The frozen rodeo, p.7
The Frozen Rodeo,
p.7
My mind tumbled. Everyone was depending on me and I had to do something, but what? Then it came to me—not biting heels but something else, a daring new approach. I had never tried it before, but it just might work.
Keep reading. You won’t believe this part.
Chapter Twelve: Incredible Ending, Just Amazing
Okay, there we were in downtown Twitchell and I had to do something to motivate a slacker of a horse. I raced around in front of Snips and gave him a disgusted look.
“Snips, this is pathetic. You’re twice the size of that steer. Pull him into the trailer!”
“Shaddap!”
“You know what? Alfred’s Welsh pony could do a better job than you.”
His lip rose, exposing his big alfalfa-stained teeth. “Take a hike, mutt-fuzz, I don’t have time for your big mouth.”
“Oh yeah? Well, here’s an idea.” I turned my backside to him and dusted the end of his nose with the tip of my tail. “Ten bucks says you can’t bite my tail.”
His eyes grew wide, I mean huge, and he roared, “Oh, you’ve done it this time, doggie, you’ve really done it!”
He lunged forward and I’m sorry to report that he got the tail. He didn’t bite it off but he took a big chomp, jerked me off the ground, shook me like a stuffed toy, and flung me halfway across the street. Did it hurt? You bet it did, hurt like crazy, but guess what else happened.
In the process of trying to bite off my tail, he jerked the steer into the trailer! Deputy Kile raced to the trailer gate and slammed it shut, and suddenly we had achieved an enormous victory for the ranch, and shucks, for cowboys and dogs all across America.
For a long moment no one spoke. People on the street broke into applause. Deputy Kile gasped for breath and muttered, “I’m too old for this.” Slim seemed to be in shock, but managed to say, “Good honk!”
Viola clapped her gloved hands together and shouted, “We did it! Good dog, Hank, good dog!”
Even though my tail throbbed, even though it had been bent into an odd shape, I rushed past the horse (he was grinning like a monkey) and leaped into her arms. Hearing her say “good dog” was all the reward I needed. The tail would straighten itself out in a week or two.
Everything was wonderful, but then…uh oh. Remember that incident at the Dixie Dog, the one involving a dog, a hamburger, and an angry lady? She had threatened to call you-know-who, and guess who came walking up in the midst of our victory celebration: Jimmy Joe Dogcatcher. The angry lady was with him.
Jimmy Joe and I had, uh, met on several occasions.
He pointed a finger at me. “Is that him?”
She glared at me with pinched eyes and pinched lips. “Yes sir, that’s the one. He stole my Big Beefy and ran off with it.”
Slim had climbed off his horse by then and joined us. Jimmy Joe looked him up and down. “Is this your dog?”
“I admit it, yes sir.”
Jimmy Joe turned to the lady. “How much did they charge for the burger?”
“Well, it was double-meat and double-cheese. $4.95.”
Jimmy Joe turned back to Slim. “You owe the lady five bucks. Your dog stole her burger.”
“Would you take a check?”
“Not from you.”
“I didn’t bring my wallet.”
“Well, life is tough.”
Dead silence fell over us. The dogcatcher’s mouth grew as tight and thin as barbed wire, and things were looking bad. Then…Deputy Kile heaved a sigh, dug out his wallet, and handed the lady a ten-dollar bill. “Here, ma’am, sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll settle up with Slim.”
Wow. I had a feeling that nobody but Deputy Kile could have pulled this off. See, if he hadn’t been an officer of the law, Jimmy Joe might have thrown me into his cage and hauled me off to Devil’s Island For Dogs, and that would have really messed up my life.
Jimmy Joe grunted something about cowboys and dogs, and went back to his pickup with the cage in the back.
The lady shook a finger at me and said, “Shame on you!” And she left too.
Slim took a big breath of air and looked down at me. “You don’t stay a hero for long, pooch, but we got the job done.” He turned to Deputy Kile. “Bobby, I take back all the bad things I’ve said about you over the years. Thanks, and you will get the ten bucks.”
