Echoes of the Heart (7 page)

He entered taking
off his hat, his boots sounding his arrival on the wooden floor of the
store.
 
Seeing no one, he called
out.
 
“Hey, Mills.”

           
“Over
here.
 
I’m sweeping up after the builders
before they begin again later today.
 
Looks pretty good, huh?”
 
Cash
noticed Mill’s back had become somewhat stooped as he leaned over the broom for
support.
 
His aged face showed his years,
but his hazel eyes still sparkled with life.

           
“Guess
the Adams’ will be pleased when they come home with all
the new merchandise they are bringing in from St. Louis.
 
I went to check on the wagons to make sure we
can haul it all from the train station when they arrive in a few days.”

           
Mills
continued to sweep.
 
“Lots of cowboys
coming in I noticed.
 
The stockyards are
filling up fast, and the flies are driving me nuts.
 
Sure, hope they put some extra livestock cars
on the train.”
 
Mills stilled the broom
while he ran his shirtsleeve across his brow.
 
“They will have big shipments this month and it would be real nice if
they could take them all at once.
 
I can
hardly believe it’s the same town.
 
Seems
like yesterday when I worked for your father out on the ranch.”

           
Cash
remembered well the days when the old man worked at the ranch.
 
It seemed to him, Mills had always been old,
even though he could work cattle and horses with the best of them.
 
When the time came, Cash retired Mills with
full pay for his years of service to his father and himself.
 

“I’ve never seen
so many livestock buyers gather at the hotel.
 
Looks like John and I will have our hands full when all the cowboys come
in looking for some fun.
 
I noticed Angie
has some new girls, too.”

He spun on a heel
and spoke over his shoulder while exiting the store.
 
“I’ve got a big meeting tonight.
 
I have to put on my Sunday best for the mayor
you know, and I still need to ride out to the Mitchell ranch first.
 
It will take the better part of the day.”

           
“Take
care, Cash.
 
Sure wouldn’t want you to
miss your meeting with the money grubbing politician.” Mills smiled turning
back to his broom.
 
Cash had known Mills
all of his life and always enjoyed talking with him about his childhood days but
when the discussion came to the past few years, he always found an excuse to
deviate from the topic.

           
Turning
right toward the hotel, he spotted Angie crossing the street a few blocks down,
her pretty figure shown off in a skin-tight black dress, her fair hair done up
in curls cascading down her back.

Feeling a twinge
of desire, he accelerated his pace and soon arrived back at the office where he
stood in front for a moment watching wagons and men on horseback as they passed
by.

The day turned
warm and a slight breeze rustled through the turning leaves on nearby trees
marking the start of another harsh winter in the Dakotas,
knowing soon, he would have to make another trip to the Black Hills
to take a load of blankets and winter supplies to the Cheyenne.
 
He missed the childhood days running wild and
free with the Indians playing their games of skill and hunting buffalo on
horseback.
 
He feared soon that they
would be only ghosts of the past.

           
Noticing
the jail could use a new coat of paint when he entered, Cash made a mental note
to discuss the necessary maintenance with the mayor.
 
With the rise in population, the jail could
use another cell or maybe even two.
 
For
sure, he had to have another part-time deputy.

So often, his job
led him out of town.
 
His district
covered the entire state and he did not like leaving the town with just one man
while away on other federal business.
 
Soon Senator Wilcox would arrive in town, and he would speak to him
about some additional federal funding for the office as well as the problems
with the Indians, having been a sore spot for some time.
 
With the increase in the white population,
the Cheyenne had diminished
substantially and he would do all in his power to see them dealt with fairly.

           
Cash
pulled a Winchester equalizer out
of the case on the wall near the cast iron stove then dropped an extra box of
ammunition into his saddlebags then went out the back door to the coral.
 
He whistled for his appaloosa filly while he
reached for the hackamore.
 
“Hey there,
Little Rabbit.”

A gift from Dull
Knife at six months of age, her coat shone in the sunlight, the blanket of
shiny black spots on her rump a sharp contrast to her glistening snow-white
coat.
 
The high angle of her muscled rear
quarters rose slightly above her withers giving her the proper leverage to make
a good cowpony.
 
With ears perked
forward, she trotted over to Cash nuzzling his hand searching for a treat.

“Not right now,
girl.
 
You’ll get something when we get
back from Mitchell’s.”
 
Placing the
bridle on her proud chiseled head, he pulled her black forelock through the
head strap.
 
She butted her nose into his
rump when he placed the saddle on her back and strapped the cinch around her
girth before he led her outside the coral and swung his long leg easily over
the saddle.

As he left, John
came to the coral leading his horse.
 
“Where are you off to, Cash?
 
I
just finished taking a ride around town.”

           
“I’m
going out to Mitchell’s to talk with Chad Higgins about working part-time
 
I have a feeling we are going to need a
little more help when all the herds come in.”

           
John
unsaddled his horse, walking through the paddock gate.
 
“Sounds all right to me.
 
I’ve never seen so many cattle together at
one time.
 
Guess the folks back east will
eat well this winter.
 
I’ll fill the
water trough and clean up out here while you are gone.”

           
Rabbit
spun on her rear hooves when Cash reined her to the east.

Autumn leaves
floated whirling in eddies above ground as he rode slowly letting his horse
warm up and looked around one last time.
 
