Chapter 43

The wind began to blow before dawn and even though it was late July there was a sudden chill in the air. Tom looked to the east and saw the sun glowing red through a bank of low clouds. He looked to the west and saw another bank of clouds, darker than those that had drifted overhead.

Somewhere in the gray clouds, Tom heard the sound of geese. He listened and the sounds moved south.

“Cal, it’s time to go,” he said as he looked at his friend.

“I’m ready Tom, which we heading south or west?”

“We’re goin home Cal. I know there’s a lot more country to see, but I feel the need ride north. By the time we make our rounds and back track through Kansas, then on up into Nebraska and The Dakotas, it’ll be getting on close to September.”

“I’m with you Tom, I had a feeling that one morning you’d wake up and head north. We got a lot of gathering up to do on our way, and a lot to do when we get there, don’t we.”

“Yep, but we’re gonna cut across over to where we can meet up with the Santa Fe Railroad and catch a train back into Kansas, that’ll save us a few nights on the trail and cut a lot of days off our journey.”

“I never rode a train before, I reckon there’s a lot of things I never done ‘til I met you. I always wondered what it’d be like to ride on one.”

They saddled up and headed north, Tom knew from the railroad maps he still had in his saddlebags they’d come to the railroad soon if they kept riding. Late in the afternoon, they saw a big windmill in the distance and rode toward it.

They had come upon a water station for the train. There was a water tank there with the windmill and there was a side rail where two trains could meet out here on the open plains. They made camp here. There were two old rundown buildings a ways down the tracks where at one time a town may have tried to start up.

There was a stack of cross ties near the side track and they re-stacked them to build a make shift set of steps.

There were two trains that came through during the night heading west, both trains stopped and took on water, then rolled out over the moonlit plains with their whistles screaming up at the night sky.

The next day around mid morning, a train rolled in from the west and switched over to the side track to take on water. Tom walked up to the man that was overseeing the filling of the water reservoir.

“Mr. I got some papers here signed by Mr. Cyrus Holliday up in Wichita, Kansas that says I can ride his trains. I’d like to ride back to the Kansas border with you if you got a train car we can load our horses on.”

The man took the papers and looked them over, he saw the signature of Cyrus Holliday himself and nodded to Tom.

“When we get through here, we’ll back the train up to where you can load them on that flat car, that’s all we got empty.”

“We’ll make that work Mr. and we sure thank you for letting us ride.”

In no time it seemed, they were backing the train to line up the long flat car with the stack of cross ties, Tom led his horse up the stack of ties slowly and turned back to see Cal’s horse throwin his head and backing up.

He took the reins and told Cal to get behind him. Cal slapped him on the rump and with Tom pulling on the reins, his big black gelding climbed the stack and nervously stepped over onto the flat car.

Tom waved to the man in the engine and they were off with a lurch that staggered the horses and nearly made them stumble.

They were rolling across the flat plains so fast, the sage brush looked like a blur to Cal. He sat in the middle of the flat car holding the reins of his horse close and looked out over the flat country side. Tom sat next to him and Cal turned to grin at him then looked back to watch the world fly by.

The train stopped once more before dark and took on more water, and coal too this time, then they were rolling again. They rode on into the night and slept very little as Cal’s horse was still restless riding on the open train car.

At dawn the next morning, the train slowed and rolled to a stop near a dirt bank on the south side of the tracks. The whistle blew and Tom leaned out to look toward the engine. He saw the engineer wave at him to get off. It was a long jump, but he knew they could make it. He swung to his saddle and nudged his horse back away from the side of the flat car.

When popped his heels to the horses flanks, the big horse sprang forward, leaping into the air, landing on the dirt bank, and skidding to a stop.

Cal watched this and shook his head, he wasn’t sure if his horse could make that jump, or if he’d even try. He mounted up, dug his heels into his horses’ flanks and hung on as his horse leaped through the air and skidded to a stop near where Tom sat on his horse.

They both waved at the engineer and the train once again started with a lurch and a scream from the whistle. They watched it roll on by, then crossed the tracks and headed north and east. They came to the creek where they’d camped a few days before. They followed the military supply trail a ways then cut back more to the east and rode at a good lope for over an hour.

They camped that night on the banks of the Arkansas River, south of Dodge City. The next morning they skirted Dodge City to the east side as they rode by Fort Dodge in the distance and headed north up to Hays.

