“She’s goin’ to be advised by the fish-eyed lawyer, Ma.”
“Thin, may God help the old ranch!” Ma exclaimed piously.
“It’ll sure need somethin’ from the outside,” said Wheezer sadly. “Don’t
forget what you’ve got to say to him, Ma. It won’t be lyin’.”
Ma nodded and went back into the kitchen, while the four cowboys went
back to the bunk-house.
“Suppose we can’t make that stick with the lawyer; what’ll we do?” asked
Wooden-shoe.
“Do?” Leather Kleig flung one of his boots across the rough floor and
wiggled his toes through a hole in his sock. “What’ll we do? By ----,
we stole most of them NR cows for Nick Ralls, didn’t we? Then what in
---- is goin’ to stop us from stealin’ ’em from the NR?”
“Not me,” Wooden-shoe shook his head quickly. “I’m a re-formed
cattle-rustler, by gosh! From now on, I don’t rob nothin’ but stages
and banks.”
“You goin’ to Broken Butte tomorrow, Leather?” asked Wheezer.
“What for? We ain’t even got enough money to play a game of seven-up.”
“Mebbyso we will have. Clay Hardy offered me fifty for that glass-eyed
sorrel a week ago, but I wanted a hundred. Mebbe he’ll be wantin’ sixty
dollars worth tomorrow, and if he does--that’s fifteen apiece.”
“I sabe a roulette system,” declared Wooden-shoe. “It’s a cinch. All yuh
do----”
“Make it twenty apiece for three of us,” interrupted Leather. “That’s a
better system than Wooden-shoe’s.”
* * * * *
The town of Broken Butte was a county seat, but, outside of that
fact it had little to boast about. Perhaps there were a few more
false-fronted buildings than in the average Western cow-town;
perhaps it was a little hotter in Summer and colder in Winter; but
it was still a weather-beaten, hitch-rack decorated, dusty-streeted
cow-town.
There was the usual array of restaurants, where the inner man might be
well appeased for two-bits. The fact that there were two livery-stables
rather lifted Broken Butte out of the mediocre class, but its chief
claim to distinction was the Shoshone Saloon, where wine, women and song
brought surcease from range-land sorrows, and kept the cowboys broke but
contented.
“Battler” Morgan owned the Shoshone, a pugnacious jaw, one cauliflower
ear and a memory of the days when men fought with bare knuckles. He
could throw a bottle almost as straight as a cowboy could shoot a
gun--but not quite.
He had found this out to his sorrow, when he essayed to bounce a bottle
off the head of Wheezer Bell. Wheezer had incurred Battler’s displeasure
by slamming a bullet into the bottle, in mid-air. The bottle was coming
toward Wheezer, but the .45 bullet caused it to sort of evaporate, and
the neck of the bottle boomeranged into Battler’s front teeth.
Wheezer admitted that he shot at the bottle, which the rest of the NR
gang knew to be a mistake, but it established Wheezer as a bad man to
monkey with. Battler bought some “store” teeth and quit throwing
bottles at gunmen.
Eph Williams owned an office on the main street, and he was climbing
into a top-buggy when the four cowboys rode in from the NR ranch.
Williams sighed with relief as he drove out of town.
He had no wish to meet these four men. He knew, to his sorrow, that they
did not respect him in the least, and he secretly wished that they might
be hailed into court, charged with a serious offense.
For Eph Williams, in spite of the fact that he passed the collection
plate at church, did not “Do unto others as you would have others do
unto you.” These four men laughed at him, and he did not like that.
He had often wondered why Nick Ralls hired these four men. One day he
had asked Nick Ralls regarding them, and Nick Ralls had told him that
it was none of his adjectived business.
The four cowboys watched Eph Williams drive out of town, and Chet wailed
over the fact that they would not be at the ranch to greet him.
“We’d take off his wheels and make him walk home.”
“Yeah, and have him advise Cleopatra to fire us,” said Wheezer. “You
ain’t got a ---- bit of fi-ness.”
“That’s a nice word to call a friend,” said Chet accusingly. “You go and
sell that wall-eyed cayuse to ‘Clay’ Hardy, professor.”
“Yeah, you do that,” agreed Leather. “But if yuh see that bat-headed
Murtch, don’t antagonize him. He’s in cahoots with Williams.”
“Rope’s draggin’!” Wheezer whispered warningly.
Leather turned quickly and saw Murtch standing within five feet of him.
He had come out of the Shoshone Saloon while they were talking. There
was not the slightest doubt but what Murtch had heard what Leather Kleig
had said, but his face told them nothing.
“All right, I’ll go and find Clay,” said Wheezer. Then to Murtch--
“Is Clay at the office?”
Clay Hardy was Murtch’s deputy; a vile-tempered, pasty-faced individual,
who was reputed to be the best rifle-shot in the country, in spite of
the fact that he was of the jerky, nervous type.
“I reckon he’s there,” replied Murtch softly, and walked past them,
going across the street.
Wheezer led the sorrel down the street toward the sheriff’s office,
while the other three cowboys went into the Shoshone, to wait for
Wheezer to bring them funds enough for a little riotous living.
There was little warmth in Battler Morgan’s reception, but he did invite
them to have a drink.
“What’sa matter with it?” asked Chet wonderingly.
“With what?” asked Battler.
“Yore liquor,” explained Chet. “You givin’ it away, kinda makes me
wonder. How’s tricks, Battler?”
“All right,” growled Battler. He was not very quick witted. “Whatcha
drinkin’?”
“I’ll smoke a see-gar,” stated Wooden-shoe. “Gift whisky hurts my
stummick. Got any of them two-bit Flor de Loco Weeds? Yuh know what I
mean--them dusty ones.”
“Never look a gift see-gar in the dust,” advised Leather, leaning across
the bar and studying the labels on some dusty-looking case-goods.
“Well, name your drinks,” said Battler impatiently.
“W-h-i-t-e S-e-a-l,” spelled Leather. “What’s that--sody-water,
Battler?”
“Champagne,” gruffly.
“I’ll take a chance on her,” nodded Leather.
“Yuh will? At ten dollars per bottle?”
“Well, ain’t we yore friends?” asked Chet. “Ten per bottle ain’t nothin’
between friends, ’specially when we’ve got a lady boss. Didja hear about
it, Battler?”
Battler nodded.
“Murtch was tellin’ me. What you jaspers goin’ to do for a job?”
“Work for the NR,” replied Leather dryly, motioning for the bartender to
open a bottle of champagne.
“Want me to open a bottle, Battler?”
The bartender wanted official sanction.
“No!” snapped Battler. “I ain’t wastin’ champagne on cowpunchers.
Whisky’s good enough.”
“Not for me, it ain’t,” declared Leather, turning his back on the bar.
“Battler won’t treat us right, ’cause he thinks we ain’t got nothin’ to
spend in his danged place.”
“You fellers ain’t had no pay-day.”
Battler was so old in the liquor business that he did not mind admitting
a lack of enthusiasm in treating men who were broke.
“Did yuh ever know us to have a pay-day?” asked Chet.
Battler thought it over and shook his head.
“No, I don’t think I have. You fellers has spent money, but I never
heard yuh mention pay-day.”
“You remember that, will yuh?” asked Leather, but before Battler could
ask a reason for remembering such a trifling thing, Wheezer came
bustling in, kicking his spurred heels on the floor.
“Hookum cow!” he chortled, executing a very poor jig-step. “Nailed Clay
for seventy dollars.”
He pulled the money out of his chaps pocket and piled it on the bar.
“Are you a sport?” queried Leather.
“Dang right!” exploded Wheezer. “Gimme action.”
Leather poked a ten-dollar gold piece out of the pile and shoved it
across the bar.
“Give me that bottle of champagne.”
The bartender handed it across to him, while Wheezer leaned in close and
peered at the dusty, long-necked bottle.
“Whazzat?” he asked curiously.
“This?” Leather patted the bottle. “This is the drink of kings,
Wheezer.”
He took out his knife and inserted the blade under the wired top.
Wheezer glanced at the cash register and blinked at Leather.
“Ten dollars for a little bottle? My ----, what’s in it?”
_Pwhop!_
The cork hit Wheezer in the mouth, and most of the champagne struck
him in the chest. Leather tried to hold his hand over the neck of
the bottle, with the result that a stream of the liquor shot square
into Wooden-shoe’s face. A shift of the hand shot the stream up into
Leather’s face and he dropped the bottle on the floor.
Wheezer wiped his sleeve across his face and looked down at the bottle.
He scooped up the rest of the money and stuffed it into his pocket.
“Yo’re all through playin’ king with my money,” he announced.
“You don’t open champagne like that,” explained the bartender chokingly.
“You put a towel over----”
“Aw-w-w, ----!” snapped Leather. “I’ve opened lots of it.”
“Yeah, there was quite a lot in that bottle,” admitted Chet, feeling of
his sticky shirt collar. “Kind of a magic bottle, ain’t they?”
“I’ll open a bottle,” announced Battler joyfully. “I’ll show yuh how
it’s done.”
“After we’re gone, Battler--not now--” Wheezer was very emphatic--“I’ve
swallowed a cork and I smell like I’d had a bath in hard cider. If yuh
want to treat, I’ll take a see-gar.”
The other three nodded dismally and accepted an ancient cigar on the
house, which they discarded after a puff or two in favor of a Durham
cigaret. Wheezer relented and split his money among them, after which
they wooed the goddess of chance in their own ways.
* * * * *
It was about three hours later that Eph Williams drove back to Broken
Butte. It was only five miles to the NR ranch, which was far enough to
give him a chance to cool his anger against the four cowboys.
He took his horse and buggy to the livery-stable and went back to his
little office. Murtch had seen him, and wended his way to Williams’
office, where he found Williams in a vile mood. Murtch sat down and
waited for Williams to cool down. These two understood each other very
well.
