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Bitter is the Dust
Chapter Seven/Money Trail
Scott A. Gese
Chapter 7
Money Trail
Just days away from his sixteenth birthday, Jason McKinney had already killed three men. The first out of necessity and the second was purely unintentional, but the third, the third was out of pure and unrefined hatred. It didn't bother him in the least to put a bullet in the man that had caused him so much grief. In fact, it was the killing of the third man, Jim, which gave him the most satisfaction. To know he or his ma would never have to be looking over their shoulder, wondering if or when they would meet up again, took a load off his mind.
As he headed out of Fall River he realized that for the first time in his life he was truly free. Free to do whatever he pleased. "Why go straight to Topeka," he thought. "Why not head south and see for myself where all these longhorns are coming from." With winter coming on, Jason really had no desire to be spending any more time than necessary out in the cold, so he turned south and headed toward Texas.
For most of the day he found himself riding through tall grass, but being October, the new green shoots waving in the summer breeze were long gone, replaced now by brown and broken spent grass that had seen better days.
It was late afternoon when he came upon them. At first he wasn't sure what he was seeing. Maybe it was a herd of buffalo, but then again, maybe not. As he got closer he realized it was a small herd of longhorns, maybe two hundred head or so. They weren't moving, but it seemed too early to bed them down for the night. He was soon close enough to analyze the situation more clearly. Only two drovers could be seen, and they were toward the back of the herd. There was also no remuda. Something didn't seem right. His instincts told him to avoid the men, but he rejected it and rode up to where they were standing.
One of the men drew his gun as Jason came close. One was older; the other was a young kid about his age. Trail dust covered their clothes and they seemed a bit disoriented, almost out of their element. "What can we do for you, son," questioned the older man who held the gun on him.
"Just passing by, I'm not looking for trouble. You look shorthanded. Are the two of you trying to move these cattle by yourselves?"
The two drovers looked at each other as if communicating without saying a word. A smile came across the younger kids face and the older one put away his gun. "We had close to eight hundred head until yesterday morning. We were overtaken by a group of maybe twenty men. They shot several of us including our wrangler. The remuda was taken along with most of our cattle. The boy and I are all that's left. We managed to round up these few head that scattered during the ruckus, but we're having a hard time moving "em along with just the two of us."
"If you're heading to Dodge City, or even Topeka, you're heading in the wrong direction."
"We're not going to either. We have a buyer in Fort Scott and we're heading that direction. He was expecting eight hundred head, but he'll have to be satisfied with what we can give him."
"Fort Scott you say? Who's your buyer?"
"I don't think that's any of your business, but I'll tell you what, If you're interested in giving us a hand moving these critters, we'll make it worth your while, say, a hundred dollars."
Jason knew something was up. The only broker left in Fort Scott was Mac, and his operation wasn't big enough to handle eight hundred head. Once again his instincts told him to keep moving, but the lure of a hundred dollars for a two, maybe three-day ride was awful tempting. Plus, he was curious to see just what was going on with these men and Mac.
"A hundred dollars, you say. And all I have to do is help you get these cattle to Fort Scott?"
"Yep, that's all you need to do. We're in a desperate situation right now, as you can see. With another man we should be able to do it. It won't be easy, but I think we'll manage. What do you say?"
Jason thought about it for a minute. He could easily ask for two hundred and probably get it considering the situation, but two hundred could just as easily get him a bullet in the back at the end of the trail, so he decided not to push it. "OK, you got yourself a deal."
"Great! My name's Jake. This here is Randy."
"Good to meet you, I'm Jason."
It was still light, so the three men decided to push the cattle for a few more hours. "You two take the lead," ordered Jake. "I'll take drag for now, but tomorrow we trade off."
They made a few miles headway before calling it a day and making camp. That evening the three spent huddled around the fire conversing and drinking hot coffee, as the nights were getting colder.
"So tell me Jake," asked Jason. "Where did you start out from?"
Jake hesitated a bit with his answer. "We started out around Waco."
"How many men did you lose when your cattle were taken?"
"How many? Well let me think. We lost four…and one was wounded, but died later. So I guess that would be five altogether."
"What do you think the owner of these cattle will say when he finds out most of his herd was stolen?"
