CHAPTER VII
A SHEEPLESS SHEEP RANCH
With as few words as possible Bud told the Kid of their talk with "J.D." Riding slowly along, the Kid made no comment for several minutes.Finally Dick burst out:
"For Pete's sake, Kid, let's hear you say something! Don't you thinkit's mighty queer behavior for a tenant of a sheep ranch? The way Iunderstand the facts, he hired the place to raise sheep on, aboutthirteen months ago. Now when his year is up he refuses to get off.There are plenty of other farms further back from the border he couldget. I don't think your father bought the sheep with this ranch, didhe, Bud?"
"I believe he contracted with the owner that one thousand heads ofwoolies were to be sent to him within a month of taking possession.This tenant, whoever he is, will walk his sheep when he goes, ofcourse. I thought it was unusual to hire a ranch to raise sheep on foronly one year, but Dad said the sheep get some sort of a disease ifthey're not walked frequently, and I guess this fellow sort of figuredon trying it out for a year before settling down to a permanent place.The owner of the ranch lives up north somewhere, and Dad simply boughthim out. Why Dad wanted to go in for woolies I don't know, but he musthave had his reasons."
"Then we won't have to start sheep nursin' right away," Nort said.
"We'll have to get this 'J. D.' out before we can do anything,"declared Bud. "What do you think about it, Kid? I don't want to runto Dad at the first sign of trouble, but it looks as though we had ajob on our hands before we really begin herding."
Yellin' Kid pushed his sombrero to the back of his head and looked up.
"Well, boys, I'll tell you," he said slowly. "While Bud and Dick wereinside gassin' I took a good look around. And I'll tell you a funnything; I didn't see no sign of sheep ever being on this here ranch atall. No feedin' troughs, no hurdles, no nothin'. Billee, how aboutit? Did this look like a sheep ranch to you?"
"Not any," the veteran puncher answered laconically. "Of course I'm nosheep expert, but I can tell a sheep ranch when I see one. Usuallythey have a feedin' ground around somewhere, for the woolies to feed indurin' the winter. And they have troughs to put the fodder in whenthey can't get to the range to graze, for sheep are dam perticular whatthey eat off of. Maybe it was away 'round the back somewhere, but Icouldn't spot it."
"That's what I thought," went on the Kid. "Of course he may have soldall the sheep a while back, and cleared his truck away at the sametime, but it don't hardly seem likely he could get rid of all traces.Where ever sheep go, you can usually tell they been there." He pausedreflectively and added:
"Sort of queer that deputy we met didn't say something about therebein' no sheep here. Did you tell him we was expectin' to find a sheepranch?"
"Now that you mention it, I don't believe I did," Bud answered. "Isaid we were going to take charge of a ranch. He probably thought wewere bringing the cattle over later."
"Probably. So your friend in the house told you he'd give one thousandbucks if you'd let him stay, did he?"
"Yep. That made me suspicious right away, and I foolishly spoke up andtold him as much. Then he said it was his affair if he wanted to paythat much to stay on. I knew that Dad wouldn't want me to allow him todo that without his permission, so I refused--asked him if I could lethim know later. But no, that wouldn't do. He wanted me to sign anextension right away. Then when I told him I couldn't do that, hethreatened to stay anyway, and practically dared us to put him off."
"He did, hey? That sort of puts it up to us, don't it?"
"You know what I think would be a good idee?" Billee Dobb broke in."We ought to go down and have a talk with Joe Hawkins. Tell him whatwe found, and ask him if he's got any advice he'd like to dish up.Seemed to me he was a pretty reliable feller."
"Not bad--not bad," said Yellin' Kid approvingly. "He said he'd beglad to help us any time. Not that we're goin' to need any helpgettin' this dude off," he added quickly. "But it might be a good ideato have the law on our side."
"We can see him and get him to sign a dispossess notice," Nortsuggested. "I don't know whether he knows what that is, but it's justa paper saying we have a right to put out whoever is on the land."
"We'll do that, Nort," agreed Dick. "Then we can start right. Let'sget on, fellows. It's getting late, and we want to catch Hawkinsbefore he leaves for home."
Spurring their broncoes to a faster pace, the five made their waytoward the town. The suggestion that they were to confer with thefriendly deputy seemed a wise one, not because they were afraid totackle the job of removing "J. D." alone, but because they wanted toknow just how things stood. Perhaps by inquiry they could gain someclew as to why the tenant refused to vacate. If he sincerely wanted anextension of his lease to legitimately conduct the business ofranching, he was going about it in a queer way.
As the riders reached the town, they stopped a cow puncher and askedwhere they could find Joe Hawkins.
"Right down the street a ways," they were told. "Can't miss it. Jail,court house and sheriff's office all in one. Some shootin' been goin'on?"
"Not that we know of," Dick laughed.
"Though there might be soon," said Bud impetuously.
"How's that? You figgerin' on pluggin' someone, youngster?" the cowboyinquired with a grin.
"Not hardly," the Kid spoke quickly. "We just want to see Hawkinsabout some land. Thanks for the info."
Their friend looked back at Bud and grinned again as he rode away.
"Evidently thinks you're an amateur bad man," said Billee Dobb."You'll have a reputation in this town before you know it, Bud."
By this time they had reached the sheriff's office. All dismounted andwent in.
They found Hawkins seated in a chair talking to another man who wasleaning against the side wall gazing out of the window. The deputysprang to his feet as he saw the boys, the light of welcome in his eyes.