“What’s the matter?” queried Murtch. “You act all het up, Eph.”
“Aw, ----!” exploded Eph, kicking a perfectly good law book off the
corner of his desk, that he might have a resting-place for his feet.
“I just came in from the NR, and I find out that them four punchers are
claiming that Ralls agreed to pay them once a year, and that the NR owes
them four hundred and eighty dollars apiece.”
“That’s a ---- of a thing to claim!” exclaimed Murtch indignantly. “Why,
they can’t----”
“That ain’t all, Murtch. Miss Cleveland told me that Nick Ralls had
promised old lady Coogan that he was going to settle enough money on
her, after she had been there ten years, to keep her the rest of her
life. And she’s been there just ten years.”
“Of all the ---- fool things I ever heard!”
“Nick Ralls never kept any books. There ain’t a scratch of a pen to show
how he run his ranch.”
“But they can’t git away with anythin’ like that,” protested Murtch.
“There ain’t nobody runs a ranch that way, Eph.”
“Them four claim a total of nineteen hundred and twenty dollars,” said
Eph thoughtfully. “That’s a ---- of a lot of money, Murtch.”
“Ain’t she goin’ to fire ’em, Eph?”
“I suppose.”
Eph got to his feet and walked over to the door. Wheezer and Chet were
coming across the street and their legs seemed a trifle unsecure. Eph
opened the door and scowled at them.
“H’lo,” greeted Wheezer owlishly. “We’re after some legal advice.”
“Legal advice, eh?”
Williams squinted at them closely, but, in spite of the fact that they
had been drinking, they seemed deadly serious.
Murtch came to the door and looked at the cowboys, who grinned widely at
him.
“H’lo, sheriff!”
Wheezer cuffed his hat on to one side of his head and grinned wickedly.
“Whazza matter? You in trouble, too?”
“Not that anybody knows about,” retorted Murtch.
“Oh--” Wheezer’s lips formed a perfect O and he nodded wisely. “Not
that anybody knows about, eh? Well, I s’pose it ain’t right to expose
yoreself, but me and Chet are open and above-board in everythin’, ain’t
we, Chettie?”
“Oh, very much so,” nodded Chet. “We don’t have no mustache to deceive
the eye.”
Murtch grunted angrily and hooked his thumb over his belt above his
holster. But this action did not frighten the two cowboys.
“He’s half-way home after his gun,” observed Chet wisely.
“Just what did you want to know?” asked Williams.
He knew that this talk was only leading up to trouble, and he wanted to
avoid it if possible.
“Li’l point of law,” explained Wheezer.
“Me ’n Chet has had a argument about lawyers, don’tcha see?”
“What was the argument?”
“Well--” Wheezer cuffed his hat sideways again and grew very
solemn--“well, this was the argument: I said that lawyers was predatory
animals, but Chet argues that there must be a open and a closed season
on ’em. Me ’n Chet don’t want to break no game laws.”
Williams’s lips tightened and his face flushed. He was fighting mad, but
his better judgment told him to move carefully. Murtch swore under his
breath and looked away, but Williams said nothing, as he turned slowly
and went back into the office.
“There ain’t no answer,” said Chet softly.
“Betcha he’s gone to look in a book. Lawyers always have to look into
books, Chettie.”
“My advice to you fellers would be--” began Murtch angrily, but Wheezer
interrupted with--
“Nobody asked you for advice, Murtch.”
“And nobody, if they’ve got any brains, ever will,” added Chet.
“Is that so? Lemme tell you fellers somethin’. Broken Butte is tired of
you four jaspers from the NR, and if you want to get away with a whole
hide, yuh better move fast.”
“My ----, you frighten me!” squeaked Wheezer. “My tonsils are weak and
any sudden shock makes me choke all up.”
“Aw, that’s too bad,” wailed Chet sadly. “Broken Butte is all through
with us, Wheezer, don’tcha know it. Just like the song:
“Out in thish wide wor-r-rld alo-o-one,
Nothin’ but sorrow I see-e-e-e;
I’m-m-m nobody’s dar-r-rling,
Nobody car-r-r-res for me-e-e-e.”
Chet’s unmusical voice clung lovingly to the last notes and his eyes
closed with ecstasy. Murtch snorted his indignation and walked swiftly
away toward his office, both hands clenched around his cartridge-belt,
while Wheezer sat down on the wooden sidewalk and shook with unholy
mirth.
“What’s so ---- funny about it?” demanded Chet. “That’s a sad song,
ain’t it? Somebody has to tell yuh when to cry. My, my! Yo’re ignorant,
cowboy.”
Leather came out of the Shoshone and crossed the street to them. He was
perfectly sober and his thin lips were tightly drawn, as if suppressing
a grin.
“I tapped the old roulette for a hundred and fifty,” he informed them.
“And Wooden-shoe has corralled most of the chips in the stud-poker game.
C’mon.”
“Where yuh goin’?” demanded Wheezer.
“Clerk and Recorder’s office. I’m goin’ to take a look at old Nick
Ralls’ will.”
“Why spoil a perfec’ day? We jist insulted Williams and Murtch.”
“We hope we did,” amended Chet, “but I doubt it.”
“All right,” nodded Leather. “Go ahead and get us all fired.”
The clerk’s office was located at the north end of the town. Broken
Butte had never been financially able to build a court house; so the
county offices were badly scattered.
The clerk showed them the recorded will, and even volunteered to read it
to them. It was short and to the point.
“Bein’ in good health and sound of mind, eh?” grinned Leather, as the
clerk finished reading. “That danged old gopher never was sound of
mind. Leaves all his earthly possessions to Miss Jane Cleveland, his
niece, who is his only known living relative.”
“I understand that she has taken possession,” remarked the clerk.
“Yo’re danged right she has,” grinned Wheezer. “Man, she’s sure took
right hold of the old ranch.”
They left the clerk’s office and started down the street. The stage was
just driving up to the front of the general merchandise store, in which
the post-office was located, and the three cowboys stopped to watch a
newcomer disgorge himself from the interior of the dusty stage.
He was of medium height, slender of build and well dressed. His
olive-tinted face was handsome, in spite of its lines of dissipation,
and his tiny black mustache was waxed to needle-like points.
He dusted himself off with his hands, paid the driver his fare and
watched him unpack two valises off the boot of the stage. He looked
at the three cowboys and a flash of recognition crossed his face, but
he turned back to the driver, picked up his valises and went down the
side-walk toward the Broken Butte hotel.
“You know that dude _hombre_, Leather?” asked Wheezer.
“Yeah. That’s the crookedest gambler unhung. I dunno who he is now, but
when I knew him in Sunset City he was called ‘Spade’ Hollister.”
“Here comes Wooden-shoe,” said Chet. “He’s grinnin’; so I betcha he made
a cleanup, too.”
“Hundred and eighty dollars,” announced Wooden-shoe joyfully. “Such an
easy game to beat.”
“Let’s go home,” suggested Leather. “This town ain’t noways friendly,
and I’m kinda curious to know what the beautiful maiden has done to the
NR since we left.”
“Go home--now!” Wooden-shoe was explosively surprized. “And me with a
hundred and eighty?”
“Ain’t noways fair to the heathen,” admitted Chet.
“All right, I’m goin’,” announced Leather, starting toward the
hitch-rack.
“I’ll trail yore bet, Leather.”
Wheezer turned and followed Leather, but Chet and Wooden-shoe laughed
derisively at such a foolish move, and went back to the Shoshone Saloon.
That hundred and eighty dollars was burning a hole in Wooden-shoe’s
pocket, and the fact that Broken Butte was hostile to him made not the
slightest difference.
Leather and Wheezer went back to the ranch. Miss Cleveland was sitting
on the ranch-house porch, as they rode past, and motioned for them to
stop. They dismounted and came up to her.
“Mr. Williams was here this morning, and I spoke to him in regards to
your yearly salaries,” she stated evenly. “He said that your claims
were absurd. I quite agree with him. We have decided to pay you each
forty dollars and dispense with your services, beginning tomorrow.
“Mr. Williams will be here in the morning and pay you off, I believe.
I also spoke to him regarding Mrs. Coogan, and her claims, and he said
that such a thing would be impossible.”
“Yeah, I see,” nodded Leather absently. “Williams is takin’ quite a lot
upon himself, ain’t he, ma’am?”
“He is handling the legal matter for me.”
“You known Eph Williams long, ma’am?”
She shook her head.
“You need somethin’ beside legal advice, ma’am,” said Wheezer solemnly.
“That fish-eyed shyster’ll git yuh into trouble, if yuh don’t watch
out.”
“I am perfectly able to attend to my own affairs.”
Miss Cleveland’s tone chilled Wheezer, but he grinned widely.
Leather dropped his reins and leaned against the railing of the porch.
“Ma’am, I’d like to talk to yuh a little,” he said. “I ain’t sayin’
nothin’ for me and the boys. We don’t like this ranch--much. Losin’
a job don’t mean nothin’ to us, but I’d like to say somethin’ for Ma
Coogan.
“Ma’s old, ma’am. Must be past sixty. It ain’t noways easy for her to
land another job, don’tcha see? She’s fine, Ma is. You won’t find nobody
like her. She’s got to have a home. Old folks, like her, has got to have
a home, don’tcha see, ma’am?”
Miss Cleveland studied Leather, as he talked, but he knew that she was
not impressed with his argument.
“I am sorry,” she said, “but Mr. Williams will handle that part of it
for me. I have no doubt but that Mrs. Coogan is a fine cook, but Mr.
Williams has advised that I change the personnel of this ranch entirely
and I am following his advice. Of course, you know, I am not running a
charitable institution.”
“No, I didn’t reckon yuh was,” Leather sighed and picked up his reins.
For a moment he seemed downcast over her decision, but lifted his eyes
and looked squarely into her face. Wheezer started instinctively forward
as he saw the expression on Leather’s face.
