by Sioux Dallas
Juan yelled a few curse words when wild turkeys flew up and caused his horse to shy. This gave the cantankerous mule a chance to try to buck and be a nuisance. When the animals had calmed down, Juan apologized to Ginger for swearing. She nodded and turned her head so that he could not see her amusement.
The two men at the camp came to the door of the log cabin looking sleepy and rumpled. Harry (Booger) York and James Baird were glad to see the visitors. They hurried out to help unpack the supplies. Booger laughed when he saw the mule Juan was leading. “How did you get ole Retard to cooperate? He’s always been a mean one.”
When he heard that Moose twisted one ear and held the animal, he laughed again. “Leave it to Moose to control even this ornery mule.”
Ginger went inside with Harry while the others set up her tent. The men would all stay in the cabin. The horses and the mule were turned loose in a small corral with a water tub. They would all be fed later in the day when they had rested and were not tired or sweaty.
The men all came in the cabin to eat and visit. Harry answered Ginger’s questions and exclaimed at the news of the thieves. “Miss Ginger, how much longer will we have to stay up here? I know Hank needs us down at the ranch,”
“I’m going to ask you to come down earlier than usual this year mostly because of the rustlers, but I need to get a count of the cattle. I’m going to be forced to sell about one hundred head out of season. That will mean that I’ll probably not get top price, but I need ready cash now.”
“When will you want the ones you’re selling?”
“In a few days. I’ll send some men up to help with the drive. I’ll have the fences checked in the pasture that has the river running through it and we can also feed a little to make sure they have the weight. After those are sold, we’ll bring the herd down. That will more than likely take the month of July.”
“What ever you say. You’re the boss. How is old Hank doing? I bet he’s fit to be tied because he can’t be out working.”
“You are correct. He isn’t going to be happy when he’s discharged to come home in a wheelchair. I’m going to keep him at the house with me for as long as I can contain him. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’ve made arrangements to give him ten acres near the road at the front of my property. I’m going to have a house built for him and keep him busy advising us and keeping all of us in line.”
James and Harry left to relieve the two men with the cattle. They had a signal which they agreed upon in the event of trouble. A pistol would be fired three shots, wait three seconds and fire three more shots. This would mean – ‘we need help’.
Rocky and Fish came in on tired horses. They rubbed the horses down and turned them into the corral. In the cabin they ate and prepared for bed. Ginger asked them how many head of cattle she had up here on summer pasture.
Rocky yawned and said, “The last count I had was one thousand four hundred twenty-six. Good night everyone.” He was asleep in a few minutes. Juan and Slim got settled after they had taken Ginger out to the tent and left two rifles with her. The tent had a floor and was fully enclosed.
Ginger rested better than she had in ages. She was awakened by the men eating their breakfast and getting ready to go take the guard duty for the cattle. Unzipping the tent she could see a faint pink in the sky in the east showing that it wasn’t near daylight.
“Mornin’ Boss,” the men grinned at her crawling out of the tent with her hair spiraling in all directions and her eyes heavy with sleep. Ginger yawned a big, jaw-snapping yawn and nodded to the men. She was accustomed to rising early but not out in the open like this.
The men got their horses from the temporary corral they’d built, and saddled them ready to go to work. They left and in about fifteen minutes the men who had been on night duty came riding in. They first rubbed their tired horses’ backs and stood the saddles on the end to air out. The saddle pads were thrown over a tree branch to air out. Horses were fed and given water. Then the men came into the cabin to eat and prepare to get their rest.
Ginger had left the food which all four of them were grateful to get. She reminded them that she would be sending someone up to drive a small herd down to the ranch to be sold.
The mules were easier to handle with smaller loads for them to carry. Juan started off first still leading the cantankerous one which was now calmer. Ginger rode in the middle and Slim brought up the rear. They stopped twice to allow the animals to rest and to pick berries to eat. They were back at the ranch by four and very tired. Men ran out to help them groom the horses and mules, give the animals water and feed and turned them into the pasture with the exception of War Shield. He nickered with joy when he was placed in his own stall.
Juanita was overjoyed and relieved to have Ginger home and safe. “I prayed to the Holy Father the whole time for you to come home safely.”
“I knew you would be, Juanita. I talked to Him all the time I was gone. It gave me comfort to know He was listening.”
Ginger took a hot shower, donned pajamas and fell into bed. She was accustomed to rising early and working all day but not being in the saddle so many hours and being on the alert every minute.
Chapter Seven
Frank came to the house after breakfast to meet with Ginger and hear about her trip. “Frank, you may have to hire some temp. help for the cattle drive. I think six men should go to bring the one hundred head down.”
“I agree, but I’ll include two of our regular hands. What are you going to tell them to bring down? I think you should stick to the six hundred to eight hundred pounds and as many steers as possible. No more than nine hundred pounds.”
“I think you’re right. Have some of the men string some wire around about six hundred acres to allow the cattle to fatten up a little. In the meantime I’ll call and see which auction house would be the best to contact. Or do you think we should try a private sale?”
