his rifle. Bub could tell his brother was in shock and obviously didn’t know who he was. “A.J. it’s me Bub!” Bub yelled over and over again. It became apparent to Bub that A.J. in his current state thought Bub was trying to harm him. A.J. had found his rifle, cocked it, and was now willing himself to find the strength to aim it at Bub.
A.J. felt his finger try and squeeze back on the trigger as quickly as he felt the entire gun knocked from his grip. The force from the man’s boot striking across the length of the barrel was more than he could fight against in his current condition.
A.J. squinted his eyes tighter trying to adjust them as the man who now stood over him came well into view. The man wore a black Stetson hat that helped cover his facial features in a shadow at any distance further away than nine or ten feet. His corn cob pipe obviously wasn’t lit currently due to the lack of smoke coming from it. A.J. caught himself thinking it must be a habit to just have it in his mouth rather it was lit or not. The man glared at him as A.J. felt his vision and senses becoming clearer by the second. A.J. dropped his eyes to the weapons the man was holding and noticed the rifle he was carrying had a longer barrel then the one A.J. carried. It appeared to be at least a half foot longer in length, the revolver A.J. quickly recognized as the popular Colt 1851 Navy which also had a longer barrel then the five inch one of the Schofield that he carried in his holster. As he felt the man’s eyes bearing down on him A.J. raised his vision back to the man’s face, as he did the man’s mouth opened slightly in a smile while still gripping the pipe with half his teeth. “How did we come to this big brother?” the man questioned in heartfelt disbelief.
A.J. blinked his eyes a few times as the figure slowly lifted his head allowing his face to come into full view. A.J. could clearly see now it was his younger brother standing over him with his guns drawn to his sides. “Bub, is that you?” A.J. asked in disbelief. His younger brother’s smile closed tightly around the pipe that was firmly clinched between his teeth. Bub shook his head slowly side to side as he raised the muzzles of his firearms from pointing at the ground to both sides of A.J. “What…? Why are you doing this to me?” A.J. heard himself ask as Bubs guns leveled out at him.
Bub realized the damage of the round that had busted A.J.s shoulder had sent him into shock. Bub could see the look of confusion in his brother’s eyes, with his guns still in his hands he bent down and slid both his arm under A.J.s, as he lifted A.J. up he felt him go limp in his arms as his brother had finally passed out due to the shock.
“Dam it A.J. I’m not going to let us die here today like this!” Bub stated in anger as he lifted A.J. onto his left shoulder. Bub then holstered his Colt and picked up his brothers rifle as he quickly ran to his horse as fast as he could. As he ran he could hear rifle rounds from the Farlands speed past him and head off into the distance.
Once he reached his horse he threw his brothers arms and upper body over the bottom part of his horse’s neck and saddle horn. He quickly placed A.J.s rifle into the scabbard, mounted his horse, and squeezed the horse’s sides with his spurs. Bubs horse kicked its back legs, then dug its hooves into the dry dirt, and took off as fast as he could run with two riders towards the Davises house.
16
Soph knew something was wrong when she seen just one horse hurrying towards the house. She met Bub at the end of the yard path and helped him get A.J. off the horse. “What happened?” Soph screamed. “Is he dead?”
“No he isn’t dead,” Bub replied, “he’s been shot and passed out from shock.”
“The Farlands?” Soph asked as they carried A.J. into the house.
“Yes. We rode up to check on the cattle and move them to the north,” Bub said. “When we got on top the little hill to the west of the grazing area we noticed a lot of our cattle dead,” Bub continued. “The Farlands where staked out behind them waiting on us. Killed Coffee and shot A.J. before we could get out of there.”
“I had a feeling something was going to happen,” Soph said as they entered the stone house. “Put him on my bed and then go get your guns and put Duncan in the barn. I will take care of A.J.”
Bub laid A.J. on Sophs bed then went to tend to the horse as Soph had instructed him. He made sure to give his horse fresh water and hay then hurried back to the house.
“So Coffee is dead?” Soph asked as she looked at A.J.’s arm.
“Yes he took a few shoots as A.J. dove off him when he seen the Farlands,” Bub said. “It was a blessing though looking back at it now. If Coffee hadn’t been killed A.J. and I wouldn’t have had any cover from the Farlands rifles.
