Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Old Ranger: A Texas Ranger Short Story
    The Old Ranger: A Texas Ranger Short Story
    The Old Ranger: A Texas Ranger Short Story
    Ebook53 pages47 minutes

    The Old Ranger: A Texas Ranger Short Story

    By Donald L Robertson

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This is a short story.

    Chuck Nielson hung up his six shooter and retired from the Texas Rangers ten years ago, at one time the fastest draw west of the Mississippi. He loves two things, his wife and his ranch.

    Now the Sunset Kid is in town. He’s killed seven men—all seven died with the sun in their eyes. Chuck is number eight and the Kid has sent word for him to be in the town street at sunset.

    If Chuck meets the Kid, he risks everything; if he stays home he loses his self-respect, and the Kid goes on killing.

    This is a short story by Donald L. Robertson, the author of Logan’s Word: A Logan Family Western - Book 1.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDonald L Robertson
    Release dateMar 3, 2016
    ISBN9780990913924
    The Old Ranger: A Texas Ranger Short Story
    Author

    Donald L Robertson

    Donald L. Robertson Donald L. Robertson is a writer of novels and short stories about the American West. His first novel, Logan's Word, is set in West Texas near Coleman, where he graduated from high school. Robertson strives to make his books as historically accurate as possible. He was born in Louisiana but, was raised by his parents in his mother's home state of Texas. Throughout his life, he has lived in many parts of Texas and has a love of that state. Professionally, he enjoyed the life of a pilot, flying throughout the West, living 10 years in Arizona, several years in New Mexico and traveled around exploring Colorado. His travels gave him the opportunity to learn about and fall in love with the country about which he would later write. As a boy, he spent many Saturdays at the all-day movies. He reveled in all of the western adventures, especially those of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Lash LaRue. One of his favorite western actors continues to be John Wayne. As a youngster, he shared his passion of reading westerns, with one of his loving aunts who had a huge library of western novels. This is where he came to love Louis L'Amour and other western authors. Evidence of these influences appear throughout Robertson's novels, assuring that they are wholesome and adventurous, filled with action and good values which can be enjoyed by any member of the family. Today, he lives with his wife, Paula, and a six pound, Chihuahua, guard dog in Cotacachi, a little mountain village nestled between two dormant volcanoes in Ecuador.

    Read more from Donald L Robertson

    Related to The Old Ranger

    Related ebooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      War HERO, Western, HERO

      Mar 3, 2020

      War HERO, Western, HERO
      5 min read

    • Article

      HITTING ON A Long Shot

      Oct 20, 2020

      HITTING ON A Long Shot
      3 min read

    • Article

      Duke’s Son Remembers

      Aug 9, 2022

      Duke’s Son Remembers
      5 min read

    • Article

      Cold Calling

      Jan 18, 2021

      Two or three phone calls per week. Every week for six months. All more or less the same. “Hello Mrs Redmond, this is Martin/Tim/Alice/Marmaduke [I’m serious], I’m calling from your internet provider to let you know that your broadband server has been

      6 min read

    • Article

      Chuckles

      Jun 3, 2022

      Fancy yourself a joker? Email original jokes to chuckles@you.co.za or send them to Chuckles, YOU, PO Box 7167, Roggebaai 8012, and we may publish them on this page. “Hey,” says Jack’s friend, Sam. “If you stick out your tongue I can read your persona

      2 min read

    • Article

      Second CHANCES

      Aug 24, 2022

      Second CHANCES
      6 min read

    • Article

      Scotch Broom

      Feb 1, 2024

      Scotch Broom
      7 min read

    • Article

      Let’s Say

      Oct 7, 2022

      I magine a sticky, early August morning, around three o’clock. It is dark, the moon blocked by clouds, no streetlights, a siren in the distance, medics running to a heart attack. Imagine a man out on a bike or walking a sick dog, or maybe a woman who

      10 min read

    • Article

      Down By The River

      Oct 31, 2019

      Lisa Lane, 46, Walton-on-Thames Picking a knife from the drawer, I carefully spread mayonnaise right to the corners of the bread before picking up my mobile. Then I fired a text to my boyfriend Scott Wilkinson, 46. Just fi nishing your sandwiches,

      5 min read

    • Article

      New DATING

      Mar 2, 2022

      New DATING
      3 min read

    • Article

      Time For A Change

      Jul 9, 2021

      Time For A Change
      5 min read

    • Article

      Caught on CAMERA

      Nov 1, 2023

      Caught on CAMERA
      3 min read

    • Article

      Good Yarn

      Apr 1, 2022

      Good Yarn
      3 min read

    • Article

      Excerpts From The Works Of The 2023 Whiting Award Winners

      Mar 29, 2023

      The 2023 Whiting Award winners were announced Wednesday night. Here are excerpts from their work.

