THE TRAIL TO TOMBSTONE 7

the next morning dale and billy left gleeson just at day light headed south. they took a big tall ridge that was dropping south. they had asked everyone they met for directions to judd wilkins ranch and everyone shook their heads and stated they never heard of it. the country to the south of gleeson was broken and cross cut with arroyos and deep draws. dale had pack a bit of provisions on the little pack horse so he felt they could spend a fair amount of time searching.. mid day they stopped on a high point and took a rest. neither man had much to say. while spearing sliced peaches from a can and looking south billy suddenly stopped. he stared south for a few moments then finally said" there" pointing south with his fork. below them they could just make out the outline of a roof. they mounted and started on down the ridge. a half hour later they rode into a flat spot between two arroyyos. a rock and adobe house stood to one side, long and narrow. the door hung by one hinge. the roof was thatched with yucca fronds. opposit it was a large corral made from rock and adobe but not finished. it would hold 500 head when finished. but parts of the walls were only 3 feet tall.behind the house next to a arroyo bank was a patch of green , a small tree and some grasses. rideing over to it dale realized it was a seep. turning to billy he grinned " how ever so humble home sweet home." billy only grunted. at the corral billy found a adobe brick with the jw brand inbedded in it." well i guess this is it for sure" dale stepped off his horse and went to the house door. looking in he saw the floor was dirt and a few basic peices of furniture a small table, a couple of wooden bed frames and a wooden chair or two. no stove, just a fire place in one end of the building.scrapping around in the house trying to make a place to cook and sleep they realized the dirt floor was just a covering . the real floor was flagstone! the dirt had been carried in by livestock, wind and such. the thatch roof showed day lite in places.the basics was there but a lot of work lay ahead shapeing it up. billy decided he would clean the seep out while dale was gone to the county seat. dale stated he would try to find some help while gone to the county seat.. many plans were needed..