Gus

by C. J. Petit

  Gus waited for Rachel. She waited for Gus.

  “Rachel, you go ahead. Ladies first.”

  “You’ve been working, Gus. Go ahead.”

  “Rachel, you’ve been working harder and probably longer.”

  She laughed and took some food. After she had filled her plate, Gus finally took some of the roast beef and roasted potatoes. He also took two of Rachel’s biscuits.

  “So, Gus, why did you leave your last job?” asked Eli.

  Gus explained the whole Bryce Hatfield situation, including a detailed description of the boss’s daughter.

  “I noticed that you only have one horse. How can you pull the wagon?”

  “Remember I told you we had three? After the hand took the last good horse, our second-best horse, Betsy, just disappeared. That was a month ago. We haven’t had to deal with the problem yet.”

  Gus nodded. It was like they were prisoners in their own home.

  Eli said, “I wish I could help more around here, Gus. The arthritis has made me unable to do much.”

  “Don’t you worry, Eli. I’ll fix whatever I can.”

  “I really appreciate it, Gus. We’re really glad you showed up.”

  “Just glad I could be useful. A man needs to be useful.”

  “That’s what hurts more than the arthritis. I hate not being useful.”

  “You don’t need your hands to be useful, Eli. You still have what’s between your ears. A man can get a lot of things done with that.”

  Eli nodded.

  “Where are you from?” asked Rachel.

  “Texas. Grew up on a ranch about fifteen miles south of Wichita Falls. Started working with cattle when I was eleven. Did pretty much everything that needed doing on a ranch. Everything was going well until the war. We lost all our cattle to the Confederates during the war, and the ranch to the Yankee carpetbaggers after. Pretty much killed my father. My mother died first, though. She died of cholera in ’67, and my father died a year later. Never did know what took him. Never had any brothers or sisters. When I came back after the war, there was almost nothing left. Two old cows and a few chickens. By the time my father died, even they were gone. So, I’ve been working cattle since then.”

  “Life can be hard out here,” said Rachel softly.

  “Yes, ma’am. It surely can be. But those of us that are still here have to keep going.”

  “I’ll agree with that,” she replied.

  _____

  In Kinnick, Lou was having a bad time. He hadn’t eaten all day and was flat broke. Most men would have looked for at least for one of the odd jobs that were always available, but not Lou. He wasn’t about to do some meaningless work for meaningless money. He wanted some cash and wondered where he could get it. His hand dropped down to the Colt at his hip. He wasn’t very good with it, but he didn’t have to be to pull this off.

  He walked down the main street of Kinnick and examined the different establishments. He aimed for the dry goods store and walked inside. The owner was helping some woman as he walked in, so Gus picked up some tins of beans and beef and some coffee, before walking up front. The woman was still there, so he was forced to wait.

  Finally, the woman left.

  Lou laid all his items on the shelf.

  “Howdy, young feller. You’re new around here, aren’t ya?”

  “Just got here. Working out at the Star A. Name’s Gus Matthews.”

  “Nice to meet you, Gus. Will that be all?”

  “Well, I was hankerin’ for a can of peaches, but they’re up too high.”

  “I’ll get them for you. Got me a contraption for grabbing them.”

  He smiled at Lou as he grabbed a long stick with a hook on the end. He walked out from behind the counter, and as he passed by, Lou pulled out his Colt and hammered the proprietor’s head. He collapsed onto the floor.

  Lou didn’t waste any time. He turned quickly and walked to the counter, stepped behind it and pulled out the cash drawer. He emptied its contents in just seconds, shoving the money into his pockets. He found a bag nearby, swiped the food he had put on the counter inside, and just because it looked good, he took a small bag and filled it with penny candy. Then he walked out the door, climbed onto his horse and trotted north out of town.

  It was dusk when he left.

  ____

  Down the road, in his darkened house, the reverend had a single light burning over his desk. He was getting frustrated. The notes and threats weren’t having any effect at all. He wondered what he could do to up the pressure. Maybe a fire or a few gunshots would have the impact he wanted. He just wanted those heathen Jews away from his town. Let them go to perdition for all he cared. But they needed to leave Kinnick. He’d ask Joe.

  ____

  Gus was stretched out on his bunk, thinking of what he’d need to do tomorrow. He heard hooves on the access road approaching the house. None of his business. Then, he heard voices in the distance.

  He sat up and swung his legs over to sit up. He stood and grabbed his Winchester, which was standing in the corner. He started to leave the bunkhouse when he heard voices approach. He could hear Eli saying, “I don’t think he’s your man, Sheriff.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Gus put the Winchester down. It sounded like the law.

  He walked to the entrance. Sure enough, Eli and Rachel trailed a heavy man wearing a badge.

  The sheriff took a look at Gus and asked, “You Gus Matthews?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Damn! I figured as much.”

