Riding For The Brand: Sage Country Book Three (5 page)

When the racket finally died down, there was considerable discussion and several members of the public were very clear about how they would vote in future elections if the county failed to adopt the proposal.

It was stated by several people that if any one of the current county commissioners did not vote to accept the gift and get the orphanage started, right away, they needn’t be concerned about running for office in the future.

The vote accepting the gift with its full provisions was eventually approved. Then they tried to postpone any discussion of funding for the orphanage for a month, until the next meeting. That met with substantial rancor from the assembled multitudes. There was even some name calling. Finally the commissioners agreed to conduct a special meeting in one week to set the budget for the orphanage, allowing them time to do some research on what might be reasonable expenses.

I knew Emma had put that last provision in as a way to thumb her nose at the stuffed shirts who ran the county. She hadn’t consulted me and it came as a shock when I read it.

I was generally pleased with the way the commissioners meeting had gone, but I knew my enemies would be even more galvanized because of it. That was confirmed in my view when I read
the Bear Creek Banner
the next day.

Shifty Sheriff Shafts the County

The Alta Vista County Board of Commissioners were stunned last night to learn that our gunslinger Sheriff, John Everett Sage, has used his position to coerce a woman of ill repute into donating a certain property (that had once been a house of iniquity) to the county. Apparently, not only has Sheriff Sage extorted the property from this poor unfortunate woman, but he has browbeaten her into having the property named after him!

This reporter has learned the woman was once a citizen of this county and a resident of Bear Creek. She was forced to flee this area in fear and loathing of our gun happy Sheriff. No doubt she fled in fear for her very life!

Citizens are outraged

This is the same Sheriff Sage, who took it upon himself to go to the town of North Fork and gun down anyone he thought was operating a business he was not personally profiting from. This reporter has learned
t
hat Sheriff Sage put a county employee in residence (at the county’s expense) in North Fork to enforce the sheriff’s rule. Perhaps now, he will be able to enjoy the additional income from the proceeds of all his shady business in that community!

The State of Colorado is shocked and scandalized

I couldn’t bring myself to read any more of the story, which nearly filled the front page.

“You’ve got to let it go, John.” Tom said. “You saw yourself how much support you had at the meeting last night.”

“Sure, but that didn’t get reported did it? Not only did they distort the story, but they didn’t even mention there was going to be an orphanage.”

“Well that’s the thing that matters. I’ve instructed my officers to start locating as many of these kids as possible. For now, we’re just going to determine how many there are and where they are. Once we get the orphanage staffed. We’ll start gathering them up.”

“How many do you think there are?”

“There are four or five who are more than ten years old, and we think there are another five or six younger than that. We know at least three or four of them are girls. There could be ten or even a dozen orphaned kids on the street, all together.”

“The house could handle almost twice that many, easy. We figured with a little modification it could house as many as twenty four, with a married couple in residence as well. When we first started talking about this, the local churches were going to provide staffing, but now that we know the orphanage is going to be up at North Fork, it won’t be feasible.” I said.

“True, but I’ll bet we can get the churches to either take up special offerings, or agree to help local families adopt one or some of these children. They’ll still want to be a part of this and support it somehow.”

“You’re right, they will. Tom, I know of a woman up at North Fork who would love to cook and clean at the orphanage. I just don’t know how to get her hired. If I so much as open my mouth, the newspaper will have her run out of town on a rail.

Tom grinned. “…Right behind you.”

“We can get this thing staffed and running before the snow flies up there, but only if I’m not involved. If I have anything further to do with it, I’m afraid the commissioners will find a way to shut it down, indefinitely. We’ll need to make arrangements for everything before the meeting next week. The burden for that is going to fall on you.”

“I’ll handle it. I’ll start talking to certain people and get some financial pledges all lined up. If the commissioners try to pull some delaying tactic, we’ll fund the start-up privately. That should embarrass the county into action.”

“It’s a good plan, but don’t count on the commissioners being embarrassed into action. If they find out there are plans to fund the start-up without financial support from the county …It would probably make them happy.”

