The Case of the Midnight Rustler Read Free Page B

fixing this mower?”
    Uncle Johnny narrowed his eyes and grinned. “I thought you might catch that. Here’s my deal. If I help you get this mower into the field, maybe you can spare old Slim for a little moonlight work.”
    Slim’s brows jumped three inches on that. “Whoa now, hold on just a minute. What’s moonlight work?”
    Uncle Johnny explained his idea. Slim would load a packhorse with camping gear and ride up into the canyon, make camp in an isolated spot, and wait for the rustlers to strike again. Since he wouldn’t be taking a pickup, there would be no fresh tire tracks to alert the rustlers.
    Pretty slick idea, seemed to me.
    â€œYeah, well, there’s one little detail that bothers me,” said Slim. “Bein’ a range detective ain’t one of my many skills, and I’ve got a natural aversion to gettin’ myself shot.”
    â€œOh phooey, you ain’t going to get shot. You don’t have to catch ’em, son, just get close enough to take down a license number and a description of their pickup. The brand inspector can take it from there.”
    â€œWell . . .”
    â€œIt’ll be easy as pie. All you have to do is lay around camp and sleep until they come.”
    â€œNow, I can handle that part.”
    â€œYou got a good dog?”
    Slim’s gaze found me in the shadows. I held my head high and wagged my tail. By George, they wanted a good dog? Well, there I was, and it was about time somebody took notice.
    Slim shook his head. “Nope, just Hank.”
    â€œThere you go. He’ll bark and let you know when somebody’s in the pasture. Until then, all you have to do is lay back and take life easy—and think about me and Loper down here, trying to get this mower put back together.”
    â€œIt’s sounding better and better. I believe me and moonlight work could learn to get along.”
    Loper slapped his hands on his knees and stood up. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Slim, throw some camping gear together and have your camp set up before dark. We’ll slap this mower together and maybe I can get the alfalfa laid down tomorrow morning, before it dries out.”
    â€œWhat’ll I use for a packhorse?”
    Loper thought about that for a minute. “Why don’t you use that three-year-old colt?”
    â€œHe ain’t broke, is all.”
    â€œHe will be, by the time you get to the canyon. That would be the best thing in the world for that old colt. What do you have to lose?”
    Slim rolled his eyes. “Oh, let’s see: my life, my clothes, my pride, my reputation . . . little things like that.”
    â€œWell, it’s the little things that count, so I know you’ll be careful.” Suddenly Loper’s smile disappeared. “Slim, there’s only one thing about this deal that bothers me.”
    â€œOh?”
    He placed a hand on Slim’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “It won’t be easy to carry on this farming without your expert advice and cheerful attitude.”
    â€œI’ll bet.”
    â€œBut I can accept that. I can even accept the possibility that once you get a packsaddle on old Jughead, he might jump off into the canyon and take you with him.”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œThose are acceptable risks, just part of the honor of being a cowboy.”
    â€œYalp. Get to the point, Loper, I’m dying to hear this.”
    â€œSlim, the part that really bothers me is that you’ll be taking my wife’s favorite dog up into the canyons, on a dangerous assignment.”
    â€œI see, uh-huh.”
    â€œAnd I hope you understand how brokenhearted she’d be if anything was to happen to her beloved Hank.”
    My goodness, I had never expected . . . I’d never dreamed that Sally May felt so strongly about, well, ME. I mean, let’s face it. She and I had gone through some moments of tension and stress, and on more