The case of the missing.., p.7
The Case of the Missing Cat,
p.7
“Mmmm, my goodness, the cops are here!”
“That’s right, Kitty. I’ve come to save your worthless carcass, don’t ask me why, but before I do any life saving, I want to hear you say ‘calf rope.’”
“Calf rope? Well now, ordinarily cats don’t . . .”
“Say it, Pete, or I’ll throw you back with the cannibals.”
“Mmmm, I’m liking it better all the time. Calf rope, and let’s get out of here.”
“Hop on my back and hang on!”
He sprang up on my back and we went zooming down the sand draw. We hadn’t gone far when I heard a riot starting behind us. No doubt Rip and Snort had looked up from their Checkerless Checker game and had figgered out that they’d been conned by their supper.
And they didn’t sound too happy about it. “Uh, stop thief! Not leave with cat! Ranch dog in berry big trouble now!”
Yes, “berry big trouble” indeed, which was a powerful incentitive for me to stretch out my legs and use my incredible speed to move our deal from the caprocks down to headquarters.
I had just begun to pull away from them when Pete turned around in the saddle, so to speak, and faced the back and began talking trash to the brothers.
“Mmmm, you big galoots couldn’t catch a flea on a grandpa’s knee, and ha ha ha and ho ho ho and hee hee hee, and I’ll bet your momma wears old tow sack drawers.”
Seemed to me that Pete had a real short memory and real poor judgment, which I guess is standard equipment in your lower grades of cat, and the result was like throwing water on gasoline.
Gasoline on water. Water on a fire. Whatever it is.
Anyways, the brothers got a sudden inspiration to stump a fresh mudhole in the middle of Pete’s back, and here they came!
Gasoline on a fire.
“Pete, do me a favor and shut your mouth, will you?”
Fellers, if the chase had gone another hundred yards, we might have been looking at the possibility of throwing baggage overboard to lighten the load, which would have definitely put my new friendship with the cat to a stern test.
But just as the brothers were getting close enough to shorten my tail section, we reached the county road. A truck was coming along and I shot the gap in front of him, made it with inches to spare, and the brothers had to give up the chase.
We had made it!
By that time we were within easy walking distance of ranch headquarters. I slowed to a walk and caught my breath and enjoyed the spectacle of a beautiful Panhandle sunset.
I mean, it was a magic moment. The wind had died to the merest whisper. The western sky had become a fireworks display of red and pink and orange, while off to the north the caprocks were sinking into blue and purple shadows.
I had just pulled off a very impressive rescue mission and had escaped being mauled by the coyotes and had made peace with my very oldest and staunchest enemy.
Just for a moment, it seemed that the whole world stopped what it was doing and joined in on a song to celebrate peace and happiness and friendship and the beautiful sunset. As I recall, it went something like this:
Prairie Vespers
Day is done
Twilight’s come
Gone’s the sun
And comes the night.
We pray for wisdom
And for health
And for light.
Day is now over
The twilight has fallen
And gone is the sunlight
We’re left in the blackness of night
We’re praying for courage and wisdom
And for our safe passage from darkness to light.
Yes sir, it was an evening to remember. Even Pete caught the feeling of it. “Well, Hankie, you’ve put me in a very awkward position. Since you saved me from the coyotes, I may be forced to say thank you.”
“Yup, you sure might.”
“Which cats don’t like to say.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“And I might even have to start thinking of you as a friend, which really depresses me.”
“I know what you’re saying, Pete. I mean, just think of all the years we’ve invested in a lousy relationship.”
“Mmmm, I know. All the nasty tricks and hateful names.”
“Right, and all the great fights we’ve had.”
“And now it’s finished, Hankie, all gone.”
“Exactly, wiped out by one thoughtless act of kindness.”
“Well, Hankie, we can always hope that it won’t last.”
With heavy hearts, we strolled into headquarters. As we were passing the yard gate, I noticed that Pete’s head shot up and he said, “Mmmm!”
“What?”
“Oh nothing, Hankie. Thanks for everything and now you run along to your gunnysack bed.”
“Well, that’s sort of what I . . .” I sniffed the air. Mercy, unless I was badly mistaken, the air had just acquired the fragrance of roast beef. “On second thought, Kitty, why don’t you run along and find somebody’s leg to rub.”
“Those scraps are mine, Hankie, because I saw them first.”
“Uh no, wrong, incorrect, and wrong. Those are MY scraps.”
He humped his back. I growled. He hissed. I barked. He slapped me across the nose and I made a snap at his tail and . . .
All at once I remembered why I’d wanted to bump him off in the first place and things were back to normal and everyone was happy again. I guess.
Fellers, if you can figger out what happiness is in this old life, you’re a better dog than I am. I quit.
Further Reading
Have you read all of Hank’s adventures?
1 The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
2 The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
3 It’s a Dog’s Life
4 Murder in the Middle Pasture
5 Faded Love
6 Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
7 The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob
8 The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse
9 The Case of the Halloween Ghost
10 Every Dog Has His Day
11 Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest
12 The Case of the Fiddle-Playing Fox
13 The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve
14 Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business
15 The Case of the Missing Cat
16 Lost in the Blinded Blizzard
17 The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog
18 The Case of the Hooking Bull
19 The Case of the Midnight Rustler
20 The Phantom in the Mirror
21 The Case of the Vampire Cat
22 The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting
23 Moonlight Madness
24 The Case of the Black-Hooded Hangmans
25 The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado
26 The Case of the Kidnapped Collie
27 The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster
28 The Mopwater Files
29 The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper
30 The Case of the Haystack Kitties
31 The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook
32 The Garbage Monster from Outer Space
33 The Case of the Measled Cowboy
34 Slim’s Good-bye
35 The Case of the Saddle House Robbery
36 The Case of the Raging Rottweiler
37 The Case of the Deadly Ha-Ha Game
38 The Fling
39 The Secret Laundry Monster Files
40 The Case of the Missing Bird Dog
41 The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree
42 The Case of the Burrowing Robot
43 The Case of the Twisted Kitty
44 The Dungeon of Doom
45 The Case of the Falling Sky
46 The Case of the Tricky Trap
47 The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies
48 The Case of the Monkey Burglar
49 The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup
50 The Case of the Most Ancient Bone
51 The Case of the Blazing Sky
52 The Quest for the Great White Quail
53 Drover’s Secret Life
54 The Case of the Dinosaur Birds
55 The Case of the Secret Weapon
56 The Case of the Coyote Invasion
57 The Disappearance of Drover
58 The Case of the Mysterious Voice
59 The Case of the Perfect Dog
60 The Big Question
61 The Case of the Prowling Bear
About the Author and Illustrator
John R. Erickson, a former cowboy, has written numerous books for both children and adults and is best known for his acclaimed Hank the Cowdog series. He lives and works on his ranch in Perryton, Texas, with his family.
Gerald L. Holmes has illustrated numerous cartoons and textbooks in addition to the Hank the Cowdog series. He lives in Perryton, Texas.
John R. Erickson, The Case of the Missing Cat
