by C. J. Petit
But he wasn’t on his own very long.
He had ridden about five miles when he heard hooves behind him. He turned and saw Louis Feldman trotting up behind him. Louis had been one of the other three who had been let go. He had been a new hire for the season, so it wasn’t a surprise. He was also a less-than-stellar performer. He wasn’t exactly lazy, but he never put much effort into anything. Come to think of it, he was lazy. He had another issue that rubbed a lot of the other hands wrong, too. He preferred young women. Not just women under twenty; he liked ’em younger than sixteen if he could find ’em. Just talking to him gave Gus a foul taste.
“Howdy, Gus!”
“Lou, what are you doing?”
“Thought I’d just tag along. Where you headed?”
“I was going to head to Kinnick.”
“That’s on the other side of the Red River. It’s in Oklahoma, Gus.”
“Now, that’s a surprise to me. I thought it was in Minnesota.”
“You’re a hoot, Gus. Mind if I ride along?”
“It’s a free country, Lou.”
“Thanks.”
Gus would have preferred to ride alone, especially if the company was Lou Feldman. But like he had told Lou, it was a free country. They rode for two hours before Lou interrupted the blessed silence.
“What you gonna do, Gus?”
“Find another job.”
“I hear that they’re getting hard to find.”
“They’re always hard to find.”
“Then why don’t you do something else?”
“It’s all I know.”
“Well, I’m still young enough to try something different. I just don’t know what yet.”
“You should try something else.”
“Not yet. I’ll ride along for a while.”
The silence returned, to Gus’s relief, as they approached the Red River. They found a ford and crossed into Oklahoma.
“How far is Kinnick?”
“About ten miles past the Red.”
“We’re almost there. What are we gonna do when we get there?”
Gus noticed that suddenly everything was “we.”
“I’ll ask around about any jobs. Usually word filters around.”
“Why don’t we take some time and just take it easy for a few days?”
“I like to work, Lou.”
“Really? You like it? That’s different. I don’t know anybody who likes work.”
“Well, you finally met one.”
They rode into Kinnick a little more than an hour later. It was just past noon.
“We gonna get something to eat?”
“You go ahead. I’m gonna start asking around.”
Gus guessed that Lou was low on money already. He should have saved that last month’s pay once he knew he’d be on the road in the morning. How Lou could go through forty dollars in one night was beyond him. Must have gambled most of it away. Lou was not known to be very good with money. Or anything else for that matter. Gus never did figure out why Lou had been hired. Unless he had made googly eyes at Helen. His only selling point was that he was a good-looking kid.
“I’ll follow along and see what you can find.”
Gus felt trapped. He walked Belle to the saloon and stepped down.
“Now, this is more like it!” Lou chimed in.
Gus didn’t reply. He just dismounted and walked through the batwing doors. There were only four customers. He walked to the bartender and ordered a beer. Lou held up two fingers. The bartender filled two glasses. Gus tossed a nickel on the bar.
“Anybody hiring round here?” he asked. Gus noted that Lou hadn’t paid for his beer.
“Not at the big outfits. To tell the truth, the only place that might be hiring is the Star A. Their last hand left six months ago. They can’t pay much. It’s about six miles northeast.”
“Well, I’m not particular. I think I’ll check it out. Thanks.”
Gus finished his beer and turned to leave. Lou finished his as well and followed Gus.
“Hey. You forgot to pay.”
“Oh. I forgot.” He made a show of going through his pockets before looking at Gus.
“Gus, I can’t find any change. Could you front me for the beer?”
Gus shook his head and tossed the bartender a nickel.
Lou was wondering whether what the bartender said was true.
“Whaddaya think, Lou? If they ain’t gonna hire us, I don’t see the reason for goin’.”
“Because it’s a chance to do some work.”
“I gotta admit, Gus. I sure could use some cash. I’ll just come along and see what they can pay.”
“Lou, it doesn’t matter with you anyway. You couldn’t get by on a hundred dollars a month. You’d still be broke two days after payday.”
“Whatever you say, Gus.”
He headed out the doors and climbed on Belle and turned her down the main road. Kinnick seemed like a nice town. Nothing spectacular, but that was to be expected in this part of the world. Lou was right behind him as he left the town and went northeast on the trail that headed that way. It was just a pair of wagon ruts. Gus was getting hungry, but he knew that if he opened the sack that Ed had given him, Lou would wind up with more than his share.
Twenty minutes later, they reached the access road for the Star A and turned in. It was not in great shape. It needed a lot of work. They approached the ranch house.
“Hello, the house!” shouted Gus.
A few seconds later the screen door opened with a loud squeal.