The deputy was looking rather stern and chewed his lip. “You didn’t bring your wallet? I guess that means you’re driving without a license. Judge McKinley won’t like that.”
Slim flinched. “Now, Bobby…”
“Get out of town, and next time, bring your wallet.” He patted me on the head. “Nice job, Hank. You make Slim look almost like a real cowboy.” He turned to Viola. “Thanks for the help and tell your folks hello.”
Whew! Well, we had dodged a cannon ball, but we still had things to do. Slim moved the red steer into the front compartment with the other calves and led his horse to the trailer. I expected to hear another smart remark from Snips, but was astonished when he said, “That was pretty clever, dog. Thanks.” He jumped into the trailer and Slim closed the gate.
What do you say when a horse gives you a compliment? It had never happened before. I was speechless.
Slim asked Viola if she would follow him out to the Bryan place east of town. She said of course. I jumped into Viola’s pickup and we made our way out of town on a very slick highway.
At the Bryan place, Slim opened the wire gate, drove out into the field, and turned out the calves. Then he tested the electric fence (it was dead) and found the problem: three big tumbleweeds had shorted out the electricity.
He fixed the problem and turned to Viola. “With all this ice, I’d better leave my rig here. Loper and I can come get it when the ice melts. I’d hate to stack it at the bottom of that big hill going into the valley. Reckon I could hitch a ride home with you?”
She gave him a cute smile. “Oh, maybe, if you’ll promise to take me to the dance at Lipscomb in May.”
He swallowed hard. “Yes ma’m. I’m putty in your hands.”
He unsaddled Snips and left him in the corral with hay and grain, then we all loaded into Viola’s pickup and headed back to the ranch. It was a slow, slippery drive, and we’re talking about thirty-five miles an hour. We stayed in four-wheel drive all the way.
I’m proud to report that I rode with my head in Viola’s lap and several times, she rubbed my ears.
We inched our way down that big hill into the Wolf Creek valley and Viola kept both hands on the steering wheel, but we made it to the bottom and she relaxed a little bit. She looked at Slim. “Tell me the truth. Were you scared?”
“Roping a yearling on ice in the middle of town? Nah, it was just another cowboy day.”
“Honestly?”
“I was scared silly, but it had to be done.” He glanced at me and grinned. “Hey, I just thought of a song about how this day started out. You want to hear it?”
“Of course!”
If he had asked me, I would have said, “Oh no! Please, not another of your corny songs!” See, I had a feeling that it would contain sensitive material about, well, about me. And I was right, but he didn’t ask my opinion and he sang the tiresome thing. I was locked in the cab of the pickup and had to listen.
I don’t suppose you’d want to hear it. You would? Okay, hang on.
Another Cowboy Day 2
This morning at seven, I flew out of bed.
The dogs were alarmed and my bedroom was red.
I reckon they thought that the house was on fire
And we were fixing to get ourselves broiled or fried.
I ran to the door, still half in a doze.
It was only the sunrise, as red as a rose.
The house wasn’t burning and what can you say?
It’s another cowboy day.
It’s another cowboy day,
Checking the cattle and feeding ‘em hay.
It’s another cowboy day,
Just another cowboy day.
I looked for the camera all over my camp
But tripped over Hankie and busted the lamp.
When I opened the closet, an avalanche fell.
I should have known better than that, but oh well.
I grabbed up the camera and rushed to the porch
To capture that sunrise, as red as a torch.
But when I got there, the sky had turned gray.
Just another cowboy day.
Chorus
While I was so busy with my little part,
Old Hank was inventing a new kind of art.
Instead of just sleeping or chasing a mouse,
He strung toilet paper all over my house.
I have to admit I was tempted to curse,
I didn’t suppose it could get any worse
Then Loper showed up and what could I say?
It’s another cowboy day.
