear up. Come day after tomorrow we gotta get ridin again and try and put some pieces together that we’ve seen and heard. Today and tomorrow we’re gonna have us a good time celebratin,” Tom laughed.

They rode into Osborne about three hours before sundown, took their horses to the stables and went to see Sheriff Williams. Tom and Cal told the sheriff about their meeting with Sheriff Wade and Gale Fortenberry down at Hays City, and their ride back through Stockton to see Sheriff Neely. Tom told him about the cattle that had been moved from one fenced pasture to another through a cut in the fence. He told him about the same thing they saw a while back in Graham County.

“Sounds like someone has a way figured out to rustle cattle that no one will notice right away. Can’t think of any other reason they would move cattle like that. This could very well be what is going on out there all the time, the cutting of the fences and blaming the farmers may just be a cover up,” Sheriff Williams said.

“That could be it sheriff. That sure would explain a lot of what’s been happening. I can’t see Will McDonnough stooping to rustling though, but I know he’s the one that’s keeping the pot stirred about the farmers being on the land that he once grazed his cattle on.”

“Tom, you reckon that just maybe Will McDonnough isn’t involved in the cattle rustling, if in fact that is what’s goin on. Maybe someone else is using Will McDonnough’s feud with the farmers to cover up a little cattle stealing,” Cal said.

Tom and Sheriff Williams both looked at Cal who had been quiet as the two of them talked things out.

“Cal, now I know why you’re so quiet sometimes, you may have just hit on something there,” Sheriff Williams said.

“That sure would make sense, we plan on ridin back that way in a day or so, we’ll do a little closer snoopin’ about this now,” Tom agreed.

The three of them talked it over some more, trying to come up with anything else that would explain about the cattle being moved in small bunches from one place to another and the fences being cut and left in other places. They kept coming back to this idea and decided that this is the way they would look at it now until something changed.

“Sheriff we’re gonna go get some supper over at the boarding house, wanna come with us?” Tom asked.

“I’m gonna head on home here in a little, you fellers go on over and grin at them girls,” Sheriff Williams said and laughed.

“I reckon it shows, huh?” Cal said.

When they walked into the boarding house, they went over to look through the kitchen door. Callie was stooped over the big wash pan washing pots and pans. When they stepped to the doorway she glanced up and screamed as she ran to Cal. Callie left the floor in a leap and staggered Cal back a few steps as she grabbed him around the neck and hung on. Cal’s face was blood red as he looked up and saw Mr. and Mrs. Bowers smiling across the kitchen at them. He was flustered to say the least, but he held Callie in his arms as she smiled that warm smile up at him. Callie kissed him on the cheek and Cal set her back on the floor.

Cathy heard her sister scream and ran into the kitchen from the dining room. Seeing Tom she stifled her own scream of surprise and ran to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They said their hellos to Mr. and Mrs. Bowers and were led through the kitchen to the dining room.

“Tom are you and Cal going to be here for the Fourth now?” Cathy asked with a smile that lit her whole face up.

“Yep, we’re gonna celebrate with you, your family and the whole town, then we’ll ride out on Thursday morning.”

“The president of the Cattlemen’s Association, Mr. Gale Fortenberry and Sheriff Wade from down in Ellis County, as well as Sheriff Neely from over in Rooks County will all be here too.”

“I don’t care who’s here, I have the one I want right here,” She said as she ran her hand down his back and gave a sharp slap to the tight deer skin breeches that covered his butt.

“Cathy you best behave yourself, your mother and father are just right there in the kitchen,” Tom said in a whisper.

The girls brought two plates piled high with food and a big plate of cornbread. The girls sat beside them talking and asking questions as if they had been gone for months. Cal started off a little bashful at first, but soon Callie had him talking with confidence and smiling as he told her of their trip. Callie couldn’t keep her hands off him, she was constantly touching his arm or patting his shoulder as she laughed and talked. Once she lay her hand on his leg as he was about to put a big spoonful of food in his mouth, Cal nearly dumped it in his lap.