All the questioning was beginning to unnerve Jake. "What the hell are you askin' me so many questions for, boy? I don't know what he's going to say. You think I'm a mind reader or something?"
"Sorry, Jake. I was just making conversation."
"Well I don't like the conversation, so why don't you just keep quiet!"
"Maybe I'll just call it a day and get me some shuteye."
"That might be a good idea."
Jason moved away from the fire and crawled under his blanket for the night while Jake and Randy sat up and whispered amongst themselves. He knew he needed to keep an eye on these two, but for now, they needed him, so he figured he was safe for the time being.
"Do you think he's on to us, Jake," whispered Randy.
"No, I think he's just an inquisitive kid, but I can't make up answers as fast as he's asking the questions."
"I wish Thurman was here, and then we wouldn't be needing any help from this kid."
"Well Thurman ain't here," scolded Jake. "He got himself shot. We all knew the odds when we took these cattle, so stop whining."
"Yeah, but he set up the deal in Fort Scott."
"That don't matter. I know the name of the man we need to see, and I know where to find him. We'll do just fine. Why don't you get some sleep, you'll be pulling drag in the morning."
"Are we really going to give him a hundred dollars of our money?"
"No, we're not. That boy will have an accident as soon as we get our money. Don't you worry about that. Now get some sleep."
The following morning the three men were up before the dawn and had themselves a hot breakfast, then headed out at first light. They had a good lead steer with a fast pace, almost like he knew it was late in the year and was anxious to get out of the open. They made good time and expected to get to Fort Scott before the end of the following day.
That evening Jake and Randy spent a fair amount of time talking amongst themselves, and Jason was beginning to get a bit concerned about how this was going to turn out, so he started to devise his own plan, just in case these two decided to turn on him.
The following morning, Jake ordered Jason to take the drag position. Jason was happy to hear that. Now he could keep an eye on the two of them until they reached their destination.
Later that afternoon they crossed the road that led into Fort Scott and continued on north.
As they did, it just so happened that Little Walt and Smiley from the XO were out checking fence in the area, and when they heard the bellow of cows off in the distance, they decided to investigate.
"Do you hear that, Smiley?"
"Sure do, but those ain't ours."
"Let's take a closer look."
They rode toward the cover of a small stand of cottonwoods at the top of a small rise. Off in the distance they observed a herd of cattle moving to the north.
"Them's longhorns," stated Smiley.
"They sure are. Do you suppose they're lost?"
"It could be possible, but they're a long way off the trail. Nobody can be that lost."
"Well then if they're not lost, do you think they've been stolen?"
"Don't know, but I think we should let Miles know we seen em' as soon as we get back."
The men finished up their work and as soon as they got back to the ranch they found Miles and reported what they had seen.
"Say, Miles, Smiley and I saw an unusual sight today and we thought we should let you know. When we were out checking the north fence this afternoon we heard the bellerin' of cows off in the distance, so we decided to investigate."
"Those wouldn't have been our cattle," interjected Miles.
"You're right," continued Walt. We got ourselves under those cottonwoods on the northern knoll and took a look. They were longhorns, about two hundred or so. They were heading north."
"Longhorns, are you sure about that?"
"I know a longhorn when I see one," replied Smiley. "You know, cattle with looonnngg horns." He opened his arms as wide as they would go while he extended the word long.
"I don't need the anatomy lesson, Smiley. Get my horse for me, would you? It looks like I have an errand to run."
"Need us to go with you?"
"No, this one I'll handle on my own."
Once Miles got his horse, he mounted up and headed toward town. He made it in just over an hour and went directly to the sheriff's office where Sheriff Mason was finishing up his supper.
"Well good evening there, Miles. What brings you into town at this time of the day?"
"Joe, I need your help."
"You need my help? Is everything OK?"
"I'm thinking not. Do you recall the conversation I had with you the other day about my suspicions concerning Mac Shepard?"
"Why sure I do. You think he might be involved in some illegal activities concerning Texas longhorns."
"That's right. A couple of my men spotted a herd of maybe two hundred, pass just west of town earlier this afternoon."
"Longhorns, are you sure about that?"
