by Duane Boehm
Sarah walked out onto the porch to see what was all the commotion. Upon seeing Benjamin holding a puppy, she did her best to suppress a smile. She had lost this battle with Ethan before and did not wish to add fuel to the fire.
“Benjamin will take care of it, not you. It will be a good responsibility for him. You should be happy I brought back a boy dog instead of a girl,” Gideon shot back.
Ethan seemed to grow in stature as he sucked in air and drew his shoulders back. “Oh, yes, I should be plum tickled that you took it upon yourself to decide my son needs a dog.”
Gideon grinned at Ethan. “That is about the size of it,” he said.
Sarah took hold of Ethan’s arm and laid her head against it, hoping to sugarcoat things. “Honey, you know that you have lost this one. Let it go. It will be good for Benjamin,” she said.
Without another word, Ethan turned and stormed into the cabin.
Gideon was still grinning. “Should make for a pleasant supper, don’t you think?” he said.
Chapter 11
Ethan was still miffed at breakfast the next morning and his conversation was curt and to the point. He barely acknowledged Gideon’s presence and did not even talk to Benjamin any more than necessary. Gideon and Benjamin made a hasty retreat outdoors as soon as they finished eating while Ethan continued to give Sarah irritated looks.
“What is it?” Sarah asked. “Get it off your chest.”
“You were in on this weren’t you? You have been against me this whole time about not getting another dog,” Ethan said.
Sarah jumped up from the table in a huff and started clearing the dishes, banging the plates and silverware together noisily. “Listen here, Ethan Oakes, I did not know a thing about Gideon bringing a puppy home, but I am glad that he did. You were wrong not to get that boy a dog and you know it. Now if you don’t wipe that scowl off of your face, I might knock it off of you,” she said as she carried the plates away.
He tried not to smile, but could not help himself. Sarah was like a Banty rooster when she was stirred up. Sometimes enjoying her performance was better than staying mad. “Mighty big talk for such a little lady.”
Still peeved, Sarah said, “You give me one more dirty look and you are going to find out it is more than talk.”
Ethan stood up and pinched his wife on the ass. “You’re awfully cute when you get all worked up,” he said.
“You just get outside and get yourself busy. You can daydream about how cute I am because that is as close as you’re going to get to me,” Sarah said.
Ethan put on his hat and winked at Sarah. “Yes, ma’am, but you know how dreams have a way of coming true,” he said as he walked out before she had a chance to respond.
Gideon and Benjamin were working on masts for their sailboats when Ethan walked out of the cabin. Gideon looked up at Ethan, but Benjamin kept his head down avoiding eye contact.
“Do you two loafers want to ride with me to check on the herd? When we get back, you can finish your boats and go sail them if you want,” Ethan said.
“Sure, we can ride with you,” Gideon said.
“And Gideon, tomorrow I would like you to help me brand the new calves if you think you are up to it. See if you still know which end of the brand to grab,” Ethan said.
“I think I can do that,” Gideon said.
“Benjamin, you should bring that dog with you. We might as well get him used to seeing cattle while he is little,” Ethan said and then started walking to the barn.
After he was out of hearing distance, Benjamin stood and said, “What do you think got into him?”
“Son, do not ever underestimate the power of a woman to set a man straight,” Gideon said as he followed Benjamin to the barn.
They rode out with the pup sitting crossways in the saddle with Benjamin’s arm hooked under his front paws. The sun was burning off the last of the morning mist but the air was still cool, making the horses frisky. Buck kept bobbing his head and fighting the bit as Gideon held him back from sprinting out in a run.
“Have you named your dog yet?” Ethan asked.
“I’m going to name him Chase. He loves to fetch my ball,” Benjamin said as he rubbed the pup’s head with his rein hand.
“Maybe he will retrieve birds then,” Gideon said.
“Is that one of Miss Herring’s?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah, I had to stop someone from shooting the momma dog yesterday. That old lady is as sharp as she ever was,” Gideon said.