“Don’t worry, John, I have a few aces up my sleeve.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet you do at that.”

“We’ll get it handled.”

“There’s something else I need to ask of you, Tom.”

“OK, what is it.”

“I’m planning to leave town for a little while. Just a few days probably, but Lora hates to be alone, and well, I need to know they’ll be safe. Will you and Becky stay with her and the kids at night, while I’m gone?”

“I’ll have to talk to Becky about it, John. I’ll bet she won’t mind not having to cook for a few days,” he grinned.

“I hate to impose, but there’s nobody else I can count on. Besides, Becky is Lora’s best friend.”

“I know it, and Becky really enjoys playing with those kids.”

“You’ll have your own child soon. When is Becky due, November, right?”

“Doc says probably the middle of November, only about ten more weeks.”

“That
will
be cause for thanksgiving!” I slapped him on the back.

“Where are you planning to go, John?”

“I’ve wanted to see if I can learn what became of Jake and Sarah’s parents. I’ve been to the courthouse and found the property deed. It has pretty clear calls and landmark references. Jake tells me they lived right below Yellow Butte, so I guess I’ll start there. I may be able to locate a relative or someone who has a claim on them.”

“John, you’re not planning to give them up are you? It seems to me those kids have grown mighty fond of you, and you of them. I’ve never heard you call Jacob ‘Jake’ before.”

“No. I can’t even imagine giving them up, but it would be wrong to keep them from their rightful family. What if they have folks down there who are grieving over their loss?”

He nodded his agreement.

“Well, I’ll bet a little change of pace will be good for you. Getting out and seeing some new country, and not having the full weight of the Sheriff’s office riding you, is bound to feel good. I wish I could go with you.”

“I wish you could too.”

“I expect you and Dusty will do just fine. Don’t give another thought to what’s going on here. Just stretch your legs and clear your head. It’ll do you good to have a break from law enforcement.”

“John, promise me you’ll be careful out there.” Lora said.

We were piled up in the bed. The kids were still asleep.

“I guess I’m about the most careful man I know. Besides, I’m just going to be scouting around in search of some kin to Jake and Sarah.”

“It seems like any time you ride off, I never know for sure if you will be coming back.”

“Baby, I’ll always come back to you.”

“Well, this time make sure you don’t come back all shot up.”

“Now
, that
is sound advice.”

“It isn’t advice, it’s an ultimatum.” She slapped me playfully on the chest.

“Fair enough, but I’m not going to be hot on the trail of an escaping outlaw or tracking renegades. I’m just out for a pleasant ride in new country. This is personal business, not law enforcement.”

“I hope you don’t find any of their kin folks, John. I love Sarah and Jake. I can’t imagine having to give them up.”

I knew how she felt. I couldn’t imagine doing it either.

“What about you, John? Could you give them up so easily? She sat up suddenly and looked me in the eye. “I mean it. John, please tell me you love them as much as I do…”

“Yes, I do, baby. I sure do. I don’t want to give them up, but it’s only right we at least try to get them back with their own family.”

“We are their family now, John!”

I nodded, trying to ignore the sudden rush of emotion that was causing my eyes to water. What was wrong with me? I had a lump in my throat and it wasn’t like me.

“They love us too, John. I know they do. You know it, don’t you?”

I nodded again, still unable to speak.

“You’re right though. I knew this day would have to come. We always said we would try to find any family they might have. It’s the right thing to do. Now is the time. Putting it off won’t change anything. It would just make it that much harder to let go.” She conceded.

“There are other things I’d like to know.” I mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

“Did their mother get a decent burial? All we know is she’d been sick and when she died, the kids let the milk cow go, and they walked to Bear Creek.

What happened to their father? All we know is he was killed somewhere away from their home.

Why did they walk barefoot all the way to Bear Creek? Those are just some of the questions I would like to have answered.”

“Me too,” she agreed.

***

At breakfast, the kids were almost chatty.

“Do you think we could ride on Dusty today?” Jake asked me?

“No, not today, Jake. I have to go out of town for a while. Dusty and I will be gone for a few days.”

