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THE RECKONING
OTHER FIVE STAR WESTERN
NOVELS BY ETHAN J. WOLFE
The Last Ride
The Range War of ’82
The Devil’s Waltz
The Cattle Drive
The Regulator
Murphy’s Law
All the Queen’s Men
One If by Land
A YOUNGBLOOD BROTHERS
WESTERN, BOOK 2
THE RECKONING
ETHAN J. WOLFE
FIVE STAR
A part of Gale, a Cengage Company
Copyright © 2019 by Ethan J. Wolfe
Five Star Publishing, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company
The buggy ride to the Chisum Ranch took about an hour. The ride
from the front arch of the ranch to the ranch house took just as
long.
Chisum’s spread was enormous, to say the least.
The house was large enough for a family of twelve, but Sally
Chisum lived alone except for her cook and maid. The ranch hands,
of which there were many, all resided in a large bunk house a
quarter mile away.
Sally met the buggy herself when it arrived at the corral in front
of her house.
“Good morning, Sheriff, Mr. Teasel,” Sally said.
John Chisum never married, but his brother’s daughter, Sally, was
his heir apparent. She lived with him for many years and learned the
cattle business from the bottom up. After Chisum’s death, Sally
assumed the role of the country’s largest cattle baron.
During the late Lincoln County War, John Chisum befriended Billy
the Kid at one time, and Billy and Sally became close friends.
“Miss Sally, I need to return to town,” Pietrie said. “The train will
return to pick up Mr. Teasel at ten tonight.”
“I shall see that Mr. Teasel doesn’t miss his train,” Sally said.
The rest of the morning and well into the afternoon was spent
shopping for cattle. Teasel was far from an expert on cattle, but
Sally, as young as she was, rivaled her uncle when it came to
knowledge on livestock.
They took her private buggy and, with Sally at the reins, they
traveled many miles of open range. By late afternoon, the one
thousand cattle had been selected, along with the dozen milking
cows and two bulls.
When they returned to the house, Sally’s cook had a full supper
ready and waiting in the dining room.
Sally and Teasel dined alone in the large dining room.
Conversation was divided between business and Sally’s exploits
with her uncle.
“I noticed that your hands are divided between Natives, Mexicans,
blacks, and whites,” Teasel said.
“My uncle held no prejudices when it came to hands,” Sally said.
“A man was worth the work he could do regardless of his race or
color. I was raised to believe the same, and I do.”
“I’m curious about something,” Teasel said.
Sally smiled and said, “Are the stories in the newspapers about
Billy the Kid and our friendship true?”
“I’m just curious,” Teasel said. “You don’t have to answer, Miss
Chisum.”
“My uncle did friend him, and so did I during the Lincoln County
War,” Sally said. “William knew a thousand jokes, was a wonderful
dancer, and loved to play croquet.”
“Croquet?” Teasel said.
“Yes, and he was quite good at the game,” Sally said. “And I’ll tell
you something else. He wasn’t left-handed, as many stories
reported.”
“It was sad the way it ended,” Teasel said.
“Indeed,” Sally said.
“Thank you for humoring me,” Teasel said.
“Now, let’s talk about your cattle,” Sally said. “Have you asked the
Santa Fe to make a special stop to transport the cattle?”
“I spoke with them. They said they couldn’t afford to make a
special run for so small a herd,” Teasel said. “I’m afraid we’re going
to have to do this the old-fashioned way and drive the herd east to
Fort Smith.”
“Even for my experienced hands, that’s a three week or more
journey,” Sally said. “But if you travel on good grazing ground, it’s an
opportunity to fatten them up along the way. I shall ask my ramrod
to draw up a map of the best open-range grazing lands for you to
give to your men.”
“That is much appreciated. My drovers will arrive in one week,”
Teasel said. “Eight good men from the reservation and all
experienced. Can I trouble you to purchase a chuck wagon for us? I
will pay for it and supplies, and we will provide the horses.”
“I have several chuck wagons that don’t get much use these
days,” Sally said. “I will donate one to your cause, and you can
supply it in Roswell.”
“I appreciate that very much, Miss Chisum,” Teasel said.
“You are welcome, and please call me Sally.”
The maid entered the dining room and said, “The buggy for Mr.
Teasel is ready, Miss Sally.”
“Please tell Judge Parker I asked about him,” Sally said. “And that
I could use a letter from him.”
“I will,” Henry said. “And thank you for everything.”
Three days later, Emmet, Teasel, and nine men from the reservation
took the train from Fort Smith to Roswell. At Judge Parker’s
insistence, Emmet accompanied Teasel and the men to ensure a
smooth start to the operation.
Sally Chisum recognized Emmet from her uncle’s funeral.
“Mr. Youngblood, you are the head of the reservation police as I
recall,” Sally said. “I remember you from my uncle’s funeral.”
“Nice to see you again, Miss Chisum,” Emmet said.
They were on the porch of the Chisum home.
Sally looked at the nine Natives standing just off the porch.
“They look very capable,” she said.
“They can cowboy, if that’s what you mean,” Emmet said.
