Despite the seemingly contrary interchange between Elmer and Wang Chow, the two men were the best of friends, and because Percy had worked on Sky Meadow, he was well aware that there was genuine cordiality in the barbs.
After breakfast, Percy told the others good-bye, then left for his own ranch.
“I just hope that little ole gal he’s got waitin’ for ’im back in Kansas City knows what a good man she’s goin’ to be gettin’,” Elmer said as they watched the young rancher ride away. “Damn, I’ve let m’ coffee get a little cold.”
“Elmer, I’ll be leavin’ things in your hands for a while, as I’ll be ridin’ into town this morning,” Duff said.
“Did you hear that, you heathen?” Elmer said to Wang. “It’s my hands he’s leavin’ the ranch in, not yours.”
Elmer raised his cup to take another drink, but before it reached his lips, Wang snatched it from his hand. “What the . . . ?” Elmer started to say in a startled voice, but before he finished his comment a new cup was put in his hands. Elmer took a swallow and saw that it was hot.
“Did you not say that your coffee was cold?” Wang asked.
“You ain’t human, Wang, you know that? There ain’t no way a human man can do all them things you can do.”
Wang smiled.
“And why are you grinnin’ like that?”
“I believe that, my friend, is what one would call an enigmatic smile,” Duff said with a chuckle.
Chapter Seven
Some seven miles distant from Sky Meadow, in an area of open range land known as the Pine Flats, Kenny Prosser was watching over his herd when he saw Turley riding toward him.
“Good morning, Mr. Turley,” he said, greeting the man who had once been his boss.
“Good morning, Kenny,” Turley replied.
“What can I do for you?”
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a close look at your cows.”
“Why? I mean, I don’t mind, but what are you looking for?”
“Houser wants me to make certain . . .”
“Oh, I see. He wants to make sure that I don’t have any of his cows,” Prosser said. “Go ahead, take a good look. I ain’t got nothin’ to hide.”
As Turley began riding through the small herd, Prosser rode with him.
“He ain’t really worried none that I’ve got any of his cows, is he? What he’s pissed off about is that I got my cows to the Pine Flats before he did.”
“You know Twin Peaks has always been usin’ the Pine Flats,” Turley said.
Prosser laughed. “Yeah, I know it. It serves the new guy right that I got here first.”
“All right,” Turley said when he had examined every cow in the herd. “I didn’t see none o’ our cows there. But, Kenny, if I was you, I’d get your cows away from here.”
“Why? This is public land, ’n you know it.”
“Yeah, but they’s somethin’ about Houser that’s kind of troublesome.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I don’t like to carry tales ’bout someone I’m ridin’ for, ’n truth to tell I don’t really know him all that good, I mean, bein’ as he ain’t been here all that long. But I’ve kind of got it in mind that he ain’t the kind of person you want to make mad.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know nothin’ about ’im, ’n I don’t care to know,” Prosser said. “But I’ve got as much right here as anyone does, ’n you know that, Mr. Turley. This here is open range, for anyone as wants to use it.”
“I know you do, Kenny, ’n I ain’t never goin’ to do nothin’ to make you leave. But like I say, Mr. Houser, well, he ain’t like Mr. Prescott was, who, if you ’member, was just the same nice to ever’ one, whether he be an ordinary rider or one o’ the other big ranchers. This feller, well, I can’t promise you what he’ll do.”
“All right,” Prosser said. “I’ll get m’ cows back to my own grass today.”
“I ain’t rushin’ you or nothin’, but if you want, I’ll help you drive ’em back.”
“Yeah, thanks, I’ll appreciate that.”
* * *
“Kenny ain’t got none of our . . . uh, that is, Prosser ain’t got none of your cows mixed in with his’n, ’n besides that, he’s moved his cows back to his own place,” Turley said, reporting on his visit with Prosser.
“He may not have had any of my cows mixed in with the cows you examined,” Houser replied. “But I’ve no doubt but that he and all the other small ranchers are increasing their herd at my expense.”
“I don’t know. It could be, I suppose. But to be honest, Mr. Houser, you ain’t been here all that long, ’n you ain’t lost no cows at all since you come. I know, ’cause I been keepin’ a pretty good track on it.”
“We are losing grazing range and watering holes, though, are we not?”
“Well, yes, sir, some of what used to be free range for us has been took up by homesteadin’, that’s true, and even what is still free range is bein’ used, not only by Kenny, but by all the small ranchers. But I reckon, bein’ as it is free range, that they got a right to use it. ’N anyhow, I don’t see that it hurts none, I mean, seein’ as they ain’t none of ’em got enough cows to really graze the range out, ’n right now you ain’t got enough cows to overgraze your own land.”
“Perhaps, individually, that may be so,” Houser said. “But I am told that there may be as many as fifteen or twenty small ranchers, and if you take into consideration all the cattle they are running, then they certainly can make an impact on the supply of grass and water.”
“Yes, sir, I reckon if you put it that way, they could,” Turley agreed.
“If you look at the big picture, and as a rancher that is exactly what I must do, then the
