Chapter 2

"Whoa Nellie was he really that wicked as you say he was?" Maggie asked in a somewhat I don't believe it kind of way.

"I believe what she says is true," Mrs. Calloway answered in a stern tone. "Haven't you been listening at all?"

Maggie, a bit taken aback at that statement said, "Of course I've been listening. I have never met any owner who behaved like a wild animal, not to mention runnin' and rampin'."

"So what else happened?" Mrs. Calloway asked not wanting to start a pointless argument while Grace was in the middle of her story.

"We began our first escape."

"Grace, come see what I found!" Sampson called from behind a piece of wood. What could he have found that was filling him with joy? Grace strolled over to see.

"What is it?" She asked.

Sampson pushed the thin wood aside to reveal a secret limited door. It seemed as if the door had been hidden for ages.

"What is this door doin' here?" She wondered out of curiosity.

"Beats me, but I think we might be able to escape through here. If only I could reach that handle up there." He leaped repeatedly intending to unlock the door, but Grace placed her hoof on the handle which opened with a click.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" said Sampson jokingly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Wait here a moment." He poked his head out and could only see the backyard filled with wine barrels, pitchforks, and other farm tools. Quietly, he tip-toed outside to check every corner of the barnyard. Silence outside and nothing but the tumbling tumbleweeds strolling by from every corner. Lewis was no where in sight. Moments later, he came back with relief. "The coast is clear; let's get goin' before he returns." He bounced on top of Grace's head. She poked her head out to have a clear view of the outside area. A proud smile drew across her face. Fresh air and a wonderful opportunity to be out of the shack.

Despite her fears, Grace felt determined to escape with her life in search of a cruelty-free environment. But there was one thing wrong after heading out: they forgot to close the door!

"Suppertime bovine, come and get it before…" Lewis jolted in a half hour later returning from town, only to find that the shack was empty. Throwing the pail down in a fit of fury with his fists curled up, he exploded. "Alright come on out wherever you are!" Searching every corner, he found something suspicious behind a thin piece of board. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He folded his muscular arms across his chest and smiled wickedly. "Looks like my threat wasn't frightenin' enough, but all that's about to change." What could he possibly mean by that? Swiping the whip from a latch, he shoved the front door aside and muttered under his breath. "I doubt she'll get past the Yeller Gang." Then he followed the trail.

The Yeller Gang were a group of ruthless bandits who robbed banks, trains, shot at Indians, gambled and terrorized towns with their gunshots. Their hideout was located about fifteen square blocks away from Lewis's home. No one has ever been able to track them down since their cleverness helped them to avoid capture. It wasn't too long before Grace and Sampson met up with them. How did it happen? While the two companions were still walking amongst the canyon, dusk had fallen and they were a little anxious about where to go next.

"Which way should we go now?" asked Grace worriedly. The gigantic canyons gave the two companions a feeling that they would collapse at anytime.

"Hhmm," mumbled Sampson thoughtfully as he scratched underneath his chin. This wasn't like any other situation he'd ever been in before. "Maybe if we keep goin' straight we'll be able to find a town or a train station."

But when they reached the end of that line, what they heard next was insane laughter.

"Quick, hide!" Sampson whispered roughly in the calf's ear. Grace obeyed his command.

Hiding behind a large boulder, what they viewed appeared to be a group of five men in black leather clothing sitting around a campfire drinking liquor and telling stories about their lives.

"And that's how I became an outlaw," one of the men ranted before gulping liquor down their throat. The men burst out into more laughter frantically between belching and joke-telling. What are these men; are they lost too? Grace thought curiously. Sampson took another quick glance at the men's campfire place and what slept beside their wagon was a big dog; a Doberman pinscher with a rope around his neck tied to the wagon. Great, just what they needed at this moment. Five low-lives and their pet guard dog who were right in front of their path. He couldn't possible lead Grace through here; there had to be a way around them without alerting that big dog.

"Grace let's go around, these folks are bad news," Sampson whispered anxiously from behind her left ear.

