The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-05-22


He half started up, in instant
anger, but the girl was running
down the room. He saw her put
something under the bar, and he
knew it was his gun.
Roper rang his whiskey glass upon
the table, trying to catch bar
tenders eye. If Lasham had not
seen what the girl had done, one of
them could bring him his gun be-
fore it was too late. But the bar was
thronged; the bartenders were work
ing fast, in the thick of the evening
rush.
The bar-aies had made room for
Walk Lasham at the end of the bar,
and Lasham and his two cowboys
had their heads together now, con-
sulting.
One of the cowboys, a man with
scar across his face that distorted
his mouth in the manner of a hare
lip, went quickly behind the bar,
hunted beneath it, and returned to
Walk Roper saw Lasham's long
face set. He said to himself, walk
knows :"
Walk Lasham was fddling with
his empty glass on the bar, and the
scar-mouthed man was watching
Roper covertly with one eye from
under the brim of his hat. Lasham
reached for bottle, filled his glass,
tossed it off. Then he turned square
ly toward Roper, and came walking
back through the big room.
Roper played his cards, his hands
visible upon the table. 1t seemed to
take Lasham a long time to walk
the length of the room. Roper
glanced at the lookout chair, where
a salaried gun-ighter usually sat-
It was empty now.
Walk Lasham was standing in
front of him.
$50 you," he said, "are the tough
gunman that killed Cleve Tanner"
Bill Roper raised his eyes to Walk
Lasham's face. "And you," he said,
'are one of the dirty towards that
murdered Dusty King"
A hush had fallen upon the room,
unbroken by the clink of glass or
the rattle of a chip. Lasham and
Roper looked at each other through
a moment of silence.
He dropped his eyes to Roper's
hands, and his own right hand start
ed a tentative movement toward the
butt of his gun. His spread fingers
shook little as his hand crept down
But he was grinning now, sure OIL
his ground.
Looks little different to you
now, huh?"
"a coyote always looks like coy-
ote to me-"
The smile dropped from Lasham's S
face. I'm going to give you every
chance" he said. His voice swung
in even rhythms, low and sing-song.
"I'm going to count five. Draw and
fire any time you want to; because
on five I'm going to kill you where
you Sit"
81 don't think you are"
"One: two" Lasham said.
But now the scar-mouthed man
spoke suddenly; from his position
at one side he had dared flick his
eyes to the door. walk, look out!
Don't turni Watch this buzzard, but
wheel back and stand by mel"
Into the front of the bar two men
had come; they came striding back
the length of the room; their spurs
ringing brokenly. Roper did not see
their guns come out. But suddenly
the weapons of both of them ap-
peared in their hands, smoothly and
easily, from no place.
The two men were Lee Harnish
and Tex Long.
Tex Longs AS clicked in the palm
of his hand as it came to full cock.
He said, 'tHowdy, Bill. A spic girl
just brought us word. Dave Shan
non and Hat Crick Tommy are up
the street. And Dry Camp Pierce. +"
"Gosh," Lee Harnish said, we've
been hunting you for two months!
You want US to blast these Indians,
boss?"
Bill Roper drew a deep breath,
and grinned AT first he could not
even appreciate that here, at last,
were the leaders he needed for his
great raid. All he could think of
was that he had been reprieved from
certain death; and he knew that life
was good.