“Sad thing to say Bub,” Soph replied. “At least you two are alive,” Soph said. “The bullet isn’t in there. Looks like it just tore across the top part of his left arm. He is going to need a lot of time to recover Bub. He has part of his muscle missing there now. Grab me the whiskey bottle and I will try and get him sewn up before he wakes up.”
Bub grabbed the whiskey bottle from the kitchen table and handed it to Soph after he took a pull from the bottle himself. Soph wetted a cloth with whiskey and rung it out over A.J.’s arm. When she did that he shot straight up almost knocking Soph off the bed. “What the hell Soph!” A.J. shouted.
“You been shot pretty bad A.J.,” Bub said. “She’s just trying to fix you up.”
“This is going to hurt pretty bad A.J.,” Soph said repositioning herself on the bed. “You better have Bub hold you down and let us find you something to bite down on,” she continued. “I am going to have to stitch this up. Take a pull from the bottle of whiskey first. Bub get A.J. one of the stew spoons and let him bite down on that while I get this stitched up.”
“Dam Bub you pick me up and get me out of there?” A.J. asked finally recalling what had happened to him.
“I did,” Bub said as he came back with the stew spoon and gave it to A.J. to bite on.
“Remind me to thank you later Bub,” A.J. said. “Remind me to thank both of you actually if I make it through Sophs sewing.”
A.J. took two huge drinks from the whiskey bottle and then put the spoon in his mouth and bit down hard. Soph doused the cloth in whiskey again and then went at stitching up her brother. About two stitches into the wound Bub felt A.J. go limp again as he passed out for the second time.
A.J. woke up a few hours later to the smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen. He tried to look at his shoulder but couldn’t get up the strength to lift his head from the pillow. “Soph you in there?” He yelled.
Soph came in with a plate full of beans with bacon and a few biscuits. She also brought the whiskey bottle for him to take a few swigs from to help fight back the pain. “You feel any better?” Soph asked.
“Hell no,” he replied. “Be better if you just knocked me on the head with that bean pot and put me back to sleep.”
“Well you know I am not going to do that. Let me help feed you so you can get some of your strength back,” Soph said.
“Where did Bub go?” A.J. asked.
“He has been out there at the kitchen table puffing on that pipe since we got you stitched up,” She said. “He can’t make up his dam mind if he should risk leaving us here and running to town to tell the sheriff or stay until your well enough to keep watch for the Farlands while he goes.”
“Why doesn’t he just go and you and I can watch the house until he gets back?” A.J. asked.
“Because you done passed out twice now!” Bub yelled from the other room. “I’m not going to leave having you pass out on sis holding just a shotgun for defense if the dam Farlands come for the house!”
“Come in here instead of yelling!” Soph hollered at Bub. “Have some dam consideration for us. You know we aren’t the ones that like to holler around here back and forth. Come in here if you want to talk to us!”
Bub came in puffing on his pipe and mumbling under his breath. “I have an idea if you both would be quiet long enough to hear it,” Bub said glaring at his sister. “Why don’t we all try and get
a good night’s sleep. I will sleep next to the window and keep an ear out for anything stirring around,” he continued. “In the morning you both can keep watch and I will ride to town and alert the sheriff to what has happened.”
Soph and A.J. both agreed to the idea. Soph finished feeding A.J. and getting him back to sleep before she finally fell asleep beside him. Bub fell asleep next to the window in the main room as his pipe went out, holding his rifle, and listening for any sounds that were unusual coming from outside.
17
“Hold you fire!” Owen Farland yelled as he stood up from behind the dead cow he was hiding behind. “Anybody been hit?”
No one claimed to be hit by a bullet or even scratched. “I think Bub made it back the way he came from Owen,” Jim Farland said to his older brother. “I know I hit that skinnier boy, A.J., I think his name was,” he continued. “I wonder if he’s up there dead.”
“Let’s spread out in an arch here and work our way up that hill carefully,” Owen said, “see if he isn’t up there lying dead behind his horse.”
Owen, his brother Jim, and both their boys spread out and carefully walked up the hill watching for any sign of movement. Once at the top they could clearly see both boys were now gone. “It was a good idea of yours to kill all those cows for a diversion and cover