  “What seems to be the problem, Sheriff?”

  “The mercantile got robbed an hour ago. John Hanratty, the owner, was helping someone who said he was Gus Matthews and was working out at the Star A. But you sure ain’t him.”

  Gus knew.

  “Let me guess. Younger feller, about three inches shorter than me, good looking.”

  “That’s him.”

  “Man’s name is Louis Feldman. He followed me up from the Rocking C yesterday. Was a real lazy cuss, but I didn’t think he’d do something this bad.”

  “What else can you tell me about him?”

  “Rides a strawberry roan with a white patch on the side that kinda looks like Nebraska. He’s left handed, too. That makes him stick out with that left-handed holster he wears.”

  “He any good with the pistol?”

  “Not likely. Only knew him for a few months. Never did figure out why the boss hired him. Hated work. Never even saw him shoot once. Anybody who’s any good can’t go long without practice.”

  “Thanks a lot for your help, Gus.”

  “Always try to help the law, Sheriff.”

  The sheriff turned to Eli. “I’d better get back and send a few telegrams.” No “sorry for bothering you” or “thanks for your help.” Not even a “good night.”

  He mounted his horse and headed back. In a hurry.

  “Sorry to have caused a commotion, Eli.”

  “You didn’t cause it, Gus. That young man did.”

  “Eli, correct me if I’m wrong, but the sheriff seemed a might abrupt when talking to you.”

  Eli smiled. “You noticed that, did you? I’m so used to it that I don’t even notice anymore. We’re Jews, Gus. Folks around here mostly tolerate us, but that’s as far as it goes. We’re not even serious Jews. It’s our heritage that has folks spooked. It’s one of the reasons that we’ve had such a hard go of it here. We had a hard time hiring hands after it got out what we were.”

  “Well, Eli, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll do all I can to help. But right now, I’m going to head off to bed and get some rest. Tomorrow will probably be a long day.”

  “You take care,” said Eli.

  Rachel waved as she and Eli headed back.

  Gus walked into the bunkhouse. He lay down and wondered what he could to do to help. He fell asleep an hour later, still wondering.

  ____

  Lou had arrived in Chadwick, eight miles north of Kinnick, in an hour. He
pulled up to the café and went inside. He had counted the money he had taken. It was $36.35. Less than he would have made in a month at the Rocking C. Of course, it had taken him less than five minutes to make it, and it had been a lot easier. He ordered a steak and potato. The waitress brought coffee and biscuits, which he began wolfing down. He had mixed feelings about what he had done. He was pleased to get the money, but he felt kind of bad about hitting the man in the head. But not that bad. The other thing he didn’t want to admit to himself was the rush he’d had when he was doing it and when he rode out of town. He smiled and sipped his coffee.

  As Lou finished eating and rode north out of the town, the telegrapher was closing up shop for the night. He cut power from the batteries and turned out the lamp. It had been a slow day.

  ____

  Sheriff Zeke Emory in Kinnick rousted his town telegrapher from his room and had him send telegrams to the neighboring towns, telling them of the robbery and giving them the name and description of the robber.

  Chapter 2

  Gus was up early. He always was. He took care of business and then walked to the pump to clean up. He had his morning ritual. First, he’d brush his teeth. He noticed that his toothbrush needed replacing as he sprinkled on the tooth powder. Then he washed his face and hair with pumice soap. While his face was still a bit lively from the pumice, he shaved. He was used to shaving in cold water. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shaved in anything but. He tried to take a bath once a week, but that was hard sometimes. Sometimes, his bath would be little more than a jump into any available water, be it a pond, lake, river, or even a creek.

  He walked back to the bunkhouse and put on a clean shirt. He needed to do his laundry today. It didn’t take him long. He just soaked it all in a tub of lye soap and gave it a quick scrub, rinsed it, wrung it out, and hung it to dry.

  He occasionally glanced to the cookstove pipe to see if Rachel was getting ready to make breakfast. He needed to do something, so he wandered over to the house and noticed that the woodpile was getting low. There was a stack of logs nearby that needed cutting and splitting. He guessed that Eli had the logs dropped off rather than pay for the ready-to-burn firewood.

  He went to the barn and grabbed an axe, a saw, a wedge, and a maul, then headed for the logs. He set the tools down and grabbed one of the eight-foot-long logs. He set it across the cutting yoke and began sawing one-foot lengths. Soon the log was finished, and he set a short log on the cutting stump. He tapped the wedge into place and let the maul’s mass split the log in two. After that, he used the axe to split the halves into manageable firewood.

  He soon had all eight one-foot logs split into cookstove firewood, more than doubling the stack. He loaded a second long log and made short work of it. He was splitting the sixth short log when he heard the door open. Rachel was looking at him.