"But you said to go this way?" Before the mouse could answer, Grace mistakenly stepped on a small twig. SNAP! It broke in two.

The sound brought one of the men's attentions and awoke the sleeping Doberman. He was feeling wide awake and ready to attack what came near. He let out a deep bellow growl.

"Who's out there?" one man arose from his spot. The others turned to the sound. Nobody answered; but they were not too convinced as the dog kept growling viciously.

"Simmer down boy," one man ordered, placing his hands firmly on the dog's shoulders. Someone was definitely watching them.

"I'd better go check it out." He took up his pistol from his belt and went to investigate. Slinking further into the narrow canyon, the two frightened animals shivered like leaves in the wind as they saw a shadow on the ground forming closer and closer along with the heavy sound of cowboy boots and clanking spurs. For several seconds the man still with his pistol in hand glared suspiciously for any unusual echo; but all he could recently hear were crickets chirping and coyotes howling from miles away. "I could a sworn I heard something, or someone" he muttered turning his head back and forth; still nothing.

"Maybe it was just a jackrabbit," The man shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk back to the campfire. Grace panted and quietly slid from out of her hiding place when the shadow shrunk. She leaned back against the canyon walls and followed Sampson's direction to go back the way they came.

But before they were half way out, the sound of a swoop broke the silence. A lasso was soon thrown unexpectedly toward her direction and wrapped around her neck pulling her back harder. She yelped in pain and fear as she landed on the ground with a thud causing Sampson to fling off rolling into a sticky mud puddle.

"Or maybe it was a cow!" snarled a voice mockingly. Grace turned around. The one who threw the lasso turned out to be the man who investigated. He must have been waiting for her to appear while only pretending to walk back. His eyes took on a sharp glint staring madly at the shuddering bovine. "Look what I found here boys!" he scoffed pulling Grace roughly to the campfire.

"Well, well, well," sneered the leader of the gang with his arms across his chest smoking a cigar. His eyes were like cold steel, his skin was dark tanned, across his face was a thick dreadful scar, and his nose was long and pointed. "Now what's a purty little thing like you doin' way out here?" He leaned down so his face was in front of Grace. He blew a smoke cloud at her face, making her cough a few times. Chuckling, he snagged the rope to her neck attempting to drag her toward the campfire. Filled with fright, the young bovine tried with all her might to pull back.

"I could use a little help here!" The rest of the gang grabbed for the rope that held her. The more Grace resisted, the tighter her bond became. Because of that, she was gasping for air leaving the men to drag her close to the fireplace. One of them smacked her behind the neck causing her to fall and hit her snout on the ground. She groaned in pain from the hard landing. Lifting her head up, she thought she felt something oozy trickling from her nostrils. She gazed down on the ground and discovered it was a few drops of blood. Stunned, she tried to rise up but a boot was placed on her nape forcing her back down with the Doberman growling in her face.

"What should we do with this here spy boy?" The man holding her down called out, aiming his pistol at her. The Doberman bared his sharp pointy teeth awaiting his decision. Anyone could tell from the look on his sleazy grin that he was in the mood for something tasty. He licked his lips.

"I say we skin her and cook her." One suggested with a razor in his hand.

"I say we brand her and sell her."

"I say we reduce her to ashes."

"Why don't we kill her first then have ourselves a tasty meal?"

While the men continued on with their little argument on what to do with her, a mysterious gunshot was fired in the distance breaking their ranting. Behind the cloud of dust appeared Lewis with his gun in left hand. At first the men were worried that they might have been discovered by the authorities; but once they saw who it was, they were relieved.

"Lewis Wesley!" The leader called out surprisingly. Lewis noticed him and walked toward their location. "We didn't think you'd be cumin'. It's been a long time. So what brings ya here?"

"I came here looking for a lost cow; ya haven't seen one wanderin' around lately have ya?" He asked in a high tone with his arms crossed.