Wheezer knew that Leather was at white heat. He had seen that same
expression on Leather’s face before, and it meant that the devil within
him had torn loose.
“Ma’am,” Leather’s tone was hoarse, as if he were suffering from a bad
cold, “we ain’t askin’ for charity--ain’t askin’ nothin’ from you--now.
You own the NR ranch, and you can do what yuh please with it. Lookin’ at
you, I wonder what makes yore blood circulate. You ain’t got no heart.”
She sprang to her feet and faced him, and for a moment Wheezer thought
she would attack him with her hands, but Leather’s eyes did not waver
and she stepped back, as if wondering.
“You coward!” she exclaimed. “To talk that way to a woman!”
“You are a woman,” Leather nodded slowly. “But you are not a lady--not
human.”
“You get off this ranch!” Miss Cleveland bit her under-lip and pointed
back to the road.
Leather shook his head.
“No. You own this ranch, but you don’t know how much of it you don’t
own.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is what I mean.” Leather turned and pointed toward the rolling
hills.
“There’s a lot of NR cattle out in them hills, but you don’t own many of
them.”
“Why--if they are NR brand--what do you mean?”
Leather laughed and walked off the porch to his horse, before he
replied.
“Ask Eph Williams what I mean. If he don’t know, I’ll tell him. C’mon,
Wheezer.”
They led their horses down to the barn, while the girl looked after
them, her face a mixture of emotions. Then she swore a good United
States oath and went into the house.
* * * * *
It was nearly daylight the next morning when Chet Wells rode up to the
NR corral-fence, tied his horse and hammered loudly on the bunk-house
door. After making considerable racket he kicked the door open and went
inside, where he war-whooped, like an Indian.
“Shut up and come to bed,” said Leather sleepily. “Whatcha think this is
around here?”
“Yee-o-o-o-ow!” yelped Chet. “I’m a coyote!”
“Dang right yuh are,” agreed Wheezer. “Crawl into a hole before a
he-human collects yore ears. Chet, you ---- brayin’ burro, shut up!”
But Chet would not shut up. He climbed up on Wheezer’s chest and sat
down, while he sang--
“I’m a tough ol’ jasper and I’m lookin’ for a fight;
I’ll cut, shoot or rassel from mornin’ until night
With a whang de oodle addy aye, addy aye.”
“Yeah, and you’ll get it, too,” declared Leather angrily.
“Woosh!”
Wheezer managed to dump Chet on to the floor and sat up, gasping for
breath.
“Are yuh all woke up?” queried Chet. “My gosh, you sure are heavy
sleepers!”
“Where’s Wooden-shoe?”
“Wooden-shoe is in jail.”
“In jail?”
“Yeah, in jail! Want me to yell it louder?”
“What for, Chet?”
“Talkin’ too much.”
Leather slid out of bed and reached for the makings of a cigaret.
“Oh, he talked too much, eh?” said Wheezer. “If that was a crime, you’d
’a’ been hung years ago, Chet. What did he talk about?”
“That wall-eyed bronc you sold to Clay Hardy. Yuh see--” Chet helped
himself to Leather’s tobacco and papers--“Clay and Murtch runs into me
and Wooden-shoe, and they asks us to have a drink. We got to talkin’
about that wall-eyed bronc, and Wooden-shoe, like a danged fool, tells
’em that he was the original owner. He says that you won it from him
in a poker game out here.”
“Well, s’pose he did,” asked Wheezer. “What then?”
“Murtch asked Wooden-shoe who he got the bronc from and Wooden-shoe
jist naturally can’t say. Murtch says it’s kinda funny, bein’ as the
bronc has got a D-Bar-D brand on its shoulder and no other marks.
“Well, Wooden-shoe’s drinkin’, which makes him foolish and he tells
Murtch to go to ----. Then Murtch arrests him for stealin’ a D-Bar-D
horse.”
“And that’s a ---- of a note!” exploded Wheezer.
“The D-Bar-D outfit is over in Foster County,” volunteered Chet
dismally. “Murtch says that the brand never was put on very deep, and
the hair covered it.”
“And if the D-Bar-D keeps a sale record--Wooden-shoe is in bad shape,”
said Leather. “Dang the luck, I don’t know how we overlooked that brand.
Cinch to burn on the two sides to that bar and make it a DAD brand.”
“Which won’t get Wooden-shoe out of jail now,” Chet reminded them sadly.
“We vented a lot of D-Bar-D’s, if I remember,” said Wheezer
thoughtfully, “and if that outfit comes over to identify that wall-eyed
bronc they’ll likely kinda look around for more.”
“Yuh can’t identify a vented brand,” said Chet.
“No, but yuh can get ---- suspicious of an outfit with as many as the
NR has on the range. Believe me, gents, I’m plumb ready to pull m’
freight.”
“What we need is a lawyer,” grinned Leather.
“I betcha we do,” Chet was serious.
“Might hire Eph Williams,” grinned Wheezer.
“Yeah, we might do worse,” nodded Leather. “He’s just crooked enough to
defend a bunch of horse thieves and get away with it. I s’pose he’d want
us to give him a bill of sale of the animals we stole.”
Chet kicked off his boots and stretched out on the bunk, where he
proceeded to snore loudly. It was too early to dress; so Leather and
Wheezer crawled back under their blankets again, and in a few minutes
there was a trio of snores.
It was about eight o’clock when Leather and Wheezer got out of bed and
slid into their clothes. Chet still snored loudly, but they did not wake
him up. Wheezer went to the window and looked toward the ranch-house.
“Horse and buggy up there,” he announced. “Reckon the sweet lady’s
guardian angel has arrived already.”
They finished dressing and went up toward the house. Eph Williams backed
out of the door, carrying one end of a trunk, the other end of which was
being carried by a Chinaman.
Williams merely glanced at the two cowboys and went back into the house,
followed by the Chinaman.
“Well, whatcha know about that?” grunted Wheezer.
They walked around to the back door, where they found Ma Coogan sitting
on the wash-bench. Her old face was streaked with tears, and she was
wearing a very old alpaca dress, which she had not worn for years, and
beside her on the bench was a little old hat with a moth-eaten feather.
She looked up at them, but did not speak. Leather frowned and hitched at
his belt as he and Wheezer looked at each other queerly.
“I--I’m goin’--somewhere,” said Ma Coogan painfully. “They got a
Chinaman.”
She did not look up at them. Leather turned away and rubbed his chin
violently. Then he whirled on Wheezer.
“Go down and wake up Chet and saddle the horses. We’ll have to bust that
jail and get Wooden-shoe out and----”
Wheezer whirled to go back to the bunk-house, but Leather stopped him.
“Wait. That won’t do no good either. I was going to kill that ----
lawyer, but that won’t help Ma.”
“Bless your hearts,” Ma looked up at them. “Sure, ye don’t need to worry
about me.”
“No, I reckon not,” said Leather softly, “but we don’t want to have to
eat Chink cookin’, Ma.”
“But the Lord love ye, we’re all fired.”
“That’s right. I’ll have to see that lawyer. Set still.”
Leather hurried around the house and Wheezer almost trod on his heels.
Williams and Miss Cleveland were on the porch, and the Chinaman was
putting the trunk into position to load it on to the back of the buggy.
“Whose trunk is that?” asked Leather.
“Mrs. Coogan’s,” said Williams defiantly.
Leather strode out to the Chinaman and pointed at the trunk.
“Roll it back to the porch, John.”
The Chinaman squinted at Leather and then at Williams.
“Didja hear what I said?” asked Leather.
“Yessah.”
The Chinaman tried to grin, but it was a weak effort.
“Then roll it back like I told yuh to do.”
“Just a moment.”
Williams grew very indignant and came down the steps.
“Let that trunk alone.”
“Roll it over to the porch, John,” ordered Leather. And then to
Williams:
“Yo’re on thin ice, pardner. Keep out of the argument.”
The Chinaman rolled the trunk back to the porch.
“Now, get into that buggy,” ordered Leather, and the Chinaman lost no
time in obeying. He had lived long in the range-country and knew better
than to refuse an armed cowboy.
“You are just wasting your breath,” stated Williams with a weak smile.
“Being armed, you have the advantage--for the moment.”
With a quick twist of his wrist, Leather flipped the gun from his
holster and tossed it aside.
“Now, whatcha say?” he asked softly.
“My dear man, there is no use of a quarrel.”
Williams spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders. He tried to be
friendly, but it was all lost on Leather.
“Yo’re seven-eighths coyote and--no, I won’t say that either. There’s
two skunks in Broken Butte, and yo’re both of ’em.”
“You seem determined to quarrel with me, I see,” said Williams sadly. “I
am only doing my duty, Kleig.”
“Yeah?”
Leather considered Williams for a space of time and nodded slowly.
“I reckon yo’re all right, Williams. I never trust a man that’ll back
down. Shake, will yuh?”
Leather shoved out his hand, and Williams, a look of wonder on his
face, shook hands solemnly with him. Wheezer swallowed with great
difficulty and kicked himself on the ankle to see if he was asleep.
Miss Cleveland’s face expressed astonishment, and even the Chinaman’s
expressionless face changed its placid contour for a moment.
“I want to talk with yuh kinda private,” said Leather softly. “Mebbe we
better go down to the bunk-house, eh? C’mon, Wheezer.”
Williams swallowed painfully, wonderingly and looked at Miss Cleveland,
but followed behind them to the bunk-house steps, where they sat down.
“I ain’t never hired a lawyer before,” stated Leather, “and I dunno
just how to go about tellin’ him things. Is it a fact that what yuh
tell a lawyer is kinda--uh----”
“I think I know what you mean,” nodded Williams. “Whatever you tell me
will be sacred.”
“Yeah, that’s the word I was huntin’ for,” grinned Leather. “Yo’re
educated, Williams, and I sure like to talk to educated folks.”
