Chapter 38

When they walked up the street, they saw Clyde Yancey sitting on a bench in front of Bonner’s Store whittling on a piece of wood as he waited on his women folks to finish up inside.

“Tom, Cal I see the brothers sniffed you out. They’ve been chomping at the bit, to get back in town to see you two, how’re you doin’?”

“Just fine Mr. Clyde, I reckon you ‘n your folks are all doin good too?” Cal spoke as he and Tom sat down on the long bench next to Mr. Yancey.

“Yep, we been doing just great now that we got them boys out at our place, you were right about them being good with horses and cows. They’re as good as some I’ve seen that’ve worked cows all their lives.”

Tom saw Cole looking over toward the hotel and leaned down to whisper to him. Cole looked up wide eyed and grinned, just before he whirled in the dusty street and ran to the hotel.

“Where’s he going? Oh, I reckon he’s gonna go grin at that Missy girl some more, huh?” Tag said and grinned.

“Tag, you just wait boy, you’ll look up one day and there’ll be some pretty girl smiling back at you, then when your heart gets through thumping around in your chest and settles down some, you’ll wonder what hit you,” Cal said and they all laughed.

“Nunh unh, not me. I ain’t never gonna let some girl get took on me like that. I kinda like things just the way they are right now, don’t you Ray?” Tag said.

Willa and Bobbi walked out of Bonner’s Store just about that time and Ray walked over and stood right next to Willa, as Tag looked at his brother who had just deserted him.

“I reckon I got my answer on that one didn’t I?” Tag said, and grinned as Willa handed Ray a stick of hard candy.

Bobbi walked over and handed Tag a stick of hard candy also as she smiled big at him.

“I’ve never had candy before so don’t go thinking this means we gonna be making eyes at one another, just cause I’m taking it,” Tag said as he grinned at Bobbi.

Mrs. Yancey walked out of the store, looking at Tom as if she were seeing him for the first time.

“Tom, I just heard the most amazing thing about you in there, is it true, are you really Sky the Eagle Boy?”

“Well Ma’am, I reckon I’ve been found out, I sure hope you ‘n Mr. Clyde will keep on thinking of me as a friend now that you know.”

“Of course we will, but this sure sheds a new light on you. We all wondered why it was, that you being a total stranger would try so hard to help others, specially these young boys that were orphaned. Now we know, it’s just part of who you are.”

“Miss Berty, he’s even got the mark of the eagle that spreads all the way across his chest. Show ‘em Tom,” Tag said.

Willa and Bobbi Yancey came over and stood beside their Mom as they looked inside Tom’s shirt where Tag had pulled the front opening back so they could see.

“That’s enough, we don’t want to start a bunch of people gathering around gawking,” Tom said as he stood up, embarrassed by the attention.

Roberta Yancey walked over and sat next to Clyde on the bench and they both stared at this man in front of them in amazement.

“Let’s all go down to Mr. Creighton’s office and get some of the legal stuff over with,” Tom said as he stood up.

“Ray, run over to the hotel and get Cole, he’ll have to be there too, tell him he can see Missy again at dinner time,” Tom said.

Willa went with him to get Cole and the others started walking slowly toward Mr. Creighton’s office down near the courthouse.

Ray, Willa and Cole came running up behind them just as they were about to enter Arthur Creighton’s office.

“Tom, what’re we ‘sposed to do here? We ain’t never been to a law office before,” Ray said.

“We’re gonna make it legal for the three of you to stay with the Yanceys until you’re old enough to be on your own and we’re gonna let Mr. Creighton try to explain to you just what all you will inherit and what’s gonna happen to all your lands and cattle while you’re underage.”

They all walked into the back office of Arthur Creighton’s, and Tom introduced them to Mr. Creighton and his wife. There wasn’t enough chairs for all of them to sit down, so Tom and Cal stood, leaning against the wall, the three Hanks brothers sat on the floor with Willa and Bobbi.

Clyde and Roberta Yancey sat in the only chairs.

“Well I’m glad to meet all of you and I want to thank you for coming here today to get the legal papers signed, and to hear the findings of our searches on the holdings of Will McDonnough, the benefactor of the three Hanks brothers here,” Mr. Creighton said.

“First, Mr. and Mrs. Yancey, we need you to look over these court documents proclaiming the two of you as legal and sole guardians of the brothers here,” he said as he handed the papers to the Yanceys to look over.

