Riding For The Brand: Sage Country Book Three Read online

  The resulting murmur from the crowd was not wasted on the chairman.

  “Hmmm. Yes, of course. I see here you have requested additional deputies, once again. I don’t see any need for …”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Chairman. I believe this is the time when I’m supposed to explain my request and outline the benefits to the county. Are you calling for a vote without discussion?”

  “Well, no but…”

  “My department now has one less deputy since the last meeting of this board. Additionally, the county is providing a law enforcement presence up at North Fork. As you may be aware, at the request of the Governor, all open gambling and prostitution has been shut down in North Fork…”

  “We all know what you’ve done, and how you did it. You’re nothing but a two bit gunman…” The chairman started.

  The sound of the angry protests from the crowd drowned out his next words. Two of the committee members rose to their feet and began shouting at the chairman, who began pounding his gavel in earnest. When order was restored, he tried again.

  “I apologize for my previous remark, Sheriff Sage. The fact I personally find your behavior to be reprehensible should not affect the course of this meeting. Please conclude your remarks so we can vote on the matter.”

  “My point is this, Mr. Chairman. The sheriff’s department is actively engaged in law enforcement throughout the county, enforcing ordinances, collecting fines, seizing property, managing the jail, transporting prisoners and providing security at trials. We just don’t have enough men to do it all as well as it should be done.

  As you know, there was a recent jailbreak. It could’ve been avoided if I had more deputies. The county continues to grow in population and tax revenue continues to increase, but I now have fewer deputies than I had last month.”

  The crowd began to murmur again. I saw Jerry Starnes, the publisher, reporter, printer and owner of the Bear Creek Banner, writing furiously with his pencil.

  I spoke up a little louder.

  “I need to keep a deputy up at North Fork, and another out at Waller. It takes hours to get to either of those locations and we only go there in response to a problem. The people of those communities pay taxes just like the citizens of Bear Creek. They have a right to feel their law enforcement needs are being met as well. I need at least three more deputies in order to effectively provide for the law enforcement needs of the people of this county.”

  The crowd continued to murmur in agreement.

  The chairman banged his gavel again.

  “Does that conclude your remarks, Sheriff Sage?”

  “On this part of the agenda, yes sir.”

  “Fine, we’ll vote on it then.”

  “Hang on, Jed. The other members of the committee are entitled to discuss the matter before it comes up for a vote.” One of the commissioners pointed out.

  “Very well, is there any discussion?”

  “I’d like to say something,” Tom said, as he stood up from his seat in the crowd.

  “I’m sorry, Chief Smith, but we can’t include members of the public in this discussion. It is a matter of order. You’ll have to save any comments until we move on to new business.”

  “Well now, Jed, it seems to me the Chief of Police isn’t just an ordinary member of the public. Because he’s actively involved in law enforcement too, I’ll let him make his comment in my place.” One of the other commissioners offered.

  “Uhh, I don’t know if you can do that…”

  “…Won’t take me but a minute.” Tom said.

  “Well, please be brief.”

  “Sheriff Sage is the best lawman I’ve ever met. He’s been a very good friend to my department. I have prisoners in his jail almost every day. When the bank was robbed, he was the one who tracked the robbers and it was his hard work that eventually nearly got him killed, just a couple of weeks ago.”

  The crowd buzzed in agreement.

  “Chief Smith, is there some point to this story?” The chairman asked.

  “Yes sir, the point is as the Chief of Police for the city of Bear Creek, I think the Sheriff should get whatever he asks for.” Tom said.

  The crowd roared in agreement.

  The chairman banged his gavel and waited for the crowd to settle down.

  “Is there any further discussion?” He asked.

  When there was no response from the other commissioners, the chairman called for a vote. The vote was five to two in favor of my getting three new deputies. I’d been hoping there was a slim chance I might get even one!

  We had some other minor issues to discuss and the only vote taken was to accept my report as given.

  “As this concludes the agenda items, I’ll ask if there is any new business to be brought before the board of commissioners,” the Chairman said, with eager anticipation.

  Before he had the chance to begin a discussion of my performance, I spoke up.

  “Yes, there is.”

  The chairman scowled.

  “Sheriff, why didn’t you mention this before and have it added to the agenda.”

  “I just received a letter today which prompts me to bring the matter to your attention.”

  “And what is this matter?”

  “It’s about the orphans. We’re all aware in the last few weeks; there’ve been a large number of incidents of petty theft which appear to have been the work of unattended children. These children don’t have anyone to take care of them and they’re learning to take care of themselves, by any means necessary. The problem is nearly unmanageable now, and it will only get worse unless we do something about it.”

  “As you said, we’re all aware of the problem, Sheriff Sage. We don’t know who these children are or where they came from. I suppose we could round them up and ship them off to some sort of state run work facility. What would that cost?” The chairman asked.

  There was an angry murmur from the crowd.