Once outside of town, he broke into a run, enjoying the sun and the
breeze brushing across face.
 
Beginning
to turn brown in spots after the summer’s heat, the rangeland contrasted with
the deep blue of the sky with billowy white clouds scattered throughout,
another preamble to the weather ahead.
 

He slowed his gait
and continued on to the Mitchell ranch trying to keep his thoughts centered on
anything but the past.
 
The heartache
masked by anger and rage had made him a disillusioned cynic unable to project
any sign of weakness or allow anyone too close.
 
Aware of the bitterness eroding his guts, he just didn’t give a damn.

Six

On the flat
grazing land in the distance, a ranch house with a large red barn and silo
appeared where a dark haze rose from cattle corralled for the long trip by
train to Kansas City.
 
A white three-story house with trees planted
around for shade contrasted with the rusty red of the barn, built for feed
storage during the winter months.

           
As
Cash approached the barn, Chuck Mitchell came to greet him.
 
“Hi there, Cash.
 
It has been a long time.
 
What brings you all the way out here?”
 
A middle-aged man, his black hair showing
some signs of gray, walked with swift strides showing he remained active and
agile.
 
The shirt and pants he wore
indicated wear.
 
His boots kicked up dust
as he walked through the well-trodden soil.
 
Cattle in the full pens bawled their discontent.

           
Cash
dismounted and led his filly toward the barn.
 
“I need to speak with Chad
about a deputy position.
 
I think we’re
going to need more help in town while herds are coming in.
 
Since you are usually among the first to
bring in your stock, I thought maybe he might like some work for the
winter.”
 
The two men shook hands when
they met.

“Come down to the
house, Cash.
 
We can get something to eat
and talk.
 
I wanted to discuss getting
your bull soon so I can breed these cows before they go out for the winter.
 
I figured breeding them with your Hereford
would put a lot more pounds on the calves and get me some larger profits come
time to sell next year.
 
What do you
think?”
 
They turned and walked toward
the house while continuing their conversation.

           
“Sounds
like a good idea, Chuck.
 
You know you’re
welcome to come and get him any time you want to.”
 
His lips turned up in a grin.
 
“Just make sure you bring him back in good
health.
 
I sure don’t want to lose the
old boy”

The prize Hereford
bull, imported from England
three years earlier, had been crossbreeding with his Longhorns producing
quality beef.
 
After three generations,
his cattle added nearly three times the weight of Longhorns, still having the
stamina to endure the winters in the Dakotas.
 
In exchange for breeding, Cash would ask for
horses.
 
On the way to the house, Chuck
motioned to Chad
to come along.

           
Orphaned
at the age of twelve, Chad
worked for Chuck and matured into a fine young man under the watchful eye of
his boss.
 
Chuck treated him like a son
and Chad would
do anything Chuck asked of him.
 
Cash
knew Chad to be
dependable and make rational decisions while controlling a potentially harmful
situation.
 
An excellent marksman, he
also possessed the wisdom to stay cool when necessary.

The three men
entered the back door of the house, stomping dust off boots on the porch.
 
They removed their hats and hung them on the
hat tree inside the door.
 
The outsized
kitchen area had pantries lining one wall and Cash noticed new cabinets, table
and chairs.
 
Crisp white curtains hanging
in the windows allowed sunlight and breezes to enter giving the room a homey
atmosphere.
 

Cash shook hands
with Chad.
 
“Been working hard, Chad?
 
I came out here to talk with you about a job
for the winter.
 
Do you think you might
be interested?”

Of medium build
with long, shaggy dark hair and heavily muscled arms showed below rolled up
sleeves along with rough calloused hands.
 
Chad
turned his sun-browned face toward Chuck Mitchell.
 
Weathered lips smiled as he spoke.
 
“Well I guess it depends on if it’s okay with
Mitch.”

Martha Mitchell
entered the kitchen as the men poured coffee into tall mugs.
 
“My goodness, Cash, it is nice to see you
again.”
 
Genuine pleasure glowed on her
plump rosy face.
 
“I’m just about to serve
a late lunch.
 
Of course you will stay,”

She walked out on
the porch where a wood burning stove stood, used when the weather became hot,
to check on the meal she had prepared.
 
Soon she would be cooking in the house again.
 
The early morning temperatures had already
dropped, a prelude of what would soon come.

The aroma of beef
stew filled the room when she removed the lid from the copper pot on the stove
and carried it into the house placing it on the wooden sideboard by the
sink.
 
She stepped to the stove again and
removed brown fluffy biscuits from the oven placing them in a breadbasket while
the men went to the porch to wash off in the basin.
 

They dried their
faces and hands then sat at the new pinewood table as Martha set utensils for
the men then went to the cupboard for plates.
 
After filling each plate abundantly with stew, she placed them in front
of the hungry men.

           
Before
spooning a bite into his mouth, he looked toward Martha.
 
“This sure looks and smells good, Martha.”

           
She
sat a glass of water beside each man.

Placing some of
the hearty stew on a plate for herself, she sat next to her husband.
 
“What brings you all the way out here?”

           
“I
came out to talk to Chuck about a winter job in town for Chad.
 
Thought I would see if he wanted to get off
his lazy behind and work for a change.”
 
A slight twinkle darted across his eyes as he spoke then turned his
attention toward Chad.