Chapter Two -- What They Heard
The two lawmen ground hitched their mounts and eased up to the top of the hill on foot. The eerie sound was repeated and all of a sudden Wyatt began to grin.
"Bud, I'll bet you've never been to Arkansas, have you?"
"Nope, I came straight out here and never visited the South. Why?"
"Because the farmers raise a lot of side meat down that way, and they call their hogs rather than run after them. They even have hog calling contests. It sounds like we've got a winner in front of us."
The ranger looked at Earp closely to see if he was pulling his leg. He decided the man was serious and relaxed. Now they retrieved their horses and rode over the hill to see who had lost a pig.
They came upon an older regal looking woman who put her hand to the side of her mouth and once again gave forth her call.
"Sooieeee!"
She looked up as she heard their horses approaching.
Hagan introduced them. "I'm Arizona Ranger Bud Hagan, and this is Wyatt Earp, marshal of Tombstone. We were tracking a rustler but we gave it up for a bad job. Thought we might stop by and visit Leon Applebee."
"Of course. Leon is down at the house. I'm his mother. Guess which one of us gets to hunt down lost pigs?"
Wyatt smiled. "Ma'am, it sounds like you have the talent for it."
"I should smile. I was the hog calling champion of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania three years running. Leon never had the talent for it." She gave her call again and a large hog broke out of the brush. She waved her arms and shooed it back towards the small ranch.
"Honestly, Ill never understand pigs. Leon treats them like royalty, feeding them the best food available and giving them nice big pens so that they can be clean. And what does this hog do? Gets the wanderlust and just has to see what lies beyond the next hill." She shook her head again and repeated her words. "I'll never understand pigs."
Leon Applebee met them at his front gate. "Howdy, fellows, it's good to get some company. I've been stuck here for I don't know how long with three women. Gets so I'm not my own boss."
"Sounds rough," said Wyatt dryly.
If Applebee noticed the witticism he didn't let on. "I don't even have to defend the place anymore. My daughter Linda gave a couple of would-be thieves a taste of birdshot last night. I don't think they will be back."
"What? Linda did that?" The words just slipped out before the ranger could stop them. He had met Linda and thought she was a delightful young woman. She was certainly no old maid just because she was twentyfive.
"Oh, that's right, you know her, don't you. Don't worry; she's okay."
Wyatt put his finger on an interesting fact. "Last night was kind of busy, wasn't it?"
"Yes, now that you mention it," pondered Hagan, "it was. I wonder if there was a larger motive for these activities?"
"We'll probably know, sooner or later." Earp turned to Applebee, "Are there any tracks worth checking out?"
"None that I could see." replied Leon. "I spent most of the day trying, but it wasn't any use.
"They came down through that patch of pine over there, and Linda was just coming home from quail hunting or she would never of seen them. It's too dark in those trees. Anyway, they came out in front of her to cut out a few steers. When they did she hollered at them to stop. They didn't so she cut loose with her scattergun and sent them running. I doubt if they've stopped yet."
"We had a similar attempt a few mile north of here last night," said the ranger. "I captured one and we've been out tracking the other. We finally gave up."
"Well, you may as well spend the night here," offered Leon Applebee. "You can have a good feed and we could use the company. Watch out for Ma; she's trying to marry off Linda."
They went up to the porch to sit and wait for dinner. It was a beautiful setting, and Hagan told the host as much. "This is sure a nice spread, Leon. You've done a lot of work here."
"You'd best believe it. It wasn't much different from Kitchen's when I started out. I had to haul those poles a long way, but it was worth it to keep the pigs in one spot. They can escape if they put their mind to it, but most of them don't. Ma was some upset with that one today. He'll be bacon in another week or I miss my guess.
"And then we get the other extreme," he said as a half grown hog came oinking up to the side of the porch. "That, believe it or not, is Pluto. Linda always has a couple she makes pets of, and he is the latest one. He has the run of the place. She claims he keeps down the snakes and such. I suppose he does but he is an awful pest."
As if to deny the words, the hog began to scratch his back on the corner of the porch and grunt his satisfaction. When he headed for the flower garden Leon stood up and hollered at him.
"Pluto, get out of that garden! I'll turn you into fat back and bacon one of these days."
"Pa, don't you be scaring Pluto. You know how sensitive he is!" The three men had to grin at this. Pluto looked like he was unaware of anything but his stomach.
Leon now ordered his daughter to help her mother with supper. "And put on a nice spread. Your ranger has come all this way to see you and here you are talking about dumb hogs."
"Bud, you've been out chasing some outlaw and I know it. Don't pay any attention to Pa. I think he's growing senile."
"I'll senile you," roared her father as he took a fake swipe at her rump. When she had gone in Leon turned to the ranger. "You know you can stop by anytime to see her, don't you? You're welcome here, and she is getting older. She should have her own man to boss around. Maybe she'd get out of my hair then. Well, maybe just part of the time."