I saw Jacob pale when I told him that.

“I’ll probably be back before you start school. We’ll have plenty of time to play and ride Dusty then.” I promised.

Jacob didn’t answer. I could see he was disappointed, but he was frightened as well. After all, his father had ridden off one day and never come back, not alive anyway. Then, just when they were beginning to feel safe with us, there’d been the shooting in our home. I suspected Jake was afraid of things he couldn’t even begin to speak of.

“I’m not going away on Sheriff’s business. I’m just trying to find somebody who lives in another part of the country. Have you ever heard the name Murphy?”

“…Murphy? That was my pa’s name. Everybody called him Mr. Murphy.”

“What did they call your mother?” Lora asked gently.

“Uhh, they called her Mrs. Murphy, mostly, I guess.”

I could see our questions had brought back some sad memories for Jacob.

“Are there any more people named Murphy around here that you know of?”

“Naw, we was the onlyest ones.”

“I’m riding out to see if I can find anybody who may be kin to you and Sarah.” I said.

“Well, how will you find um?” He asked.

“I might not. There may not be anybody to find. I may just end up riding around for a while, and then I’ll come home.”

“That’s not so bad…” Jacob said.

“Naw, probably just a waste of time, but I need to do it while the weather is still good.”

Mentioning the change in weather prompted a different concern.

“I don’t see why I have to go to some stinkin’ old school.” Jake observed.

“That’s because education is very important. Don’t you want to learn how to read and write?” Lora asked him.

“Nope.”

“Wouldn’t you like to be able to add and subtract and learn your numbers?”

“Nope.”

“Well then, how about meeting some other children and making new friends?”

“Nope.”

“Why don’t you want to go to school, Jake?” I asked him.

He looked at me with his hands on his hips and then pointed a finger at me.

“You don’t go to no stinkin’ school.”

Now I understood. He wanted to be like me. I was flattered and a little bit stunned.

“Jake, buddy, I already went to school. I know how to read and write, I can do figures, and I’ve learned all kinds of useful things. If you don’t go to school, you won’t ever learn any of the things I know how to do.

He thought about it for a moment.

“You could teach me.”

“I could, but I have a job of work to do. I’m the Sheriff of the county and folks expect me to do the Sheriff‘s job. You have to go to school. That’s your job. You’re going, and that’s all there is to it.”

“OK, I’ll go, but I won’t like it.”

I chuckled at that.

“I don’t think you should make up your mind until you’ve tried it.”

Lora smiled at me with a twinkle in her eye.

“I’ll tell you what, Jake, how about you and I hike up into town, and then we can ride Dusty back down here to the house together?” I suggested.

“OK, let’s go! Come on, what’re you waitin’ for?” He began tugging on my hand.

***

At the livery stable, after we got Dusty all groomed and saddled, we said goodbye to Al and rode down to the house. Jake sat behind the cantle and held on to me. We trotted occasionally and I could feel Jake trying not to bounce off from behind me. Dusty has a pretty nice and smooth trot, but Jacob wasn’t used to riding yet. At the house, we left Dusty standing at the hitching rail while we went inside to gather my things.

As I shoved my rifle into the scabbard, I looked across the saddle at Lora and the kids standing under the arbor over the front gate. It wasn’t easy to just ride off and leave them.

“Now, I’ll be gone for a few days. You kids be good and do what Lora tells you, OK?”

Sarah nodded her head earnestly.

Jacob spoke clearly. “Yes sir.”

Stepping around Dusty, I wrapped Lora in my arms and we locked eyes for a moment, then I kissed her.

“John, not in front of the children!” She scolded me playfully.

The kids were giggling.

“Baby, I’ll kiss you in front of God and everybody. I’m off, but I shouldn’t be gone more than a week.”

“Becky will be here later today, and Tom will join us for supper. They’ll stay with us till you get back. Stay safe and hurry home, darling.”

“I always hurry home to you, Baby.”

I turned and mounted Dusty. With a final wave, I turned him and we trotted away across the bridge over Bear Creek.