"Oh ya mean this here cow?" he pointed at Grace who still lay flat on the ground trembling. Once she heard his voice, she had a feeling she was in a whole lot of trouble now. He caught her outside. "We caught her snoopin' round a while ago. But didn't know she was yours." Lewis glared down on Grace. He smirked cunningly once he saw she had received a nosebleed.

"No need to apologize," he replied stepping toward Grace. "I believe she's learned her lesson. So I'll just be takin her home now." Tugging the rope, Grace sat up with her legs quivering. "Come along ya mangy bovine!" he demanded tugging harder on the rope forcing her straight off the ground and closer to him. "Oh and one more thing," reaching into one of his pockets, Lewis pulled out what appeared to be a hundred dollar bills and tossed it to the leader of the gang. "Ya didn't think I would have forgotten about our agreement have ya?"

"Thanks drop by any time!" He tucked the money into his black jacket. That old Lewis, he thought. He sure knows how to slip a few tricks without anyone suspected anything. No doubt; he use to be a juvenile delinquent and a member of their gang who would help them steal, terrorize citizens, rustle cattle, and kill anybody who stood in their way. They didn't know why he helped them; but neither did they care as long as he kept doing those favors. "Keep the lasso; I already got a spare in the wagon!"

Poor Sampson had a hard time. While Grace was being bullied, he was struggling in the mud determined to help her out, but every step he took was almost like being stuck in quick sand. It was difficult, even for a small critter. He would just sink back deeper. But luckily he pulled free a moment after he saw Grace being lead back by the crazy old geezer.

"Oh no!" he cried, "I'm too late." He hung his head down in shame. Just when they were on their way to freedom, trouble blocks their path. Not only did those goons hurt his companion, but it sounded as if Lewis was somehow in cahoots with them. Could he have been an outlaw as well?

His head rose up with a frown. Whatever the situation, he couldn't just give up yet, what about Grace? Sure their escape attempt was a failure, but standing there feeling sorry for himself won't change a thing. Gathering up his courage he darted over to Lewis as fast as his muddy legs could carry him.

"Alright get in there you!" Lewis demanded shoving Grace forcefully into the shack. After locking the doors behind them, Grace received a hard stinging blow across both her cheeks and a sharp kick in the stomach. She fell on the floor shrieking in pain. "Shut up you!" roared Lewis giving her another kick which caused her to grit her teeth. "Did ya honestly think I'd never catch up with ya?" He seized her by the scruff of the neck and dragged her across the ground, still lying in agony. He went to the darkest corner and released her. She tried to get up but Lewis pinned her back down with his foot. "Don't move!" Taking his foot off her, he took hold of his whip and started whipping her literally. She tried not to make a sound as the whip slashed down on her back painfully. Her eyes began to water from every stroke she received.

It didn't take too long for Sampson to catch up with Lewis. He was stunned to hear the sound of something cracking like thunder. But Sampson squeezed halfway under the walls. When he heard the sound of the whip, he winced as he slapped both his paws on his cheeks gritting his teeth as if he too were being whipped. Uncle Joe never mentioned anything about what to do if your friend was in this kind of trouble. Who knew what might have happened if he were to interfere? After several minutes, the whipping stopped and Sampson opened his eyes to see what else was happening.

"I warned ya once and I warned ya twice," whispered Lewis dangerously. "What else does it take for me to get you to obey?" Grace angrily refused to stare at him, despite hearing his comment. Lewis's face turned red with rage then strongly grabbed hold of her in a headlock forcing her head to meet his. "Now don't you be gettin' smart with me!" The poor cow was so severely weak, that she could only gaze up at him through her half opened eyes. Everything in the entire shack seemed so fuzzy at the moment. "Lucky those boys o' mine found ya; otherwise you'd be sufferin' out in the desert with them vultures pickin' at ya!" Grace felt the painful grip tighten as he continued on with his torrent of hateful words. Finally he threw her head down the ground and slammed out of the shack locking the doors.

Sampson bolted in after he left. To his surprise, Grace had received many whip strokes all over her back. They weren't too deep, but it was still painful to move. Now she was cowering in the corner covering her face with her hooves sobbing softly. He felt more sorrowful and regretful for her than himself.

