When we had both ate our fill I poured us one more cup of hot coffee. He pushed back from the table, carefully filled his pipe and struck a match. Blue smoke floated gracefully across the room. "I saw two men last nite camped over on War Eagle creek. They looked out of place so I eased in closer and listened." He paused and took another sip of coffee. "They are looking for a man. I figure it's me they are after. I overheard the name Sackett. I think maybe that's who they work for."
So - it was time! They were too close now and I would have to find a better place to wait for them. If only I could get word to my brothers I know they would come. If you're gona kill one Sackett you best count on killin us all. I told the black man to stay as long as he wanted and to make out like it was his place if anybody came. He said, "So it's you they are after. Where will you go?" I didn't usually trust a stranger but this man was different. "They's some caves south of here a piece an I know ever inch of em. Me an Walter'l hunker down there a few days an try to get word to my three brothers down by the fort. They's plenty of food here and you're welcome to it. They's a trap door to the root cellar under the table whur you can hide out if it comes to it.
I stood up and reached out my had to him. "Elmo's my name - Elmo Sackett." He stood up too and shook my hand firmly. "I go by Amos. I never did know my real name."

The Stranger

It was Walter that saw him first, or maybe just sensed him. Out of the corner of my eye I detected the slight rise of Walter's left eyebrow; a sure sign of imminent danger. He was coming up the lane - walking deliberately - head down, looking neither left or right. When he got closer I could make out he was a tall slender black man in worn out clothes and no shoes. He walked up to Walter and me on the porch and said, "If I could get me a dipper of water out of that bucket I'd be glad to split that wood for you." He indicated the woodpile at the side of the cabin. From the way he talked, he was an educated man. He was about my age and looked like his life had been one of hard work and few frills. He was a raw-boned rugged looking man - not a man to tangle with - but there was also a kindness in his eyes and a gentleness about his presence that made me want to know more about him. Where was he from and how did he get to be here in tattered clothes and no shoes?
I asked him how long it had been since he ate and he said he had stopped by yesterday morning at that Ms Weatly's place and for helpin her boy carry in the wash she had made him some biscuits. Said they was a man stayin in her barn that was not quite right in the head but that her boy liked the way he talked and that he had promised a friend of hers that he wouldn't ever hurt her or that boy. I said, "Me an Walter was just about to go in and make us some breakfast an they's plenty if you want to come in and eat with us."
" I wouldn't mind a plate of food if you could bring it out here on the porch," he said as he looked down at his bare feet, "but I'll have to work some more to pay for it. I won't be beholdin to no man. I pay my own way." I'd have none of that and insisted he set with me at the table. I sliced off thick slices of bacon into one skillet, sausage in another and stirred up a pan of biscuits while the man worked on the wood pile. I put on a fresh pot of coffee, fried up a dozen eggs and sliced up a couple of tomatoes.
When he came back in I had him a feast spread out. He ate slowly and seemed to savor every bite as he gazed out the window at a place far away in another time that only he could see. He said, "Coffee makes me kindly nervous when I drank it." I went and got him some cold buttermilk outa the well. I was anxious to know more about him but I was never one to pry into another man's business. I knew that he would tell me in his own time whatever he wanted me to know about him. He said, "This sausage is really tender, did you make any gravy to go with it?" I said, "That IS the gravy."

Muley's Crossin

We had some awful bad storms in Japton this week. My cabin's OK but I had a lot of fence down and was all week gettin it back up and roundin up cows that found the holes fore I did. When I rode down to check on pappy I had to ride nearly six miles upriver to Muley Shad's crossin to get across the Buffalo. Where I usually cross without hardly gettin Badger's feet wet was a raging torrent about eight feet deep. Muley is a short squatty old man with a grey shaggy beard and long grey hair flyin ever which a way from under his faded confererate hat. He has a raft rigged up with ropes and pulleys to pull it across the river and back again. He gets four bits - two bits for the horse and two for the rider. He gets a dollar for a wagon, loaded or not. The crossing was terrifying for me and Badger but Muley just puffed on his pipe and talked his fool head off as he pulled us across. I recon he gets sort of lonesome out there by hisself and had saved up a lot of talkin for whoever come along to listen. Just when I was about to tie a gag on him, he said something that caught my ear. The day before he had carried two of Wayne Elliot's hands across headed north. I wondered why Elliot's riders would be driftin this far north and where they were going. I said as much to Muley. He said they told him they was cattle buyers but from what he could overhear they was goin to take care of a problem for their boss. Wayne Elliot is an evil greedy tyrant but he is not careless. If he sent riders up to my place they would be his best gun hands and they would have only one purpose. I stayed a little longer with pappy than usual, I guess cause I was dreadin the ride back home. Pappy said he knowed Muley cause he used to live by us when we was kids but that he knowed him as Mr. Shad. I wish I had let Walter come with me this time cause when he's with me no one can get within a mile of me without him lettin me know they're there.....