“Come into the house,” Sally said. “I sent for my ramrod. He has a
detailed map of the route back to Fort Smith.”
Henry Teasel’s face drained of all color as Armstrong told him the
news.
“They . . . they can’t be dead,” Teasel said.
“I assure you, Mr. Teasel, they are very dead and very buried,”
Armstrong said.
“Buried? Buried where?” Teasel said. “Those men have families.
They . . .”
“Mr. Teasel, those men had been lying in the sun four days with
buzzards eating the flesh off their bones by the time I reached
them,” Armstrong said. “They needed to be put into the ground, and
that’s what we did.”
“The herd?” Teasel said.
Armstrong shook his head. “My trackers followed the tracks across
the Red River and lost them after the crossing.”
“How do you lose an entire goddamn herd?” Teasel said.
“Henry, no call for that kind of talk,” Parker said.
“It’s all right, Judge,” Armstrong said. “Mr. Teasel is justifiably
upset. To answer your question, Mr. Teasel, by the time my trackers
arrived, a week had passed. A bigger herd would leave a larger
trace, but a thousand head does minimal damage to the grass. It
starts to grow back inside of two days, and after five there is hardly
a trace. The murderers could have moved the herd east or west in
the shallow part of the river and surfaced miles away from where
they crossed. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is, sir.”
Teasel broke out in a cold sweat.
“What do I tell their families, all the people who invested in this?”
Teasel said. “They trusted and put their faith in me.”
“And you did nothing to violate that trust, Henry,” Parker said.
“Judge, I—” Teasel said.
“Now listen to me carefully, Henry,” Parker said. “I’m giving you a
direct order. I want you to go home to your wife and children and
speak of this to no one. If you feel you must, you can tell your wife,
but no one else. Report to me first thing in the morning. Do you
understand me?”
“Yes, Judge,” Teasel said.
“Captain Armstrong, it’s close to suppertime,” Parker said. “Would
you be my guest?”
“I have to catch the eight o’clock train back to Dallas,” Armstrong
said. “I’m due to testify in court in the morning.”
The steak house a block from the courthouse served the most
expensive cut in town at five dollars a plate.
“I’m used to those dollar steaks in Austin,” Armstrong said.
“Tough as the leather in my boots.”
“It’s in the marbling,” Parker said. “The more marble in the cut,
the tenderer the steak.”
“Judge, as good a steak as this is, what’s really on your mind?”
Armstrong said.
Parker sighed. “Captain Armstrong, I’m going to have to do
something about this mess,” he said. “I don’t have the jurisdiction in
Texas to ask the Rangers for help, but I would appreciate any
assistance you could lend me.”
“I’ll do what I can, Judge,” Armstrong said. “The crime was
committed on the Texas side of the Red River.”
“I appreciate that, Captain,” Parker said.
Teasel parked his buggy next to the corral and took his horse to the
small barn behind his home.
He patted the horse’s neck as he closed the door to the stall.
“I’ll see to you as soon as I see my family,” Teasel said.
Teasel’s wife of fifteen years, Harriet, was in the kitchen preparing
supper. She greeted him with a kiss and asked about his day.
“Fine, dear,” Teasel said. “Where are the girls?”
“In their room, doing their schoolwork,” Harriet said.
“I’ll say hello and then see to the horse before supper,” Teasel
said.
“Hi, Poppa,” his daughters said when he entered their bedroom.
“How are your studies doing?” Teasel asked.
“Fine, Poppa,” the oldest girl said.
“We’re doing mathematics,” the younger girl said.
“I won’t keep you, but how about a kiss for your old pa?” Teasel
said.
Warm from hugs and kisses from his girls, Teasel returned to the
barn where he fed the horse grain while he brushed and groomed
him.
He spoke to the horse as he ran the soft bristle brush along his
powerful chest.
“I love those people,” Teasel said. “The Comanche, the Sioux, the
Apache, I love them all. How am I going to tell them I lost their
money, and the cattle, to boot? How?”
Finished with the grooming, Teasel placed a warm blanket over
the horse’s back.
He went to the workbench in the corner of the barn, removed a
.32 caliber revolver from a drawer, and took it to the rocking chair
beside the small Franklin stove.
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En beet aen eenigh vee, den jongen toe-betrout;
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De klaeuwen van den wolf, soo bracht hem ieder gelt,
En kocht van sijner hant de vrydom van het velt;
Dit bleef den jongen by geheele seve jaren,
En doen is dese kracht allenxen 18) wegh gevaren,
135 Soo dat voortaen de wolf sijn ouden vrient vergat,
En sonder onderscheyt van alle schapen at.
Men roept den esel niet te hove, dan als hy wat dragen moet.
1) middag
2) muildieren
3) hun
4) van dezelfde kleur
5) het en (= ontkenning)
6) stand, waardigheid
1) kneep
2) moeite
3) vurig
4) die minder is
UIT: TROU-RINGH.
1) aanklampte
2) dat ik niet te best gehumeurd ben
3) verstand
4) eigenzinnig
5) uithouden
6) toegeeft
7) grillen
8) kenteeken
9) opgewonden