“Ginger, we need to move fast. The temperature is rising and it will be more difficult to keep weight on when moving them. We don’t have the big trucks either. I’ll have to hire someone for transportation. It’ll cut into your profit but it can’t be helped.”
Ginger knew there would be yardage which was charges on each head of cattle left in a feed lot for auction. She was hoping for a live sale which would mean selling to meat packers directly. In the meantime, she would see to back grounding which was putting the cattle on a rich food to increase their weight.
James sent three men from his ranch and Allan sent three. Frank selected Merika Lopez and Arturo Rodriguez to go with the men. The eight of them should have no trouble. They would take food supplies with them and camp out at the line camp. The four men on duty would help cut out one hundred beef looking to be no more than nine hundred pounds. They would be driven carefully so that the weight would not be run off them.
Ginger was thrilled to hear the bellowing of the cattle as they were driven into the selected pasture. She was pleased with the appearance of the herd. Frank paid the hands that had been loaned to them and the men loaded their horses on the trailers and pickups they had left at the ranch, glad to be going home.
Frank had made arrangements for a man with large cattle trucks to pick the cattle up in ten days. Ginger had called some meat packers and was astonished at how quickly they were willing to purchase her cattle. The Majestic Proudfoot Ranch was well known and respected.
Ginger was surprised to get one dollar and five cents per pound for her herd. There were forty-six that were judged at six hundred pounds, thirty at eight hundred pounds and twenty-four at nine hundred pounds. They had been processed before leaving the ranch. Processing was vaccinating, treating for parasites and tagging the ears.
She proudly showed Frank the check for seventy-six thousand eight hundred sixty. After she paid the man for hauling her cattle and paid the feedlot and other incidentals, she thought she would have about sixty-nine thousand clear. This would pay her hands, some household expenses and build Hank’s house.
Hands were glad to work for the Proudfoot Ranch because they had always paid top prices. They had also furnished a comfortable bunkhouse, food supplies and washed the clothes twice a week for them. They never were asked to work at unreasonable jobs or hours except in emergencies.
Five days after the sale of the cattle, Ginger was at the barn talking with some of the men about bringing Hank home the next morning. She had told the fellow ranchers, at the last Cattlemen’s Association meeting, about building a house for Hank and taking care of him.
Ginger was shocked to see heavy building equipment being unloaded on her property and six Amish families getting out of buggies. They came smiling toward her asking permission to leave their horses in the pasture beside the barn. She was too startled to do much talking.
Amos and Jacob came to her and said that her Grandfather had been so kind when they were trying to get settled and they wanted to help her now. They were there to level the land and build the house for Hank. The wives had come along to help cook food for the workers and to do what they could. The children were told to stay away from the building site and the barn. The older children were to run errands and help some as well as watching over the younger ones.
Frank rubbed his head and grinned. “I was going to ask if we couldn’t hire help and get this done quicker. I have Jimbo, Andy and Billy ready and willing to help.”
Ginger looked dumbfounded and turned to Frank. “What do I do now?”
“Show them where you want the house and be sure they have a copy of the plans you drew up. These men are experienced builders. They’ll do an excellent job.”
“What do I pay them?”
“You’ll insult them if you try to pay. Have Juanita work with the women and cook a meal fit for a king. Have plenty of desserts for the workers and the children.”
Ginger hardly knew how to respond to the good neighbors. “Let me give you a copy of the plans I’ve drawn for the house. I’ve included a living room with a fireplace, a dining area, a kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom. I want a nice porch across the front so Hank can sit in a rocker and enjoy his property. Gentlemen, I don’t know how to thank you, and the ladies.”
Jimbo showed the men the huge pile of field stones that had been collected for a fireplace. He then took them in a shed and showed them the pressure treated posts and lumber for the house. Amos took the plans and nodded. “Ayeh. This is goot. We do well and he be happy.”
Soon the heavy equipment was busy roaring and leveling the land. Frank walked to where Ginger was standing still almost in a trance. “You’d better get in touch with the electric and water companies. These men will work fast and will be ready for completion in a couple of days.”
“What !? A couple of days. I expected it to take a week.
“Not the way they work. I bet they’ll even have some hand-made furniture to donate. Go in the house and see if Juanita and the women need you for anything. Leave the building to Amos. He seems to have taken charge.”
That evening Ginger was astonished to see the land leveled and a framework up for the house. A fireplace had been laid out and would be finished in another day. A rural type fence had been put up around the ten acres and ready to be painted.
The women had made hot German potato salad, green beans with tiny onions, yeast rolls, boiled eggs, lemonade and four kinds of pies. Ginger’s men had set up long tables with benches in the back yard and had a beef cooking over a spit. Most of her men had to go ahead with regular ranch duties, but the others were happy to do whatever was needed.
At the end of the day tired men and women hitched up horses to the buggies and placed sleepy children in them to go home. They waved as they left with big grins and talking about how they would finish the next day.
The next morning Ginger was excited about going after Hank. Moose went with her to be able to lift Hank and his wheelchair into the big Buick.
