Chapter 8

Sue was indeed a hardheaded woman, but she was no Lewis in any other way. Only that she wasn't quite fond of animals or the fact that this one had been sleeping in Ned's bedroom the other night, when they should always be outside. She especially did not like anyone or anything being in her way whenever she was busy carrying stuff or tidying up rooms around the house. Sue was one of those people that liked to keep things neat and tidy without missing a spot. That morning she scolded Grace for standing on the steps of the back door with those dirty feet, saying that she just swept those steps. Luckily, Ned was still there to insist that the steps were only meant for people to walk up on, not to keep clean. Because everything gets dirty once in a while. It was time for him and Dan to head back to the office to see how the old loon had been reacting this time.

"Come on Grace, there's no need to worry about what that lady thinks of us," Sampson had been laying on the hay exhausted from too much singing and dancing from yesterday. Even his friend's terrible singing had been ringing in his eardrums all night. He still wished he could have had a better singing voice, because ever since Grace listened to him do it the first time, she believed that's what singing really was. Yet despite all that, he was glad to have made her happy enough to forget all the trouble she endured earlier. "Why, even I have been poked fun at numerous times before."

"Really?" asked Grace curiously. She had been staring up at the sky thoughtfully watching the birds fly by.

"Sure, I mean look at me, you're big and I'm small. But once you grow older and realize that the world is complex, you get used to bein' made fun of. But as my uncle would put it, he would tell me that it don't matter what others think o' me. Its how I feel deep inside."

"Tell me more," Grace took her attention away from the sky and turned to her small companion.

"Well you like singin' don't yah?" Grace nodded her head as he sat up from his lying position. "Now listen carefully, no matter what someone says, no matter what others think, and no matter how someone else sings, don't believe them, because as far as I know, no other singing in the world can compare to yours."

"Do you really mean that?" the little calf looked as if she were ready to break into another song.

"You're darn right I do," Sampson had given her a friendly wink. Grace skipped off to where the flower bed was and started to sing Oh Susannah once more. The critters outside the field either covered their ears or hid underneath the burrow. Sampson grabbed a bundle of hay and covered his entire head hopefully to keep the noise level down. Maybe this wasn't such a bright idea. Then again what else could he have done; just let her be miserable for the rest of her life? When he mentioned about not mattering how someone else sang, he meant no matter how someone else sings badly. Oh well, maybe someone else can teach her the joy of life and singing. For now, he dozed off for a nice long nap.

"Sheriff Jones, Sheriff Jones!" one of the deputies came running over to Ned all panic stricken and breathing heavily.

"What is it, what happened?" Ned asked suspiciously.

"The prisoner has escaped and it seems the Yeller Gang has caused an outrage amongst the townspeople." Everyone had been dashing into their homes, locking up the stores putting up closed signs, or just simply running around yelling and panicking.

"I knew that filthy rascal was on to something! Well I hate to have to do this!" Ned growled. Quickly, he reached into his holster and pulled out his revolver shooting into the air with a BANG! The townspeople stopped what they were doing and turned to where Ned and the deputy were standing.

"Folks, folks, don't you see what's happenin' here? This is precisely what those crooks want from us! The more we give in to this fear, the weaker and defenseless we become!"

"But how'd you stand up to five outlaws armed from top to bottom?" an old man finally spoke through the crowd. "We have nothin' to fight off any one with that kind of attitude. Sorry sheriff, I'm movin' on outta here!" He mumbled pushing through the crowd.

"See what I mean?" Ned warned

But everybody seemed to agree with the old man and went back to panicking through the streets pushing and shoving alongside each other.

Frustrated, Ned let out a sigh. If the townspeople kept this up, there may not be a town no more.

"Sheriff, what do we do now?" the deputy asked him worriedly. Ned looked down at Dan who had a worried expression as well as he did. Moments later his courage returned; crimes like this will not go unpunished.

"We track down those crooks tonight, even if it takes us all year."

Meanwhile at Ned's home, Grace felt all tired out from playing fun and games with the little butterflies and felt it would be best if she joined in Sampson for a little afternoon nap. While they were napping, Sue had been doing her usual chores in the kitchen endlessly. If that vile beast had been wandering around here, she'd make sure everything had to be cleaned off.

Because her mind was focused on the chairs around the table, she didn't hear or notice a mysterious masked stranger in dark clothing, riding atop a black steed, sneak around the back yard. His cold steel eyes gazed directly below on the sleeping calf that looked to be having sweet dreams of a place filled with paradise.

"Sleep well my young ruffian, because you're cumin' with me," he whispered dangerously as he lowered his right hand down to reach for her neck. Sampson, being a light sleeper, was awakened by the horses snorting and was shocked to find an outlaw attempting to kidnap his friend. He jumped up on his hand and bit as hard as he could into his thumb.

"YEOUCH! What in tar nation is…oh a mouse?" Swinging his hand, Sampson was thrown aside and landed in the water trough with a small splash. "Now where were we? Ah yes…as for you!"

"Stop right there, who are you to bust in on someone's property?" shouted an angry Sue bursting out the backdoor. The stranger then pointed his gun at the house maid which sent her shivering on the ground in fear.

"Don't move! I didn't come here for none o' yer worthless household items. I'll just be taken her if you don't mind!" He roared seizing the dozy calf by the scruff of her neck and flinging her over his saddlebow. By now, she had awakened to find herself a few feet above ground. She turned her head up and her drowsy eyes turned to fear leaving her to shriek and struggle in the rider's saddle, but to no avail, she could not break free. The rider elbowed her across the back of the head unconscious.

"There, that'll shut ya up!" he turned to the maid still on the ground shivering. "Have a nice day ma'am!" Those were his last words before galloping off into the high plains with an unconscious Grace. The house maid slowly rose up in case the rider had something else in mind; such as turning around and shooting at her. But it never happened. Still, why would he be sneaking around to only be interested in a simple, yet dirty little calf?

"What happened here?" Ned appeared at the doorway surprisingly.

"Ned," Sue tried to explain as she stuttered. "There was a…rider back here and he…grabbed the dirty calf then…took off just like that."

Ned was unsure. "Did he mention anything about a drunkard or robbery?"

"No, he just said that he'd be takin' her along…and then just disappeared." Sue shrugged her shoulders.

"Then that rider must be one o' them?"

"What do you mean?"

"A member of the Yeller Gang! Who else? All I know is that we got to stop those men before they cause this place to become a ghost town. Come along Dan." The dog turned to follow his master but not before, hearing a strange gurgling coming from the water trough. Going over to investigate, a wet mouse broke through coughing up water violently. Dan helped him out with his paw and placed him on the ground still hacking.

"Did you see them, was it them?" he asked a drenched up Sampson.

"Grace, he took Grace!" Sampson cried. "It had to be one o' them! We've got to help her!"

"Now calm down! Panicking won't get us anywhere. Climb on my back if you want to save your friend, but you'll need to do as you're told. We ain't got too much time to get there." Sampson hopped aboard between Dan's shoulders and held tightly to his collar.

"Dan, hurry up!" Ned's voice could be overheard from the front porch to where they were standing. Dan followed his master's voice from the front porch.

"Well, sheriff where to?" asked the deputy. The sheriff's men were now on their horses awaiting orders.

Mounting his horse, Ned replied, "We allow my dog to sniff out their trail. He's been an expert at trackin' since I first got him. Do your thing boy."

The horse riders followed the sheriff's hunting dog from Ned's house to the high plains. What a view it was, seeing the sun begin to set below the horizon. No time for sightseeing, there were some outlaws still on the loose with an innocent baby animal as their only hostage. Who knows what they have in store for her.