by Darrel Bird
been born on a horse, but the peg leg just didn’t fit a stirrup. Calvin was good with leather, and he thought he might work out a special stirrup for the man.
They rode into the ranch yard after dark, and Calvin met them with a rifle. He peered out into the yard, “That you Blake?”
“It’s me, you got any of that stew on?”
Stucky rode over to the porch, and used the rail to swing off.
“Got fresh pork, and a pot of beans on, you fellows go on in, and I’ll take care of the horses.”
Blake led the way into the house, “Ladle you up some food boys, and don’t be shy here.”
“I’m so hungry I could eat a pole cat! Lemme at it.” Stucky replied.
Each of the men had heaping plates of food, and they ate in silence, taking sips of the scalding hot coffee. At length Stucky finished. He leaned back and belched.
“I’ll tell you that young man can cook a meal fit for a king.” Stucky remarked.
“What do you know about a king, you ever seen one?” Skinner asked.
Calvin had come in the door, and overheard the remarks, “I don’t fry anything. Anything that can’t go in them pots don’t get cooked, so if you fellows want eggs in the morning, you’ll have to cook’em yourself, else its stew fer breakfast, stew fer dinner, and stew fer supper.”
“I knowed a cook one time that mixed grass hoppers in the stew.” Stucky said.
“I don’t believe that, I think you are prone to stretch the truth for affect.” Skinner returned as he shaved a splinter off the table to pick his teeth.”
“Truth so help me God. Grass hoppers ain’t half bad if you don’t dwell on’em too much.”
“You boys can sleep in the bunk house, the beds got shuck mattresses on’em. Lets turn in, we got us a day of hard work tomorrow.”
“Ok boss, I want to thank you for the job, I won’t forget it.” Stucky said.
“Me neither.” Skinner said, “Come on Stucky old pegleg, and lets warm up them corn shucks.”
After the men were gone Calvin said, “Those fellows seem to like each other, and they seem to like you.”
“I think they are good men, can you do the cooking during the branding brother?”
“Sure, if they don’t hang me after a week of stew.”
“Those boys are used to eating what they can get, they’ll do.”
“Stucky lose his leg in the war?”
“Yeah, he wouldn’t stand much chance, or no chance of being hired around here.”
“Is that why you hired him?”
“Nope, I hired him because he was willing to work, although it’s a shame these men come out of a war all maimed, some worse than others, and the suffering will go on for them. Lets get some sleep boy, we got a full day tomorrow.”
Day was just breaking as the men ate their breakfast of leftovers from the night before. They walked down to the corral to rope their mount for the day, and Blake watched with approval as Skinner roped and saddled the horse for Stucky; then roped and saddled his own. He walked the horse over next to the fence, and Stucky climbed the fence and leapt on his horse.
“Ok boys, Calvin will mind the fire, and burn’em. Lets go get’um!”
The men raced off toward the herd. They began to circle the herd, whistling and shouting as the cattle began to move in the direction they wanted them to go. The cattle would be herded close to the fire, the young stuff would be cut from the herd, and roped. They would be drug to the fire, and branded with the rocking chair brand.
As the day drug on there was constant cursing, shouting and whistling as the men drug a constant stream of calves to the fire. They would rest a short time, eat hurriedly and go again. In a weeks time they drug the last calf to the fire. Stucky slapped the calf on the rump, and sent him bawling back to his mother. The cattle were a mix of Longhorn, and shorthorn stock. They set up a funnel of sorts, and ran the herd through so Blake and Skinner could get a count, and the final count was five hundred twenty in all. They had gathered the horses with the cattle, and ended up with six horses, and two colts.
The men stood around wiping sweat from foreheads and faces. Skinner said, “The last one to the creek is a possum.”
The men were too tired to race, but they did walk to the creek for a good bath. After their bath the men gathered on the porch. Blake paid the men, and added a bonus. It was the first time either of them had been paid cash money in a very long time.
“What you gonna do with all that money Skinner?” Stucky asked.