A thin gray-haired man of middling height with stooped shoulders showed at the door. His age was hard to read as he was obviously suffering from arthritis. Severe arthritis at that.
“What can I do for you, gents?”
“Sir, my name is Gus Matthews, and that’s Louis Feldman. I was told that you might need some help.”
“My name’s Eli Aronson. We can’t pay much. Maybe ten dollars a month, but my wife is a good cook.”
“Well, Mr. Aronson,” began Gus, “I’m not worried about the money much. Your place looks like it could use some work. I’ll take your offer.”
Lou spoke up, “Well, Gus, that’s all right with you, but I need at least thirty dollars a month.”
“Well, Lou, you’re free to move on.”
Lou wheeled his horse and trotted back down the access road.
After Lou had gone, Eli spoke up.
“One more thing, Mr. Matthews. I hope you don’t mind working for a Son of Abraham.”
Gus pushed back his Stetson and smiled. “No, sir. As long as you don’t try convertin’ this heathen.”
Eli laughed. He liked the man. “You’re hired. Go ahead and step down. Come on in.”
Gus stepped down and let Belle stand.
“You forgot to tie off your horse.”
“No, sir. Belle is such a good lady that she stays with me no matter what.”
“She’s a pretty lady, too.”
“I think she’s the most handsome horse I ever laid eyes on.”
“Well, come on in. I’ll introduce you to my wife, Rachel.”
Gus stepped up onto the porch and followed Eli into the ranch house. He saw that repairs were needed to be made everywhere.
“Rachel, we have a visitor. Come on in here!” he shouted.
Gus removed his Stetson and watched as Eli’s wife, Rachel, walked in wearing a flour-covered apron.
She was fairly tall, about five foot seven, and of medium build. She had light-brown hair going to gray and decidedly green eyes. She must have been quite striking in her younger days, but helping to run a ranch without much help showed. She looked tired. Gus put her age at around forty-five.
“Rachel, this is Gus Matthews. He’ll be working for us.”
“Afternoon, ma’am.”
Rachel smiled at Gus. “Call me Rachel, Mr. Matthews. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Call me Gus, Rachel.” He turned to her husband. “Same
to you, Mr. Aronson. Never did cotton to formalities.”
“Well, call me Eli, then.”
“Tell me, Gus. Why’d you take the offer? It’s not much money.”
Gus laughed. “Well, there were a few reasons. First, it sure looks like you need the help. Second, I really need to work. If I go two days in a row without working, then I just get all squirmy inside. And finally, I really wanted to be rid of that companion of mine. He caught up with me after I was leaving my last job and tagged along. He was the laziest man I ever did see. Couldn’t handle his money, either. We were paid off yesterday, and he’s already flat broke.”
“Gus, we’ve already eaten, but I could put together something for you if you’d like some lunch,” offered Rachel.
“No thanks, Rachel. I appreciate the offer. If it’s all right with you, Eli, I’ll go ahead and put Belle away and put my belongings in the bunkhouse.”
“Go right ahead, Gus.”
Gus led Belle into the barn. It was in terrible shape. He found another horse inside. It was an older gelding, Gus guessed a good twelve years old. Needed new shoes, too. There was a wagon. He wondered where the second horse was.
_____
Rachel turned to Eli.
“He seems to be a good man, Eli. But even ten dollars a month would be hard.”
“We do need some help to fix some things, Rachel. Even if only for a few months. Then there’s the horse issue. He seemed like an honest fellow, and he didn’t even hesitate when I told him we were Jewish.”
“He does seem very pleasant. I’ll bow to your judgment.”
“Thank you, Rachel. It’ll work out.”
_____
Gus pulled down the bag that Ed had given him. Inside were a bacon and egg sandwich and several tins of beans and beef. There was even a small slab of bacon. Gus smiled. He took his canteen and ate the sandwich. It was a good sandwich. He unsaddled Belle and brushed her down, tossed some hay into a stall and let her go inside. He threw his saddlebags over his shoulder and grabbed his Winchester. Then he looked around and flipped up a side flap on his saddle. Another piece of leather had been attached by the maker, creating an almost-invisible pocket. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out $200, which he slipped into the saddle pocket, and then dropped the flap.
He picked up the bag of food and walked out of the barn to the back door. As he walked, he made a cursory examination of the ranch. Almost everything needed work. There was a good set of tools in the barn, though. He reached the kitchen entrance and knocked.
Rachel opened the door. Her hands and apron were covered in flour.
“C’mon in, Gus.”
Gus stepped inside and looked at the shelves. Not much.
“Did you change your mind about having something to eat, Gus?”