“Who was it?” Ethan said.
“I did not ask his name and he did not feel much like talking afterward”
Ethan gave his friend a questioning look.
Gideon grinned and said, “Don’t worry, I did not shoot him or anything. I just gave him a reminder that I meant business. Speaking of surly people, who put a burr under that Hank Sligo’s saddle?”
“Oh Lord, did you have a run in with him too?” Ethan asked.
“I was sitting at a table in the Last Chance and he came over and wanted to whip me. I told him I could put a couple of bullets in him before he ever touched me and he backed down,” Gideon said.
“And the legend of Gideon Johann grows. You had better watch out for him. He is a mean one,” Ethan warned.
“Would Frank have any other kind of person work for him?”
“No, probably not. Frank is the same as he ever was, always trying to bully his way through life,” Ethan answered.
They rode up Pint Ridge and Ethan pulled his horse to a stop. This spot was his favorite view of the land. The mountains seemed to jut out like white haired gods with their snow covered tops and bare rock serving as craggy faces before descending to tree lines for garments and then flatting out to grass carpets. It would embarrass him to death if anybody knew how he viewed the scene.
“Gideon, in all of your travels, have you ever seen a place prettier than Colorado?” Ethan asked.
Gideon was taking in the landscape as well. “The Wyoming and Montana Territories have some great land too, but I will put home up against any of them.”
“That’s right – home. Let’s go see the cattle,” Ethan said.
Crossing the valley below, Gideon got tickled watching the puppy looking around, taking everything in, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for a dog to ride a horse. They then climbed another ridge to find the cattle grazing on the other side.
“There they are. I manage them a lot different than my old man did. I cull the herd every year, getting rid of the old ones and the ones that don’t produce good calves. My calves get better every year,” Ethan said with pride.
“That is a fine looking herd of cattle. You have done well.”
“See that young bull over there. Isn’t he something?” Ethan asked.
“Where did you find one that nice around here?”
“I spotted him at the auction in a lot of heifers and steers. Thank goodness nobody had cut him yet. I had to buy the whole pen, but I got some good cows out of it too,” Ethan said.
“I don’t know how good a preacher you are, but you certainly found your calling in cattle, Ethan,” Gideon said.
“You can come to church with us and find that out for yourself.”
Gideon was not listening to Ethan. His mind had drifted back to childhood memories, working with his pa on their homestead. “What happened to my parents’ place?” he asked.
“Frank’s daddy bought it a year or two after the war for back taxes. I tried to get Pa to buy it in case you ever came back, but you know how tight he was with spending money,” Ethan said.
“Do you ever ride over there?”
Ethan let out a sigh and grimaced. “It’s been years, Gideon. I used to go keep up your mother’s grave, but the last time I was there, Frank rode up and made such a stink, threating to have me arrested for trespassing, that I never went back. The cabin was getting pretty rough even back then.”
Gideon did not say anything for a moment. It had never occurred to him
that his mother’s grave would go unattended, and he knew its neglect was his fault and nobody else’s. He was the one responsible and it was one more failure on his part. “Thank you for trying to keep it up. Only Frank DeVille would be such a hard ass over something like that.”
Ethan could think of nothing else to say about it. The condition of the grave was a sad situation that had bothered him for years with no resolution. Turning to Benjamin, he asked, “Benjamin, do you think you can keep the fire going and the brand hot for me tomorrow?”
“Yes, sir, Pa,” Benjamin answered, excited with his first chance to help with the herd.
“I need to get back and work on my sermon for Sunday and then repair the corral gate,” Ethan said as he turned Pie around.
After they got back, Gideon and Benjamin resumed whittling their mast poles and Ethan sat on the porch writing his sermon. They were all concentrating so hard on their work that they heard the hoof beats before they noticed the rider approaching from the west.
Rising from his seat, Ethan walked out to greet the rider. “Mr. Holden, I have not seen you since the spring round–up. You remember Gideon Johann don’t you?”
