Chapter Twenty

 

It was a single rider who rode out of the dusk some twelve months later and approached the collection of four large ex-army tents set up in the hollow.

It was one of those mellow evenings of late summer, when skidding ribbons of purple cloud streaked slowly across the glowing embers of the orange sunset that still rode on the horizon. The air was soft and warm and sweet with a honey scent from the night flowers and wild herbs growing amongst the desert brush and in the cleft of the hills the glow of a cook fire and light of oil lanterns cast a welcoming swathe over the lone rider.

Tag was up on the roof frame nailing in the last of the new timbers before the light went whilst Tarfay hauled up the remaining crossbeams on a pinwheel pulley. Below, in the yard cooking up supper, a recovered Mama Bass was bossing around Eloise as if she had never been away and still thought the girl was no more than a child. Beyond the growing structure Cornpone had his work cut out hustling six restless mustangs into the new built corral.

‘Well, lookee here,’ Tarfay called down. ‘It’s our young hero, Ronny Tate. Come on in, fella, you’re just in time for supper. We have enough for a visitor, don’t we, ladies?’

‘We surely do,’ chirped up Eloise, with a cautious glance of interest at the young man.

‘Evening everybody,’ said Ronny, climbing down from his pony.

Tarfay and Tag slid down their ladder and came over to shake hands.

‘Good to see you,’ said Tarfay.

Ronny looked around with appreciation, ‘You people appear to be doing real well on that house. Reckon you’ll be done before winter.’

‘We’ve certainly had enough of tent life,’ said Eloise, her eyes shining brightly as she came over and shyly handed Ronny a cup of fresh coffee.

‘Going to be a fine place,’ praised Ronny, looking more at Eloise than at the construction work.

Cornpone strode down from closing up the corral and called out to Ronny, ‘What do we owe the pleasure? You given up the life of a pump man on the railroad?’

‘I have,’ agreed Ronny. ‘Reckon its time for a new career.’

‘What you got in mind?’ asked Tarfay.

‘That’s why I come,’ said Ronny, at last dragging his eyes away from Eloise. ‘I wanted to speak to you, Mister Tarfay. I got a hankering to join the Rangers, what do you think on that, I wonder?’

Tarfay scratched at his mustache a minute and studied the young man, ‘Well, it ain’t no easy life and that’s a fact. Cornpone will bear me out on that, won’t you, partner?’

Cornpone smiled wryly, ‘Well, we did fair to middling on it.’

‘Funny you should bring that up right now, Ronny,’ piped up Tag. ‘You know, I’ve been thinking exactly the same thing. I reckon I’d like a spell as a Ranger as well.’

‘Well, what do you say?’ laughed Ronny, pleased to have such a welcoming committee. ‘We could go join up together, Tag.’

Tarfay shook his head at Tag, ‘Damn it! I don’t know, we pull this rascal out of one heap of trouble and he’s already intent on finding another.’

‘Would that mean you’d be stationed at Rio Charro?’ asked Eloise, unable to disguise the hopeful note in her voice.

‘I guess,’ agreed Ronny.

‘Then we’d be neighbors.’

‘Reckon so, I could come see you folks regular, if you wouldn’t mind.’

‘Well, I know one party that wouldn’t,’ teased Cornpone, with a sly sidelong glance at Eloise.

‘Sure,’ said Tag. ‘We could travel together when we’re off duty, it’d be fine, wouldn’t it, Tarfay?’

Tarfay shrugged in mock surprise, ‘What you asking me for, seems like its already been decided.’

‘Aw, hell, Tarfay. We could still come help out with things here, in fact if Ronny comes along of me you’ll have an extra pair of hands.’

‘Sure boys, I’m just kidding you. Be glad to see you doing whatever you want to do; you’ll always be welcome here you know that. Ain’t that right, Cornpone? Even Mama Bass will be happy.’ He looked across at the dour face of Mama Bass who was stirring a pot over the fire. She looked at them for a moment and then nodded acceptance. ‘See, Mama Bass says its okay, then its okay with me.’

Mama Bass rattled her stirring spoon irritably against the edge of the pot, ‘You all want to eat this fine supper or you just want to talk?’

When they were seated around the long hand-built table set up in the yard, Tarfay placed lanterns at either end so they could all see to eat and then Mama Bass dished up.

Tarfay looked around the table and was pleased to see all the young faces, bright and eager as they chatted noisily together in the lantern glow and he turned to notice Cornpone watching him. His fellow Ranger slowly nodded in unspoken agreement as he recognized Tarfay’s pleasure at the company.

‘So how are things at Senola now?’ asked Tarfay.

Ronny twisted a lip, ‘Aw, its slow. Certainly taking a time to recover, so many folks was killed by the Indians. The railroad is making an effort though and the rebuilding is coming along slowly, I don’t reckon it’ll ever be more than a depot now though, the trade has mostly gone.’

‘Not much future there then?’

‘Reckon not,’ Ronny agreed. ‘What about you fellows?’

‘Oh, we quit the Rangers permanent now. They wasn’t too fond of us after disobeying orders and setting off on our own and then getting three convicts to come along with us, so it was better we went our separate ways.’

‘And Scart Benjamin?’

‘Him and Crome are awaiting trial up at the penitentiary. That part we did get some praise for.’

‘And all the army gold?’

Tarfay snuffled a laugh, ‘Yes, they was real pleased to have all that back, not that we got any thanks for it, did we, Cornpone?’

‘Nary a word,’ Cornpone agreed.

‘So do you think Benjamin and Crome will hang or get a jail sentence?’

‘I guess Tag will have the last word on that, he foretold their end a long while back, ain’t that right, Tag?’

Tag looked at them all around the table and a twinkle came into his eye, ‘It’s a sure thing, there’s only one place their kind are bound,’ he said. ‘Bad men all go to Hell.’