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“It occurred to ht be needin’ some more drovers” The remark was delivered with only a lance he sent Benteen ruined his cool pose

“Could be,” Benteen admitted “What’s your name?”

“Joe Joe Dollarhide,” he said quickly “I been raised with ani about ’em I’m a hard worker You can ask anybody An’ I learn fast, too”

“Your folks have a farm around here?” Benteen let his hands rest on the saddle horn and swayed loosely in rhyth horse

“Yes, sir” It was a reluctant admission

“And you wanta be a cowboy?” he guessed

“I’ll ood one,” the boy named Joe Dollarhide insisted firmly “I already know about cows and horses I can ride And I’ood shot I been huntin’ since I was seven”

“See boy like you at home” Most of the time Benteen kept his attention on the herd, only occasionally letting his glance stray to the kid

“I got six brothers and sisters at hoh to help” First, he assured Benteen that he wasn’t needed at home, “‘Sides, it’s time I was strikin’ out on my own an’ makin’ my way in this world”

“How old are you?” Benteen had already uess, but he was curious what the boy’s ansould be

“Seventeen,” he said quickly

Amusement lurked in Benteen’s dark eyes, but he didn’t confront the boy with his doubt He used a ot a job workin’ somebody else’s cattle ’Course, I was only fifteen,” he declared, then looked straight at Joe Dollarhide “It was really soettin’ paid to do work that my pa had been havin’ me do for free,” he drawled “How old did you say you were?”

The boy bit at his lower lip, then admitted, “I’ll be sixteen in April”

“That’s old enough to draw a es, don’t you think?” Benteen asked with a half-smile

“Yes, sir” The boy grinned, then tried to contain his excitement to be sure he understood “Does that mean you’ll hire me?”