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Back Come Again No More Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover
  3. Title Page
  4. Contents
  5. PART I 
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. PART II 
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. PART III 
  38. 31.
  39. 32.
  40. 33.
  41. 34.
  42. 35.
  43. 36.
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. PART IV 
  48. 40.
  49. 41.
  50. 42.
  51. 43.
  52. 44.
  53. 45.
  54. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  55. Touchstone Reading Group Guide

Eli smiled. “That was fun, wasn’t it? You know Bill will try some way to get even, but I’ve wanted to tell the bastard what I thought of him for twenty years. This whole ride was worth it just for that. Now if we don’t get home quick, I’m goin to have to walk. I’ve rode just about as far as I can go.”

“Me too. When we get home I’ll make you a bath with Epsom salts.”

“You first. Ladies before gentlemen.”

They took the straight and easy road back to the 8T8 and made it by late afternoon. The riders came in hard the last half mile, thundered past the house like cowpokes letting loose in Dodge City back in the days of the big trail drives from Texas. Once the animals were put away, they came up to the house whooping and hollering, dirty and happy. They found Jolene and Jenny getting ready to put a feed on. They weren’t back an hour when a steady parade of ranchers in automobiles and cowboys on horseback started coming by. They had heard what happened, how Eli had tweaked the nose of the hated Big Bill Bury and freed the black all at the same time, of the wild ride to Bighorn Canyon trailing five hundred mustangs and the confrontation with Bury on the way down. They came by to pay their respects and stayed to have a plate of beef and spuds and a snort or three of Eli’s whiskey. When Juanita saw another carload rolling in, she leaned over to whisper to Emaline. “I swear, nobody in Wyoming needs a telephone. Something happens and people just know about it. I think they were sending up smoke signals.”

By seven o’clock they had eaten two hogs and most of a steer, there was a fiddle out, someone had located a dozen bottles of blackberry wine. Eli said the only thing that spoiled the party was that he couldn’t find that damned Poland China boar, but Juanita knew he had seen the big hog down by the bunkhouse waiting for Zeke and let it be. He wouldn’t butcher it, but he wouldn’t give it back to Zeke Ketcham either.

Emaline danced with Farron, Juanita danced with Eli. Jolene tried to get Ezra up to dance, but he said he was too sore, so she lifted Red and spun him around until he collapsed in a fit of giggles.