  “Such action would be rather cruel, and it wouldn’t solve the problem. May I share the contents of the letter I mentioned?”

  “Proceed.” The chairman said, with some reluctance.

  “This letter details the terms of the gift to the county of about twenty five acres of land and a large house in excellent condition. I’ll skip the personal parts and just read the pertinent details.

  “The land and the house are a gift to Alta Vista County, subject to the following provisions; The land and house are to be used by the county for one purpose and one purpose only, that being the establishment and maintenance of an orphanage to house and care for any and all orphaned children found within the boundaries of Alta Vista County. The house and land may not be sold by the county or used for any purpose other than the establishment and maintenance of the Alta Vista County orphanage”.

  The crowd interrupted me with a round of applause and cheering. When the hubbub died down, I resumed my appeal.

  “The deed to the property is included with the letter, Mr. Chairman. There is also a monetary gift, which is to be used to provision the house with such furnishings and facilities as may be needed to house and feed the orphaned children.”

  There was more applause from the crowd.

  “There is however one additional proviso the county must accept, or the gift will not be made.” I said, not at all happy at having to mention it.

  “And that is?” asked the chairman.

  I read the statement as written in the letter.

  “This gift is contingent on each and every one of these provisions being fully met; failure to meet any one of these provisions will negate the deed and cause forfeiture of the gift. The final provision herein is that the property and the orphanage once established on it, is from henceforth and in perpetuity to be called ...The John Everett Sage Children’s Home of Alta Vista County.”

  8.

  When the racket finally died down, there was considerable discussion and several members of the public were very clear about how they would vote in future elections if the
county failed to adopt the proposal.

  It was stated by several people that if any one of the current county commissioners did not vote to accept the gift and get the orphanage started, right away, they needn’t be concerned about running for office in the future.

  The vote accepting the gift with its full provisions was eventually approved. Then they tried to postpone any discussion of funding for the orphanage for a month, until the next meeting. That met with substantial rancor from the assembled multitudes. There was even some name calling. Finally the commissioners agreed to conduct a special meeting in one week to set the budget for the orphanage, allowing them time to do some research on what might be reasonable expenses.

  I knew Emma had put that last provision in as a way to thumb her nose at the stuffed shirts who ran the county. She hadn’t consulted me and it came as a shock when I read it.

  I was generally pleased with the way the commissioners meeting had gone, but I knew my enemies would be even more galvanized because of it. That was confirmed in my view when I read the Bear Creek Banner the next day.

  Shifty Sheriff Shafts the County

  The Alta Vista County Board of Commissioners were stunned last night to learn that our gunslinger Sheriff, John Everett Sage, has used his position to coerce a woman of ill repute into donating a certain property (that had once been a house of iniquity) to the county. Apparently, not only has Sheriff Sage extorted the property from this poor unfortunate woman, but he has browbeaten her into having the property named after him!

  This reporter has learned the woman was once a citizen of this county and a resident of Bear Creek. She was forced to flee this area in fear and loathing of our gun happy Sheriff. No doubt she fled in fear for her very life!

  Citizens are outraged

  This is the same Sheriff Sage, who took it upon himself to go to the town of North Fork and gun down anyone he thought was operating a business he was not personally profiting from. This reporter has learned that Sheriff Sage put a county employee in residence (at the county’s expense) in North Fork to enforce the sheriff’s rule. Perhaps now, he will be able to enjoy the additional income from the proceeds of all his shady business in that community!

  The State of Colorado is shocked and scandalized

  I couldn’t bring myself to read any more of the story, which nearly filled the front page.

  “You’ve got to let it go, John.” Tom said. “You saw yourself how much support you had at the meeting last night.”

  “Sure, but that didn’t get reported did it? Not only did they distort the story, but they didn’t even mention there was going to be an orphanage.”

  “Well that’s the thing that matters. I’ve instructed my officers to start locating as many of these kids as possible. For now, we’re just going to determine how many there are and where they are. Once we get the orphanage staffed. We’ll start gathering them up.”

  “How many do you think there are?”

  “There are four or five who are more than ten years old, and we think there are another five or six younger than that. We know at least three or four of them are girls. There could be ten or even a dozen orphaned kids on the street, all together.”

  “The house could handle almost twice that many, easy. We figured with a little modification it could house as many as twenty four, with a married couple in residence as well. When we first started talking about this, the local churches were going to provide staffing, but now that we know the orphanage is going to be up at North Fork, it won’t be feasible.” I said.

  “True, but I’ll bet we can get the churches to either take up special offerings, or agree to help local families adopt one or some of these children. They’ll still want to be a part of this and support it somehow.”

  “You’re right, they will. Tom, I know of a woman up at North Fork who would love to cook and clean at the orphanage. I just don’t know how to get her hired. If I so much as open my mouth, the newspaper will have her run out of town on a rail.