Thinking of Smiley's answer to that same question earlier in the day, Miles couldn't help but grin before he answered, "Yes, I'm sure. My men know longhorns when they see them."
"Well then let me get a couple of my deputies and we'll pay ol' Mac a surprise visit."
Meanwhile, the cattle crossed the road to Fort Scott and kept going north, passing within two miles of Macs' place. They kept moving for another hour until they came to a spot not far from the railroad tracks. Jake had them hold the cattle up there.
"You two stay here and watch these cattle. I'll be back by evening," Stated Jake.
"Why didn't we take these cattle into Fort Scott? Why did we pass it?" questioned Jason.
"If you ain't got this figured out by now, you're dense in the head, boy."
"What, that these cattle are stolen."
"He's got us figured out, Jake. What are we going to do now?" cried Randy.
Jake looked over at Jason. "You still wantin' a hundred dollars?"
Jason knew better than to say no. "Yes sir. It don't matter to me whose cattle these are as long as I get paid for helping you move them."
"Does that answer the question for you, Randy?"
"I suppose it does. But what if you ain't back by tonight?"
"Quit your worrying, Randy. I'll be back."
The sun had set by the time Jake reached Mac's place. He came up to the back of the house and dismounted, tying his horse to a tree in the yard. He walked around to the front of the house, went up to the door and knocked.
Mac opened the door to see a very dirty stranger standing on his front porch. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, you can. Thurman sent me."
"Thurman? Come with me." Mac walked Jake out away from the house as Sarah was inside and he didn't want her to hear what was being said.
"Where's Thurman, and who are you?" questioned Mac.
"Thurman's dead, I'm his partner, Jake. He gave me your name and told me how to find you before he died."
"You have the cattle at the rendezvous point already?"
"Yes, we wouldn't have made it at all if we hadn't picked up this red headed stray along the trail. He gave us a hand getting them here."
"Red headed kid? What's his name?"
"His name, it's Jason, why, you know him?"
It's a good thing the two men were standing in the dark, as the look on Mac's face would have shown through his answer. "No, just curious. I wasn't expecting you to be here until later this evening. All the arrangements have been made. But the railcars won't be in place for a couple more hours, so just sit tight. We'll load as soon as they show up and then I'll pay you. If they show up before I get there, start loading."
"We'll do that, but I'm not letting them leave until I get my money."
"Fair enough."
Jake mounted up and rode off into the night and Mac went back into the house to get things ready. "Jason," he thought to himself. "How in the hell did he get himself mixed up in this? That's it. When I get rid of this bunch, I swear to the almighty, I'm not going to do this again."
It had been close to an hour since Jake left and he was just about ready to leave himself when there was another knock at the door. Mac opened it to find Sheriff Mason and Miles Hanley standing just outside.
"Good evening sheriff, Miles, This is a late hour to be calling on people. I take it this isn't a social visit. What can I do for you?"
"May we come in out of the cold?"
"Why yes, where are my manners, please do come in."
Sarah, who was sitting in the front room, stood up. She had gotten the telegram from Ellie in Fall River telling her of her husband's death as well as the details of how it happened, and that Jason was heading south to "Sow His Oats' as she put it. But seeing the sheriff and Miles made her think otherwise. She disliked Miles for firing her son and she disliked the sheriff for the way he had treated her and Jason. She wanted to leave the room, but her intuition told her otherwise.
"Is it Jason, is he alright?"
"It's not Jason, ma'am, this concerns Mac."
"Me?" inquired Mac. "How so?" All Mac could think about was to stall them as long as possible. "Sarah, would you mind putting some water on the stove. It's cold outside and I'm sure these two men would like to warm up some after their long ride out here."
Sarah went to get some water. She took her time as she was grateful to be out of the room, even if for only a couple of minutes.
"Please, have a seat, what's this all about?"
"Mac, I don't know how to put this, and please understand, I'm not accusing you of doing anything against the law, but I need to know upfront, are you still buying and selling Texas longhorns?"
Mac knew they had suspicions. Why else would they be here at this late hour, but the accusation was made, and he needed to put up a good front as well as stall for time.