A visit from Elwood

I was mendin fence down on the low west meadow yesterday when I heard the awfulest commotion commin thru the brush down close to the river I ever heard. It sounded like a four up pullin a stage. I never heard so much blowin and snortin carrin on in my life. I started for my rifle but they was no time. I just dove behind a big log close by and covered my head. What ever it was stopped right where I had been workin but it was still blowin an snortin an stampin it feet. I couldn't move a muscle!
"Elmo!" came a shout from the creature. "Hey Elmo, whurd you go?" I'd know that voice anywhur. It was my own brother Elwood! "Elwood Sackett!" I hollered. "What in tarnation are you doin up here and whur did you get that horse? You couldn't sneak up on a bufalo stampede."
After we said our howdys and got us a cup of coffee, Elwood explained to me how he had won the horse in a poker game from Blue Minor down at Boles an that he didn't thank much of him at first but had come to get sort of attached to him. I got to say he was a fine horse to look at but was still the noisiest one horse I had ever seen.
Ole Badger had eased back from whur he run off to when he heard Elwood a commin an he was tryin to get a better look at what had caused all the commotion. "What's that horse's name anyway Elwood?" I queried. "Don't know what Blue called him, he never said. I been a callin him Harley."
Elwood was a man of few words an that's all I got out of him as he swung up and lit a shuck with even more wild-crazy-blowin-snortin-commotion than when he rode up....

Company in Japton

Me an Walter had company yesterday. Orvil Self an Luther Bailey rode by on their way up to Joplin to pick up some cows Orvil had bought. They had planned to har a couple of boys up there to help drive em back to Scott County an wondered if me an Walter might want to come along. I tole em ever since I taken that job with the telegraph that I hadn't had time to spit. Luther shook his head an said he knowed about that cause he helped run the first lines to Fort Smith for the Army there. We had a good visit. Orvil tole about when he would get all gussied up on Saturday an go into town. He bein a cattle buyer would muck around the feed lots all week but when he come to town he wore his town shoes with white socks. First place he would go after he had his breakfast at the Rock Cafe was to Herman Atchley's barber shop to get his shoes shinned. I was the shine boy there an I could shine a pair of boots to where they would hurt your eyes. When Orvil walked in with them black town shoes an white socks...wul I just come from together. They was no way I could get them shoes black an leave them socks white. We all had a good laugh specially Orvil. I thank he did that a purpose. I wrapped em up some biscuits an mustard for the trail an tole em to stop back by on the way back an tole em where to hole up their cows close by. It was sure good to see them boys...

Jury Duty

I been sort of out of pockett a few days. That kid Andy done broke his leg when his horse threw him and I been havin to do his job an mine too. On top of that I got sent for to be on Judge Parker's jury to hang a horse thief they caught down close to Mansfield. Turned out Judge Parker was gone so they had Judge Cox -we called him Jamie when we was kids- set in for him but the outcome was perty much the same. Recon that Floyd Folsom has stole his last horse. I saw Paw a while Sunday. He don't talk so much about Logan wearin the blue no more. I thank he final figgered out we all just called it the way we seen it an did what we thought was right. It was a hard time for us all and is best forgot. The day I took off the grey they wont no more blue an grey just four brothers that come back alive an not shot up too bad. I thank when it was all said an done Paw was more prouder of Logan than the rest of us.

Sally Jo

I was late leavin Paw's place and Walter was sure glad to see me. You'd of thought I had been gone a month. I thank he smelled them frog legs in my saddle bag about a mile away cause he was there to meet me when I turned onto the lane. I recon I should have taken him with me to see Paw but he was all rung out from ridin fence with me the day before I left. I stopped by to look in on Sally Jo on the way back. She is a sister to Eve that married up with Tell so we are almost kin. I was thankin I might get another good meal but she had pulled a calf that evenin and was too tard for cookin. Her place is way bigger than mine and she works it by herself. We sat out on the porch, her in the porch swang and me in her dad's old rockin chair and looked out at a billion stars on a moonless nite. She had fixed me some crackers and mustard and a big glass of ice tea and I was a happy man. I gota go rub down ole Badger now. He will get a double ration of oats tonite.........