Later on that night, he winded upward on her back soothing and rubbing the bruises with a cold wet washcloth. He also applied another cloth to her bleeding nose she received from the bandits earlier. "Humph, that big ugly brute; I'm gonna make sure he pays for what he did. One way or another," He snorted angrily. But then his anger changed back to regret when he realized he was going a little rough with the rubbing. "If only there was somethin' I could have done to help you out in the desert."

Right now Grace had been thinking more about those five men. What were they really and why did they want to hurt her?

"Sampson, what were those men?" she choked at last.

"Those men are what townsfolk refer to as outlaws," Sampson replied still rubbing.

"Outlaws are bad men. They lie, cheat, steal, kill, even attempt to hurt folks who are unable to defend themselves. What they did to you out there was exactly another one o' their acts of violence. Worst of all, Lewis could somehow be connected to them."

"Connected?" Grace looked up at him thoughtfully through her teary eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that he might be involved with their criminal acts from past experiences as well."

All Grace could do was stare at the walls confusingly as if she had never heard of an outlaw before. But whatever it is, it didn't sound all too good. Sampson sighed; it had not been easy for him to explain this to anyone especially as young as him. It was difficult to remember every advice his uncle gave him, let alone help someone in need. If Lewis is indeed somehow in cahoots with the bad men, he knew exactly what had to be done.

"Maybe I could go to town and have a talk with the sheriff's huntin' dogs." Then he joked, "If they don't try to eat me first o course." Grace giggled a little at his comment. The least he could do was stand up to a bunch of fearsome canines or alley cats without a single scratch. He could outrun or outsmart them anytime. "Let's call it a night, it's late already."

He decided to stay and sleep next to Grace to ease her pain and loneliness in the darkness which engulfed the shack. Grace could hear the buzzards calling miles away in the distant canyons. One thing they had which she longed wished for was freedom. She often wished she had more friends. Sampson was still her friend but she also desired another cow for a friend who was just as sweet and kindhearted. Never in her earlier life had she a chance to make friends with any other calf before she was purchased three days after her birth. Lewis Wesley had only thought of cattle as stupid mindless delinquents. He believed they had no purpose for living except for valuable possessions such as milk, leather, beef and other products. He also believed they were not meant to feel any kindness or love. Discouraged and still upset by Lewis's abuse, her eyes welled up with warm tears. She couldn't even remember her birth mother or why Lewis would bother purchasing if all he does is hurt her for no reason. The more Grace thought of this, the faster the tears rolled down from her eyes and dropped on the ground. She closed her eyes tighter as if to stop the tears from falling.

The sound of the sniffling woke Sampson as he opened one eye to see Grace had a look of sorrow and her face tearstained. "Grace…" he began, pushing himself up and standing beside her head. "You alright?"

"I'm fine; just tired that's all." But Sampson saw right through her with those teary eyes and soft sniffling.

"Now don't tell me nothin' is wrong when I know it's somethin'. Just ask me anything and I'll answer for you."

"What's it like to be lonesome; to…to not be wanted?" Grace asked, gazing at the wall on her left.

"Is that what you're feelin' at this moment?" He asked with a look of concern.

"What if nobody really wants me around, and what if no one will ever want to…?." Grace stopped as Sampson placed his paws on her face.

"Grace, you should never under any circumstances ever think things like that. I know you're going through a troublesome time right now, but you mustn't give up hope yet." Sampson said, wiping a tear away from her cheek. "I mean just because the bad men stood in the way of our escape plan along with that old goon followin' us don't mean we should stop tryin'; it just means we need a more clever idea on how to get outta this here mess." He added, making Grace smile weakly. "That's what you do, give me a smile." Sampson said, placing his arms halfway across her face drying a few last tears from her cheeks.

"Thank you for being here for me," Grace said letting out one last sniffle before lying back down to sleep.

"No problem." Sampson curled himself up into a tiny fur ball. "No problem at all.