Wheezer choked over his cigaret and dug his heels into the dirt. He
wanted to yell out loud. Williams accepted the compliment as his just
due.
“It better be sacred,” said Leather, “or four good punchers will swell
the census of the penitentiary.”
Williams pricked up his ears, but tried to appear unconcerned.
Leather glanced sideways at him, but Williams was rubbing his chin
thoughtfully and trying to control his elation. He had been insulted
many times by these four wild-riding cowpunchers, and he was more
than willing to have them bare their guilty secrets.
“I ain’t doin’ this so much for us as I am for the lady,” explained
Leather slowly. “She thinks she inherited somethin’, pardner.”
“Ahem-m-m!”
Williams cleared his throat raspingly, but waited for Leather to
continue.
“It dates back quite a while,” continued Leather. “Yuh see, old Nick
Ralls wasn’t no saint. The NR wasn’t no payin’ proposition and old Nick
was just about at the _hondo_ end of his rope when we showed up.
“We kinda made him a proposition. It’s hard for a cattle-rustler to
dispose of stock these days, don’tcha know it?”
“I--er--shouldn’t be surprized,” nodded Williams.
“Anyway,” continued Leather, “here’s what was done. The four of us
misbranded every danged critter we could find. We worked plumb over
into Foster County. ’Course we didn’t steal a lot of Broken Butte
cows, but there’s a few.
“We branded ’em with the NR iron, and Nick Ralls was to do the sellin’.
His idea was to make the old NR look like a regular cow-ranch and sell
out the whole works. Then he was to split the money; _sabe?_”
Williams squinted painfully at Leather. Somehow he could hardly believe
that statement, and wondered where the joke came in. But Leather’s face
was serious.
“You--you are not joking?” asked Williams.
“Don’tcha believe it. I ain’t tryin’ to excuse us. The NR owes us plenty
of money, which we’ve got to collect, but I just wanted yuh to know how
we stand, and how the lady--well, yuh can see what she inherited.”
“Yes, yes!” Williams seemed to be doing a lot of fast thinking. “Do you
think there is any danger of an investigation? Is there--nobody suspects
you, do they?”
“Here’s the point.” Leather tapped Williams on the shoulder and lowered
his voice. “Yesterday we sold a horse to Clay Hardy. We didn’t know it,
but that horse had a D-Bar-D brand on its shoulder. Murtch arrested
Wooden-shoe Van Dorn and throwed him in jail.
“Murtch is goin’ to send word to the D-Bar-D outfit, over in Foster
County, and find out how it comes that we had that horse.” Leather
pointed out toward the hills and laughed grimly. “Them hills are full
of D-Bar-D cows, with the brands vented and the NR run on.
“If that outfit comes over here to see about that wall-eyed bronc,
they’ll start lookin’ for other stock they’ve lost, don’tcha see?”
“That’s right. But you vented the brands----”
“Yeah, and there’ll be a ---- of a lot for us to explain if they find
out about all them vented brands. It’ll look kinda bad, don’t yuh
think?”
Williams got to his feet.
“You sit tight, all of you,” he ordered. “I’ll stop Murtch, if it isn’t
too late.”
He hurried toward the buggy, sprang in beside the Chinaman and whirled
the horse around. Miss Cleveland called to him, but he put whip to horse
and turned out of the ranch-house gate on two wheels.
Leather watched him disappear in a cloud of dust and then looked
wonderingly at Wheezer.
“He--he’s in a hurry,” observed Wheezer.
Leather looked back up the road and nodded slowly, as a smile creased
his thin features.
“Whatcha want to--” began Wheezer, but Leather stopped him.
“Don’t talk to me, Wheezer! Lemme think, will yuh? I’ve got an idea, but
some of the parts are missin’.”
Chet Wells opened the door behind them and blinked into the sunlight.
“Leather hired Williams for our lawyer, Chet,” said Wheezer solemnly.
“Yeah, I heard it,” nodded Chet. “I heard old fish-eye’s voice; so I
glued m’ ear to the door. Whatcha tryin’ to do--put us in the
penitentiary, Leather?”
“He won’t talk to yuh,” stated Wheezer. “He’s thinkin’, Chet.”
“She’s about time he done a little thinkin’. He sure didn’t do any
thinkin’ when he told our shame to that danged lawyer.”
Leather got to his feet and went to the house. Ma Coogan was still
sitting on the wash-bench, waiting for Williams to take her away. She
looked up at him and he grinned softly.
“Ma, you take off that dress,” he ordered kindly. “You can’t cook no
breakfast, all dressed up thataway.”
“Cook breakfast? The Lord love ye, I’m----”
“Williams has gone back with his Chinaman, Ma. You go right back and fry
us a flock of eggs. Mebbe there ain’t goin’ to be no change.”
“Do ye mean that, boy?” Ma got to her feet and put a trembling hand on
his arm. “Ye’re not jokin’, are ye?”
Leather shook his head.
“No, I’m not, Ma. You’re still the chief cook of the NR ranch. The
lawyer feels kinda different than he did a while ago.”
“Sure, I dunno what to say.” The old lady’s eyes sparkled with happiness
as she looked around and picked up her old hat. “It’s like wakin’ from a
bad dream, so it is. God is good to me, Leather Kleig. I’m goin’ to fry
thim eggs--now.”
She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him, the tears running
down her face, but went on into her beloved kitchen. Leather blinked
uncertainly and shoved down on his cartridge-belt, after which he went
around the house and picked up the six-shooter he had discarded.
Jane Cleveland was standing on the porch and she looked curiously at
him. He grinned at her and gazed down the road.
“The lawyer went away in a hurry,” he observed. “I reckon I better carry
Ma’s trunk back into her room.”
“I do not understand it,” she said.
“Neither do I,” he admitted, swinging the trunk back on to the porch,
“but I reckon it’ll be all right, ma’am.”
He deposited the trunk in Ma Coogan’s little room and came back to the
porch, but Jane Cleveland had gone to her room.
It was about three hours later that Wooden-shoe rode into the ranch and
dismounted at the bunk-house. He was grinning widely.
“Bust out?” queried Chet.
“Huh!” Wooden-shoe grinned knowingly. “Much obliged to yuh. That sheriff
was mad enough to eat hay. How did you fellers manage to sneak in and
vent that brand last night?”
“Eh?” grunted Wheezer. “Whatcha mean?”
“Aw-w-w!”
Wooden-shoe turned the horse around and showed them the left shoulder of
the animal, where a hot iron had completely destroyed any possibility of
ever deciphering the original brand.
“That’s a good joke,” grinned Wooden-shoe. “Murtch was awful sore. He
said it was a ---- good thing that he hadn’t sent word to the D-Bar-D.
He knows who done it, but he can’t prove it, and he knows that, too.”
Chet and Wheezer looked inquiringly at Leather, but he merely grinned
and nodded.
“Well, what’s the answer?” queried Chet wonderingly.
“Our lawyer is workin’,” Leather said with a chuckle.
“Kinda looks like it,” admitted Wheezer. “But lawyers come pretty high,
don’t they? How are we goin’ to pay him, Leather?”
“I dunno--yet.”
* * * * *
That afternoon the four cowpunchers saddled their horses and headed
for Broken Butte. There was nothing for them to do at the ranch--and
they still had money left.
Miss Cleveland had spent most of the day in the shade of the porch,
reading, while Ma Coogan lifted her quavering voice in song in the
kitchen.
Half-way to town they met Eph Williams, driving toward the ranch. He
drew up his horse and smiled, or rather smirked at them.
“You sure got into action real fast,” said Leather, “and we’re sure much
obliged to yuh, Williams.”
“Yes, I think it was well handled, Kleig. Now, my advice to all of
you would be to leave this country as soon as possible. In defense of
my client I shall bend every effort to protect what is legally her
property.
“As far as your salary claims are concerned, I am afraid they can not
be met. Miss Cleveland has no money, and Nick Ralls left nothing but
property, which would be hard to dispose of right away.”
“Yeah, that’s right, I reckon,” nodded Leather, “but it ain’t hardly
fair to us. I’ll tell yuh what we might do: We might each take
twenty-five head of beef steers and sell ’em. They’re worth about
twenty dollars on the hoof right now.”
“Well--” Williams smiled weakly--“I’d hardly advise that either.”
“How many would we take for Ma’s share?” queried Chet seriously.
“Hard to tell.” Leather rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Ranch cooks
gets about fifty per month, and if yuh figure that out for ten years
and divide it by twenty--it would be quite a few cows.”
“Be about three hundred head,” said Chet. “We’ll take four hundred head
of NR steers and call it square.”
Williams shook his head quickly.
“No, that would not be hardly fair to Miss Cleveland. She had nothing
to do with this matter, and all claims against the estate must be in a
form that the court would consider. Verbal agreements are, I am sure,
something that would hardly be considered in a court of law.”
“Well, we’ll kinda hang around,” stated Leather. “Yuh never can tell
what might happen. I think that old Nick was plumb loco when he wrote
that will.”
“Not at all, Kleig; he was perfectly sane--perfectly.”
“I dunno how he got thataway,” grinned Wheezer. “He sure was always loco
before.”
They rode on toward town, and Williams went on toward the NR. Leather
was very thoughtful. There was the germ of an idea in his mind--a
far-fetched feeling that it was a bright idea, and he grinned softly
under the brim of his sombrero.
There was a big poker game in progress in the Shoshone when they came
in. Battler Morgan, “King” Cole, a big horse raiser from the south end
of the range, Jim Kelly, owner of the general merchandise store, Clay
Hardy and Spade Hollister.
A number of men were watching the play, among them being Murtch. He
scowled at the four cowpunchers, and moved around to the far side of the
table. Spade Hollister glanced up at Leather, who was standing almost
behind Clay Hardy, and half-nodded in recognition. Leather watched Spade
closely--especially when he was dealing. His long, slender fingers dealt
with baffling speed, but there was little chance for crooked play.
