Chapter 3

I pulled into Kenny Ryeback's home town of Button Box. My first stop was the bank. I plunked my bedroll down on the counter. "I'd like to deposit this. Lookin' for cattle." I wanted to get rid of that money and get my blankets back. This wasn't too unusual, for cattle buyers did this often. I went over to the saloon and ordered me a beer. I didn't care much for it and didn't intend to drink it, but I wanted to fit in.

I was looking for information. "Where is Kenny Ryeback's ranch located?"

The bartender said, "Never heard the name." I looked around and saw an old man slumped in the corner. "He been around here long?"

"Most forever. Buy him whisky if you want to talk to him. He can tell you a few tall tales. Name's Pat."

"Give me a bottle." I took the bottle over and nudged him with my foot. "Hey fella, I feel like getting drunk. You want to get drunk with me?"

Pat's eyes opened and spotted the bottle. He immediately climbed to his feet. "If'n we're goin' to get drunk, we better do it to the livery stable. That way you won't have to lug me over there later."

When I got to asking about Kenny Ryeback, a sad look came over Pat's face. "Knew him well. He got mixed up with a married woman. She was after him terrible. Don't think he ever intended to get between her and her husband because the husband was his good friend. Anyway he was in the wrong and they had themselves a set-to. The guy hit his head going down and never come to. He thrashed around for a week and finally gave in and died.

"That woman turned on Kenny and said it was all his fault and she talked him right into prison. She took up with another man soon after the funeral and left the area."

"What happened to his ranch?"

"How you know he had a ranch?"

"Met him in prison. He still has time to do."

"You his friend?"

"Yeah, you could say so."

"Well I guess I can tell you about his ranch. He has him a cousin, name of Pete, who he turned the land over to. People has mostly forgot that the ranch is Kenny's, for that cousin has taken it in his own name for quite a spell. The place is some run-down, but it still is the best land for cattle around. It's up for sale now. When you going to let me suck on that bottle? I thought you said you was thirsty?"

"The bottle is yours. Tell me more about the ranch?"

"Well, a couple of years ago, some rustlers got to workin' around here and about cleaned the cattle off the range. They got caught and hung, but not before they pretty much stripped the ranch. Kenny's cousin wants to bug out before Kenny gets out of prison. He figures if he can sell the place to some sucker and disappear, he'll take to travelin', if you gets my meanin.' Kenny is going to be some pissed, whichever." Pat took another swig. "What's your stake in this?"

"I come ahead of Kenny. He has felt something was wrong, because he hasn't heard anything lately."

"You got any way to prove up what you're sayin'?"

"I got a paper saying I'm to manage the ranch in place of Pete. It's signed by the prison warden as witness."

"Take it to the sheriff then. He ain't that fond of Pete and was friend to Kenny."

"I'll do it. You too old to ride some?"

"Nope, can still ride. Got no hoss though."

"We'll go riding in the morning. I'll get you a horse. I'm going to sleep. You better save the last drink for when you wake up in the morning."

"This the last bottle you ever goin' to buy me? Might make a difference me ridin' or not."

"I expect I'll be buying a bottle time-to-time." I rolled over. "I don't drink so someone will have to drink it."

I had Pat over to the "Cowpoke Diner" for breakfast. He wasn't much on eating. I had them put up some sandwiches. We'd have to find a spring somewhere to wash them down with. "You goin' be gone all day? Don't know as I want to be gone that long."

"I'll probably buy me a bottle when we get back. Of course if you ain't with me, there won't be any need to."

"Let's get goin' then." I didn't figure Pat could handle a horse that had too much spirit, but he fooled me. The one I rented for him did a few crowhops and swapped ends a few times and Pat hung right in there. When he had him straightened out, we padded right along. Three miles from town, Pat said we were coming up on Kenny's ranch.

It must have been a mile farther, we topped a rise and could look down on the ranch buildings. I stood up in the stirrups looking down on what had been at one time an impressive set of buildings. Now they looked pretty ram-shackled. A couple of corrals had rails and the post broken. The place looked almost abandoned.

"Let's go get it done."

"You mean you're goin to hit Pete with this now? No siree, I ain't having any!"

"Pat, suit yourself, but if you don't back me..."

"I know, you won't buy me a drink. Is that it, kind sir?" I heard a muttered "Bastard" when I turned and grinned at him.

We loped into the yard. There were two horses at the rail. The rail was held together with some rawhide lacings. Two people were looking at me when I pushed the door open. One looked to be a dance hall girl, and the other was an unkempt man, with an unshaven face. This didn't bother me much, as I had gone that way most of the time. It was the food stains that spotted his vest that gave me the measure of the man.

I got to it. "Pete Ryeback, you're Kenny's cousin. He has hired me to take over the ranch from you." I let it lie there.

He started sputtering. "He can't do that. I been on the place almost twenty years. He owes me money--a lot of money."

"I don't think so. He said if the place looked as good as it did when he went to prison, I was to give you $5,000. If it didn't, then to use my own judgment. It doesn't look like there are any cattle left and the buildings are falling down. Maybe I should bill you for not taking care of the place."

"You can't do that. We was rustled right down to a few cows a couple of years ago. Ask the sheriff if you don't believe me."

"Heard about that. You know, I think I'll do what the army does when they discharge a trooper. They give him severance pay. I think you have some severance coming. About $1,000 I'd say. You get to keep your horse and all your personal stuff."

The woman said, "Take it Pete, then me and you can get hitched."

"You got the money on you?"

