North to the Salt Fork by Ralph Compton

Author:Ralph Compton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

When the dance broke up in the dead of the night, close on morning, the two prisoners were untied and sent packing under the threat of death. They wasted no time riding off and everyone clapped their hands, glad to be rid of them. Jack was not satisfied that the matter of the two bullies was resolved, only postponed, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

Tally fashioned herself a pallet in the back of the wagon bed and went to sleep. It was near dawn when they returned to the ranch. Jack lifted his girls down as Luke came out on the porch on his crutches.

“About time you got home. How was it?”

Hugging her bedding, Tally shook her head at him and went inside the house. “It would take all night to tell you. I’m going to bed.”

“Hmm,” Luke said. “Maybe staying home was the right choice.”

“We’ll tell you all about it when we can think,” Jack said, unhitching the team. “Right now we’re pretty well done in.”

Luke hobbled along with him to put up the team. “Wish I was going to Fort Worth with you and the guys.”

“Oh, there will be other trips.” Jack turned the team into the smaller pen. “Right now I just want to sleep a few hours.”

“Naw,” Luke said. “I smell bacon grease. Mom’s about to make us breakfast.”

Jack laughed. “Oh well, I’ll sleep later, then.” On their way back to the house he told Luke all about Freeman and Dyke.

“They’ll learn they can’t mess with the rangers,” Luke said.

“I doubt their kind ever learns anything.”

“Kinda like a chicken-eating dog. Can’t ever break ’em, huh?”

“Exactly.”

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