Trouble in the Wind
“When you are a week away from any organized law you have to be able to carry your own wood if you are going to start a fire” Jim stated. “This outfit has continued to try and buffalo Beth and me by little persistent acts of vandalism to our ranch – not destroying anything of any major consequence. Just being aggravating us.
“We have yet to figured out why they wanted us off this registered land. We definitely feel the increased pressure of them pushing. I can only assume that they do not want to prove up any land just take some away from someone who has done all of the beginning hard work.”
Watching Beth, Clay noticed that she was a little disappointed in Jim’s assessment of the problem. Clay made a mental note that he would try and erase that difference of evaluation he had detected in what Jim said and what Beth wanted him to be saying. In his own mind he was trying to separate the differences of what the real problem was. He would ask Beth later.
Jim continued, “We are under-using the land because we didn’t want to borrow any money from the bank to fill up the land with cattle.”
Deciding this was going to continue to be a long drawn out process Clay said,” Lets head to the ranch house. My stomach thinks my throat has been cut.”
Gathering up Jim’s lead rope for the tied horses, and then mounting up, the trio of western friends pushed on toward the ranch house.
Loping over the continued knobs in the landscape Clay noticed the ground seemed to rise after each successive low spot. He was getting the sensation of going up hill but it still looked like everything was flat and level. Topping out on this next little rise Clay was rewarded with the view of this majestic sunken valley rolling out in front of them.
It was a vision that he had forgotten about until it exploded in front of him. Clay pulled the gelding to a stop to let his eyes remember this valley before the ranch house was there, when he and Jim fell in love with the open beauty of this high western valley. It was majestic to see and Clay could only look and feel the inter emotion of knowing that this life he lived was really a great thing.
Jim and Beth had also stopped, hoping that the visual impact of the valley would again call to Clay and ring the bell in his head that this could also be his home. The ranch house stood just as Beth had described it with the corrals and outbuildings in all the right places. The only thing out of position was a buckboard and horse ground-hitched in the front yard.
Seeing this as a possible troubling site, all three raced down toward the ranch house. The three riders and the lead horses made a ground jarring thunder as they closed in on the house.
Stepping out of the door into the mid afternoon sun was a short black haired woman who initially appeared to be a child but on a closer examination that evaluation had to be revised to woman.
Beth spurred her mare into the lead and stretched out and raced in front of Jim and Clay. As she raced to welcome the new visitor it was evident that Beth knew the new arrival to the High Valley ranch. The visitor was waving her arms as Beth rolled down on her. Jim and Clay pulled their horses down to a walk so they wouldn’t get too close to this excited reunion of two women. Clay looked over to Jim to see if he knew who had arrived and what was happening. Jim’s dumb-founded look just reconfirmed Clay’s opinion that this was a woman-thing and something men needed to step back from.
Jim and Clay headed for the corral to unsaddle the horses and turn the lead horses loose and they began to unsaddle their own horses. Beth came leading her mare and talking and laughing with this new visitor to the ranch. Not being able to make out what the two women were talking about but seeing Beth’s body actions change instantly gave Jim and Clay a start.
Beth had turned to face the new woman and came to a complete stop. She seemed very serious and worried all at the same time.
As she turned her head toward Jim and Clay she shouted out, “The trouble-makers were here, about noon time. Cassie was here when they rode into the yard. She probably saved the ranch house or barn from getting burned down. Jim and Clay, come on over closer so I can introduce you to my best friend from Miss Mae’s School for Girls in St. Louis. Jim, she is the friend I invited over a month ago and never heard from. Cassie this is Clay Books and my husband, Jim Hill.”
The two men each touched their hat brim in courteous acknowledgement.
Beth continued. “Cassie said she had the feeling that they were up to no good but they were coyote enough that they didn’t want anyone to see them do these deeds. She had told them that she was visiting the Hill’s. They told her they were just out rounding up some loose horses and would be back shortly. She said they didn’t stay around very long after that. They just watered their horses and said they would be back later.”
Cassie added,” I got the shotgun down from above the door but I had to use a chair and I sure couldn’t have got it down in much of a hurry. I placed it next to the door opening so if I had a need, it would be handy, in a hurry.”
Clay was the first one to speak and he jokingly grabbed his throat and twisted around and whispered, “I’m dieing of hunger. Help me, Help me.”
The whole group laughed and slapped at Clay for being so silly but it also released the tension of what could have happened if Cassie had not been there. The women headed for the house.
Jim and Clay finished putting up the horses and headed for the barn to check on all the fancy things Jim said he had done to make this a top-notch outfit. Inside the barn the stalls were wide and comfortable with plenty of straw, with a large manger to handle the needs of a mare in fold. Clay looked and commented positively on all of Jim’s hard work and the little bits of ranch improvement that he saw.
