Elmo's Mashed Finger

Seems that Elmo and Elwood went down to Dave Carpenters blacksmith shop last Saturday to get Dave to fix the rusty wheel on the old brown wagon. Elwood was tryin to help when he swung the heavy hammer down on the rusty ole wheel and slapdab hit Elmo's thumb square as if he'd been aiming. What followed was not pretty to see. Elmo cut loose so bad Sofie next door called Glenn Abbott to come and see what happened. Glenn was the only law around and he asked Elmo what happened. He also said Sofie was upset about the words that was yelled. Elmo looked at Glenn and said. Well Glenn I got my finger smashed and I looked up at Elwood and said, " really Elwood you must be more careful".

The Brothers Ride

Logan, Emmitt, and Elwood reached the crest of Backbone Mountain about noon and made camp. Emmitt took out a parcel from his saddlebag in which he had carefully wrapped some cheddar cheese, crackers, and jerked cat meat. Elwood gathered up some dead branches and built a small, hat sized fire and put some coffee on. Logan tended to the horses; he gathered up some straw and rubbed down Twitter, Elwood's horse Harley, and Emmitt's horse Tornado. The three brothers finally sat down around the fire, being careful not to look directly into the flames. It was Elwood that spoke first. "I reckin Elmo best head for the caves south of Japton. I figure Elliott's men have already found his cabin, and there ain't no sense of us walking directly into a trap." "Yep, I think you're right," said Emmitt. "Elmo knows them caves better than anybody, and he won't be found there unless he wants to be found." "Hand me a cracker and a couple of slices of that bread," said Logan. "I aim to make me a cracker sandwich." Logan sat muching on his cracker sandwich and thinking. Finally he spoke. "I think you boys ought to go on up to the caves and find Elmo. Me and Twitter will head for Elmo's cabin and see if we can sneek up on them boys of Elliott's. I'd kinda like to know what they're up to." "How you aim to sneek up on a couple of Elliott's best men?" asked Elwood doubtfully. "Oh, that won't be no problem," Logan replied. "I aim to make myself invisible. It's a little trick I learned from Chief Sitting Bull at Wounded Knee." "I thought Sitting Bull got hisself killed at Wounded Knee," said Emmitt. Logan sat silently for a minute, thinking. "Wall, I recking old Sitting Bull just wasn't doing it right." he finally replied. "Don't you worry none...I got me a plan." So, Emmitt and Elwood saddled up and lit out for the Japton caves. Logan saddled up Twitter, and headed out for Elmo's cabin. "Well, Twitter, I reckin we're in for a spot of trouble." he said. Logan thought about his words to his brothers. He only wished he really did have a plan.