“Deal ’em a little slower, if yuh don’t mind.”
Clay Hardy was losing and inclined to be nasty about it.
“I didn’t learn poker in a hay-loft,” said Spade softly, and King Cole
laughed heartily.
Clay Hardy scowled, as he picked up his hand, but did not reply.
Leather glanced down at Hardy and noticed that Hardy’s holster was
empty. A closer inspection showed that Mr. Hardy had the gun on his
lap.
Leather’s lips tightened perceptibly. It looked to him as if Hardy was
anticipating trouble. Leather glanced at Murtch who had moved from
behind Hollister and was almost directly behind King Cole.
Clay lost that pot and swore softly at his luck. Spade glanced keenly at
Hardy and flashed a look at Murtch.
“Spade’s the one Clay’s watchin’,” observed Leather to himself, “and
Spade knows it.”
Battler Morgan dealt and the pot was passed. Hardy failed to deal
openers and the deal passed to Kelly. On Kelly’s deal, Cole passed.
Spade deliberated, but passed, and Battler opened moderately.
Hardy tilted the pot heavily, which caused Cole and Kelly to pass, but
Spade called the raise and boosted the pot a hundred dollars. Battler
passed and Hardy called. It took all of his chips, except one small
stack of whites.
Leather watched the draw closely. Hardy tossed his discards on to the
table, spinning them just a trifle too far, and two of them slid in
front of Hollister, who brushed them aside.
Spade drew one card and Hardy drew three. He peered at the corners of
his cards and his right hand drew off the table and dropped to his lap.
Spade passed. For a moment Clay Hardy’s eyes squinted grimly at Spade
and his lips tightened. Then--
“Pass,” he said softly.
Spade flipped his cards over. He had three kings and a pair of nines.
Hardy leaned across and looked at them. Then he exposed his hand.
“Aces and sevens,” muttered Battler.
“Yeah, aces and sevens,” said Hardy, “and they’d ’a’ been good, if that
---- tin-horn gambler hadn’t stole the king I discarded.”
For an instant there was a dead silence. Then Spade jerked back in his
chair. Quick as a flash, Clay Hardy’s hand came up over the table-top,
gripping a revolver, but before he could level it at Hollister, Leather
had flung himself across Hardy, blocking him and tearing the gun out of
his hand.
Then he upset Hardy, who went sprawling and cursing against the corner
of the wall.
Leather staggered sidewise, caught his balance and faced the crowd.
The players had got to their feet and were looking at Hardy, who was
swearing vengeance and getting to his feet.
“Lucky thing yuh blocked him, Kleig,” said King Cole. “He sure gets his
gun quick.”
Leather was facing Hardy now, and Hardy was frothing with anger, but
mindful of the gun which Leather was holding against his ribs.
“Yeah, he gets a gun quick,” smiled Leather, “but he got it off his
lap--not out of his holster.”
“He stole my discard!” panted Hardy. “I tell yuh----”
“You’re a liar,” said Leather softly. “I watched him. You discarded into
him to get an excuse to kill him. You wasn’t goin’ to give him an even
break.”
“What’s that to you, you horse-thief?”
Clay Hardy spat out the question loud enough for every one in the place
to hear. Leather did not move for a moment. He seemed to be deliberating
just what to do. Then he handed King Cole the gun he had taken from
Hardy.
“Put that in his holster,” he said softly.
Cole looked curiously at him, but stepped over and dropped the gun into
Hardy’s holster. Hardy’s hands were hanging loosely at his sides, and he
was hunched forward staring at Leather, who had lifted his right hand
waist-high above the butt of his holstered-gun.
“Hardy,” Leather’s voice was low pitched, “you’re a dirty coyote pup.
You spoke out of turn just now, and I’m givin’ yuh a chance to see if
you’ve got guts enough to reach for a gun. I’m waitin’.”
Hardy’s face looked pinched and white now, and he was breathing fast.
His eyes flashed around, as though wanting some one to interfere. Then
his eyes came back to Leather Kleig and his knees quivered.
Then his hand came slowly up to his mouth and the back of it trembled
across his dry lips. He turned and went out of the door, striking his
shoulder against the side, like a drunken man who is not sure of his
step.
“He’s whipped,” stated King Cole hoarsely. “Didja ever see a man get
scared thataway? My ----, it sure was worth seein’.”
“Yeah, he sure turned yaller,” agreed Battler, turning back to his
chair. “I s’pose that busts up a perfectly good game.”
Murtch had nothing to say. Spade Hollister seemed to watch him closely,
but Murtch did not look toward him. Battler cashed in the chips and
invited every one to have a drink, but Murtch went out without accepting
the invitation.
Spade Hollister came over to Leather and stood beside him at the bar.
“Kleig, I’m much obliged to you,” he said.
“Tha’sall right,” said Leather gruffly. “I wouldn’t ’a’ said a word, if
you’d ’a’ stole that king.”
Spade looked curiously at him and back to the bartender, who was taking
their order. Wheezer, Chet and Wooden-shoe were at the bar, chuckling
among themselves over what had just happened.
They drank and moved away from the bar. Hollister looked at Leather, who
started away from the bar. He half-smiled and stepped over beside him.
“Kleig, if I can ever help yuh in any way--just speak the word.”
Leather turned and looked keenly at him.
“Spade Hollister, I’d ’a’ done that for any man. I’m no angel, but
I’d have to hate ---- out of a man to stand by and see him murdered.
I s’pose you know what it was all about, don’tcha? Then yuh know who
to look out for. If I need yuh--I’ll yelp.”
“And I’ll come,” nodded Spade as he turned and walked over to a roulette
lay-out.
The other three cowboys edged up to Leather and they grouped together
near the door.
“Cowboy, yuh sure work fast,” applauded Wheezer, slapping Leather on the
shoulder. “And yuh sure put the fear of ---- into Clay Hardy.”
“Yeah, but look out for him,” cautioned Wooden-shoe. “He’s whipped, but
he ain’t dead. That gambler sure owes you a lot. In another second he’d
have been plugged.”
“And what for?” questioned Wheezer. “He’s a plumb stranger here, ain’t
he? What’s Clay Hardy gunnin’ at a stranger for, I wonder?”
Leather shook his head and turned to King Cole, who came up to him. Cole
grinned and slapped Leather on the shoulder.
“Kleig, I hear that you’ve got a female boss out at the NR. It can’t be
done. If you fellers need a new job, come down to the KC horse outfit
and go to work. It’s the same old forty-a-month and eats.”
Leather smiled and shook his head.
“Yuh heard Clay Hardy call me a horse-thief, didn’t yuh Cole?”
“Yeah, and yuh never denied it. Yuh never did steal many horses, did
yuh?”
“Half a dozen, mebbe.”
“Pshaw, that don’t make yuh a horse-thief. Some folks draws the line too
close.”
Cole laughed at his own wit and went to the door, where he turned.
“That offer holds good. Come any old time.”
“Thank yuh, Cole,” grinned Leather.
“Well, that’s a job, if we need it,” said Chet.
“If we need it,” nodded Leather.
The cowboys went back to the games, but Leather did not play. He took
a seat against the wall, where he tilted back and appeared to be
half-asleep. Once he counted his money carefully and stowed it away in
the watch-pocket of his overalls.
There was no sign of Murtch nor Hardy. The afternoon wore away, and the
oil chandeliers of the Shoshone were lighted. It was Saturday night and
there was a heavy influx of cowboys.
The three-piece orchestra began screeching, and the dance-hall girls
were out in force, mingling with the men. Wheezer, Chet and Wooden-shoe
were firmly implanted in different games; so Leather crossed the street
alone to a restaurant. The waiter was the same Chinese that Williams had
brought to the ranch, and he grinned in a friendly manner at Leather.
“No _sabe_,” he told Leather seriously. “Catchum job quick, lose ’m
allesame.”
“Yuh didn’t last long, that’s a fact, John.”
“No last. Man swear alletime. Velly mad, I t’ink. W’at you like eat,
eh?”
“What did he say about us, John?”
“No talk ’bout you--talk ’bout God. Yo’ _sabe_?”
“Religious, eh?”
“’Ligious? Yo’ mean--same like wo’ship?”
“Yeah, like worship, John.”
The Chinaman grinned and shook his head.
“No like. Yo’ wan’ soup?”
Leather finished his meal and went outside. He was a trifle cautious,
for fear that Clay Hardy might try to ambush him. He knew that Clay
would welcome a chance to get even for what had happened in the
Shoshone, but he was sure that Clay would never face him in the
light.
He strolled up the street and was going past the Broken Butte hotel,
but stopped and stared in the window. Then he whirled around and went
quickly inside. Ma Coogan was sitting in one of the hotel chairs
against the wall, her hands folded in her lap.
She looked up as he came in and a smile wreathed her wrinkled old face.
“Sure I’ve been wonderin’ if I’d see you,” she said.
“Well, what are you doin’ here, Ma?” he demanded.
“I was brought here by the lawyer. Ah! I think it’s no use, Leather.
He came this afternoon and had a long talk with Miss Cleveland, and
thin--” Ma Coogan stopped and shook her head sadly--“and thin they
loaded my trunk in the back of the buggy and made me come along.”
“I see.” Leather’s face hardened and he squinted thoughtfully. “He
waited until we were gone. Have you got a room here, Ma?”
She shook her head.
“Leather, I have no money. Ye well know that Nick Ralls only gave me a
home and----”
Leather turned and strode over to the desk.
“Give this lady a room,” he demanded. “She’s got a trunk somewhere.
Here--” He tossed a twenty dollar gold piece on the desk--“that’s
enough for now. When that’s gone, I’ve got more.”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll fix her up,” said the frowsy-looking clerk. “Dollar a
day’s the best we’ve got.”
Leather went back to Ma and handed her another twenty.