      18 min read

    • Article

      Taking a CHANCE

      Nov 4, 2020

      Taking a CHANCE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Lol

      Feb 23, 2022

      Lol
      3 min read

    • Article

      Epithalamium

      Jun 1, 2023

      Epithalamium
      16 min read

    • Article

      The Emperors of Existence

      Dec 28, 2018

      The Emperors of Existence
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Conversation

      Nov 1, 2023

      The Art Of Conversation
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Ghost Of A WEDDING

      Jun 23, 2021

      The Ghost Of A WEDDING
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Hero

      Dec 9, 2021

      The Hero
      2 min read

    • Article

      Greek Tragedy

      Dec 7, 2023

      Below is a brief mystery. The solution is one that may require you to put on more than just your standard issue Sherlock Holmes deerstalker. By reading the story carefully, can you determine whodunit? “Hey Boss,” said Officer Hornsby, “You’re gonna w

      3 min read

    • Article

      Tomorrows

      Mar 15, 2022

      The night, as most nights, was like a dream. At ten, once I’d fed the dog the last scraps off the stove. Once I’d cursed the cat for scratching up my mama’s antique furniture, then welcomed him back into my arms. Once I’d slicked my hair into a ponyt

      26 min read

    • Article

      Fit the Description

      Sep 4, 2018

      Fit the Description
      10 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Old Ranger

    4.5/5

    7 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Old Ranger - Donald L Robertson

      The Old Ranger

      Mr. Nielson, oh, Mr. Nielson—Mr. Nielson are you here?

      Stop your caterwauling, Mordecai. I can hear you, Chuck Nielson said, stepping through the open door and onto the front porch of his home. What's so blasted important that you've got to wake the dead?

      Mordecai Jessup shifted in his saddle and stared wide-eyed at the older man. Mr. Nielson, the Sunset Kid's here, and he's asking for you.

      In town?

      Yes sir, that's what I mean. He's in town and he says he's going to meet you in the street at sunset, unless you're too afeared to meet him. Those are his words, Mr. Nielson, not mine. I'm just bringing the message.

      Mordecai, why don't you get down off that mule and join me on the porch. We'll sit a spell and have some fresh lemonade that Mrs. Nielson just made. You can relax and tell me all about this Sunset Kid.

      Thank you, sir, Mordecai said. He dismounted and tied his mule to the hitching post.

      Nielson's two cowhands, Randy Pinch and Jesse Smith, stepped out of the nearby barn. Randy called, Everything alright, Mr. Nielson?

      Yeah, boys, everything's just fine. Martha, would you bring some lemonade? Mordecai Jessup's here.

      I know he's here, Chuck, Martha Nielson replied from inside the house. Folks five miles away know he's here, what with all that yelling. I'll bring some lemonade right out. I'm sure Mordecai's throat needs something cool and soothing.

      The two men settled into the rockers, on the porch, that provided a view of the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush covering the hills. Chuck decided years ago that spring, in Texas, was his favorite time of year. The hills were covered with flowers, fresh bunch grass was growing, and the new calves were feisty in the pastures. The weather was warming, but not yet hitting the blistering temperatures of summer. He could smell the fresh honeysuckle alongside the ranch house. He loved this place.

      He and Martha settled here ten years ago, after he retired from rangering. This was their home-place, he thought. Chuck knew Martha loved it as much as he did. He recalled building the barns and corrals before—

      Mr. Nielson, sir, what are you going to do?

      I'm going to sit here and enjoy my lemonade, Mordecai. Now, tell me all about this Sunset Kid.

      Martha brought the lemonade out to the two men.

      Would you like to join us, Honey? Chuck asked her.

      She placed a glass of lemonade in his outstretched hand and said, No, that's fine. I'll sit inside. I've sewing to do. With that she handed Mordecai his lemonade, flashed a smile in his direction and walked back inside the house.

      Mr. Nielson, Mordecai said, I reckon I tried to tell him several times, I surely did. But he wouldn't let me finish. He just kept saying, 'Tell Chuck Nielson to come into town this evening, or I'll come out and get him.' He's young, Mr. Nielson. I'll bet he's not even twenty. But you know his reputation. He said right there in the saloon that he'd killed seven men, and you were going to be his eighth. Right then I tried to tell him again, but he wouldn't listen. Mordecai paused long enough to take a sip of his lemonade, then wiped his mouth with the back of a scrawny hand.

      Chuck rocked in his rocker and felt the warm afternoon breeze against his cheek. I do love this country. They'd been here for two years when he fell from the barn loft. He'd been stove up for a couple of months, but he could get around fine now. He bumped into things occasionally, but not very often.

      Mordecai, he said, tell me about this boy. How tall is he? Is he a big man? Does he look like he's good with his fists, or does he depend on his six-gun?

      Mordecai took another long swig of his lemonade and said, "Mr. Nielson, he's about your

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1