It was early in the morning, Mark was getting ready for school and I was getting ready to do the breakfast dishes when I heard a rider approaching the ranch.  It was Micah.  I couldn't help but wonder what would bring Micah out here so early.  Well it seemed that Mark and two of his friends, Melvin and Jake had gone out Halloween-ing the night before.  They had gone over to several of the ranches scaring their cattle.  I was really upset with him.  "Alright Mark.....were you in on it?" I asked him.  "Guess I was," answered Mark.  "Ahm.....I guess I better be gettin' to school," said Mark.  "Twenty minutes early?" I asked.  I told him to turn around and face me.  I asked him if he took part in this.  "Yes sir.....I guess I did!"  "Will you stop guessing and answer me yes or no like a man?"  "Yes sir I was there!" Exclaimed Mark.  "Halloween or not.....you should know better.....you've been brought up on a ranch."  "You've probably run a hundred pounds of beef off some people's herds, not to mention the fact that you've cost them a whole work day rounding up strays!"  I told Micah he could hold me responsible and that it won't happen again.  "Fair enough," said Micah.  "And you know Mark.....the ranchers would have been in their rights if they used their guns to protect their cattle."  Mark realized how serious this could have been.  He looked at me and apologized.  Mark then asked me if he could go out tonight after supper.  I asked him what the occasion was this time.  He said that he and several other kids were taking up geometry and they would like to work on it together.  He said he would rather stay home if I could help him with it.  That was one thing I never learned.  "Another thing Pa.....with me having to be out at night so much from now on.....maybe I'd be smart to carry my rifle.....of course a hand gun would be better."  "A hand gun.....you!" I exclaimed.  Just then two strangers rode in. 

It was Mr. Bullock and his son, Percy.  Micah had told them to stop by the ranch sometime.  He introduced us.  We shook hands.  Micah told me that Mr. Bullock was from England and that he had just bought the Decoven place.  I told him that the Decoven spread was a nice spread with plenty of water and that he shouldn't have any problem running cattle there.  He said he was just a city man and wasn't interested in competing with established ranchers.  He said while he lived in London besides being a teacher he ran a book store.  He said that out here he would have to rely on a green thumb.....planting vegetables and hopefully raising a dairy herd.  "It will be rough going.  As the Greek Euclid said.....'There is no royal road.'  When Mr. Bullock mention Euclid; Mark became inquisitive and asked him if he was the one who discovered geometry.  He said he was.  We then introduced our sons.  Mark was surprised by his sons name, Percy.  He said today would be Percy's first day in an American school.  He said it was nice meeting us and they had to be on their way.

"Percy! And those pants! He'll be lynched by recess," said Mark.  I told Mark it would be okay tonight about the geometry but he had to leave his rifle at home. 

Well Percy did make it past recess, but some of the boys were waiting for him on the way home from school, Melvin and Jake.  Percy tried to be friendly, he introduced himself and offered to shake hands, but all they did was make fun of his name.  "My name is not funny! The Percy family defended northern England against the Scots for six centuries! Their battle cry was A Percy! A Percy!"  Melvin just stood there and made fun while Jake got behind Percy and when Melvin pushed Percy, he fell to the ground.  "I shall slap you for that you fat bully!"  Yelled Percy.  Mark happened to be riding by when he saw the two boys picking on Percy.  He dismounted Blueboy and rushed over to them.  Before ya' knew it Mark and Melvin were fighting.  Percy wanted to fight his own fight, but every time he tried to interrupt Mark would just push him away.  Then Percy yelled to Mark to step on Melvin's toe.  He did and then got the best of Melvin.  "That's the ticket McCain.....Science!" Said Percy.  "Will you please stop calling me McCain!" Said Mark as he and Melvin lay on the ground. 

Mark took Percy home, they rode double on Blueboy.  Mr. Bullock asked Mark what happened to him.  He could tell he was fighting.  Mark told him he got thrown.  But Percy just had to tell his father what a game chicken Mark was.  Mark was insulted.  He thought Percy was calling him chicken.  Mr. Bullock laughed and then told him.....translated it meant 'game cock'.....real fightin' bird.  Mr. Bullock started coughing and said he had asthma and that he needed a spot of brandy and then headed for the house. 

After they went into the house; Mark couldn't help but notice the books Mr. Bullock had; he was amazed.  There were more books then Mark had ever seen in one room.  He told Mark there were only six hundred volumes.  That was all he could bring with him.  But when he had his shop he had never stocked less then two thousand titles.  Mark told him that we must seem pretty ignorant to him.  Mr. Bullock told Mark that he found me far from ignorant. Mark told him that I didn't know geometry but I sure knew my Bible.  Mr. Bullock thought that was the best book and that all other books were footnotes.  He told Mark he could borrow some if he'd like.  Mark was thrilled.  He told Mark to help himself, but Mark had no idea where to start.  Percy chose his favorite for Mark....."The Tale of Two Cities."  Percy then asked his father to read some of it to them.  As Mark listened to Mr. Bullock reading; he was enjoying it and couldn't get enough.

Mark finished up the dishes and started to leave.  I asked him if he was going to Mr. Bullock's again and that this was three nights in a row.  I asked him just what is it he does over there that makes him so anxious to leave his own home.  Mr. Bullock asked Mark to teach Percy how to be a good rider and so Friday evening they spent a little time on the range.  Then they come back and gabbed a little.  Mr. Bullock had been asking Mark about cattle buying and selling.  Then they'd have something to eat and then he'd come home.  I told him he should think about staying home and working on his Geometry.  He said he was going to take his geometry book along.  He also said that Mr. Bullock knew more about geometry then anyone he ever met.  I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.  Mark realized this and came up with some of the fool questions Mr. Bullock would ask about cattle and that there was a lot of things I knew that he didn't.  I told him to go ahead, but be back by 9:30.   