“Yuh got to eat, Ma. This feller’ll fix yuh up for a room. Now don’tcha
worry about anythin’.”
He patted her on the shoulder and escaped out of the door before she
fully realized what he had done.
* * * * *
“Yo’re a ---- of a gunman, ain’tcha!” Murtch snorted angrily, but it had
little effect on Clay Hardy, who sat hunched up in one of their office
chairs, chewing tobacco violently. He only increased his mastications
per minute.
Murtch jerked a chair into position and flopped down, facing Hardy.
“Everythin’ worked wrong,” complained Hardy nervously. “If that ----
Kleig hadn’t come in when he did and put the whole thing into a jam.”
“Yuh had an even break with him.”
“Yeah--with him.”
“Scared of him, eh?”
“I ain’t no crazy suicide, Murtch.”
“You was plumb scared to breathe, Clay.”
“Uh-huh. You’d ’a’ been the same. He’s got under yore hide, and yuh
never call him for it, Murtch. How did I know that Kleig was goin’ to
block me?”
“You was a fool to have that gun in your lap.”
“Yeah,” nodded Clay seriously, “I was a fool to have a gun a-tall. I
ought to pack a doughnut.”
Murtch laughed hoarsely.
“Well, I reckon it kinda spoils our plans, but there’s more than one
way to skin a cat. We’ve got the goods on that NR gang, if we want to
use it.”
“Yo’re the boss, Murtch. All I ask is that yuh don’t get me into no
mix-up with ’em. They don’t use no judgment. Law and order don’t mean
nothin’ to that bunch, and a sheriff’s star looks like a bulls-eye to
them.”
“I’d hate to hear what folks will say about you, after the way yuh acted
in front of Kleig.”
“I’d a ---- sight rather be able to hear ’em say I backed down than to
not hear ’em say I was crazy to try to beat Kleig on the draw.”
“Well, there might be somethin’ to that. Let’s go and see what Williams
has got to say.”
They locked up the office and went up the street to Williams’ place. He
had but lately arrived from the ranch and greeted them with a grin.
“I brought the old woman down with me,” he explained. “So that’s that
much done. I’ll take the Chink out there again in the morning. What did
you do on that other proposition?”
Briefly, but with sundry oaths, Murtch told of what had happened in the
Shoshone. Hardy made no comments. Williams scowled deeply and tapped on
the table-top with his finger-tips.
“What do yuh advise?” asked Murtch.
“Sitting tight. There has been too many mistakes. There will be a howl
raised when they find that the old woman has been discharged. Miss
Cleveland did not want to stay out there alone, but I assured her that
everything would be all right.”
“Well, I hope yo’re right,” nodded Murtch getting to his feet. “If that
bunch get drunk, yuh never can tell what they’ll do. They think a lot of
the old woman.”
“Pshaw! What does a horse-thief care about an old woman? They’ve got
enough to look after, if they keep themselves out of jail.”
“All right. We’ll figger things out in the mornin’. Come on, Clay.”
They went out and closed the door. Williams lighted a frayed cigar and
opened his safe, which was set into the wall behind his desk. It was an
old-fashioned safe, which opened with a key.
He took out a mass of papers and looked them over in the light of his
lamp. For a long time he studied them and then replaced them in the
safe, after which he pocketed the key.
As he turned down the lamp, preparatory to blowing it out, there came a
knock on the door. He hesitated for a moment and seemed about to call
out, but changed his mind and went to the door. He turned the knob and
looked outside.
There was no one in sight. He leaned out and glanced down the street.
Then something crashed down upon his head and he fell backward into the
room.
* * * * *
It was about three o’clock in the morning when Wheezer, Chet and
Wooden-shoe decided to go back to the ranch. None of them had seen
Leather, and, as his horse was missing from the hitch-rack, they
decided that he had preceded them to the NR.
The gods of the green cloth had not been good to the trio, and there was
little merriment within them as they left Broken Butte.
“I’m as clean as the dew,” said Wheezer sadly. “I spent m’ substance in
tryin’ t’ make two-pair beat three of a kind.”
“Yuh ought to play roulette,” observed Wooden-shoe. “Get yuh a little
system, that’s all yuh need.”
“How much you got left?” demanded Chet.
“I still got my system left--and a four-bit piece.”
“I sure hope that Leather’s got some money left,” said Chet. “My pesos
has all gone where the woodbine twineth and the pelican trilleth to its
mate.”
They unsaddled their horses and went up to the bunk-house door. It was
bright moonlight, almost as light as day, and their eyes beheld a great
and varied assortment of things piled on the steps.
They looked the things over carefully and grunted their amazement.
“Looks like somebody done moved us out,” observed Wheezer. “What’s on
the door?”
He climbed over the stuff and studied a square of white paper which was
tacked on the door. He scratched a match and read the message aloud.
“Notice. Any one entering this building without my permission
will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Wheezer whistled softly and looked back at them.
“And she’s signed by Miss Jane Cleveland, owner of the NR ranch.”
“Door locked?” asked Chet.
“Locked ----! It’s nailed tight.”
“Well,” observed Wooden-shoe optimistically, “it’s a good thing that it
ain’t Winter and zero weather.”
“That’s a ---- of a thing to be joyful about.”
Wheezer climbed back and sat down on a pile of blankets.
“I wonder where Leather is.”
“Prob’ly asleep in the barn,” said Chet. “That ---- lawyer sure foxed
us, didn’t he? That whippoorwill ain’t workin’ for us, that’s a cinch,
and I’m goin’ to curry him to the queen’s taste. Yessir, I’m goin’ to
hit him so hard that he’ll have a permanent part in his hair.”
“I hope,” said Wooden-shoe, “he dies before his time comes.”
“Let’s go down to the barn and join Leather in the hay,” suggested
Wheezer. “Mebbe there ain’t no notice on the hay-loft.”
They filed down to the big barn and crawled into the loft, which still
contained a ton or so of hay, but Leather was not there.
“Prob’ly never left town,” said Wheezer as he burrowed into the hay.
“Gosh dang it, we’ll wake up full of fox-tail, I betcha.”
He was facing the opening of the loft, a doorless opening, about
six-feet square, which gave him a view of the ranch-house yard and
the big gate. The moon was partly obscured for a few minutes, which
made objects rather hazy, but he saw a horseman coming toward the
gate, traveling slowly.
“Here comes Leather,” he stated. “Let him see the notice, et cettery,
and then listen to him cuss.”
The others shifted their positions to watch him. He was almost under
the arch of the gate, when a streak of orange-colored flame seemed
to spurt up at him from a brush-tangle just beyond, and the thud of
a revolver shot broke the stillness.
The boys in the loft were unable to see just what did happen, but the
rider was shooting now. Another spurt of flame came from the tangle.
Three times the rider’s gun spat fire, the reports mingling with those
from the brush.
“My ----, what’s goin’ on?” gasped Wheezer, almost falling out of the
loft opening.
“There he goes!” exclaimed Chet.
The rider had turned and was riding rapidly away, the sound of the
galloping horse dying away in the distance.
They tumbled out of the loft and raced toward the gate, each man
carrying a gun in his hand. Out through the gate they ran and stopped
in the road.
“Over here!” panted Wheezer. “He was shootin’ from that bunch of--look
out! There he is.”
A man was lying sprawled on his face in the tangle, and the moonlight
glinted on his revolver, which was lying on the ground near him. They
did not need to turn him over to see it was Clay Hardy.
“Whatcha know?” panted Chet. “The dirty bushwhacker!”
“Yeah, he shot first,” agreed Wheezer. “I seen him shoot first. Wonder
if he’s dead.”
“Feel of his heart,” said Wooden-shoe. “If it ain’t beatin’, he’s dead.”
“It sure takes brains to know that!” grunted Chet.
Wheezer turned him over and felt of his heart. It was beating jerkily.
“He ain’t dead--yet. What’ll we do with him?”
“Take him to a doctor,” suggested Wooden-shoe.
“And go to the pen for shootin’ him?” queried Chet.
“He got cultivated on the head,” stated Wheezer. “A bullet sure danced
a jig on his noodle, but I don’t reckon it went through. Was that
Leather?”
“Looks like it might ’a’ been. Him and Hardy had a run-in, and I’ll
betcha Hardy sneaked out here and laid for him. He never budged when
we came through.”
Chet walked back down the road, where a number of cottonwoods made a
black blotch against the sky. Just to the left of them grew a tangle
of stunted willows.
“Here’s his horse!” called Chet, and went over into the willows after
it.
They could see the outlines of the ranch-house, but the shooting had not
caused any one to light a lamp nor come to investigate.
“I’ll betcha that Cleopatra’s scared stiff,” said Wheezer.
“Cleopatra ain’t got a ---- thing on me if she is,” declared
Wooden-shoe. “I’m scared, too, y’betcha.”
Chet came back with the saddled horse and they boosted Clay Hardy
aboard.
“We’ve got to have ropes to hold him on with,” said Chet, as they tried
to balance the swaying figure. “We’ll take him over to the barn and rope
him on good, and then we’ll saddle up and take him to town.”
* * * * *
It took Eph Williams a long time to wake up from the smash on his head.
He had been hit a solid clip and things were rather hazy in his mind for
some time. It cost him considerable pain to crawl over to his chair,
where he sat and recuperated.
He was not in the best physical condition and he cursed himself weakly,
while he wondered what had happened to him. A bump the size of an egg on
his head attested to the fact that something had hit him--and hit him
hard.
Gradually he recovered sufficiently to try to analyze what had really
occurred. He knew now that some one had knocked him down. Who it was
and why, he did not know. He examined the contents of his pockets, but
everything was intact. The safe was locked, the papers on his desk all
in place.
“Must have been a personal matter,” he observed thankfully, but was
unable to blame any certain person. A lawyer of his type makes many
enemies.