The two women having gone off to the house to start making some food for the starving Clay that gave the two long time friends time to talk and remember times past. Stepping out of the barn, they turned to looking toward the house. Clay had a flash back to his Dad and an old saying he had always told him. ‘When you look at a ranch you can tell who the boss is. Which is nicer, the house or the barn? If it’s the barn the man is in charge. If the house is nicer than the barn, the woman is in charge.’
Looking very closely, Clay could only see that they appeared to be equal in quality and appearance. So he stepped out knowing that this union of Beth and his old friend Jim was very equal and that it would test the limits of time.
With out a thought, Clay asked, “When did you get married?”
Kicking the dirt Jim said, “Well it happened real quick as I was traveling through St. Louis. I saw this girl, and she just hit me like a block of ice, stopping me cold. I started talking to her, and the next thing I knew, we were heading out of town toward Independence. That was where everyone was jumping off to go west. We got married by one of those traveling Methodist preachers and I was all tied up from then on.”
Heading for the house the two old friends relaxed and jostled each other like young boys. Jim, being bigger in size than Clay, always seemed to get the last lick in. Clay was just as tall as Jim but at least fifty pounds lighter, which made him quicker, and able to make Jim miss him most of the time.
Going toward the new smell of fried grease, the two men quickened their pace. Whatever was being cooked would indeed be fast and that was a pleasure for Clay’s stomach. As they walked into the kitchen Beth asked if eggs and ham would get them by until supper time when she would fix up a proper meal. Clay nodded his head as he grabbed his stomach and flopped down in the closest chair.
After he got no sympathy he rose slowly and went to the bowl to pour some water to wash up. Jim followed as they both prepared to eat a quick meal.
Cassie was flittering about doing this and that. Her main goal was to help Beth get the meal on the table as quickly as possible. She was so small she seemed to be just about everywhere at once. Cassie poured coffee for the two men as Beth finished up the eggs and ham.
She broke out the last loaf of bread and cut two big slices, one each for the men and the meal was ready and served. Bowing her head, Beth blessed the food with a hardy amen from Cassie, Jim and Clay. Not taking time to talk because of the hunger on him, Clay swiftly packed the food away and wiped his plate clean with the last piece of bread, which he placed in his mouth with a smile and a nod.
Clay said,” That was good vitals and I thank you from saving me from starvation.”
Everyone laughed heartily. Jim broke in and said,” Since when have you been leading the vaudeville show and got so damn hilarious?”
Clay smiled and raised his hands up to his shoulders in total unknowingness.
Jim said to Beth,” Tell us more about your friend, Cassie so that we can be properly thankful to her for saving the ranch of any new damage.”
Beth cleared her throat and smiled at Jim and began the story of Cassie and how she had happened to be at the ranch. Cassie sat back and watched Beth tell of how they had gone to Miss Mae’s School for Girls in St Louis and had always thought they would get together and go back east and travel in the circles of high society.
“I kind of upset that plan when I saw Jim. Before I knew what was happening I was Mrs. Jim Hill and heading west instead of east. I left school. All my school friends thought I plane disappeared or died. Well I sort of died and went to heaven here with Jim. The only one I ever wrote a letter to was Cassie and I told her everything.”
Jim’s face had turned a bright crimson below the hairline and down below his eyes.
Beth looked at Jim and laughed and said, ”Almost everything, Jim. Not everything.
“Knowing that Cassie was up for any new adventure, over a month ago I invited her to come out for a visit. I thought we would put her to work and bust the city out of her. Not hearing from her, I suspected that she might have gotten married to one of those fancy talking back east boys. I really wanted to show off what a real man looks like and how they treat women like equal partners. So basically, I didn’t know she was coming until I saw her step out of the ranch house door. So, that brings us up to date.”
Heading for the outside, Jim started speaking to Clay as they moved to where the breeze was able to break down the sweat under their shirts and cool them off. Squatting in the shade of the house the two men continued to talk mostly about what Clay had been doing and where he had gone and how much trouble he had gotten into.
Clay had a thought that hit him like a bolt of lighting. He had forgotten about being trailed. He asked Jim, ”Who did you tell that you was writing me a letter?”
Jim shook his head and said, “No one knew about the letter except Beth and the postmaster in town.” Jim asked, “Why?”
Clay responded by saying, ”I was followed and probably now being trailed back here. Someone probably didn’t want me to show up to help you.”
Jim looked at Clay, ”You know that I put your name on the filing for the land too.”
Clay had that stunned look of total surprise on his face that told it all. Clay had not known about his name being on the ranch deed.
“The money I gave you was a gift”, said Clay.
“I know, and your part of the ranch is my gift to you,” said Jim.
Their thoughts ran together. “Who wants this ranch? Why do they want this ranch?” Clay asked both questions in a concerned manner with a confused look on his face.
