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56 Tamale Ridge by: Chuck Cusimano

“It’s BIG! Real big,” I said.

You could tell that Gilberto had never seen so many people in one place. He stuck by my side

like glue. I tried to get him to relax but the only time he eased up was while with the horses.

After we got back from Denver, where we did real well with everything we took, it was back to

work at the ranch. It would be spring soon and there would be a lot to do with the cattle as well

as with the horses. Winter had been good to us, all in all. It never got colder than 10 below zero

all winter and we’d had some open months without a lot of deep snow. The new mares from

Rosemarie were doing well. I had Juan tell me how to send a letter to her and he assured me she

would get it. I kept to business and told her I wanted to buy some more with the same quality. I

also told her I would be coming back in May. I made up my mind to go by train this time and I

wanted at least twenty mares. Gilberto was making a hand with the young horses and doing well

with the English lessons also. I helped him learn to write a small letter to his sister, Olivia in

English. We worked at it every night in the coal oil lamps.

Nights were spent with the usual visiting between Juan, Gilberto and myself. I thought about a

beautiful Señorita down in Mexico and out of my reach. I did not talk of her to the other men. It

was too personal. Juan liked to sit in the darkness and look out the window. It reminded me of a

man trying to catch someone lurking in the night. He seldom liked to be where there was light. I

sat up each night after the visiting and the other men trailed off to bed, to read. I sent off a

couple of times for new books. Gilberto liked to spend time by himself sometimes and I don’t

know where he went and it wasn’t any of my business, so I never asked.

CHAPTER NINE

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