“Sure do. Good to see you again, Gideon,” Mr. Holden said as he extended his hand to him.
“What brings you over here?” Ethan asked.
“I was wondering if I could have a word with you,” Mr. Holden said.
Taking the cue, Gideon said, “Ethan, I am going to take Benjamin to the barn to finish our boats. I saw some old canvas and some rawhide strips out there that I was hoping we could have if you don’t mind.”
“Help yourselves.”
Mr. Holden shoved his hands into his trousers and ground a pebble into the dirt with his boot toe. He seemed uncomfortable with starting the conversation. “Ethan, after that spring round–up, I realized that I was getting too old for ranching. Since me and the misses don’t have any children to take over the place, we decided we would sell it and move to town. I wanted you to have first chance at it. It’s a fine homestead and decent cattle too.”
“Mr. Holden, you have caught me off–guard. I never imagined you retiring or selling your place. It’s a lot to think about,” Ethan said.
“I know it is. I was thinking about five hundred dollars for the place and fifteen a head and five a calf. You and Sarah, take some time and talk it over. I think that is a fair price,” Mr. Holden said.
“I really appreciate you giving me first chance and it means a lot to me, Mr. Holden. You have always been a good neighbor,” Ethan said.
“You have helped me way more than I’ve ever helped you. With your property adjoining mine, it just seemed like the right thing. Besides, we don’t want Frank buying every piece of land, do we?” Mr. Holden said.
Smiling, Ethan shook the old man’s hand and then watched him ride away. Climbing the steps to go talk to Sarah, he said to no one, “I’ll never be able to concentrate on my sermon now.”
Benjamin and Gideon emerged from the barn a short time later with sailboats in hand. With a little ingenuity, they had managed to cut the canvas into sails and bind them with rawhide strips. Mounting their still saddled horses, they headed out with their boats.
After reaching the pond, Gideon pulled the licorice from his saddlebag and handed it to Benjamin. “I forgot to give this to you yesterday after the puppy surprise went over so well with your pa,” he said.
“Thank you for this and Chase. That puppy is going to be a good one, I can tell,” Benjamin said as he pulled a bite off the licorice lace.
“The breeze is just about right. Let’s see if they sail,” Gideon said as they walked to the water.
They gave the boats a little shove and waited for the wind to catch them. Slowly the boats started moving until they were far enough from the bank that the breeze caught the sails and they picked up speed.
“By golly, I think we did it,” Gideon said.
They watched in silence before Benjamin pulled off another bite of licorice and said, “Mr. Gideon, are you going to be leaving soon?”
“Yes, as soon as I am able to ride in the saddle all day, I will have to go. I have a job to finish.”
“Will I ever see you again?” Benjamin asked.
“I don’t know, maybe,” Gideon answered.
“Why maybe? Can’t you promise me that you will come back to see me?”
“Benjamin, I never thought I would ever come back here. So, a maybe is a lot closer than I ever thought I would come, but I don’t make promises that I’m not sure I can keep. I do hope to see you again though,” Gideon said.
“How come you don’t want to move back when you finish your job?” Benjamin asked.
Gideon watched the boats and tried to think of a good way to explain things. The problem was that everything he thought of seemed insufficient until he finally gave up and started talking. “I have been drifting for so long now that I don’t think I could stop even if I wanted. I get restless and have to move on. It’s been good to meet you and your ma and see your pa again, but there are other things here that would remind me of what might have been,” he said.
“You mean Miss Abigail don’t you? Did she used to be your girlfriend?” Benjamin asked.
Gideon grinned at Benjamin. “You don’t miss anything do you? Yes, Abby is what I am talking about.”
“When I heard Momma and Pa talking about her coming by to check on you, I could tell that she was more than just an old friend,” Benjamin said.
“Women are hard things to predict,” Gideon said as much to himself as to Benjamin.
“I’m going to miss you.”