  Tom grinned. “…Right behind you.”

  “We can get this thing staffed and running before the snow flies up there, but only if I’m not involved. If I have anything further to do with it, I’m afraid the commissioners will find a way to shut it down, indefinitely. We’ll need to make arrangements for everything before the meeting next week. The burden for that is going to fall on you.”

  “I’ll handle it. I’ll start talking to certain people and get some financial pledges all lined up. If the commissioners try to pull some delaying tactic, we’ll fund the start-up privately. That should embarrass the county into action.”

  “It’s a good plan, but don’t count on the commissioners being embarrassed into action. If they find out there are plans to fund the start-up without financial support from the county …It would probably make them happy.”

  “Don’t worry, John, I have a few aces up my sleeve.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you do at that.”

  “We’ll get it handled.”

  “There’s something else I need to ask of you, Tom.”

  “OK, what is it.”

  “I’m planning to leave town for a little while. Just a few days probably, but Lora hates to be alone, and well, I need to know they’ll be safe. Will you and Becky stay with her and the kids at night, while I’m gone?”

  “I’ll have to talk to Becky about it, John. I’ll bet she won’t mind not having to cook for a few days,” he grinned.

  “I hate to impose, but there’s nobody else I can count on. Besides, Becky is Lora’s best friend.”

  “I know it, and Becky really enjoys playing with those kids.”

  “You’ll have your own child soon. When is Becky due, November, right?”

  “Doc says probably the middle of November, only about ten more weeks.”

  “That will be cause for thanksgiving!” I slapped him on the back.

  “Where are you planning to go, John?”

  “I’ve wanted to see if I can learn what became of Jake and Sarah’s parents. I’ve been to the courthouse and found the property deed. It has pretty clear calls and landmark references. Jake tells me they lived right below Yellow Butte, so I guess I’ll start there. I may be able to locate a relative or someone who has a claim on them.”

  “John, you’re not planning to give them up are you? It seems to me those kids have grown mighty fond of you, and you of them. I’ve never heard you call Jacob ‘Jake’ before.”

  “No. I can’t even imagine giving them up, but it would be wrong to keep them from their rightful family. What if they have folks down there who are grieving over their loss?”

  He nodded his agreement.

  “Well, I’ll bet a little change of pace will be good for you. Getting out and seeing some new country, and not having the full weight of the Sheriff’s office riding you, is bound to feel good. I wish I could go with you.”

  “I wish you could too.”

  “I expect you and Dusty will do just fine. Don’t give another thought to what’s going on here. Just stretch your legs and clear your head. It’ll do you good to have a break from law enforcement.”

  9.

  “John, promise me you’ll be careful out there.” Lora said.

  We were piled up in the bed. The kids were still asleep.

  “I guess I’m about the most careful man I know. Besides, I’m just going to be scouting around in search of some kin to Jake and Sarah.”

  “It seems like any time you ride off, I never know for sure if you will be coming back.”

  “Baby, I’ll always come back to you.”

  “Well, this time make sure you don’t come back all shot up.”

  “Now, that is sound advice.”

  “It isn’t advice, it’s an ultimatum.” She slapped me playfully on the chest.

  “Fair enough, but I’m not going to be hot on the trail of an escaping outlaw or tracking renegades. I’m just out for a pleasant ride in new country. This is personal business, not law enfo
rcement.”

  “I hope you don’t find any of their kin folks, John. I love Sarah and Jake. I can’t imagine having to give them up.”

  I knew how she felt. I couldn’t imagine doing it either.

  “What about you, John? Could you give them up so easily? She sat up suddenly and looked me in the eye. “I mean it. John, please tell me you love them as much as I do…”

  “Yes, I do, baby. I sure do. I don’t want to give them up, but it’s only right we at least try to get them back with their own family.”

  “We are their family now, John!”

  I nodded, trying to ignore the sudden rush of emotion that was causing my eyes to water. What was wrong with me? I had a lump in my throat and it wasn’t like me.

  “They love us too, John. I know they do. You know it, don’t you?”

  I nodded again, still unable to speak.

  “You’re right though. I knew this day would have to come. We always said we would try to find any family they might have. It’s the right thing to do. Now is the time. Putting it off won’t change anything. It would just make it that much harder to let go.” She conceded.

  “There are other things I’d like to know.” I mumbled.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did their mother get a decent burial? All we know is she’d been sick and when she died, the kids let the milk cow go, and they walked to Bear Creek.

  What happened to their father? All we know is he was killed somewhere away from their home.

  Why did they walk barefoot all the way to Bear Creek? Those are just some of the questions I would like to have answered.”

  “Me too,” she agreed.

  ***

  At breakfast, the kids were almost chatty.

  “Do you think we could ride on Dusty today?” Jake asked me?

  “No, not today, Jake. I have to go out of town for a while. Dusty and I will be gone for a few days.”