"Thank you, but I doubt Linda has any interest in anybody my age."
"The older I get the more I realize age is just a relative thing. People put too much stock in it. You would be good for Linda, don't you agree, Mr. Earp?"
The marshal was grinning widely. "Absolutely. Hagan has been alone for too long. The change would do him a world of good. And please, make it Wyatt."
When Mrs. Applebee called them in they could see the women really had outdone themselves with the food. A huge roast of pork resting in its own juices dominated the center of the table. Circled around it were bowls of potatoes, yams, corn, pickles and plenty of the outdoorsman's favorite, hot biscuits.
As usual, each man reached for a biscuit first and slathered it with butter. Be it bannock, bread or biscuit, most men who spend a lot of time outside go for these staples first. Perhaps it is because bread is the one thing you can not hunt down when in the wilderness.
When everyone had commented on how good the biscuits were, Mrs. Applebee announced that Linda made that batch all by herself. She directed her gaze at the ranger as she said this and he felt himself redden. These people were bound to see him hitched! Well, they would see about that!
"She's a good cook, isn't she, Wyatt?" The ranger was trying to shift the attention but Wyatt was onto him.
"Do you always feed like this, Leon?" Earp had managed to change the subject in a hurry. Bud noticed that he didn't look at either of the women, either.
"It helps when company comes," admitted Leon. "Then both women get into the act. Did I see you doing something with your hat, Linda?" He was referring to the old expression in which a young lady "set her cap" for the beau that she wanted.
"No, you did not. Don't you pay him any mind Bud. He's worse than an old woman when it comes to matchmaking."
Linda's mother now piped up. "You two should sing a duet after we eat. You should hear them sing harmonies, Me. Earp. They make beautiful music."
The ranger had expected her to add the word "together," but she had stopped just shy of that. He wasn't sure if he was glad or not. Linda shared a look with him that told him she had also picked up on the wordage.
Hagan thought a lot of the girl, but the difference in ages weighed on his mind. Heck, her father was the same age as he was. Why this didn't bother Leon he didn't know.
When the men were all so full they were sure they would burst, Linda went to the kitchen and brought out a mock apple pie. The men all groaned with pleasure for this was a rare treat. Made with soda crackers and spices, a mock apple pie was a treasure if made by a good cook.
Bud turned to Wyatt. "Isn't this good? I think it's the best I've ever had."
In a low voice Earp replied, "Best trap I ever ate."
The ranger looked at him sternly, but Wyatt had a look of innocence as he munched on the tasty dessert.
When the repast was done they all retired to the sitting room. This was a rarity in a western ranch, but Mrs. Applebee had one in her home back east and insisted on having one here. There were bookcases, straight back chairs and a piano for entertainment. The braided rug in the center of the floor attested to many hours spent in braiding and sewing rags.
Linda sang and played "Oh, Suzana," and they all joined in. Then Hagan went to stand beside her and together they performed "Conkles and Mussels."
Mrs. Applebee and her mother-in-law absolutely beamed at the beauty of the rendition. The men politely applauded. Leon asked Wyatt, "They do make quite a team, don't they, Marshal?"
"Indeed they do," said Earp as he watched the couple. "Indeed they do."
Mr. Applebee stood up. "Linda, why don't I go out and make the rounds tonight. You had your share of trouble last night."
"That's okay, Pa, I'll go. Pluto walks along with me and will warm me if anything is up." Her father snorted with derision at this statement.
"He will," she insisted. "He's smarter than most dogs, and he has a better nose."
This was a new one on her father. "Now why would you think that a pig has a good nose?"
"Because pigs do, that's why. Haven't you ever heard of them hunting truffles in France?" Her father shook his head 'no.'
"Well, a truffle is a mushroom that lives under ground and you can't see it. So they take hogs to sniff them out. The pig points where to dig, and sure enough, under the ground there is a truffle."
"And why do they look so hard for these truffles?"
"Oh, Pa, why do you think? Because they are good to eat. They're a delicacy."
"I'll bet."
"Leon, don't you give her a hard time," Mrs. Applebee demanded. "I swear, I have never met anybody that likes to argue as much as you do. Linda, why don't you take your ranger out and walk with him. Be careful, just in case those thieves come back."
Bud took a quick glance at Wyatt, but found him to be quite wrapped up in a book. Earp could say more with body language than most men could in three sentences.
When they went outside Linda spoke to Bud. "Don't pay them any heed. They mean well. They just think I'm going to be an old maid. They might be right."
Hagan took exception to this. "Linda, there is no way you will become an old maid. You are much too beautiful for that."
"Why thank you, Bud," she told him as she drew near. "I want...
What she wanted would have to wait, for galloping into the ranch yard were a half dozen riders, who yelled, "Diablo! The devil was out there and stole our cattle!"
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