“No, I’m good, Rachel. I was given this bag this morning. I don’t have much call for it now. It’s not much.”
He gave her the bag, and she began taking out the tins of food and the slab of bacon. She held out the bacon. He looked at her face, and they both laughed.
“Sorry. I didn’t think.”
“No, it’s all right. I’ll cook it for you. Thank you, Gus,” she said, smiling at him.
“No problem, Rachel. I’ll go ahead and start cleaning up the bunkhouse.”
“Don’t you want to rest after your journey?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve been sitting all day. I’d just as soon work.”
He tipped his hat and left the kitchen.
Eli stepped into the kitchen as Gus left.
“Gus just gave us these tins of food,” Rachel told him.
“I like him, Rachel.”
“Me too.”
_____
Gus headed for the bunkhouse. It was small, as he had expected. When he arrived, he found it to be as bad as he had expected. The door was half off the hinges, and there were missing floorboards. The roof seemed okay. At least he didn’t see any holes. There were only two beds. Both were all right, just worn. There were cracks in the walls.
He tossed his hat on one of the bunks along with his saddlebags. Time to start working.
The only immediate problems in the bunkhouse were the floorboards and the door. He went out to the barn and found some boards stacked in the corner. Like the rest of the ranch, they weren’t in great shape. But he found three that should work. There was a pail of nails that weren’t too bad. He grabbed a saw, a plane, and a hammer and went to work.
He was working up quite a sweat by the time he had the new floorboards in place. The door wasn’t that difficult. He had that done in thirty minutes.
Gus had the bunkhouse as good as it would be for the day and went outside to the trough. He primed the pump and began filling it. When it was done, he soaked his head in the cold water and shook himself like a mangy coon dog.
He replaced the tools and noticed that the edged tools all could stand a good sharpening. He set up the grinding wheel and lined up the assortment of axes, hatchets, and scythes. Then he set to work. It took nearly an hour to get them all in good working order. He set everything back in place and decided to shoe the horse. He looked around the stall and found a peg with seven horseshoes, all the same size. He wondered why seven. Must have thrown one at some time.
He removed all the old shoes. What was left of them. He filed down the hooves to prepare them for the new shoes. Next came the shoes. He put the nails between his lips and started. After twenty more minutes, the horse was reshod. He brushed him down afterward. He wasn’t a bad horse, just a little old.
Gus hadn’t noticed the time. He was still cleaning up after changing the shoes when Rachel walked into the barn.
She noticed the changes right away.
“You’ve been busy, Gus.”
“Keeps me out of trouble, Rachel,” he said as he wiped some sweat away.
“We don’t have a dinner bell, but it’s ready if you’d like to join us.”
“I’ll be in as soon as I clean up. Thank you, Rachel.”
Rachel smiled and turned to go to the house.
He walked out to the yard and went to the trough. He took off his shirt and got a good flow of water going and doused his head and shoulders in water. It was only a cursory cleaning, but he’d clean up more later. He put his shirt on and ran his fingers through his still-thick dark-brown hair. Gus may have been within spittin’ distance of forty, but he didn’t look it. He carried his 180 pounds on his five-foot eleven-inch frame well. Because he enjoyed hard work, he never tended toward fat at all. His face, while showing the effects of all that outside work, was not handsome, but pleasant. His light-gray eyes were expressive and lively. Overall, Gus was the epitome of the western man. He just didn’t know it or particularly care.
He walked into the kitchen. Rachel was setting plates at the table.
“Rachel tells me you’re already fixing things, Gus,” said Eli.
“Just workin’, Eli. It’s what I do. How many head are you running right now, Eli?” Gus asked.
Eli replied, “The last count had it at just over two hundred twenty. It was done by our last hand. He left six months ago. He didn’t get enough paychecks.”
“What are we looking at? Shorthorns, Herefords, or longhorns?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t ride anymore, and Rachel doesn’t know cattle. We used to have three horses, but the last hand left with one and our only saddle.”
“Didn’t you report him? Horse theft is a hanging offense.”
“We did, but the man had already complained to the sheriff about the lack of pay, and he took the horse as payment. The sheriff said he was justified.”
“Well, that’s a pile of horse manure. A man can walk if he doesn’t like the spread he’s working on. He can’t steal something just because he thinks it’s owed him.”
“Nonetheless, he left, and we only had two horses then, and only one now, so I haven’t been able to check on the cattle.”
“Okay. I’ll go and get a good read on t
hem in the morning.”
Rachel set the food on the table and sat to join them.
Gus was expecting a Hebrew ritual before eating, so he just sat.
Eli was the first to take some food and was soon eating. So much for rituals, thought Gus.