Ginger was amused to see Hank out front waiting for them and blustering because they weren’t there earlier.
“Just be glad you’re able to go home. I’ve really missed having you around to boss me and keep me on my toes.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek which made Hank bluster even more.
Moose pushed the chair to the car and opened the front passenger door. Hank vowed he could stand and get himself in the car, but Moose kept his hands under Hank’s arms. He was carefully placed in the front seat and then Moose took the wheelchair to the trunk. He then got in the back seat and nodded to Ginger that he was ready to go.
Ginger could tell Hank was already tired and would need to go right to bed. She and Juanita had the bedroom beside Juanita’s suite ready for him.
She had not told him about the building and cringed when Hank exploded about the group of people working on her property. “What in the devil do they think they’re doing?”
“I’ll tell you when we get in the house. My mouth is dry as cotton and I need some of that lemonade,” she said without really answering him.
Hank was so tired that Moose had to lift him into the wheelchair and take him into the house. He was too much of a gentleman to explode in front of all the women, but he ranted and raved when Moose started taking his clothes off and getting him ready for bed. Ginger had already asked Moose to help her with Hank and he was delighted to assist.
After Hank was in bed Ginger told him that she had already deeded the ten acres to him and was building the house for him. He would no longer stay in the bunkhouse. At first he was hurt thinking she was trying to retire him and get rid of him, but he settled down when she explained that she could not run the ranch without his guidance.
“I need you close to give me advice and keep an eye on everything for me. You know I’ve not been working the ranch long enough to know all there is to know and I need a lot of help.”
He grudgingly gave in when he understood that he was still in command but would not be living with the men. He went to sleep and Ginger and Moose thankfully tiptoed out of the room and closed the door.
All the Amish wanted to come see Hank and Ginger told them they would be welcome when he woke up. Everyone came to the yard for lunch and quickly went back to work. Ginger was surprised to see the floor down all over the house and the fireplace finished. By evening the house would be complete and her men could put the tarpaper and tiles on the roof another day. They would paint another time also.
A few of the women had cleared a section in front of the porch and planted flowers. They had hung curtains that they had made at all the windows and cleaned and waxed the floors. Someone had brought hand-hooked scatter rugs for the living room and the bedroom.
Ginger had decided to take the bedroom furniture from the room where Hank was staying down to his house. She told some of the men to look in the storage shed where furniture had been stored and take what would be needed for dining room and living room. Plumbers and electricians had laid in all necessary equipment and they were sure it would pass inspection.
The next week Hank felt strong enough to live on his own. Moose pushed him down the driveway to the house. They were all surprised to see dozens of people with gifts and food for Hank. The Amish had made some beautiful furniture. One of them had made an andiron set for the fireplace and made an iron U shaped item to hold logs. Two Oak rockers sat on the porch with a glider swing. The roof was finished and the painting done.
Ginger was upset that she hadn’t thought to have two bedrooms so Moose could stay with Hank. Moose took care of that. He hauled a bed down from the bunkhouse and set it where it would be out of the way but he could get to Hank if he was needed.
The ranch work went on and everything seemed to be settled. Ginger was at the barn getting ready to work a boarder’s horse when a huge van pulled into the yard. Two men got out and looked around. Slim went over to ask what they were doing. He came back frowning and told Ginger she should come talk to the men.
“Good morning. How can I help you?”
One man spoke. “We’re supposed to deliver t
his to Ginger Proudfoot.”
“I’m Ginger Proudfoot, but I haven’t ordered anything. What do you have?”
“A washer and dryer set and a wood burning stove.”
“I’m sorry. You have been given the wrong information. I didn’t order any of that and have no use for the items. I’m sorry you went to all this trouble but you’ll have to take them back where you got them.”
“Ain’t you going to pay fer them?”
“Certainly not. They don’t belong to me. Don’t you understand, I didn’t order them. There’s been a mistake. Please take them back where you got them.” She was raising her voice by now.
The two men were very angry but hurriedly got in the van and drove off when Billy, Juan, Merika and Andy wandered over with pistols on their hips. Ginger didn’t want the men wearing firearms around the house but said nothing to them. She was glad they walked over and was puzzled as to what she called a mistake. Later she told Hank about it and he told her to forget it.
Work went on as usual and Hank, Slim, Frank and Juan planned a surprise birthday party for Ginger for the fifteenth of July. They would lay boards down for a dance floor and hang balloons and paper lanterns in the trees. A trench would be dug and a fire built in it. When the coals were good and hot, two dressed hogs would be placed in there and covered up for slow cooking. A big spit would be put in the yard for a beef to cook on it. Since all the neighbors in a twenty mile radius were invited there would be more than enough food brought in the way of vegetables, breads, desserts and beverages. A group of the men would furnish music. Hank didn’t think it would be fair to the men who would have to be on guard duty with the horses and cattle, but how else could they manage it.
“We can have it for two days and the men who come to the party one day can take guard duty and let the other men come in the second day.” Frank felt this was an excellent idea. Some of the people would be coming a distance and would be staying for two or three nights.