“When you’ve looked them over, if you will, just sign your names on the bottom and we’ll have that part done.”

“Cole, Ray, Tag I want you to tell me as I go along if there’s something you don’t understand and I’ll stop and try to make it clear for you. First of all, by now you know, that the three of you are sole heirs to the estate of Will McDonnough. This means that the three of you will inherit all his lands and livestock, as well as his home and all his holdings in the banks as well as the railroad stock he owned.

“My brother in St. Louis found out that the sister of Mr. McDonnough died about a month before he did. She had left her entire estate to her brother, the only kin she had. This means that the three of you will also be the heirs to her estate as well as Mr. McDonnough’s.”

“Do you understand what I’ve told you up to now?”

The brothers all nodded their heads and the Yanceys just stared at the lawyer as he spoke, they had no idea the brothers would be heirs to such a large inheritance. Willa and Bobbi Yancey just looked at the three brothers as if they were seeing them for the first time.

“My brothers and I have set up a trust for each of you, you will receive a monthly allowance of fifty five dollars each from this trust until the time you reach the age of twenty one years respectively. At which time, you will each take ownership of one third of all the holdings as well as all the money in the inheritance.

“Is that clear to you?”

“You mean that we won’t be able to work together on the same ranch, we’ll have to split it up three ways?” Cole asked.

“No, what it means is that the three of you will own a third, you can work your ranch just as the Tanner brothers work theirs. You will soon meet the Tanners, as their Dad, Mr. Jed Tanner will be operating the MDR for you three until you’re of age to do so on your own. The estate will pay Mr. Tanner fifty five dollars a month to live there and oversee the operation.”

“Now, do you have any more questions?”

“Yes Sir, I have one,” Cole said as he stood up.

“OK Cole, go ahead.”

“Well there’s a boy livin there at the MDR that’s about my age, he can’t hear or talk and we was wonderin if there was some way we could make sure he was took care of, since we’ll be owners one day,” Cole said.

“I see no reason why not, in fact one day this next week, I would like for you three and the Yanceys to ride up to the main headquarters of the MDR with me and we will meet with Mr. Tanner and also meet this young man. I will make sure the legal documents state that he is to be cared for in the manner you three choose.

“Tom and Cal here have appointed me as administrator of all your holdings. My brothers and I will show you the books twice a year. We will have an annual meeting with you and the Yanceys to make sure you see how your estate is being handled. Are there any more questions?”

“I got one,” Tag said.

“Sure Tag, go ahead.”

“Well Sir, since Mr. Will left us his ranch and all his horses and cows, do you reckon we could maybe have a new name for it now that we own it?”

“Well I don’t see why not, why don’t you three sit down with Tom, Cal and the Yanceys and come up with a name, we’ll just make the change now, while we are filing all the legal papers in your names.”

Tag smiled real big as he looked at the others, he was proud of his idea. He liked the thought of a new name for their new ranch, somehow the old name of MDR brought bad thoughts and unhappy memories to his head.

“That’s a great idea Tag, we’ll all help you come up with a new name for the ranch,” Clyde Yancey said and they all agreed.

“Mr. Yancey, I’ll need you and your wife’s signature as well as the three brothers’ signature on one more document, so I can write out the checks to these three as well as Mr. Tanner. This is giving me power of attorney for the Hanks brothers until they’ve reached legal age.

“I have assured Tom and Cal that I will always look out for their best interests.”

The Yanceys and the three Hanks brothers all signed the papers, then Mr. Creighton told his wife to write three checks one for each of the brothers on Creighton Law Firm for fifty five dollars for the first month’s allowance.

When they all had walked out of the law office, Tag looked up at Tom.

“Tom, what do we do with these checks we got?”

“Well, you take them down to the bank and they’ll cash them for you, or you can open up an account in your name and deposit the money.”

“You mean we get the money and then give it to the bank?”

“Well, it will still be yours, but the bank will keep it for you.”

“What happens if we just cash them then?”

“Well, each of you will have fifty five dollars a month to go along with the wages you’ll earn workin out at the Bar Y for Mr. Yancey. You’ll be responsible for buying your own clothes and anything extra that you want.”

“What kind of extra stuff would we be buyin Tom, sides our clothes when we wear these out?” Tag asked.

“Well, just say that you wanted to buy a new bridle or maybe a heavy overcoat and rain slicker for bad weather, you’d have money to do it.