"Well for one thing sheriff, and you too, Miles, it's not against the law to buy or sell Texas longhorns, but ever since the Shawnee was blockaded, there haven't been any cattle up from Texas to do either. I'm sure you know all about that, Miles, since the XO had a big hand in it. My guess is that you weren't too concerned about Texas fever as much as you were about the influx of beef cattle in the area lowering the price of your own herd. And now the two of you have the gall to "accuse' me of doing something that is perfectly legal?"
"Mac, you're taking this all wrong," replied Miles. "We're not accusing you of doing anything wrong, but you're right about no longhorns coming into Fort Scott, so when my men see a herd of close to two hundred of "em heading this direction, I have to wonder if they've not been cut from a larger herd and being sold illegally."
"So tell me, Miles. Did you see any Texas longhorns in my corrals when you rode up here this evening? Did you see any fresh sign of two hundred cattle on my property? Did you?"
"No, can't say as I did. But you're the only one left around these parts who may still have connections to buyers back east, so it only makes sense that we would come here first, don't you agree?"
"Well you've come here and you've made your accusations. I'm sure you've had your look around and realized there's nothing to see. So if there's nothing else you wish to accuse me of this evening, I'd say we're through?"
Just then Sarah entered the room, "The tea water is hot."
"Well, thank you ma'am, but I think we'll pass on the tea this evening if that's all right with you," replied the sheriff. "Mac, sorry to have bothered you, let's go, Miles."
Miles and Sheriff Mason headed out the door and onto the front porch. The sheriff headed for his horse. His two deputies stood outside blowing into their hands and stomping their feet, trying to keep warm. "Did you see anything, men?" The sheriff called out.
"Not a thing, sheriff."
"Then head back to town, this has all been a big misunderstanding." He mounted up and turned to Miles. "There's nothing illegal going on out here, Miles. You've drug me and my men all this way for what? Nothing! If you're boys did see longhorns pass by here, they're probably in the next county by now and that would make them none of my concern. I'm going back to town, Miles. Don't even try to apologize. I ain't in the mood." He turned his horse and rode off to catch up with his deputies.
Miles, on the other hand wasn't ready to give up so easily. He still had his suspicions and decided to ride down the road a ways and watch the house. If Mac was involved, he'd be leaving soon enough. All he would have to do is follow him.
After the two men left the house, Mac sat on the edge of his chair and gave a big sigh of relief.
"What was that all about?" asked Sarah.
"I'll explain it all to you later. Right now I need to run an errand. Don't wait up for me."
"An errand this late at night? What's going on here, Mac?"
"I'll explain it to you later. Right now, I think Jason may be in trouble." Mac grabbed his gear and headed for the door.
"Mac, what do you mean, Jason may be in trouble? Stop right now and explain this to me."
Mac turned back toward Sarah, "Not now," he insisted. "I'll explain it when I get back. If anyone comes to the door, don't tell them a thing."
He hurried out to the barn and saddled up his horse. Miles was watching and as soon as Mac left the barn, he began to shadow him.
By this time, the boxcars had shown up and the men began to load the cattle. Jason and Randy counted as they ran them into the cars.
"That Mac best be showing up here is short order. It's like I told him, I ain't letting this train go until I get paid."
Once the cattle were loaded, the engineer began to shovel coal into the burner.
"Hold off on that, buddy," insisted Jake. "You ain't going anywhere until I get paid."
"I don't have your money mister, but I do need to get this train out of here."
"You may not have my money, but you have my cattle, and I ain't been paid for "em yet. So you're going to sit tight until my money shows up."
Jason interjected. "Jake, let him go. If you keep him here, we could all get caught. I'm good for the money. Let him go."
"What are you talking about, boy, "You're good for the money.""
"You said Mac, Mac Shepard, right?"
"Ya, Mac Sheperd. How did you know that?"
"Mac Sheperd is my father. Let the train go and you can hold me in exchange for the money."
"How do I know you ain't lying to me?"
"Because I got a stake in this too. And I ain't about to go to jail just because you don't trust my father." Jason pulled his gun on Jake and Randy, then yelled to the engineer. "Get this thing out of here, and be quick about it."
"She ain't quite ready yet," he replied. "I need another five minutes."
"Well don't waste one second. When she's ready, go."