He secured some water and bathed his head carefully, after which he
took a bottle of whisky from his desk and indulged freely. It was
nearly daylight now. He looked at his watch, tried to put his hat on
over the knob on his head, but decided it was too painful; so he went
outside bare-headed, locked his office and went down to see Murtch.
Murtch was not ready to get out of bed, and he swore peevishly at
Williams, who persisted on hammering on the front door of the office.
Finally Murtch came and opened the door.
“Now, what in ---- do you want?”
“Somebody hit me on the head,” explained Williams.
“Yeah?” Murtch was very sarcastic.
“Prob’ly didn’t want to hurt yuh, so they hit yuh on the head.”
“Must have had a gun or something,” said Williams, feeling tenderly of
his recently acquired swelling.
“What’s the joke?”
“No joke,” Williams shook his head. “I tell you, I got knocked down in
the doorway of my own office. Look at my head.”
Murtch examined the swelling and his demeanor changed.
“Come on inside.”
Murtch lighted a lamp and drew on his pants and boots.
“Now, who hit yuh, Eph?”
“I don’t know. A while after you left I heard some one knock. I went
to the door, stuck my head outside--and got hit. I tell you, it made
me sick.”
“Huh!”
Murtch drew out his watch and glanced at it.
“You must ’a’ been knocked out quite a while.”
“Yes, I think so. I didn’t come down here right away, because I was too
sick. I haven’t the slightest idea of why it was done. I was not robbed
and there is nothing missing from my office.”
“That’s danged queer,” observed Murtch. “Yo’re sure they didn’t take
anythin’?”
“Not a thing. Where is Clay Hardy?”
“I dunno. He got sore at me and went away. Mebbe I talked a little too
tough to suit him.”
Williams rubbed his sore head and thought deeply.
“Those cowpunchers have likely gone back to the ranch,” he said
thoughtfully, “and I’ve promised to bring that Chinaman out there this
morning, but I don’t feel like it.”
“I’ll take him out,” offered Murtch.
“You will? Well--” thoughtfully--“perhaps that would be better. You see,
I nailed up the bunk-house door, after I moved out all their things, and
put a trespass notice on the door.”
“And yuh think it would be better, eh? No wonder yuh don’t want to go
out there. Moved ’em out and nailed the door, eh?”
“Miss Cleveland suggested it.”
“The ---- she did! I thought you was supposed to be her adviser.”
Williams tried to grin, but it was a sorry effort. Murtch looked again
at his watch.
“What time does that Chink restaurant open?”
Williams shook his head.
“What difference----”
“Lot of difference. If I can get that Chink now, I can get him out there
on the job before they wake up.”
“We can find out. If they’re not up, we’ll wake ’em.”
Murtch put on his coat and they went to the restaurant. There was no
sign of life, so they went to the rear, where the proprietor and his
hired help slept in a sort of a shed-like annex.
Murtch hammered on the door and a sleepy-eyed Celestial shuffled into
view. It was the proprietor of the restaurant, and to him Murtch
explained what he wanted.
“Yo’ want same boy like yo’ take before?”
“Yeah, the same one. Catchum good job. Same ranch.”
The Chinaman turned and hurled a volley of words toward the rear of
the shed. Began a conversation which lasted fully a minute. Then the
proprietor shook his head.
“Boy say no.”
“Lemme see him,” said Murtch, and a moment later the Chinaman came to
the door.
“Good job this time, John,” explained Murtch. “You go with me and take
charge of the same ranch-house.”
“Same place we go before?”
“Yeah, same place, John.”
“No can do.”
“No can do! Whatcha talkin’ about? This good job?”
“No can do,” said the Chinaman stolidly, and went back to his bed.
The proprietor shut the door softly and barred it from within.
Murtch and Williams went back to the street.
“Whatcha goin’ to do?” queried Murtch. “There ain’t no other chinks and
we can’t get a white cook. If you’d had any sense you’d ’a’ left the old
woman there.”
“Things are in an awful tangle,” agreed Williams. “An awful tangle.”
“Now, that made a ---- of an impression on my mind,” said Murtch
angrily. “You’ve balled up everything. I’ll go out and explain things
to Miss Cleveland. She’s got such ---- good ideas, such as nailing up
bunk-house doors and posting notices--mebbe she’ll see a way out of
this.”
Murtch hurried after his horse and rode toward the NR ranch. It was
daylight now, and Murtch hoped he would not meet any of the NR
cowpunchers. Not that Murtch was afraid, but their rough humor was
too pointed to suit him.
About two miles out of town he ran into them. There was no way to dodge
them, so he drew up in the center of the road and tried to think of a
reason for being there so early in the morning. He inwardly cursed Eph
Williams for nailing that bunk-house door.
Then he saw that there was a fourth man, roped to his saddle and riding
in an unusual position. They drew up near him, their faces very serious,
and waited for him to speak. He knew at a glance who the fourth rider
was and he frowned wonderingly.
“Somebody shot him,” offered Wheezer. “We found him and was takin’ him
to the doctor.”
Murtch rode in closer to Hardy and tried to get a look at his face.
“He ain’t dead, is he?”
“Wasn’t when we started,” said Chet, “but he ain’t in the best of health
right now.”
“No?” Murtch glanced around at them. “Where did yuh find him?”
He emphasized “find” very strongly.
“None of that!” snapped Wheezer quickly. “We didn’t have nothin’ to
do with it. Hardy tried to bushwhack somebody and got leaded for his
trouble.”
“Did, eh? Who was that somebody?”
“We dunno.”
“Dunno, eh? Where’s Kleig?”
“Dunno that either.”
“Thasso?”
“Why argue with the danged fool?” queried Wooden-shoe. “He’s got his
mind fixed. Give him his second-hand deputy and let’s go back and
finish our sleep.”
“That’s a good idea,” agreed Wheezer, handing the lead rope to Murtch.
“He can take better care of Hardy than we can.”
“Wait a minute!” snapped Murtch. “You can’t pull nothing like that. You
come back with me--all of yuh.”
“Yuh mean to arrest us?” asked Wheezer.
“That’s what I mean to do.”
“All right,” grinned Chet. “We’ll remember it.”
Murtch clamped his jaws and looked them over. Here were three men who
had no respect for him nor the law. He knew it would be useless to
insist on them going back to Broken Butte with him; not only useless,
but dangerous as well. But he was willing to try and bluff them.
“Yuh know what it means to resist an officer?”
“Did somebody resist yuh, Murtch?” asked Wheezer.
Murtch studied them for a moment and tightened upon the lead rope.
“All right,” he said meaningly. “I asked yuh to come with me and yuh
refused, remember. Next time I want yuh I’ll bring men enough to take
yuh.”
“Kind of a mass meetin’, eh?” grinned Chet. “Mebbe we won’t stay for
yore party, sheriff.”
“You’d be ---- wise not to!” snapped Murtch as he turned and rode away,
leading Hardy’s horse.
The three cowboys watched him for several minutes, but he did not look
back. Then they whirled their horses and went back toward the ranch.
“We’ll pack what stuff we want and fade out,” said Chet. “There’s no use
takin’ any chances. If he once gets us behind the bars--_adios_.”
“What about Leather?” asked Wheezer. “I ain’t goin’ to fog away without
hearin’ from him. If he was the one that nailed Clay Hardy he’ll show up
or send us word.”
“What do you think, Wooden-shoe?” asked Chet.
“I been wonderin’. Ain’t it kinda funny that the sheriff advised us to
pull out of here? That ain’t accordin’ to my idea of what a sheriff
ought to do. He can’t hold us for what happened to Clay Hardy.”
“If he does, he can,” observed Chet. “And if they ever put the deadwood
on us for all this rustlin’--whooee! Nawsir, I can’t see myself waitin’
for him to come out with a posse. Williams knows that we loaded this
range with cattle, and I don’t trust that jasper a-tall. Mebbe Leather
had the right idea in tellin’ him--I dunno.”
* * * * *
They found Miss Cleveland on the porch of the ranch-house, and from her
appearance, she had slept little. She was not the imperious lady of the
day before, and seemed rather glad to see the three punchers.
“Howdy,” greeted Wheezer, as they dismounted. “Nice morning, ain’t it,
ma’am.”
“Yes, it--it’s very nice. Did you just come from town?”
“Well, not quite from town, ma’am. Yuh see, a man got kinda shot up down
there by the gate this mornin’, and we had to take him in.”
“A man got shot! Oh, I heard the shots! Who--how did it happen?”
“Some feller pulled the trigger,” explained Wheezer. “Jist like blooie,
blooie, blooie! Three times.”
Wheezer held out his hand and went through the motions of pulling the
trigger three times.
“But who was it?”
“Nobody you know, ma’am,” said Chet. “One feller laid for the other one.
Didn’t amount to nothin’.”
“But I want to know who it was.”
“The one that got shot was Clay Hardy, the deputy sheriff.”
“Was--was he trying to make an arrest?”
“Prob’ly,” said Wheezer dryly. “I wouldn’t put anythin’ past that
sheriff’s office.”
The girl looked inquiringly at them and adjusted her tumbled hair.
“Did you see Mr. Williams this morning?” she asked.
“Old fish-eye?” Chet shook his head. “We’re layin’ for him, and I’ll
betcha he don’t show up. Wonder when Ma is goin’ to have breakfast
ready.”
“Oh!” Miss Cleveland looked curiously at him and frowned slightly.
“Didn’t you--er--Mrs. Coogan is not here. Mr. Williams took her to
town last night.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Chet rubbed his chin and nodded slowly. Wheezer and Wooden-shoe squinted
at each other and back at Miss Cleveland.
“Went to town, did she?” asked Wheezer. “That’s funny.”
“Mr. Williams took her,” repeated the girl. “He said he would bring me
another cook early this morning.”
“Said he would,” parroted Wheezer. “Whatcha know?”
“Ma’am,” said Wooden-shoe, “I don’t reckon you _sabe_ about Ma Coogan.