“Why would we want to put our money in the bank then, we could just keep it in our pockets and have it any time we needed it.”

“Well, just suppose that one day you changed your britches and Miss Berty washed them with your money in the pocket, it’d be gone just like that.”

“I reckon you’re right Tom, do you put your money in the bank?”

“Yep, I sure do and when I go back up into the Dakotas, I’ll go by and collect it all and take it home with me.”

“Well, if the people at the bank are gonna give me fifty five dollars for this piece of paper, I’m gonna buy me one more set of underwear for sure. I don’t like wearin these new britches without’em on the day Miss Berty washes my underwear,” Tag said and they all laughed.

“That would be a good way to spend your first dollar Tag, just so you’ll know, Willa and Bobbi each put money in the bank once a month out of what we pay them,” Mr. Yancey said as he laughed too.

“Why don’t the three of you walk down to the bank now and cash your checks, we’ll meet you back in front of Bonner’s Store when you’re through.” Tom said.

“I reckon this’ll be a good test for you boys just to see how you’re gonna handle coming into all this money, will you be wasting it or will you be saving it,” Cal said to them.

The three Hanks brothers turned to Willa and Bobbi.

Ray said “Will you’n Bob come on and go with us, we ain’t never been in a bank before and for sure ain’t never had that much money neither.”

The five of them walked up to the cashier at the bank and let Tag go first. “I want to cash my check in.” He said as he placed it in the small window where the man stood.

“Yes sir, young man how would you like it, do you want eleven five dollar bills or fifty five one dollar bills?”

“Well, since this is my very first money ever, I want fifty five one dollar bills so I’ll have more money,” he said and the rest laughed, then he thought of what he said and laughed too.

Cole and Ray cashed their checks too and took the fifty five bills as well. The three brothers stood side by side and counted their money three times before they put it in their front pockets, then left their right hands in their pockets so they could feel their money.

Back in front of Bonner’s Store, Cole handed Tag a dollar, “Buy me some more underwear too Tag, I’m gonna go tell Missy all about our meeting and how much money we got for all this.”

“You best not tell her about all that money, she’ll be wanting you to buy her something with it,” Tag said and grinned.

“Tom, they don’t even know how much money they really do have do they?” Clyde Yancey said.

“No, I reckon it’s for the best too that they don’t know just yet, but it’ll come to them the older they get. I know you’n Miss Berty will make sure they know the meaning of money and how hard to come by it really is.”

“You can count on it Tom, we pay our girls the same as we do these three hired hands and we teach them to respect it after they’ve worked hard to earn it.”

“Tom, y’all can go on over to the hotel and start getting your dinner plates ordered, just tell Missy girl that I want the same thing I ate the other day. I’m gonna run in here and get me ‘n Cole some more underwear. Ray, you want another set too while I’m in there?” Tag said.

“Yep, get me a set of’em n I’ll pay ya back.”

“Nunh Unh, you give me the money now, I don’t want to have to take you down to get it,” Tag told his brother.

“Momma, I’m gonna go with Tag, OK?” Bobbi said as she hooked her arm through his.

“Sure, you two don’t be too long now, we’ll see you over at the hotel dining room.”

Tag looked at Bobbi kinda funny, he was wonderin why in the world she was wanting to hold on to him like this, it wasn’t like it was dark or something.

“Well, you two just come right on in here, what can I get for you, you’re not shopping for a wedding dress are you?” Mrs. Bonner laughed at her own joke.

“No Ma’am, I reckon we’ll be waiting a few years before we start shopping for wedding dresses. I wanted to get me and my two brothers another set apiece of them underwear like we got the other day if you got any left,” Tag said just as serious as he could.

While Mrs. Bonner was getting the underwear for Tag and his brothers, Bobbi looked at Tag

“You were just kidding right?”

“No, I wasn’t kidding, I really want to get me n Ray ‘n Cole some more new underwear.”

“I wasn’t talking about that Taggart Hanks, and you know it.”

“Oh, you mean that other thing I said, well you see I got it all figured out now. That Missy girl is kinda took on Cole, and Willa is making calf eyes at Ray, so that just leaves you n me, Bobbi. I got one thing to tell you though, I ain’t getting married for a while yet, so just don’t be doing things that’ll make folks poke fun at us, OK?” Tag grinned.