THE JACKASS ROPERS 5

dan unloaded his horses just at dark at the ranch a single lamp glowed through a window casting a pale light into the yard. he led his horses to a corral and turnned them loose in it.going to his truck he he started unloading bags of grocerys. just as he approached the house ellen opened the door for him. as he walked past her he thanked her and told her to leaave the door open he had more to bring in. when pete had told the donkey ropers about the time off they all whooped. they were ready for a few nights in town. dan had been with one of his horses pulling chollla splines from his front lags. he had roped a jackass just as he hit a cholla clump. the jack ass had just barely missed the cactus but dan and his horse were stuck with balls of the painful plant when the rope had gone through the clump sending the cactus into a exploison of balls. dan had been lucky his denim brush jacket and his chaps had kept the castus from his hide but his horse had no such protection.if they had been near a large deep bosy of water he could have soaked the horse in it and splines would have floated loose. but none were available so dan had a small pair of pliares and was laborisly pulleing the thorns one at a time. little dots of bloos showed on the horses chest and legs where the thorns had been removed. pete walked up behind as dan was squatted down working."you musta wanted the jack ass pretty bad to go through that." " i need the money pretty bad so i do what needs doing." dan stated. " well, here s your check for what you been doing. you hogged the jackass ropin. roped more than any one else. "pete was holding a slip of paper. dan stood up and took the check." thanks, the folks at home may be needing some supplys." without looking at the check dan folded it and put it in his shirt pocket. " you wont be back will you?"pete asked." your worth two of the others even if ya dont talk much." "i dont know yet, it depends on what i find at home. if i need more time off will that matter?"dan asked. " you take all the time you want.this deal maybe winding down any way. i think that blm man is getting wise. maybe better to lay low a while. i dont know where the next camp will be but ill leave word at the la cabanna in wickenburg. they wiill know where to find us."pete explained. " ill leave first thing in the morning, thanks" dan turned and led his horse away the next day when dan had gone into the valley national bank he had found out when he tried to cash the check that pete had paid him 500 more than he had comming. on the bottom of the check the word BONUS was scrawled. he shook his head as left the bank. he then spent a hour in the safeway store filling two shopping carts. then he filled his truck with gas . at the local feed store he bought ten sets of horse shoes and a box of nails along with two bags of grain and five salt blocks. two hours later he drove into the yard at the ranch.

THE JACK ASS ROPERS 4

lizzys care giver , ellen was a quiet easy going woman she didnt project her self as a raveing beauty but she could have if she so chose. she was very reserve. her brown hair was cut to shoulder length. she wore almost the same clothes or type of clothes. a plain blouse, denim pants and a pair of penny loafers.a woman just past 40 years of age she had been married once for a short time. she had put her faith and trust in someone who turned out to be a drunkard and abuser. after he had put her in the hospital with a broken arm and jaw she had divorced him and never allowed any man closer than a arms length. . she liked her job looking after lizzy. she liked the location and primitive amenatys. her old lincoln contenental was parked in the yard should she need to leave it was old but comfortable and serviceable. but with all of that she was still haunted with the feeling of not being complete. she couldnt explain it and she didnt share that feeling with anyone. but it persisted. a hundred miles away dan was struggling with his moral compass. every time his loop dropped over the head of one of petes burros he felt a twinge of moral consious. but he justifyed it with the knowledge that lizzy and ellen would need things they wouldnt get if he quit. he fought a inner battle almost daily when he saddled one of his horses to go catch a jackass. no matter how much he argued with him self he couldnt help but like pete. he was loud and concited but you had to like him. and above all he was a cowboy, a damn good one. the fact that he was pulling off one of the grandest frauds in history , pulling the wool over the arrogent goverment mens eyes was almost laughable. but it was playing with matches and a open container of gasoline. for if it was ever exposed to the world he or the men involved would never be able to live past it. if they didnt end up in a federal prison first. the thought of that made dan shiver. what if he did end up there, who would look after lizzy and ellen? he was responsable for more than him self. and there in was the rub. the donkey chasers had moved camp a couple of times. the area they now were in was heavy with cholla cactus. large thickets of it that not even a coyote would enter. they had roped and drug donkeys away from the thickets. dan wasnt sure if these donkeys were plants or were actually native to the area. he didnt want to ask. if he had pete would have swore they were natives. dan just pulled his hat down and roped another jack ass. with each one he caught his stake went up and it wouldnt be long until he could quit this fiasco. pete had promised the crew that they would take a week off soon. he would pay off everyone and they could go home. dan couldnt wait.