Upon being signalled he headed for them, and soon came riding up, his eyes round with wonder as he surveyed the six who constituted the drivers of the cattle.
“Hello! Frank,” called out George Hess, who seemed to know the other; “reckon as how you’re struck next door to dumb awonderin’ what all this means; but I’ll leave it to the boss here to explain. This same is Frank Bowker, Adrian, and about as decent a puncher as the ole man’s got left on the place. Reckon that’s why he’s asendin’ of him to town right now on business.”
“Is that where you’re bound, Frank?” asked Adrian; “perhaps you’ll think I’ve got no right to ask, but you see, I’m the owner of the Bar-S Ranch, and my name’s Sherwood.”
The puncher’s puzzled face was quickly wreathed in a grin, and as rapidly as he could speak he declared that he was mighty glad to meet up with Mr. Sherwood; and that it sure looked as though he had got busy the very first thing he arrived, in recovering the bunch of cattle that the rustlers had run off in a stampede.
Of course Adrian quickly gave him such facts as he deemed the other should know.
“And we’re going to clean up things here, Frank, remember that,” the boy wound up by saying in a quiet but positive way that made the others smile again, and act as though they would like to shake hands all around. “Are you really going to town for Uncle Fred; and if so would you take a written message to the new sheriff for me?”
“Will I?” burst out the other, excitedly; “say, you just try me, that’s all. And I’ll see that he gets the same as sure as I live. And I’ll tell him the time’s come at last for something to be done to round up that Walker crowd. We’ve stood for it too long already; and say, I’m just tickled to death to know there’s a real change acomin’. Wisht I could go back with you; mebbe I wouldn’t give my best pair of boots to be on hand when she larns who you are, and sees them steers adrivin’ right home to the Bar-S corrals. Wow! it’ll be some sight, believe me.”
But Adrian soon convinced Frank that it was his duty to get along to town as speedily as possible, so as to find the new sheriff, and place the letter he, Adrian would write, in his hands.
It took only a short time to prepare the communication, though the boy tried to explain the situation, and impress on the peace officer how necessary it was for him to lose no time in summoning a reliable
posse, and riding out to the ranch house of the Bar-S outfit; for there was likely to be war around that section shortly, since the Walkers must fight before they would acknowledge defeat.