Tom and Cal rode into Hays late the next day and just made it to the bank before it closed at six o’clock that evening.

They went straight to Sheriff Wade’s office from there to tell him about the killing of Joon Slaughter down in Texas and the other three that were involved in the robbery.

Sheriff Wade was surprised, but glad to see the two former deputies.

“Tom I never expected to see you ‘n Cal this soon, what happened?”

They told the story of the man and Indian woman they ran upon down in the panhandle by the river. Then they told about Joon Slaughter walking up after they all thought he was dead.

“I reckon we never identified the man that was brought in from out in the brush thicket and took to the undertaker.

“That must have been the guard that jumped the train during the robbery,” Sheriff Wade said.

“Yep, that explains why we never got the two horses that belonged to Billy and Joon Slaughter too,” Cal said.

“What happened to the man and woman you saw there Tom, did you just let them go?”

“Well Sheriff, Cal and I had spoke of this before we ran up on them. We decided that even if we took them to the nearest law and told the story, they’d find out there was no record of a gold train being robbed in Hays Kansas. More’n likely the law there would take the gold themselves, so we just told them they were on their own and left them,” Tom said.

“I reckon I’d have done the same thing if I’d been there, can’t say that I blame you. What’re your plans now, you two headed back up to The Dakotas now, to get ready for winter?”

“Yes Sir, I reckon we will, we’ve already got our money from the bank, we’ll ride on out to the Double Bar Y and tell the boys goodbye then head on out.”

“Well, I’m sure glad that you two came by to see me on your way back through, I hope you come back this way one day, you’ll always be welcome here in Hays.”

“Sheriff, it’s been good working with you and knowing you like we have. We plan on coming back down to Osborne County in the spring to get us some cows and a bull or two from the Tanners to start our own herd,” Tom told him.

“Well, if you get that close drop down and look me up, I may be a retired land owner by then, you never know.”

“Sheriff, if you decide to go that way, you oughta ride on up in The Dakotas and start a spread next to Tom ‘n me,” Cal said.

“Now that sounds like a good plan to me, I’ll talk it over with my wife and we may just ride back with you next spring when you come down.”

They shook hands and Tom ‘n Cal left Hays, headed north to the Bar Y. Now that they had decided to head back, they were itching to get there.

There was maybe an hour of daylight left when they rode into the Bar Y and hollered out. Miss Berty came to the front porch and they stood and talked to her for a while, she was shocked to see them back this soon, but told them where the crew was workin cattle and they said their good-byes once more and rode out to find them.

The Yanceys and the Hanks brothers were moving cattle from one pasture to another when Rope ran out and barked at the two riders coming at them.

“Tom, Cal,” Tag hollered as he rode out to meet them, followed by Rope running and yelpin’ alongside him.

The others turned to see them coming and also rode out to meet them.

“What happened Tom, you’re back sooner than what you said, did you have trouble?” Tag asked.

“We just had a hankering to head north Tag, and we wanted to stop in and tell all of you goodbye on our way through.”

“Well, we’re sure glad to see you two again, why don’t you head back to the house with us and eat some supper, then leave out in the morning,” Mr. Clyde said.

“Well, we done stopped to see Miss Berty, I reckon we’ll just ride on a while and spend the night up on the county line. Has anything happened with the MDR and the boys inheritance in the weeks we been gone?” Tom asked.

“Well, we did get word to Mr. Creighton and get the name change made legal, he sent a messenger out with a paper showing all had been legally filed and ordered by the courts. It’s settled and over with as far as the boys part is concerned, they’re now owners of Sky Ranch and Cattle Company.”

“We’ll be back this way next spring to get us some horse and cattle breeding stock, we’ll look y’all up then. You boys remember, we had a deal, you three do what you’re told and learn from Mr. Clyde, he’ll make sure you do it right. You girls keep these fellers in line, and let us know next spring if you need any help with them,” Tom looked at them all and smiled.

“We will Tom, we can never thank you enough for all you ‘n Cal has done for all of us,” Willa said.

“I see Rope is down and runnin now, how’s the cow dog part of him working out?” Cal asked.

“You oughta see him, he wants to take over movin the cattle and let us watch, we all laugh at the way he runs and barks, making the cattle do what he wants,” Bobbi laughed.

“Well, you keep workin with him, we may want to get us a couple of them cow dogs before it’s over with,” Cal said.

