The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-09-18
CHAPTER XXI

AS Terry and Powers were leav-
ing, Lane Carey noticed a newspa-
per sticking out of the Fasteners S
pocket.
'Is that Denver paper, Mr..
Powers?" he asked.
''The Denver Republican. Like to
have a look at it,"
AT the cattle quotations, if you
don't mind. I'm shipping next
week"
Carey took the paper, but he nev-
er got from it the information he
was seeking. A front-page story
caught and held his eye. The head
line was:
RUSTLERS WAR IN WYOMING
The story said that forty Texans
had just reached the city and ex-
pected to leave within day or two
for some unknown point in the north
west. The Texans, the story stated,
were rough looking customers
armed with revolvers and 1870
Winchester rifles. Most of them had
been sheriffs or deputy United States
marshals in Texas or Oklahoma.
None of them knew exactly where
they were going, and there was an
air of mystery about their arrival,
heightened by the rumors to be
heard around the railroad yards.
The famous Sunday Brown was in
HhQr0n Of fhnya a a. on1nhrn+nI q
a man-hunter in frontier days when
the Indian Territory was a sink into
which sifted most of the bad men
of the Southwest. 1t appeared that
Brown had been seen talking with
Clinton Ellison, secretary of the Wy
oming Stock Association, but Eli
son in an interview denied any
knowledge of the Texans. He had
heard a Wild West Show was being
organized. As to this, he had no
positive information. One of the
Texans, who asked not to have his
name given, had admitted to the re-
porter that they were heading for
the cattle country to clean up the
rustlers who had been stealing so
fiagrantly.
Carey passed the newspaper to
Terry, pointing to the story.
Calhoun read 1t, not flicker of ex-
preston on his face. 1t disturbed
him even more than it did Carey,
since he knew and the Box SIS man
could only guess.
Maybe a reporters yarn to fill
space" he said evenly.
Ellen pumped a question at Ter
ry. "Do you think they are coming
to the Buck River country?"
There's something in the story
about Wild West Show" the fore
man evaded.
"That doesn't mean anything"
Ellen replied impatiently. That's
just something Mr.. Ellison told the
reporter. If they are coming here,
what do they intend to do? One of
the Texans said they were going to
clean up the rustlers. Did he mean
/. g. kill them all?"
81 had disagreement with Mr..
Ellison" replied Terry. when I
told him I was urging Mr.. Powers
to cut up and sell the ranch. He felt
l was deserting the big outfit group.
I am no longer in the confidence of
the association. Naturally they
wouldn't tell me their plans"
"But what do you think?" Ellen
insisted. "You must have an opin-
ion."
''I think that if I were a rustler
would be hitting the trail for parts
unknown" Calhoun answered, look
ing directly at her.
She worried about what she had
read in the Republican, even after
the foreman and Mr.. Powers had
left for the ranch. When jeff Brand
dropped into the crossroads stage
station she lost no time in telling
him the news.
He would not believe the Texans
were heading for the Buck River
country, and if they came the in
vaders would find the district too hot
for them. The news about the Dia-
mond Reverse B interested him
more.
"It's the beginning of the breakup
of the big ranches" he told her ex-
citingly. "I'll say for Terry that he
is smart. The Diamond Reverse B
will get out in time and save its
hide. Some of the others are so
stubborn that they WON'T
Eyes, they are Stubborn" she
agreed. I'm glad Mr.. Terry has
broken with them. I never did be-
lieve he had anything to do with the
killings"
Brand slanted a quick look at her.
did he ever give you any hint who
he thought the drygulcher was?"
mo. I'm sure he doesn't know,
and if he did he wouldn't tell me.
We're not friendly"
He frowned down at the ground,
drawing line in the sand with his
boot. 1--WE spent lot of time mill
ing that over, girl he said. Its
someone who knows our habits
mighty well. He must have known
Buck was going to be where he
was the morning he shot him. The
same goes for Tetlow and Yeager.
Not many men would know that.
I've been over the list of men in