Mebbe folks has told yuh wrong.”
“You lemme do the talkin’,” Wheezer interposed impatiently. “You don’t
want no Chinese cook. You----”
“Are you running this ranch?” asked Miss Cleveland, but her voice was a
trifle weak, and she seemed to force herself to be stern.
Wheezer laughed softly and shook his head.
“No, ma’am, I ain’t. Yo’re the owner and boss, but we know this here
ranch better than you or that fish-eyed lawyer does. We seen that notice
on the bunk-house door and we seen all our stuff piled outside.
“Thassall right. We ain’t wailin’ about that part of it. Ma’s old,
ma’am. This is her home. She’s been here a long time, don’tcha know
it. Mebbe you had a mother, and if yuh did, and if she was old like
Ma, and----”
Wheezer stopped and scratched his head. He had about run out of words.
Miss Cleveland bit her lip. She seemed very thoughtful, and the boys
waited for her to speak.
“And Ma didn’t have no money,” said Chet softly.
“I--I’m sorry,” said the girl. “I--oh, don’t talk to me! I had to stay
alone in that house all night and I never slept at all, and ---- such a
place!”
She whirled on her heel and fairly ran into the house, leaving the three
cowpunchers gawping after her.
“She cusses jist like a human bein’,” said Chet wonderingly. “She said,
‘---- such a place!’ I betcha she’s mad at the old NR.”
They sat down on the steps and rolled smokes. There was no use in them
staying at the ranch, and they knew of no place to go.
“We’re in a ---- of a fix,” declared Wheezer.
“Wooden-shoe can cook,” observed Chet. “If I could cook I’d go into the
kitchen and cook.”
“I ain’t et nothin’ since yesterday noon,” complained Wheezer. “My
insides are paralyzed from inaction.”
“I wonder if she’d let me cook?” questioned Wooden-shoe.
“You try it and see.” Miss Cleveland spoke from the doorway. “I had a
can of corn for my dinner and I haven’t had anything since. I don’t
know how to cook.”
“Lemme at that kitchen,” grinned Wooden-shoe. “I’m plum familiar
with food. If the lawyer comes you tell him to tie his chink to the
corral-fence, ’cause there’s a horse-thief in the kitchen.”
“Honest?” Miss Cleveland stared at him.
“Well, about as honest as a horse-thief ever gets,” grinned Wooden-shoe,
and jingled his spurs into the kitchen.
* * * * *
Murtch lost no time in taking Clay Hardy to a doctor--old Doctor
Chisholm, the only M. D. in Broken Butte. He was a tall, very severe
old man, whose spectacles were forever threatening to slip off the
end of his long nose.
He made a quick examination of Clay Hardy, who had never regained
consciousness, and shook his head.
“Sher-r-riff, this is no job for a sur-r-r-geon. Ye are wantin’ the
coroner.”
“Is he dead?” asked Murtch quickly.
“I ha’ never seen a deader one, sir.”
Murtch shook his head wearily.
“Well, you’re the coroner, Doc.”
“Aye. How did ye say he came by his wounds?”
“I didn’t say,” growled Murtch. “That ---- gang from the NR outfit
turned him over to me awhile ago. They told a fool story about some
one shootin’ Hardy at the ranch, but don’t know who done it.”
“Then the cir-r-rcumstances calls for an inquest?”
“I think he was murdered.”
“Ha’ ye any idea who would do it?”
“There’s one of the NR outfit missin.’ Name’s Kleig.”
“Weel--” the doctor adjusted his glasses and rubbed his nose
thoughtfully--“weel, I suppose we may as well sit on the case in th’
mor-rnin.’ Ye will pr-r-roduce the necessary witnesses, sheriff?”
“I’ll come ---- near doin’ it,” growled Murtch, and went back to his
horse.
He found Williams at his office, a bandage around his head and a frayed
cigar clamped between his teeth. Murtch lost no time in telling
Williams what had happened to Clay Hardy. For several moments Williams
was incoherently explosive, but overcame his feelings enough to try and
think calmly.
“What was that ---- fool doin’ out there, anyway?”
Murtch shook his head.
“How’d I know? I bawled him out for lettin’ Kleig run that sandy on him,
and he got mad about it. Mebbe he tried to salivate Kleig, I dunno.”
“Went out after him, eh?”
Murtch nodded gloomily.
“Looks like it, Eph. Kleig is missing today--so the boys said, but I
don’t believe ’em. I’m gittin’ cock-eyed over this thing, I tell yuh.”
“You’ll be lucky if you don’t get worse than that.”
“Thasso?” Murtch flared for a moment, but cooled off quickly. “Mebbe
yo’re right, Eph. What in ---- is the best thing to do?”
“Well--” Williams rubbed his sore head and smiled sourly--“my advice
would be to throw Spade Hollister into jail on a murder charge, raise
that one thousand nine hundred and twenty dollars for those four NR
thieves and tell ’em to get to ---- out of the Broken Butte country.”
“Yuh would, eh?”
“Well, then you suggest something, Murtch.”
“That ranch can’t stand payin’ that much money.”
“You might take a mortgage on the ranch.”
“Aw, ----! I wish somebody’d shot me before I ever heard of the NR. ----
old Ralls! ---- all his relations!”
“Go ahead and get it out of your system Murtch.”
“All right; ---- you along with the rest!”
Murtch got to his feet and stamped to the doorway. There was no doubt
but what the sheriff of Broken Butte was both angry and disgusted. He
leaned against the door-jamb and glared around.
Suddenly he leaned forward and looked intently toward the Broken Butte
hotel. Then he turned and called to Williams--
“Come here!”
Williams joined him and together they watched Chet Wells help Ma Coogan
into a buggy, behind which was tied Chet’s saddle-horse, and drive out
of town toward the NR ranch.
“What does that mean?” grunted Williams.
Murtch shrugged his shoulders.
“I s’pose it means that you ain’t got a ---- of a lot to say about the
NR ranch, Eph.”
Williams spat out his frayed cigar and looked gloomily after the
departing buggy. Murtch squinted at Williams, as if enjoying the
lawyer’s bitterness.
“Well, what’s the answer?” he asked.
“It won’t suit you, Murtch, but it’s the only solution that I can see.
You are going to howl like a wolf, but it’s got to be done. Come back
into the office.”
Murtch debated for a moment, after Williams had gone back to his desk,
but followed him inside.
* * * * *
Miss Cleveland came out to the ranch-house doorway as Chet drove up
to the porch with Ma Coogan. To the new owner of the NR it seemed as
though fate was bound to keep Ma Coogan on that ranch. The old lady
smiled up at her as Chet helped her out of the buggy.
“Sure, I’m glad and proud to be back,” said Ma happily, “and I’m pleased
that ye sent for me, miss.”
“Oh--uh--yes,” faltered the girl, looking hard at Chet, who turned and
glanced toward the bunk-house, as if looking for the moral support of
the other boys.
Miss Cleveland had not sent for Ma Coogan. Wooden-shoe’s culinary
efforts had not been appreciated.
“He means well,” explained Wheezer, “but the food ain’t noways
sympathetic enough, ma’am.”
And then Chet Wells had an inspiration.
“Ma’am, do you want to hire a good cook?” he asked.
“It appears that such a person is desired,” she replied, and Chet had
appointed himself to employ just such a person. Hence Ma Coogan’s
return.
Wheezer and Wooden-shoe came out of the barn, got a glimpse of Ma Coogan
on the porch and came up on the run. Chet had not explained who he was
going to hire.
Ma Coogan shook hands with them and beamed widely.
“Sure, the old ranch needed me,” she laughed. “Chet tells me that
Wooden-shoe set himself up as a cook.”
Wooden-shoe patted her on the back and grinned widely.
“I plumb ruined the food to git yuh back,” he explained. “I’m smart, I
am.”
“But not as smart as Chet,” stated Wheezer, looking at Miss Cleveland.
Ma laughed and turned to the girl.
“God bless ye, miss. Ye dunno how much happiness it gives me to be back
here. Sure, the world wasn’t much for the old lady away from here. Ye
can’t understand. It’s just home to me--and the children--” She smiled
affectionately at the cowboys. “Ye are children, so ye are. I had four
fine little boys when I went away, and I’ve four little boys and a
little girl when I came back.”
She threw one arm around Miss Cleveland and gave her a squeeze, before
she went into the house. Wheezer lifted his shoulders in a sigh of
relief. Miss Cleveland turned from watching Ma Coogan and looked
straight into Wheezer’s solemn eyes.
“Yuh ain’t sorry she came back, are yuh, ma’am?” he asked softly.
“Sorry?” The girl stared at him unblinkingly for a moment and turned
toward the door. “No, I’m not sorry--I--I think I’m glad.”
“Then there’s four glads around here,” said Chet slowly. “Ma’s a dinger,
y’betcha.”
She went into the house and in a few minutes they heard her talking to
Ma Coogan.
“Yuh got more brains than I gave yuh credit for, Chet,” said Wheezer.
“I never figured yuh was thinkin’ about bringin’ Ma back here. What’ll
Williams say?”
“He’s all through sayin’ things about Ma,” said Chet. “Me and that
jasper is goin’ to lock horns, if he comes out here again. I seen him
and Murtch in Williams’ office, and they was watchin’ us leave.”
“Didja hear anybody talkin’ about Clay Hardy?” asked Wooden-shoe.
“Nope. I wasn’t doin’ no talkin’. Broken Butte didn’t seem much stirred
up about it.”
It was possibly an hour later that Murtch and Williams rode up to the NR
on horseback. The three cowboys met them at the door of the ranch-house,
but there was no welcome in their greetings.
Williams smiled in a sickly way as he said:
“Well, I see that you brought the old lady back here. Good idea. Was
thinking about it myself.”
“With a reverse English,” nodded Wheezer seriously.
“Not at all.”