teeth bared, circled and growled.
"Nothing," the smaller of the two men mumbled, rising. "Honest Making a cooking fire."
"Where's your food?"
The other man slowly got to his feet "What if we said we ain't got none?" he asked. Only then did he raise his head to look directly at Samuel.
Jarrett saw recognition flicker across his brother's face. "Why aren't you on a fire crew? Didn't the Forest Service take you on?"
"I didn't like the job they offered," the man said. He waved a hand, and Jarrett noticed it was missing fingers. "They wanted to send me off on some fire that was to hell and gone."
"And so you decided to create a more convenient one?"
The smaller man said, "You got it wrong, Ranger. We was putting it out" He stamped on the tiny flames now licking from tinder into kindling. "Wasn't we, Tully?"
The one he'd called Tully ignored him. "What are you gonna do about it, Ranger?" Tully said. "Give me another Logan to get even with?"
"What I'm going to do," Samuel said, drawing his gun, "is haul you two before the sheriff in Wallace. You're under arrest."
"Not me," Tully said, turning his back on the pistol and starting away. Boone growled and looked to Samuel for direction.
Off to one side, on the uphill slope, the other man grabbed a rock and raised it to bring down on Samuel's head.
"Watch out!" Jarrett yelled, and he plunged down to help his brother. He saw the men below him look up, and he heard Samuel yell, "Jarrett, get back."
Then his foot caught on a tree root. He plummeted forward, and things got confused. There were shouts and sounds of running. Then Samuel was standing over him, whistling to.
Boone. "Let 'em go, boy."
***
The walk back to the ranger station was strained.
"I'm sorry," Jarrett said. "I didn't mean to get in the way."
"I gave you an order," Samuel said. "I told you to stay where you were."
"The guy was going to hit you with a rock."
"Boone wouldn't have let him."
"You could have gone after them. You had your pistol, and Boone to help. And I would have helped."
Samuel didn't reply.
Jarrett thought for a moment. "I still don't get it. Why were they starting a fire on purpose?"
"My guess is they wanted to get hired to put it out," Samuel said. "They probably thought working a fire this close to Wallace would be easier than working one miles into the wilderness."
"But you knew who they were? You recognized the one."
"Tully. I met him once," Samuel answered. Then he added, "Of course, they might have had intentions other than making jobs for themselves. There's been talk of vagrants starting fires as cover for looting remote cabins." Jarrett felt a chill. He could imagine men like those two doing that. Tully, with his missing fingers and vicious-sounding voice. The other man, smaller and cockeyed, more of a coward but ready to bring a rock down on Samuel's head.
***
After supper the brothers sat on the ranger station porch cleaning soot from tools. Jarrett was still trying to make sense of the afternoon.
"Samuel, what did that one man, Tully, mean about having another Logan to get even with?" he asked.
"Just talk," Samuel answered. "He begrudges a run-in he had with Pop."
"What will you do about him?"
"Now that you've stopped me from arresting him and his friend for arson?" Samuel's cold voice told Jarrett he wasn't making a joke. "Not much besides seeing headquarters knows not to hire them on, and I doubt they'd apply there again anyway."
"You could tell the sheriff."
"I'll mention it, but he's got his hands full, too, this season. Most likely Tully and his friend will disappear into the crowds of strangers in town and in the woods, and they may or may not cause more mischief. My guess is they will."
A long silence followed as Jarrett considered the implications. Then he said, "Things would have gone different today if I wasn't your brother. You wouldn't have told a regular helper to stay where he'd be safe. And if you had and he'd done something as dumb as ignoring
"Nothing," the smaller of the two men mumbled, rising. "Honest Making a cooking fire."
"Where's your food?"
The other man slowly got to his feet "What if we said we ain't got none?" he asked. Only then did he raise his head to look directly at Samuel.
Jarrett saw recognition flicker across his brother's face. "Why aren't you on a fire crew? Didn't the Forest Service take you on?"
"I didn't like the job they offered," the man said. He waved a hand, and Jarrett noticed it was missing fingers. "They wanted to send me off on some fire that was to hell and gone."
"And so you decided to create a more convenient one?"
The smaller man said, "You got it wrong, Ranger. We was putting it out" He stamped on the tiny flames now licking from tinder into kindling. "Wasn't we, Tully?"
The one he'd called Tully ignored him. "What are you gonna do about it, Ranger?" Tully said. "Give me another Logan to get even with?"
"What I'm going to do," Samuel said, drawing his gun, "is haul you two before the sheriff in Wallace. You're under arrest."
"Not me," Tully said, turning his back on the pistol and starting away. Boone growled and looked to Samuel for direction.
Off to one side, on the uphill slope, the other man grabbed a rock and raised it to bring down on Samuel's head.
"Watch out!" Jarrett yelled, and he plunged down to help his brother. He saw the men below him look up, and he heard Samuel yell, "Jarrett, get back."
Then his foot caught on a tree root. He plummeted forward, and things got confused. There were shouts and sounds of running. Then Samuel was standing over him, whistling to.
Boone. "Let 'em go, boy."
***
The walk back to the ranger station was strained.
"I'm sorry," Jarrett said. "I didn't mean to get in the way."
"I gave you an order," Samuel said. "I told you to stay where you were."
"The guy was going to hit you with a rock."
"Boone wouldn't have let him."
"You could have gone after them. You had your pistol, and Boone to help. And I would have helped."
Samuel didn't reply.
Jarrett thought for a moment. "I still don't get it. Why were they starting a fire on purpose?"
"My guess is they wanted to get hired to put it out," Samuel said. "They probably thought working a fire this close to Wallace would be easier than working one miles into the wilderness."
"But you knew who they were? You recognized the one."
"Tully. I met him once," Samuel answered. Then he added, "Of course, they might have had intentions other than making jobs for themselves. There's been talk of vagrants starting fires as cover for looting remote cabins." Jarrett felt a chill. He could imagine men like those two doing that. Tully, with his missing fingers and vicious-sounding voice. The other man, smaller and cockeyed, more of a coward but ready to bring a rock down on Samuel's head.
***
After supper the brothers sat on the ranger station porch cleaning soot from tools. Jarrett was still trying to make sense of the afternoon.
"Samuel, what did that one man, Tully, mean about having another Logan to get even with?" he asked.
"Just talk," Samuel answered. "He begrudges a run-in he had with Pop."
"What will you do about him?"
"Now that you've stopped me from arresting him and his friend for arson?" Samuel's cold voice told Jarrett he wasn't making a joke. "Not much besides seeing headquarters knows not to hire them on, and I doubt they'd apply there again anyway."
"You could tell the sheriff."
"I'll mention it, but he's got his hands full, too, this season. Most likely Tully and his friend will disappear into the crowds of strangers in town and in the woods, and they may or may not cause more mischief. My guess is they will."
A long silence followed as Jarrett considered the implications. Then he said, "Things would have gone different today if I wasn't your brother. You wouldn't have told a regular helper to stay where he'd be safe. And if you had and he'd done something as dumb as ignoring
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