looked right back at the sheriff with those cold black eyes and he said, "Sheriff, you don't know who I am or why I was in prison.
You recognized this prison-made suit. Before you start shaping up trouble for me, you go tell Pike Cooper to come see me first."
Nobody around our country knew a Cooper called Pike, but it was plain to see the sheriff knew who he meant and was surprised to hear him called so. He said, "Where'd you know Cooper?"
"You tell him. I figure he'll know me."
Seven miles out of town we forded the creek and I showed him with a sweep of the hand. "Our land begins here and runs back into the hills. Our stock has a way of getting into the canyons this time of year."
"Seems plenty of good grass down here."
"This here is deeded land," I told him. "Pa, he always said the day of free range was over, so he bought homesteads from several folks who had proved up, and he filed on land himself. These are all grazing claims, but two of them have good water holes and the stock fattens up mighty well."
When we rode into the ranch yard ma came to the door, wiping her hands on her apron.
She looked at the new rider and I knew she was surprised not to see Ed or Johnny.
The hired man got down from his saddle and removed his hat. Neither Johnny or Ed had ever done that.
"The boy hired me, ma'am, but if you'd rather I'd not stay I'll ride back to town.
You see, I've been in prison."
Ma looked at him for a moment, but all she said was, "torn does the hiring. I feel he should have the responsibility."
"And rightly so, ma'am." He hesitated ever so little. "My name is Riley, ma'am."
Ma said, "Supper's ready. There's a kettle of hot water for washing."
We washed our hands in the tin basin and while he was drying his hands on the towel, Riley said, "You didn't tell me your ma was so pretty."
"I didn't figure there was reason to," I said, kind of stiff.
He took a quick look at me and then he said, "You're right, boy. It's. None of my business." Then after a minute he said, "Only it surprised me."
"She was married when she was shy of sixteen," I said.
Supper was a quiet meal. With a stranger at table there were things we didn't feel up to talking about, and you dton't ask questions of a man who has been in jail.
We made some polite talk about the lack of rain, and how the water on the ranch was permanent, and when he'd finished eating he said, "Mind if I smoke?"
Reckon that was the first time in a while anybody had asked ma a question like that.
Pa, he just took it for granted and other men who came around just lit up and said nothing, but the way ma acted you'd have thought it was every day. She said, "Please do." It sounded right nice, come to think of it.
"You been getting good returns on your cattle?"
"The calf crop has been poor the last two, three years, but Ed and Johnny said it was because there were so many lions in the mountains. You have to expect to lose some to lions."
"Good range," Riley said, "and plenty of water. I'd say you should make out."
When he had gone to the bunkhouse ma started picking up the dishes. "How did you happen to hire him, torn?"
So I told her about the buckskin and what I thought when I saw this man, and she smiled. "I think you learned your lesson well, torn. I think he is a good man." And then she added, "He may have been in prison, but he had good upbringing."
Coming from ma there was not much more she could have said. She set great store by proper upbringing.
Awhile after, I told her about the talk with Ed Shifrin and Sheriff Russell, and when I came to the part about Riley telling Russell to tell Cooper to come see him, I could see that worried her. Cooper had some tough hands working for him and we didn't want them around.
Year after pa was killed, some of them tried to court ma, but she put a stop to that right off.
Come daylight just as I was pulling on a boot I heard an ax, and when I looked from behind the curtain I saw it was Riley at the woodpile. Right off I
You recognized this prison-made suit. Before you start shaping up trouble for me, you go tell Pike Cooper to come see me first."
Nobody around our country knew a Cooper called Pike, but it was plain to see the sheriff knew who he meant and was surprised to hear him called so. He said, "Where'd you know Cooper?"
"You tell him. I figure he'll know me."
Seven miles out of town we forded the creek and I showed him with a sweep of the hand. "Our land begins here and runs back into the hills. Our stock has a way of getting into the canyons this time of year."
"Seems plenty of good grass down here."
"This here is deeded land," I told him. "Pa, he always said the day of free range was over, so he bought homesteads from several folks who had proved up, and he filed on land himself. These are all grazing claims, but two of them have good water holes and the stock fattens up mighty well."
When we rode into the ranch yard ma came to the door, wiping her hands on her apron.
She looked at the new rider and I knew she was surprised not to see Ed or Johnny.
The hired man got down from his saddle and removed his hat. Neither Johnny or Ed had ever done that.
"The boy hired me, ma'am, but if you'd rather I'd not stay I'll ride back to town.
You see, I've been in prison."
Ma looked at him for a moment, but all she said was, "torn does the hiring. I feel he should have the responsibility."
"And rightly so, ma'am." He hesitated ever so little. "My name is Riley, ma'am."
Ma said, "Supper's ready. There's a kettle of hot water for washing."
We washed our hands in the tin basin and while he was drying his hands on the towel, Riley said, "You didn't tell me your ma was so pretty."
"I didn't figure there was reason to," I said, kind of stiff.
He took a quick look at me and then he said, "You're right, boy. It's. None of my business." Then after a minute he said, "Only it surprised me."
"She was married when she was shy of sixteen," I said.
Supper was a quiet meal. With a stranger at table there were things we didn't feel up to talking about, and you dton't ask questions of a man who has been in jail.
We made some polite talk about the lack of rain, and how the water on the ranch was permanent, and when he'd finished eating he said, "Mind if I smoke?"
Reckon that was the first time in a while anybody had asked ma a question like that.
Pa, he just took it for granted and other men who came around just lit up and said nothing, but the way ma acted you'd have thought it was every day. She said, "Please do." It sounded right nice, come to think of it.
"You been getting good returns on your cattle?"
"The calf crop has been poor the last two, three years, but Ed and Johnny said it was because there were so many lions in the mountains. You have to expect to lose some to lions."
"Good range," Riley said, "and plenty of water. I'd say you should make out."
When he had gone to the bunkhouse ma started picking up the dishes. "How did you happen to hire him, torn?"
So I told her about the buckskin and what I thought when I saw this man, and she smiled. "I think you learned your lesson well, torn. I think he is a good man." And then she added, "He may have been in prison, but he had good upbringing."
Coming from ma there was not much more she could have said. She set great store by proper upbringing.
Awhile after, I told her about the talk with Ed Shifrin and Sheriff Russell, and when I came to the part about Riley telling Russell to tell Cooper to come see him, I could see that worried her. Cooper had some tough hands working for him and we didn't want them around.
Year after pa was killed, some of them tried to court ma, but she put a stop to that right off.
Come daylight just as I was pulling on a boot I heard an ax, and when I looked from behind the curtain I saw it was Riley at the woodpile. Right off I
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