  “Good morning, Gus. Hard at work already?”

  “Good morning, Rachel. Noticed you were getting short on firewood, so I thought I’d make use of some quiet time. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “Not at all. I’ve been up for a while. Did you want to come in for breakfast?”

  “Let me finish this log and I’ll wash up. I’ll be in right after.”

  She smiled and went back inside.

  Gus did exactly that. The cookstove pile was healthy again, and he was reasonably clean again as he entered the kitchen. Eli was already having breakfast.

  Gus took off his hat and hung it on a peg near the door.

  “Have a seat, Gus. I’ll get your breakfast.”

  Gus sat down, and Rachel slid a plate of bacon and beans in front of him.

  “Sorry for the lack of eggs, Gus. We’re out at the moment.”

  “Don’t worry a second about it, Rachel. Your biscuits make up for any possible shortcomings.”

  She smiled at the compliment. She did take pride in her baking.

  Gus figured they probably hadn’t had any eggs in a while. That wagon hadn’t been moved in at least a month. With only one horse, they weren’t going anywhere, either. There wasn’t a saddle, so they’d have to walk the seven miles to Kinnick or ride bareback.

  Gus made short work of breakfast, not because he was particularly hungry, but because he wanted to get to work.

  “Hungry this morning, Gus?” Eli smiled.

  “Not so much, Eli. Just anxious to get to work. I’m always this way when there’s a lot to do.”

  “Not too many men are like that, Gus.”

  “I am a bit of an oddball.”

  He smiled.

  “I wouldn’t say that, Gus.” Eli added, “I’d say folks like that Louis fella are the oddballs.”

  “I’ll give you that,” he said, and he finished his coffee.

  He stood and took his plate and cup to the sink.

  “Thank you, Rachel. That was really good.”

  “You’re welcome, Gus.”

  “Well, I’m off to go and check on your herd, Eli. I’ll be back in a little while to fill you in.”

  Eli nodded as Gus stepped over and took his Stetson and left the house.

  “That may be the hardest-working man I’ve ever known,” said Eli. “Having him arrive at our door was a godsend.”

  “It was that, Eli,” Rachel said as she began cleaning.

  _____

  Gus walked out to the barn and saddled Belle. He mounted, walked her out to the yard and set her off on a trot north to take a look at some cows.

  When he got there, he was pleased to see that they were all well fed and watered. He saw a good-size pond nearby with a creek entering from the northeast and exiting southeast. Some cattle were already drinking. He sure couldn’t use the pond for a bath, but he might be able to make use of a smaller pond north of the area along the creek.

  He began examining the animals. First, he did a quick head count. He didn’t find 220. He found 167. There were about forty that needed branding and another twenty-six that needed castrating. He found fifteen calves, so the cows were still producing. But how could Eli have been off by that many? He figured that with the public knowledge of the lack of hands on the ranch, someone had decided to help himself.

  He rode Belle across the small ranch and found the issue. In the northwest corner, he found a break in the wire. He stepped down and looked at the broken fencing. It had been cut. Recently. The ends hadn’t even rusted. Time to go and talk to Eli.

  He set Belle at a trot and headed to the house. He stepped down at the back door and let the reins drop. Belle waited.

  He knocked on the back door. Rachel opened it almost immediately.

  “Gus, you don’t have to knock. Come on in.”

  “Didn’t want to be presumptuous, Rachel. Is Eli near?”

  “Sure. Come with me. He’s reading.”

  Rachel walked in front of Gus as they walked down the hallway.

  “Eli, Gus is back and wants to talk to you.”

  Eli laid down his book.

  “What did you find, Gus?”

  “Eli, how sure are you in your count?”

  “Pretty sure. The last time I rode out there, about a year ago, it was just at two hundred twenty head. Why?”

  “Well, you’re down to one sixty-seven now. I found a recent cut in your fence in the northwest corner. I’d guess you were missing at least forty to fifty head. Now, I’ll go and repair the fence, but if you’d like, after that, I can trail the missing critters and find out where they went. It shouldn’t take that long. Maybe the rest of the day.”

  “We have rustlers, Gus?”

  “Yes, sir. Now, I’m going to trail the missing cattle. They were taken less than a week ago. That many animals leaves a pretty easy trail to follow.”

  “What will you do if you find them, Gus?”

  “Depends on where they are and who has them. I’ve dealt with rustlers before. Quite a few times, really. They usually run when they’re caught. But the problem is that they don’t have to go far. A few years back, there were only
a few places to get rid of cattle, but now it seems like every place that calls itself a town has a railroad stockyard. They’re probably already gone. But I’ll see what I can find.”

  “Thank you, Gus.”

  “I’ll be off shortly.”

  “Just take care, Gus.”

  “I will, Eli. I should be back by tonight.”