Chapter 3

Pete could make the mouth organ really talk. The first strains came forth, and I saw people rubbing the goose bumps from their arms before Betty sang the opening words. There were old timers in the school here tonight who had sung the song around a bivouac fire during the war.

Before the first stanza was complete, some of these women were sobbing, and unabashed, tears flowed from those who were there, maybe remembering how lonely it was for them. Before the third stanza was finished, the room held every person in the building to hear this song. The front of Betty’s dress had dark streaks from the tears that were pouring down her face. And still, Pete continued playing.

Betty had moved to Pete’s shoulder to steady herself. Everyone picked something from the song; sadness mainly; empathy for the man who had written this story of his love; Loneliness and pathos; There was something in everyone’s life that the song touched on ... mine included. I missed my family more at the moment, than I had ever had before.

When finished, Betty signaled me, she needed to sit down. I was at the steps and Pete handed her down to me. The room with nearly a hundred people in it was still silent and I guided her through them to her previous seat. I thought I needed to hold her up, she was shaking so badly.

Pete had followed us. “Betty, you have made me a star. My star though, is nowhere shining as bright as yours. Two years you have lived here mostly unknown. Your name will be on everyone’s lips now.”

“I didn’t look for that. I don’t think I will ever sing the song again. I just know my Daddy and Mom were listening to me for I could hear them say “good girl.”

The band came in to play again. They played two full sets of waltzes before they did another square. Not many people came out to form sets so they only played two dances in the square set and returned to waltzes. People now, especially with the children, began to leave. Many filed by where we were sitting, most just extending their hand to Betty, not knowing what to say.

Finally, Betty asked Alma if it was okay for her to leave. “Yes Dear, you know where your room for the night is. Buck will escort you. If he feels like it, the reclining chair in the living room is comfortable. Pete said your crew could sleep in the hay barn. Go ahead and leave, you look worn out.”

When we left the school, I asked the men to put the horses up for the night, as we wouldn’t be returning to the ranch. They said they had plans to sleep at the livery stable. Betty and I walked hand in hand down the street to Pete and Alma’s home. Betty’s hand left mine and she turned to face me. “Buck, how did I ever do what I did tonight?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. I was some surprised I’ll tell you that. I knew Pete could play that thing really well. He has been fooling with it for years.”

“Pete asked me to sing a song when he decided to play something different than what he usually does. Mom and Daddy have been in my thoughts a lot lately and Lorena was a song we both knew. I mean, I was set free on Jim’s death, but then I found I had no direction. You have certainly changed that. I am beginning to feel as if I am fitting in. I said some of this to Pete, about how nervous I would be. He told me to block out everything except my parents and sing the song to them.”

“It worked didn’t it? You moved half the people in there to tears tonight. They might think you were singing the song over the death of Jim Turner.”

“I wasn’t!”

“You and I know that, but others won’t know and that is okay too.”

I said my goodnight to Betty at the foot of the stairs. She slowly climbed them and then paused at the top staring down at me. Suddenly she whirled and went into a room from my sight. I found the chair I was to sleep in and sunk into it after kicking off my boots. I pulled a blanket and a robe over me, letting my thoughts linger on the woman upstairs.

Now I had a problem. I was going to ask Betty to marry me someday. We had shunned the subject because we haven’t known each other but a few days. There was the baby coming too. Would Betty want to wait until after it was born? That meant the baby would always be Jim’s. I wouldn’t mind the baby having my name. That would mean us married before the event. This was something to discuss in the next six months.

It wasn’t long before Pete and Alma and their two children came in. Alma came directly in to see if I was in the chair. I looked up at her. “Buck, I knew you would be here and not upstairs. I do believe you two have the same values as Pete and I do. I know you already care for her and her for you.”

I whispered, “It is a mutual attraction.”

I slept hard, twisting around a couple of times searching for amore comfortable position. I woke up just as it was getting light. Instead of going through the house out back, I went out the front door. Joe, Burt, and Zeke were sitting on the porch out of a light rain. It had warmed during the night and the weather was foggy. They had my saddled horse with theirs.

“What’s up? You’re early.”