"Nope, meet you at the bank, nine tomorrow morning. I see a buckboard backed onto the barn floor. Use that to move your stuff. Leave the wagon at the livery stable in town."

"I got no place to go."

"Move in with the lady, she'll invite you. I'm out taking a ride around. Be back in two-three hours. It'd be nice if you were gone. Any of Kenny's stuff, don't steal it. Kenny has changed some since you knew him. He met a lot of tough guys up there at territory and he's still alive."

The lady was brave. "You one of those tough guys?"

"Kenny hired me. I didn't ask for the job." Let them think what they wanted.

I put my attention to the range when I went out. Not a cow to be seen and the land hadn't been grazed. "You know where the boundaries are?"

"Mostly. You ain't thinking on riding that far are you? I'm getting a mighty thirst."

"No. No time today. Let's head across to that point. Kenny told me about a spring over there."

"Oh God, I can't drink water. It'd kill me." I headed out and Pat followed, although not happy about it.

We arrived at the spring. Actually it was a pool, fed by a little waterfall that tinkled into it. I sat down and opened up the packet of sandwiches, handing Pat one. He looked at it with distaste. "Didn't you bring somthin' I can get this washed down with?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." I went to my saddlebags and got a flask, tossing it to him. "Nurse it. That's all there is. Better eat that sandwich, or you'll be pretty wobbly before we see town again. I'm climbing up to see the pool on top. Take a nap, I'll be awhile."

It was a steep climb, up to where the water overflowed from a larger, deeper pool. I topped out just as a body dove from a rock six feet high on the far side. I caught a flash of arms and of satin black hair and she swam toward me. The pool must have shallowed out, for when her feet touched bottom, she stood and advanced on me. Should I run?

"Speak." It was a command.

"Kenny sent me to find Mary Eustis."

"That would be me. I had the feeling about him, not two days ago. I'll put my clothes on and we will talk." I watched as she went about sliding a dress down over some parts of a person I had never seen before.

I could see this Indian woman was not young. I didn't have much to compare her naked body to. I had never seen a woman undraped--and I had to admit, I had never had a woman. This one had stood face front and talked to me.

Her body was golden brown, and smooth as silk. Her face and arms were darker from the sun and her hair was almost blue-black. She had other hair same's most people do, but I tried not to think on that. I guess if anyone ever said Goddess, the vision of Mary Eustis Silvercloud would come to mind the rest of my days.

Harking back to some facts Kenny had told me about this woman, I asked the first question. "Kenny said you were some kind of medicine woman. Did you become shaman?"

"Yes. How else would I have known Kenny was coming?"

"He isn't here yet. Maybe soon, maybe a year and a half."

"Two moons, maybe less, we will meet again. Now what can I do for you?"

"I kicked Pete off the place. It is in terrible shape. It needs all kinds of repair. The house is a pigsty and needs cleaning. There must be some cattle left on the ranch. Those need to be found and brought up close to headquarters. Do you have enough braves to do all of this?"

"Yes, we can do. What you pay?"

"Two critters for every ten you bring in. All the staples you need to feed your people until Kenny gets here."

"Not enough. That and three bottles whisky once a week. Drink Saturday night. No one too drunk to work, promise."

"Okay, anything else?"

"I dream. A young man come see me. He never have the pleasure of woman. One month I teach, find much pleasure. Same man, someday have boy child, name Samson. Same man, his woman have girl baby." This woman spoke to me in short sentences as if was a subject that wasn't to be discussed, but was fact. "Two moons me become Kenny's woman--again. Deal?" This was twice she mentioned Kenny. I think she was telling me not to become attached to her.

She was scaring me. Maybe I shouldn't have looked at her and run like hell. Still, maybe I could use some experience with the fair sex. "Deal."

She was now all business. I was to set up accounts for her to draw on. The general store and the hardware store and the feed store for their horses. I asked about horses they would be needing for the roundup.

"No need. We have Kenny's horse remuda hidden back in the hills near the reservation. Pete would have sold them. They are all trained as cutting horses, too. Not the same ones when Kenny left, but at the time his blood line was good so we kept doing some breeding for him. Many are unbranded and we'll take care of that first thing."

"Mary Eustis, tell me about yourself."

"My father was a shaman. He knew the old ways were leaving our people. He sent me to mission school to learn the white man's way. As I grew to womanhood, many men wanted my body. Kenny saved me from a fate worse than death, twice. I hid out in the hills after that and listened to my father. The power came to me, but I didn't use it wisely. When I was eighteen winters, Kenny made me a woman. He wouldn't let me into his bed after that for he was shamed.

"A bad woman took his mind away from being good. I went to him again, but he was blind and turned me away. His trouble came down on him and I haven't seen him long time. He comes to me in my dreams. My father read in the fire that Kenny would end his years making me happy. It is soon to be at hand."

With no inflection in her voice, Mary went on. "It is said that he who sees me without clothes will know me. You have seen me that way, so you must abide by what has been said. I will come to you in three days when your house is clean. We go now. You have given us much to do." As she turned to leave, several Indians came from behind the rocks and boulders scattered about. Thank God I had showed no aggression toward this Indian medicine woman.

"Come on Pat, wake up. Let's head for town." As we mounted up, I asked, "Do you know an Indian named Mary Eustis Silvercloud?"

"Sure do. She knows you, too. Before I passed out last night, she came up into the loft and looked at you sleeping. It was almost dark, but I could see her smiling. She has to be forty-years-old and everyone that sees her wonders when she is goin' to start to age. She is as pretty now as she was when Kenny went away."