Gideon watched his boat reach the other side a couple of feet in front of Benjamin’s craft. “I’m going to miss you too,” he said.
Chapter 12
The day after helping Ethan brand the calves, Gideon woke up sore, but in a good mood. It had been an enjoyable day working with Ethan and Benjamin. And just like the old days, it had not taken them long to get back into the swing of working as a team. With each calf, he would lasso its head to pull it from the herd, and then Ethan, always the better roper, would lasso its rear legs. Ethan would then climb down from Pie to brand the calf while his horse kept the rope taut on one end and Gideon did the same on the other. Gideon could almost fool himself into believing that the last eighteen years had not happened and that they were still a couple of kids helping on the ranch. It made him ponder what might have been if they had teamed up and ranched together. He was sure that they could have been a formidable pair.
Gideon decided that he could not go another day without tending to his mother’s grave so he borrowed Ethan’s wagon and harness horse to make the trip. He put everything into the wagon that he could think of he might need to repair the grave site, including an axe, shovel, scythe, and rake. Ethan wanted to accompany him in case there was trouble, but he would have none of it. He wanted to spend time at the grave alone. It had been way too long and he wanted to make amends.
He did not see anybody about as he pulled the wagon up into what had once been their yard. A sense of melancholy settled on him as he looked around the place. So many good times and so much work were nothing but old memories now. The roof of the cabin had caved in and the porch had fallen off the front. The whole structure would soon collapse. Little of the barn remained. It appeared that it had been stripped of most of the lumber and what was left was rotting away. The wrought iron fence that his pa had purchased for what was to be a family cemetery was still standing and in good shape. Ethan had apparently kept it painted during the time he tended to it. The plot was so grown over with saplings and brush that he could not even see his mother’s headstone.
After opening the squeaky gate to the plot, he worked his way through the growth until he got to the grave. His mother’s headstone was still standing but leaning back. He could still read Martha Johann, June 4, 1826 – May 9, 1860, A Beloved Wife and Mother. Not wanting to deal with his emotions just yet, he decided to clear the plot firs
t.
The property was far enough away from Frank’s place that he did not expect to be discovered, but to be cautious he kept his pistol strapped on and leaned his rifle against the fence. Grabbing the axe, he went to work on chopping down the saplings. Each blow with the axe gave his healing shoulder a stabbing pain, but the tool was sharp and most of the young trees surrendered after a few swings.
Gideon finished cutting the saplings and was walking to the wagon to get the scythe when he saw the two riders approaching. The one man was so large that he had to be Hank Sligo and he guessed the other to be Frank DeVille. He cursed under his breath. A confrontation was the last thing that he wanted to deal with at the moment. As they neared, he saw that it was indeed who he feared it was. Frank had not changed much, just filled out over the years. He still looked like the bully he had always been. The men stopped in the yard, staying on their horses.
“You are trespassing on my land,” Frank said.
“Well, good to see you again, too, Frank,” Gideon said.
“You need to get out of here.”
“When I am done, I will.”
“I could shoot you for trespassing you know,” Frank threatened.
“Frank, what makes you such a prick? When word got out that you shot me for visiting my mother’s grave, it would give everybody the excuse they are looking for to hang you,” Gideon said.
“I don’t like you. Never have, so get off my land.”
“You can go to hell. I’m going to clean up my mother’s grave.”
Frank showed no emotion, but Hank’s face scrunched up in anger and he stood up in the stirrups.
“You little bastard, we may not be able to kill you, but I’m going to whip your ass,” Hank yelled.
Sligo got off his horse and started marching towards Gideon. He looked like a charging goose the way he bent over with his head sticking forward to lower his center of gravity to accommodate his girth. Gideon stood his ground, waiting until Sligo was almost upon him before deftly drawing his pistol, swinging it in an arc, and sending it crashing into the left side of Hank’s head just above the ear. The man fell to his knees as if the hangman had dropped him from the gallows. His eyes remained open and he put his hand up to his head, but he appeared to be knocked silly.