Joe filled me in. “We crawled into the hay at the livery stable last night. We hadn’t been up there long when we heard three riders come onto the barn floor below. They were arguing with the hostler about pay for their mounts. One of them said they were only going to be there for four or five hours. They didn’t win, he charged them for a whole night. Then they wanted grain for their horses and he told them it had to be money up front for that too. Guess they were too poor or too cheap so all they got was hay.

“We couldn’t see them when they crawled into the hay close to us, but we sure could smell them. Two of them were talking in whispers about the weather. We didn’t get it all but we did hear the JT-Boxed ranch mentioned. We thought you ought to know.”

“Right, this would be perfect weather to rustle some cattle. Let me pee and I’ll be with you. We should stop and eat something first, though.”

“No bother, the diner got us a big canteen for coffee and he gave us a bunch of left over food from last night that he was to give out free. We’re good to go.”

Just then, Pete opened the door. “I thought I heard someone. What’s up?”

I explained and then Joe told more, “Those men were pretty ripe. They stunk up the whole haymow. It sounded like one was an old man and another his son. The third one, we didn’t hear say anything.”

“That sounds like Tommy John’s bunch. They show up every so often and buy a few cows. They lead them south to the next town and butcher them. Sims, the Deputy, has stopped them and asked questions. So far, they have had a piece of paper the cows legal. Oh, if it is Johns, the third person is young and a simpleton. He is only half there in the brain. He does just as Tommy tells him to. I don’t think Johns treats him very good. The kid always seems afraid of him.”

“I wonder if the Deputy Sims has stopped them since Jim Turner died. He might ask if he has a bill of sale. Maybe he should ask if one of them didn’t have something to do with Turner’s death. Betty still believes his dying was not an accident. Look, we aren’t going to wait around to see if we can track them before it begins to rain too hard. You might tell Betty to go on home and we won’t come back to town, but go home from this end of the ranch.”

“I can do that. You Guys be careful. Nobody knows much about that bunch. They are usually well armed though.”

“We have a rifle with us and all four of us have side arms. Say Pete, I think I’ll pass on Sunday dinner tomorrow. Betty can come, but I have been pushing us all, and we need a day of rest.”

“Betty has already begged off. She talked to Alma about it before you left the school last night.

“Good. It is light enough now to look for tracks. So we’ll be heading out.”

“Good luck, Buck.”

The tracks were easy to follow and they stayed on the road west for almost a mile before the tracks turned off the road toward where our ranch lay. We halted and had a drink of coffee from the canteen. It was still warm. Then Joe dug around and handed each of us a sandwich and a donut. We weren’t in a hurry. When satisfied, I asked, “How do you want to work this?”

“Buck, you follow the tracks. Those bastards have to be looking for cattle. They’ll have to search some because we drove most of them out of here. I’ll take your left a hundred yards out from you. Zeke can go another hundred yards beyond me. Burt can go back a hundred yards on your right. We can cover a lot of territory that way. We may be able to see each other some of the way too.”

“It looks good to me. Remember we are hunting men and not cows. If I find them, I’ll speak up so you can hear me and you guys come in on the side to cover them if I lose control. Don’t shoot to kill. I don’t think any of us would like that. I usually center on the high chest area and move to the left and hit in the right shoulder.”

“You’re that good?”

“So far I am. Who is carrying the rifle?”

Joe spoke. “I will be.”

I came to the conclusion after we had traveled a mile, that the men ahead of us were heading though the hills and, all the way to the flatland part of the ranch. I had seen only one old cow and then two more together. They must have surmised that the bulk of the cattle were down closer to the ranch buildings. It would be another mile before the land opened up. I signaled my hands to close up with me

“I think they will be close together cutting out how many they want from the herd. They will probably be following the same trail back they came in on. Let’s pull off to the side and wait for them. They’ll have their hands full with the cattle and that will give us a chance to get the drop on them.”

“That sounds sensible.”

We waited an hour and we were wondering if maybe they took another trail off from the one they came in on.

Suddenly we heard a horse coming through the brush from behind us. A horse came into sight at a fast walk. Before we had a chance to hail the rider, he was by us. I had a good look at him, though. “That was Deputy Sims who went by us. He may be in with them. If he isn’t, he’ll run right into them and be in trouble. Mount up and we’ll follow.”

