The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-02-02

Breck felt a rise of excitement
as he pushed through door and at
once became a part of the crowd
within the old building. The room
was long and wide with raftered
ceiling. A stage that filled one end
showed its original use as the town
theater.
Breck walked away from the door
and stood against the wall, watch
ing. He had come with certain pre-
conceived ideas as to what he would
find at a cowboy dance, his knowl-
edge having been gained from NOV
ing picture sets. He was surprised
now.
Pretty girls were plentiful. Breck
had not intended to dance. Now he
was not so sure of it. Sun-tanned
faces slipped past him, cheeks
flushed, eyes bright, red mouths
turned laughingly up to their part
ners.
One girl in particular drew his
survey. Soon after he entered she
danced close by and met his gaze
with pair of strangely arresting
brown eyes. She did not smile, yet
he saw a shadow-like movement
cross her lips. He knew she ap-
praised him thoroughly. He believed
she was amused.
AS she danced on in her cowboys
arms, his eyes followed. She was
small, with dark curly hair just
above the fellows shoulder, and had
that free-mannered, out-of-door look
as much as any of the men about
her. Evidently she was accustomed
to wearing mans shirt, for the
rounded neck of the dress she had
on now showed a narrow, SUM-
burned V over the whiteness of her
throat.
Not exactly pretty, Breck decided,
as in dancing, she again turned to-
ward him. Her face in repose looked
little tired, though when she
smiled at something her partner
whispered, the expression vanished
in a swift parting of her lips and
an upward tilt of her head. At
that moment Breck's decision not
to dance left him and he only wait
ed until he could meet this girl.
He leaned against the wall with
the stream of people flowing by.
There was punch bowl on a stand
at the end of the room opposite the
stage. Here girls stopped often, but
he noticed that the men Stunned it,
and went alone through smaller
doorway. The room was soon heavy
with dust and cigarette smoke and
the thick odor of whiskey-not good
whiskey either.
From the clamor of voices an oc-
casional distinct sentence drifted
across to him. eli there, cowboy.
What you all doin'?" The answer
was lost, but men burst into laugh
ter and girls looked away. Came
snatches of business. DRY summer,
you bet Two thousand head
My permit calls for :" And
then something that brought Breck
up with a start. Hello, Jud Till
son!"
He turned toward the sound of the
greeting. The speaker had danced
on, but three men stood between
himself and the door, their eyes lev
eled in his direction. They were tall
men, lean-bodied, all bearing the
same characteristic of thin, sharp
faces. Dad Cook had said he would
not recognize the Tillson brothers.
That was true. He would never
have picked these three from the
many that crowded the dance hall;
for several others, talking loudly
and staggering with guns hung
from their belts, made better show
of being hard.
The Tillsons were dressed unob-
trusively, each in a gray Stetson,
flannel shirt unadorned by handker-
chief, dark trousers, and cowboy
boots with stitching on the black
leather.
Two shifted their eyes when he
turned to survey them. One held
his gaze, stood motionless for sec.
ond, then strobe casually across the
intervening space.
His step was slow, deliberate, like
the calculated tread of tawny
mountain lion. He came within 6
pace and halted. Breck returned
his stare, looking into steel blue
eyes that narrowed slightly, opened
narrowed again Instinctively Breck
knew he was up against a man of nc
mean intellect, a man of parts, who
understood the world and especially
the path he intended to cut through
it.
He spoke, and the sonber expires
sion of his face shifted only in {
further squint of his eyes. I'm JUG
Tillson," he said.
.aGlad to know you,' Breck an
swered, though his right hand re
mained at his side. This was M
regular introduction.
Thought you did know mel" Till
son snapped.
So Breck had told the gatekeeper
He frowned and surveyed the mai
thoughtfully Il did know Tillson,
he said at last But you're not th'