“Gonna go to the saloon in Winslow, have a drink, and hire me one of them dancing girls. You want to go along Peg? Maybe we can find you a one legged girl.” He grinned, and slapped Stucky on the back.
Stucky didn’t seem to mind Skinner calling him that, because he knew Skinner liked him, and meant nothing by it. It was the life of a cowboy to work until he got a pay, and then blow it all, and end up broke, and many times hungry, and out of work.
“Naw, you go on kid, I’m going to hole up somewhere until I get another job. I got all that stuff taken out of me during the war.”
“Would you men wait a minute until I talk something over with my brother?”
“Sure boss, go on ahead, Peg, and me can sit for awhile I reckon.” Skinner said.
Blake went into the house to find Calvin throwing fresh meat and potatoes into his stew pot. “Did you wash that thing out?”
“Nope, the heat will kill anything that lives in there.”
“I’m thinking of offering those boys twenty, and found to stay on, what do you think?”
“I think it’s a good idea, if they are willing to ride for the brand.”
“You and I think alike little brother, I’ll see what they say. Ain’t you got anything to throw in there besides spuds and beans?”
“Got turnips out in the garden.”
“Forget I asked. We’ll save the turnips till starving time.” He walked back out on the porch, “I could use a couple good men to stay on, but I can only pay twenty, and found. I know the going wage is thirty.”
“Twenty, and found is better than nothing and found, I’ll stay on.” Stucky said.
“I like you boys, I’ll stay too.” Skinner held out his hand, and Stucky did likewise.
“I got too tell you boys, Carson done killed our folks, and sent word we have got to get off this place. I wouldn’t involve you boys in any revenge killing, but if you are not willing to ride for this brand, I don’t want you here at any price.”
“I really don’t know how to take that boss, but I always ride for the brand, always have, always will.” Skinner looked sternly at Blake.
“I didn’t mean that as an insult boy, I just wanted you to know what you might be getting into, rather than when lead starts flying. How about you stucky?”
“Its as I said boss, I’ll stay on till hell freezes over, and the cows come home.”
Blake offered his hand to them a second time, “You’re good men, you going into town Skinner?”
“Yep, I got pay burning a hole in my pocket.”
“I wouldn’t advertise it around Winslow you are working for me just yet.”
“Yahoo!” Skinner ran and jumped on his horse.
“I hope that darned kid don’t get hisself kilt! I’m gonna get myself some sleep.”
“Us too Stucky, we’ll go back to ranching come Monday morning.”
The next morning Blake told Stucky to stay close by the ranch house until Skinner came back from town.
“Come on boy, lets ride up on the Mesa, and see what we can see. Stucky can tend your stew pot while we are gone.”
“I reckon me and that stew pot are sick of one another anyhow.” Calvin said.
They rode for an hour and a half at a steady climb toward the top of Lookout Mesa. They were near the top when Blake called a halt to rest the horses. Up this high they could look out over the whole valley and beyond to the start of Carson’s ranch in the gray distance. The Mesa was dotted with stunted cedar and pine.
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“Carson lays claim to better than a thousand head of cattle, I don’t see how his ranch can support that much.” Calvin said.
“Carson wants our valley. He is just using the war as an excuse to try and take it. I doubt if he even fought in the war. He figures if he stirs up enough bad feeling then no one will object to him taking our land by force.”
“I’m past ready to ride in there, and have a showdown with him, there has to be justice for what he has already done, and I aim to have or die trying Blake.”
“Boy, you ride in there and all you will get is dead. We got to wait for him to get up enough nerve to attack. We got to use our heads for something more than just sitting our hats atop of. Revenge anger will keep you from thinking smart, and you have to keep your cool, and think in a gun battle.”
“I guess I need to learn from you Blake.”
“I reckon, lets get on back down to the ranch and see if Skinner got back all in one piece.” Blake said, and gathered up his reins.
When they dismounted at the main house Stucky came out of the bunk house, “Hold up there boss before you go in!”
“Skinner get back Stucky?”
“Whats left of him, they worked him over pretty good, you might ought to come see for