We followed, but before we got around the curve of a hill, we heard Deputy Sims shouting. We couldn’t make out what he was saying. Then gunfire started. It was close so we dismounted and hurried toward the noise.

Deputy Sims came around the hill on his horse. He was lying forward on it. He stopped and said, “Those bastards opened fire on me. Look, I’m going to deputize all of you. You’re now working for the law. I’m assuming they are rustlers.” He groaned and grimaced. “I got hit in the left arm, but don’t think it too bad.”

I turned to Burt, “Go with him and tie his arm up. Get him out of sight and we’ll take over here.” The three rustlers had gone to ground and I couldn’t see anyone when I advanced around the hill. I saw three steers on ropes tied to a downed tree. They were jumping around trying to get free. Over on the right I could see three horses tied to a bush. I guessed they were ready if Deputy Sims came back and wouldn’t know even now he had any help with him.

I kept watching and then I spotted the old man inching forward. Someone asked, “Pa, did we get him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe, I think I got lead into him.”

I could hear where the other voice was coming from. Joe was lying on the ground with the rifle. I pointed to him that I was going to fire my pistol at the new voice. I fired and I must have been close for the man stood and made to flee. Joe knocked him down with the rifle. He thrashed around some and then lay still. I could see one leg twitching until it stopped moving.

“Good shot, Joe.”

Old man Johns let off a string of shots our way. It was a long shot for my .44. I remembered telling the men where I placed my shots on the left so I wouldn’t kill. I did do as I said. I fired and got the old man in his right shoulder. It didn’t kill him, for he was swearing a blue streak, the primary word being “Bastard.”

“I think we can close in. Watch for the other one. Shoot at the first sign of movement. He can’t get us all.”

Just then, Burt and the Deputy rejoined us. “What’s the situation?”

“One man is dead I think, and Johns has got a smashed shoulder. We’re going looking for the other one.”

“That one won’t be no trouble. Johns never let him handle a gun.”

“Deputy, how bad are you?

“Just a crease, that’s all. Smarts right fierce, though.”

All five of us spread out and went down to Johns. Deputy Sims and I looked him over. I had almost missed. I had taken all the meat off the outside of the shoulder and nicked the joint enough to take out a piece of bone. We didn’t think it would kill him, especially as mean as he was. He was still cussing.

I went about tying his arm to his body and wrapping a neckerchief around the wound. “Where’s the other man?”

“Ain’t no man, only a full grown kid without brains. Always lying and don’t believe a thing he says.” I took this to mean he didn’t want him questioned. I sent Burt and Zeke to release the steers. They had to rope and tie them down to get the ropes loose. These were big full-grown wild steers you had to be careful of. When we came up to their horses, the kid Johns had mentioned was sitting on the ground.

“You didn’t kill him? You should, he mean.”

“That’s no way to talk about your Pa.”

“No Pa of mine. I’s lost and tagged along after him when he feed me. I was hungry. Should have stayed hungry. He made me do things to people.”

“You could have run away.”

“Tried. Caught. Couldn’t walk when he done with me.”

“Well, come along. We’re going back to town.”

Joe objected’ “Buck, we’re right on the edge of the cattle ground and its flat. Let’s head for the ranch and put these men in the buckboard.”

“Deputy?”

“Sounds sensible. Maybe Mrs. Turner will let me have the buckboard and I won’t have to use my arm.”

“Okay. Let’s get that young Johns tied over a saddle and Johns himself tied in his.”

We brought the horses up. When we proceeded to put the dead man on a horse, the boy said he was claiming that horse and saddle. “He dead, don’t need good saddle.”

Johns let out a screech and started cussing. We did as the boy said. If Johns had been mean to the boy, the boy needed some payback, so I agreed. Zeke had heard all the discussion. He searched in the food bag we had brought and handed the boy the only sandwich left. We thought Johns was going crazy, he was so mad. He began making threats to the boy and to all of us. He was acting like a rabid animal.

We soon were out in the open land, headed for the ranch. Johns did finally give up his ranting. He must have been in terrible pain. I rode up beside the boy. “What’s your name?”

“Sonny.”

“I mean your full name?”

“Just Sonny. Don’t have no oter.”

“How long have you been with Tommy Johns?”

Sonny was thinking, I guess trying to remember. “Three winters, maybe. He found me in summer.”