"Come in, boys, come in. Jerry, I'd like you to meet some new friendsof mine. This here is Bud Merkel. Over here is--er----"
"My cousins, Nort and Dick Shannon," finished Bud. "And Billee Dobband Yellin' Kid--if he ever had another name I've forgotten it, and Iguess he has too."
The deputy's friend laughed and Joe said:
"This is Jerry Adler, boys. Say, I thought you fellers were headed forthe Shootin' Star?"
"We were," Bud answered, "but something happened that we want to askyou about."
"Guess I'll be goin'," said Jerry Adler. "I'll drop in to-morrow aboutthat matter, Joe. No hurry, you know."
"All right, Jerry. Glad to see you any time. Now, boys," and heturned to the five standing near him, "what can I do for you? Or is itjust a friendly visit? If it is, I'm right glad you stopped in. Nowthat you're here, you must come over to my place for supper. Got thebest cook you ever saw."
"Thanks, Mr. Hawkins," responded Bud. "We may take advantage of thatlater. But just now we want to ask your advice."
"Go right to it, Bud. If I can help you I'll sure do it!"
"When we went over to the Shooting Star," Bud began, "we expected tofind a sheep ranch. Instead we find a place that could be used forsheep, but certainly isn't now. We went in and showed our credentials,and asked the occupant, who was called 'J. D.,' I think, if he couldmove out by to-morrow, so we could get ready to move in.
"Whoever this 'J. D.' is, he isn't a cow puncher, nor a herder either.He's dressed like a Chicago dude," stated Bud.
The deputy nodded understandingly. Evidently he was not surprised atBud's description of the Shooting Star and its tenant.
"Well, as I say, we asked him to leave. He not only refused, butthreatened trouble if we tried to put him out. Said he had twelve menwho'd help him, too. So we thought, if you'd give us a dispossessnotice, we could go up there with authority and if he still turnedugly--well--we could do as we thought fit."
"I see. He told you he wouldn't leave?"
"Yes."
"He has no right to stay there, has he?"
r /> "None at all. He rented the ranch from the man who formerly owned it,but his lease was up a month ago. Dad bought the place free and clear.We were to manage it for him, and take charge of the sheep when theycame in. I believe they are to be driven over in about two weeks."
"In about two weeks? Well, boys, I can't exactly say I'm surprised atyour story. I don't mind sayin' we've been puzzled at the actions ofthis 'J. D.'--James Delton, I think his name is--for some time now.When he first came he did have some sheep--not many, and he sold them amonth after he took the ranch. Since then it's been empty, though, ashe says, he's got a number of hands on the place. They keep it in goodshape, as you may have noticed. But what his business is nobody seemsto know. Of course out here a man doesn't go pryin' into otherpeople's affairs unless he's fairly certain there's something wrong.I'll go to Shooting Star with you!"
Taking his belt and pistol holster from a hanger, the deputy led theway from the office. Mounted once more, the party swung away towardthe Shooting Star ranch. Nort looked over at the Kid.
"Why that smile, Kid?" he asked.
"Was I smilin'? I didn't know it. Say, Nort, looks as though we mighthand ourselves somethin' of a time before we finish with this 'J. D.'feller."
"And you're kind of hopin' we do, hey Kid? The last time I saw yousmile like that was just before we had that fight with the Del Pinzogang. Hope you don't expect another ruckus out here, as bad as thatone."
"And if we did, I suppose you'd run away and hide your head," laughedthe Kid derisively. "Yes you would not! You'd be in the thick of itwith the rest of us."
"Perhaps," admitted Nort with a grin. "However, I really don't thinkwe'll have any trouble. From Bud's description of Delton he's sort ofa weak-kneed type. We'll just have to tell him what's what, and I'msure he'll back down."
"Can't tell," the Kid averred. "Those Dudes have sometimes got a meanlot of fight in them."
Up ahead Joe Hawkins and Bud were talking in low tones. Finally Budturned about and called to the rest:
"Close up a minute, fellows. Mr. Hawkins has something to say beforewe reach the ranch."
"It's just this," began the deputy, when they had gathered around him."The way I figure, there's no sense of us all going in to see Delton.If we call on him like a delegation, he'll get het up, and be moredisagreeable than if we went about this thing quietly. Now Bud and Iwill go in. You four stay around the corral, and Kid and Billee, whileyou're waiting, you might take a ride around and size up the place.See if you can discover traces of sheep bein' here in the last sixmonths, and whatever else you can find out. All right, boys, here weare. Remember what I told you, Kid. Let's go, Bud!"
The two dismounted. Turning their horses over to Nort, they walkedtoward the ranch house. The deputy stepped to the door and knocked.
"He took quite a while to answer when we were here before," Budsuggested. "Better knock again."
The deputy did so.
"'Pears like he don't care for no visitors. Wonder if we can seeanything by lookin' in the window?"
"I'll have a try," volunteered Bud. Stepping to the side of the househe peered in the casement.
"Too dark," he reported. "Can't see a thing!"
"Must be somebody around," Hawkins declared, as he knocked again, thistime more loudly.
Within all was quiet.
"Funny," he commented. Then suddenly he turned the doorknob. The doorswung open. After a quick glance the deputy walked in.
"Not a soul in sight!" he called after a minute. "The place is suredeserted. Not only have they got no sheep on this place, but even themen are gone now!"