Cowpokes and Desperadoes Read Online Free PDF

was waiting on the other side. “Amos, you were supposed to work around him. Now you have him mad!”
    Amos opened his mouth to tell Dunc exactly what he thought about him and the bull, when he felt himself being lifted off the ground.
    Billy Ray and a man who was roughly the size of a house stood over them. The giant had Amos by the collar.
    Billy Ray grinned. “Boys, meet Bubba.”
    Amos tried to get his feet to touch the ground. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Bubba—sir. Actually, we were just leaving.”
    Billy Ray sneered. “Not hardly. Bring them along, Bubba. The boss will know what to do with them.”
    Bubba grabbed Dunc with his free hand and easily carried them both into the house.
    A heavyset man wearing an expensive black suit was seated at a table studying amap. He stood up when he saw the boys. “What’s going on?”
    “We found us some snoopers, Mr. Grimes.” Billy Ray spat a wad of tobacco onto the floor. “Do you want Bubba to squash ’em?”
    Dunc dangled from Bubba’s hand. “Are you J. B. Grimes? The bank president?”
    “Billy Ray, you idiot! Now they’ve seen me. They can tie me in with all this.”
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Grimes. I guess I didn’t think of that.”
    “That’s your problem, Billy Ray—you don’t think. Mr. Cookson will be here shortly, and if he sees them, everything will be ruined.”
    “You want Bubba to squash ’em?”
    “Don’t be moronic. Lock them in the old outhouse until Cookson leaves. Then we’ll decide what to do with them.”
    Bubba carried them outside. He opened the door of an old dilapidated outhouse and pushed them in.
    “What are you going to do with us?” Amos asked.
    Billy Ray picked his teeth. “Bubba likes to squash people, so don’t do nothing stupid. Keep your mouths shut until after Mr.Grimes’s guest leaves.” He shut the door and barred it from the outside.
    Amos sat down on the wooden bench trying to avoid the hole in the middle. “It smells in here. Bad.”
    Dunc sat on the other side. “I know, Amos. I’m working on a way out.”
    “Maybe we ought to stay.”
    “What?”
    “Bubba squashes people.”
    “Billy Ray only said that to scare us.”
    “It worked.”
    Dunc tapped his chin. “Do you remember when my grandpa Culpepper came to visit us? I think we were about six.”
    “I think the smell in here is affecting your brain.”
    “It was Halloween, and he was telling us what kids used to do for fun on Halloween when he was young. Do you remember?”
    Amos sighed. “I’m positive you’re going to tell me.”
    “They pushed over outhouses.”
    “You’re not thinking of—”
    “Why not? If we start rocking it from side to side, it’s bound to fall over.”
    Amos stood up. “When your grandfatherand his friends pushed over those outhouses—were they empty?”
    “I suppose.”
    “
This one isn’t!
”
    “I know that, Amos. But if we do it right, it’ll fall gently over on its side, and nobody will get hurt, and we’ll be free. It’s worth a try. Besides, who knows what Bubba will do to us after Grimes finishes his business with Mr. Cookson?”
    “I guess you have a point.”
    “Okay. We’ll push on my side first and try to get it rocking back and forth.… Ready? Go.”
    The rickety outhouse groaned and shuddered on the first push. By the third push, they had it rocking.
    “Get ready, Amos. It’s going ov—”
    Dunc slid into Amos, and the outhouse fell over with a loud crash. The walls were so old, they collapsed on top of the boys.
    Amos lay flat on his back covered with pieces of the outhouse. He could feel something warm licking his face. He opened his eyes. It was Suzy, making sure he was still alive.

• 12
    Amos blinked and sat up. Dunc groaned next to him and rolled into a sitting position. Amos pushed a last board away and found himself looking up at Uncle Woody.
    “What are you doing here?” Amos asked.
    Uncle Woody patted the boys on the back and helped them up. “You boys really saved the day.