Chorus
Well, there it is. What did you think? I guess it wasn’t too bad, but notice that he didn’t mention that unrolling the T.P. had been Drover’s idea.
Oh well, Viola thought it was a cute song and got a good laugh out of it. “That actually happened this morning?”
“Yes ma’am, honest.”
Her smile faded and she took a slow, deep breath. “Slim, you must…stop…calling…me…MA’AM! My mother is ‘ma’am.’ My grandmother was ‘ma’am.’ The elderly ladies at church are ‘ma’am.’”
“You’re as cute as a button when you get mad.”
“How would you like to walk back to the ranch?”
“You wouldn’t do that.” She pulled off the road and stopped. Slim was surprised. “It’s five miles to headquarters.”
“Education comes harder to some than to others.”
“It’s icy.”
“Boo hoo.”
He swallowed hard. “Yes, Viola, message received.”
She looked down at me. “He’s very stubborn, isn’t he?”
Oh yes, worse than a donkey. I knew all about that.
Viola didn’t make him walk home and Slim didn’t call her ‘ma’am’ any more.
We made our way down the slippery Wolf Creek road and when we reached headquarters, we met Loper and Sally May and the kids in the flatbed pickup. They were just coming back from their feed run, putting out hay in all the pastures.
Loper was surprised to see us in Viola’s pickup. “Okay, what happened?”
Slim explained that one of the steers escaped, ran into town, and destroyed Foxie’s Lady’s Wear. The police impounded the pickup and trailer, and were going to sell the cattle to pay for the damage.
“You’re supposed to be in district court Monday morning. I gave ‘em a full confession and told ‘em what a skunk you are. Deputy Kile thinks they’ll send you so far up the river, they’ll have to pack your oxygen in on mules. The good news is that we get to keep the dog.”
Sally May exploded in laughter (what was that supposed to mean?), but Loper remained stone-faced. He sighed and drummed the steering wheel with his fingers. “Viola, what happened?”
Viola was incapable of telling a lie, and she gave him the straight story. She ended by saying, “Slim was just…” She looked at him with eyes that sparkled. “He was just wonderful!”
Loper grunted. “Well, the important thing is that he didn’t wreck my pickup. Get in, Mister Wonderful, we’ve still got chores to do.”
Ah, the sadness! We said goodbye to Viola. Slim gave her a hug and thanked her for the help and the ride home. She engulfed me in her arms and cried and said she would miss me twice as much as she would miss Slim, and then she left with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but she was sad to leave me, no kidding.
And that’s about the end of The Frozen Rodeo. It had been just another cowboy day, and…
This
case
is
closed.
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
62 The Ghost of Rabbits Past
63 The Return of the Charlie Monsters
64 The Case of the Three Rings
65 The Almost Last Roundup
66 The Christmas Turkey Disaster
67 Wagons West
68 The Secret Pledge
69 The Case of the Wandering Goats
70 The Case of the Troublesome Lady
71 The Case of the Monster Fire
72 The Case of the Three-Toed Tree Sloth
73 The Case of the Buried Deer
74 The Frozen Rodeo
75 The Case of the Red Rubber Ball
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. The Hank series began as a self-publishing venture in Erickson’s garage in 1982 and has endured to become one of the nation’s most popular series for children and families. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse into daily life on a cattle ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. His stories have won a number of awards, including the Audie, Oppenheimer, Wrangler, and Lamplighter Awards, and have been translated into Spanish, Danish, Farsi, and Chinese. USA Today calls the Hank the Cowdog books “the best family entertainment in years.” Erickson lives and works on his ranch in Perryton, Texas, with his family.
Gerald L. Holmes was a largely self-taught artist who grew up on a ranch in Oklahoma. For over thirty-sever years, he illustrated the Hank the Cowdog books and serial stories, as well as numerous other cartoons and textbooks, and his paintings have been featured in various galleries across the United States. He and his wife lived in Perryton, Texas, where they raised their family.
John R. Erickson, The Frozen Rodeo
