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.