They each said their goodbyes and shook Tom and Cal’s hands. They watched as their friends rode out of sight, headed north and east toward Rooks County.

They made camp on the south side of the Sky Ranch and rode into Stockton before mid morning the next day. The first thing they did was look up their friend, Sheriff Red Neely.

“I knew you’d be riding back this way, but this is sooner than I thought. It sure is good to see you fellers again, I reckon you’ve been staying out of trouble since you left?”

“Well, we kinda felt a hankerin to ride north Sheriff and we wanted to drop in and see you on our way through. I reckon you’ve just about got it all worked out with the MDR?” Tom said.

“Yep, sure was kinda fitting the way it all worked out for them three brothers that were pushed into being rustlers wasn’t it?”

“Yep, me ‘n Tom was glad to help make it work out for them, they gonna be up here working one day soon. They’re gonna be some good folks to have around, way better than the last owner anyway,” Cal said and they all laughed.

“Well, if you fellers ever get back this way, be sure to look me up.”

“We plan on coming back to get some breeding stock from the Tanners next spring Sheriff, we’ll be seeing you then I reckon,” Tom told him.

They said their goodbyes once more and rode out of Stockton at a good fast pace, headed for Osborne.

“Tom, I reckon I’m getting nervous and itchy at the same time, the closer we get to Osborne. I sure hope you’ll prop me up if I start to fall over.”

“You’ll be OK Cal, when you see Callie you’ll get over it and the two of you’ll be together from now on if that’s what you both want.”

“It is Tom, I was thinking about all this the other night when you was playing your music down in Texas. Are you planning on getting married to your girl Beth there in Nebraska, or wait until you get her up in The Dakotas?”

“I’d like to wait, but I reckon she’ll want to get married there with her family close by, if she does, I’ll not fuss a lot about it. What you and Callie got planned?”

“We never really talked about it, but if she would, I’d like to be married at the same time you ‘n Beth are, that is if you two wouldn’t mind.”

“Well, seeing as how we’re already partners, I don’t see nothing wrong with that Cal, you’ll just have to make sure that Callie is agreeable to it.”

“I will, I reckon whatever she wants I’ll try and do for her.”

They rode into Osborne a couple of hours before sundown and stopped at the Sheriff’s office. He wasn’t there so they took their horses to the stable and got them settled, then went out back to wash up.

The two friends walked into the Bowers Boarding house and Cal walked over to take a quick look into the kitchen. Mrs. Bowers looked up and saw him. Just before she said something, Cal shushed her with his finger to his mouth and Tom walked into the kitchen with him.

“Oh my Lord, it’s sure good to see you two again. Callie’s been sick to her stomach thinking you’d never even come back this way, she’ll probably pass out when she see’s you,” she said as she hugged each of them.

Cathy came in from the dining room carrying an empty plate, which she dropped as she looked up and saw Tom and Cal standing there. She ran to Tom and threw her arms around him, crying.

“I’m so glad to see you both again, Callie’s so afraid that Cal will forget her, she hardly even eats anymore. Tom how have you been?”

“Been well Cathy, how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been well too, I’m getting married in December to Dan Tanner, he finally asked me after I had to hint to him three times,” She laughed.

“I’m happy for you Cathy, you’ll make a fine wife for him and the Tanner family is getting one of the finest, in my thinking.”

“Thank you Tom, they’re as excited as we are about it too, they’ve even started building us a house out there on the ranch.

“Are you on your way back to Nebraska to meet your friend there, will you marry there or take her to The Dakotas?”

“I’m headed there as soon as Cal and Callie decide what they want to do, I reckon we’ll get married there so her folks can be there. Cal kinda wanted for him ‘n Callie to get married at the same time, so we’ll have to see how all that works out.”

“Is Cal planning to go to The Dakotas too, Callie will be thrilled, she told me that she would love to live up there.”

“Cal and I are partners, we’ve saved our money and we’re gonna buy some land and build houses there. We’re gonna raise cattle and horses and a few kids too.”

They looked over to Cal and he was peeking through the door to the dining room, he jumped back and Callie came through the door.

She saw Tom.

She didn’t see Cal and started crying. Cal walked up behind her, took her shoulders, turned her and kissed her right in front of her mother and sister.

Callie fainted.

Cal half carried her, half dragged her over to a chair and sat her down. Her mother wiped her face with a wet cloth and she opened her eyes and smiled, though sobbing until she couldn’t speak.