Black Ghost Runner by M. Garnet Page A

random repairs, lots of abandoned old vehicles, most rusted beyond recognition. Out in the cold, kids were playing on some of the cars, or on old piles of junk.
    Sally could tell that when summer came, there would be no grass on the lawns. Some of the homes were old trailers, rusted, with some lean-tos built against them. She was driving slowly, not really seeing any type of town or group of buildings.
    Finally, she found a grouping of newer homes. They were not the type you would find in a modern neighborhood, yet they were suitable for Wyoming. They were stucco over cement block with heavy wooden, steeply sloped roofs. They were all the same size, some painted, some left in their natural state. A few had small porches at the front doors that were in the center of the home facing the road.
    There were no garages, but there were already rough buildings haphazardly put up on the properties behind the homes. Warm in winter, cool in summer and solid in storms. This was where some of the casino money went. She slowed down as a group of kids immediately surrounded her truck, white teeth showing through their dark grins, another sign of dental care from the casinos.
    One brave little ten year-old stepped up to the window. “This is Jim Whistle’s truck.”
    “Sure is. I work for him. My name is Sally.” This seemed to be the magic words as the rest crowded up close.
    “Is Jim looking for more help? We can do a lot. We know the rivers really good.”
    This brought a lot of agreement along with a couple of high fives.
    “No.” She smiled at their enthusiasm. “I am looking for Chief George. Can anyone help me?”
    All the kids looked at each other, then the bravest one moved up against the door. “I can take you to him if I can ride in the truck.”
    Sally had to laugh. She knew he was making points with his little tribe. “Sure, get in.”
    The joke was on her, because once the boy was in the passenger seat she put the truck in drive, they only went two houses down. He pointed to a house with a large front porch sporting a couple of run down wooden chairs. It also was the home of several dogs. She looked over at him, laughing out loud, as his gang was around the truck waiting for them to get out.
    “You are quite a good scout. I will have to recommend you to Jim.”
    He gave a whoop as he jumped from the truck.
    Sally started up the trampled dirt path leading to the steps. One of the boys yelled at her to stop as a couple of the dogs rose up, growling with a protection stance.
    “Wait for someone to come out. The dogs are dangerous.”
    She looked over her shoulder at the boys, as she went on up the path. The dogs had their hackles raised with their teeth bared. She noticed one was a female with teats hanging full, meaning she must have just given birth to a litter.
    “Hey, momma, where do you keep your babies?” She spoke in a low voice as she continued to approach slowly, going directly to the female. The bitch would be the leader, needing to make a show to keep her litter safe. The male backed up, continuing to growl low. He was also lowering his head. When she got to the steps, she just turned around and sat down with her back to the dogs, looking out at the amazed boys who were totally silent.
    Finally, the female had to smell Sally. The bitch had to determine if she was safe for the puppies. She made sure she didn’t flinch or move when she heard the sniffs near her ears then around her back. The female moved beside her, looking at the boys. Sally had a feeling that the boys had made a mistake. They tried too hard to approach the dogs, trying not to show their fear. She didn’t think the boys had mistreated the dogs. The female sat down on her rear end. Then both of them just sat there for a few minutes watching. The female finally got up to move away.
    Sally decided to sit still for a moment before getting up to knock on the door, but suddenly the female was back with a pup in her mouth that she set down on the