Manuel Ortega had never liked winters in Montana anyway, but when his boss, Clem Hoolahan, tried to cheat him and his men by offering baked goods in place of cash, and telling them it was “bread” so what was the problem, Manuel decided that enough was too much.
Rancher Clem had always treated Manuel like servant, being as he was both wrangler and groom to the cow ponies at each roundup. But Manuel had a different idea about the whole thing and was just intent on sending money back to Mexico so he could buy his own land and marry his sweetheart, Juanita.
When Manuel told Clem that he was leaving because his father had died, Clem had sworn at him and called him a Judas for leaving before roundup, even though roundup was three months away. Clem had sent a mighty stream of tobacco spit over his shoulder, sending his dog, Cherrybutt, yelping off the porch, but Manuel would not be dissuaded and Clem had roared off to the Crawlback Inn to bewail the quality of hired help and bad luck in general.
Actually, Manuel’s father wasn’t really dead, he was living in ease on the Baja Coast, but Manuel was tired of being Clem’s peon. He had taken the job of foreman, not personal slave to a crazy white man. He demanded his money and left for town.
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