The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-01-05

distant sound. What's The mat
teri"
"Tye heard enough"
.Then," said Billy Wheeler, "you
know the answer too?"
"I'ye kind of suspected it these
many days. didn't know for sure
until today"
"Do you think anyone else
knows?''
"Son, I'm virtually certain that
no one in the world knows but you
and me"
aYou must have come at it diff
ferently than I did, Coffee"
different than you," Coffee
agreed. "God knows how you come
at it. I don't want to know. In a
minute now I'm going to say no
more. But nobody else in the Red
Rock could have found it out ex-
cept maybe Cayuse Cayetano-and
he's dead"
They sat silent for a little time.
seWhat's the next mover" Wheeler
presently asked.
Until you spoke" Coffee said,
SCI knew what my next move was
going to be. My next move was go
ing to be out. But now that you've
come onto the right trail, I guess
maybe it's kind of up to me to stand
by a little while, until I see what
you do"
Something in Old Man Coffee's
voice bothered Wheeler. "You mean
we're not working together, then?"
Seems like we might not be,
son. I'm an old man; and / long
ago learned that sometimes it's a
good idee to leave sleeping dogs
lie."
"You mean, you'd have been will
ing to pull out of this case and
leave it unsolved forever?"
Old Man Coffee drew half dozen
slow puffs on his pipe before he
answered. "The first murder case
| I worked on" he said at last, twas
a long time ago. Sometimes I think
that one first case was the misfor-
tune of my life. Because it gave
me kind of a reputation in a
small way, so that ever since then
I've been called in on such, from
time to time, over and over again.
Man hunting isn't pretty job, Bill
ly, nor anything man would care
to turn his hand to more than once,
if he could get out of it. But I've
always worked hard and honestly on
my case where ! once set my hand.
1 al -,
keep one right to myself-the right
to keep my mouth shut if can't see
where clearing up a mystery will
serve no proper end.
"Take this case, here. Do you
think that solving this crime can
possibly come under the head OF
helping any living person, or pre-.
serving the peace? You know bet.
ter than that. You know as well as
/ do that the minute the answer is
made known the guns will crack out
and good boys that's got nothing te
do with either side will be throwing
lead into each others CUTS. Anc
there won't be anything but blooo
and gunsmoke come out of your
damn solution"
"You think Horse Dunn will take
to the guns?"
"Of course he'll take to the guns
You know him well enough to know
that. The guns will be talking be
fore ever the thing is proved"
1.-THE proof ought to be cas-,
enough"
''I got no doubt of that. / see a
least one way of proof and mayb
you see more. But what I'm tell
ing you is this, son-think wha
you're doing before you raise thi
lid. Don't raise it unless you thin
you'd rather see what will come O
it, in place of what we already got.
The moon was gone, and they sa
in the chill blackness before dawn
but it seemed to Wheeler that tn
night was no darker than his mood
81 thought of all that" he said. g
thought of all that the moment
come to me. And first off, l though
! like you. But now-I'm not so sure
Sometimes it seems like there
something unsound at the bottom O
any plan that calls for just hidin
our heads"