The next day I had to go into town so I thought I'd stop by and talk to Micah.  Micah said that the kids have been celebrating Halloween three nights in a row.  Worst part was along with the flower sacks and pumpkins they've been using they have found some empty liquor bottles.  He said not everyone keeps tabs on their kids like I do.  Micah then asked me if Mark was home last night.  I asked him what that meant.  I couldn't believe that Mark would do this after I already warned him not to do it again.  Micah said he was only telling me that some of the boys were doing this and also mentioned the fact that Mark had done it in the past.  I told him to get this straight.....I trust my boy!  I left his office upset.  I know Micah was only doing his job.  Maybe I was more upset to the fact that 'maybe' Mark could be involved.

When I got home from town; there was a note on the table from Mark.  It said:
 Dear Pa, Sorry I couldn't wait.  Your supper is on the Stove. Will be back by 9:30.....Mark.  I threw the tablet on the table and as I looked towards the cabinet I couldn't help but notice the curtain was moved.  When I looked in the cabinet I noticed my bottle of whiskey was gone.

I read my Bible as I waited for Mark to come home.  He was surprised I was still up.  I told him to shut the door and come in.  He asked if there was something wrong.  I mentioned to him that the whiskey bottle was gone and asked him if he took it.  He said he did, and that it had been there for two years and he didn't think I'd care.  I asked him what he did with it.  He started to tell me and then realized what I was thinking.  We were both upset.  "Well I didn't drink it!"  He yelled.  I just sat there looking at him.  He was upset because I wasn't sure if I believed him or not.  I told him for now he had to stay home nights.  I told him to go to bed.

Mr. Russell, a friend to everyone in town had been killed the night before along with a lot of cattle missing.  Micah had called a meeting of the parents in his office.  He held it while the kids were in school so not to warn them.  He felt some of the kids were involved.  But also he felt there was a man or so mixed up in this too.  He felt that these men had the cattle holed up somewhere and they would want to pull out in a hurry because they wouldn't want to show up in the territory driving a herd of mixed brands.  He felt they had contacts below the border and would try and move the cattle any night now.  We were going to patrol our areas in two's.  If there is any shooting the next pair would pass the information along.  I suggested keeping the kids in doors.  But everyone else felt it was like locking the barn after the horse was gone.  I felt it was setting a trap.  "No hide off the innocent.....the guilty got it coming," said one of the towns folk. 

Mark and I were finishing up supper when I thought I would bait the trap.  I told Mark I knew he gave the bottle to Mr. Bullock.  I then started to ask Mark questions about the stock values that Mr. Bullock was asking him about.  I asked him how much he knew about the cattle rustling that had been going on.  He only knew what he had heard and got upset when he realized I was wondering if Mr. Bullock had anything to do with the cattle rustling.   I told Mark after he finished the dishes he could go out if he wanted to.  He was excited....."You mean I don't have to stay home?"  "Not if you don't want to.....I have some business to take care of in town," I said. 

Micah was waiting for Mark to leave.  He and I took a short cut to Bullock's ranch.  As I watched Mark ride into Bullock's place I couldn't help think how anxious Mark was to go to the Bullock's.  "I don't know why I left you talk me into coming our here," said Micah.  "Bullock doesn't own any cattle and that stolen bunch would stand out in this bunch like a hog in a hen roost."  I told him they could be in the barn.  Micah said we would be able to hear them.  But I felt if they were fed and watered well, we wouldn't hear them.  So we went to the barn to take a look.

When I opened the door to the barn and saw all the cattle I headed straight for Bullock's house.  When I barged in Mr. Bullock was reading to the boys.  I walked up to Mark and pointed my finger at him and said....."You.....wait outside for me Mark!"  He knew I meant it.  He didn't say a word, he and Percy went outside.  I told Bullock to start explaining.  He didn't know what was going on.  I thought him to be a liar.  Micah told me to wait; there was a chance that Bullock didn't know anything about the cattle rustling.   He was shocked when he thought that I thought Mark was capable of any of this.  I felt he was cleaver enough with words to confuse him and capable enough to get Mark to do things he didn't understand.  He said I was jealous.  I was jealous because he had something to give Mark that I didn't.  We each had our own advantage.  He with words and I with my rifle.  Just then Percy came in telling us that the men who his father had rented the barn were taking their cattle out.  Just then I realized how foolish I had been.  I told Mr. Bullock to stay put while Micah and I went out to take care of it. 

We went out to confront the men.  When Micah called to them they started shooting.  Sylvester hid behind the water trough while Joe ran into the barn.  Micah covered me while I made a break for the barn.  Just then Sylvester went to shoot at me, but Micah shot him.  Then Micah headed for the barn.  We didn't know that Joe had come out of the barn on the other side and was getting away when Mr. Bullock came out of the house and tried to stop Joe while he was trying to mount his horse.  As they struggled we heard a shot go off and we both ran to the front of the barn.  There was Mr. Bullock lying on the ground and Joe getting ready to put a shovel into Bullock.  I shot Joe several times.  Micah and I went to help Bullock up.  He wasn't hurt bad, just a cut on the head.  Micah told Bullock that was a brave thing he did.  "We hombre," I said.  Percy asked what that meant.  Mark told him it was Spanish for a lot of man.