Mac could hear the train in the distance, he knew he was late and only hoped that the men had loaded the cattle. Miles heard the train as well. It didn't take much thinking to figure out what was going on. He needed to catch them red handed, and not get himself killed in the process.
Jason ordered Jake and Randy to drop their guns. When they did, he collected them and ordered the two men onto their horses. When they were all mounted, he ordered them to ride away from the tracks. As they rode, he tried to explain to Jake. "Listen, If Mac is late he has a darn good reason. We need to be out of the area in case the sheriff is wise to us. You'll get your money, I'll guarantee you that."
Finally, the train began to inch forward, slowly picking up speed as it headed down the track. Once it was out of sight, he handed Jake and Randy their guns back. Jake pointed his at Jason. "You may be a fool, but I'm not. Give me your gun and we'll wait for your old man to show up."
Jason handed Jake his gun.
"Now we'll wait, and if he don't show up soon, we're all heading to his place. If he don't have my money, his house will make one hell of a bonfire, and the two of you will be in the middle of it."
After about five minutes, Mac arrived. The train was well out of sight, but the silhouettes of the three men could be seen against a moonlit sky. As he rode up closer to them, Jake called out, "Who goes there?"
"It's Mac Shepard," came the reply.
"My cattle are long gone, but I got your boy. I want my money, now!"
"A deal's a deal, I'll pay you. How many head did you load?"
"One hundred and ninety," shouted Jason.
"Two hundred even," replied Jake.
"That ain't right and you know it. Randy, how many did you count?"
Randy looked over at Jake, who gave him the evil eye. "Two hundred even," he replied.
"You liar! You counted one ninety, same as me."
"I counted two hundred even," Randy shot back.
"It doesn't matter," interjected Mac. I wasn't here to count, so we'll go with two hundred, even."
Mac took the money from his pocket and counted out what was owed. "Hold back a hundred for my wage," ordered Jason.
Mac pulled back a hundred dollars and handed the rest to Jake, who put away his gun and pocketed the money. "Nice doin' business with you, Mac. Until next time."
"There won't be a next time," came a voice from out of the shadows. Miles Hanley rode forward with his gun drawn.
"And what fool is this who thinks he can hold all four of us in the dark of night?"
"His name is Miles Hanley," answered Mac. "Just what do you think you're doing out here, Miles?"
"I'm hauling you all in for selling stolen cattle."
"Don't be ridiculous, Miles," replied Mac. "Do you see any cattle here? And even if you did, how do you know they were stolen?"
"Why else would you be out here exchanging money in the middle of the night. I heard the train, and I can still smell the cattle."
"I think you're mistaken, Miles. Those are buffalo you smell, and we're out here exchanging money because these two men are holding my son, Jason, for ransom and I'm paying them off. You've got no proof otherwise, so why don't you put down that gun and let these two men leave me with my son."
"That isn't the way it is, and you damn well know it," Miles countered.
"I know you'll be making a big mistake if you try to pursue it, so once again, I suggest you back down and forget this," Mac advised. It was clear from the tone of his voice he meant business.
Miles thought about it for a few seconds. "You're a thief in my book, Mac Shepard. You and your son. You can forget about that bull I was going to sell you. In fact, you can forget about any help from the XO. If you go under, you go under, and there'll be no tears shed by me." He put away his gun, turned, and rode off.
Mac looked over at Jake and Randy. "I suggest the two of you do the same."
Jake handed Jason back his gun and the two men rode off. Mac looked to Jason. "Let's go home, son." And they rode off toward the ranch. "Sarah's worried sick about you. Don't tell her about the cattle. I do like the story about you being held for ransom, so let's stick with that, all right?"
"Well it's the truth, sort of. By the way, you owe me a hundred dollars."
Mac pulled the money out of his pocket and handed it over to Jason.
Continue Reading
Chapter Three / On the Trail to Fort Scott
Chapter Five / Good News, Bad News
Chapter Six / Trailing the Dog
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A full length novel by Scott A. Gese
The day Sarah McKinney finally escaped the clutches of her abusive husband, she and her adopted son, Jason, began a perilous journey and a new life on the run. The future hangs in the balance as their unhappy past and the man they left behind threatens to catch up with them.
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