Remembering Rusty, the Cattle Dog That Weren’t
A young cowboy is painfully reminded of his lost pal.
Author’s note: This is the second part of the Rusty saga. Please be sure to read Rusty, The Cattle Dog That Weren’t to get the full story of Rusty and Chance. https://medium.com/fictitious/rusty-the-cattle-dog-that-werent-3f705fc03315
The men near the weathered wooden corral heard the noise as the blue pickup pulling a stock trailer rumbled across the cattle guard and headed their way. The truck was kicking up a cloud of dust as it drove over the parched Texas Panhandle earth.
The driver pointed the truck toward the corral but stopped a good way away so as not to spook the animals or cover the men with dust. Several cowboys in leather chaps and sweat-stained shirts sat on horses near the enclosure and more men were leaning against the wooden fence. One rider was shaking some Bull Durham tobacco from the little cloth pouch into his wrapping paper. When he had the correct amount in the paper he stuck one side of the pouch between his teeth and pulled the drawstring on the bag shut and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. After he finished rolling the paper the man used his rough…
