The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-05-15

AhCy HNSt StTUck al MuUuy beHu.
deck of cards and laid out hand of
solitaire.
| Now one of the dance hall girls
came to his table, slipping unlimited
| into chair. This was a girl whose
attention bothered and embarrassed
Roper every time he came here.
Her name was Marquita.
He didn't know what attracted her
to him; he didn't know what attract
| ed any particular woman to any
particular man. It may be that his
very disinterest was what caught
her attention first, and later gave
him the desirability of the unobtain-
| able.
She spoke to him now in a quiet,
lifeless voice. "Why don't you like
me?"
81 like you all right" he said.
mo, you don't. You don't even
| see me at ALL"
He noticed now that she looked
different tonight; and after a mo-
ment he recognized that this was
because there was no paint on her
face. That would be because he dis
liked paint-though he had no idea
| how she had found that out. Her
| washed face was a perfectly SYM
metrical oval set with black eyes a
little slanted, and her black hair,
parted in the middle, was drawn
back severely, in the fashion of the
mestizo girls of the Texas border.
She leaned toward him now, and
spoke rapidly, her voice low and
compelling. ."Listsn--I hate Walk
Lasham, too"
Listen" she insisted. "You have
to listen to me. Walk Lasham's in
town. He came in this afternoon. !"
So, Roper thought, the time had
come to move on again, with his
work undone. He didn't like it.,
much.
well, thanks" he said; "I'm glad
| to know"
"He knows you're here-and what
you're here for"
"I suppose he does," Roper said.
you're waiting here for Lash
am," she accused him. "You know
he'll come here. You're going to try
shooting it out
Roper shrugged and was silent.
'Bill, it's hopelessl Walk Lasham
is the fastest gunfighter in the
north!"
Roper shrugged again. walk
wants no fight with me-"
You're going to force the fight
yourself! That's what you've been
waiting here for, ever since you
came to Miles City. Any moment
Lasham may walk in that door"
Marquita sat staring at him hope
lessly, in her eyes a fixity of devo-
ton which his taciturnity seemed to
increase. Against his will he was
becoming something that was hap
pening to Marquita.
He remained silent; and, in a lit
tie while, she went away.
An hour passed, while Roper,
drinking slowly, played his solitaire
oilQ WdbIiAGQ lllC QOOI.
Then suddenly Marquita was
back. She came behind his chair to
speak close to his ear in a pamcky
whisper. Hes coming! He's COM
ing along the walk" ;.
"All right" H
"Walk has two of his men with
him." she said rapidly. "You
haven't chance, not ghost bf
chance. / can't bear to see you
killed! ! know you don't care any
thing about me. If you did I'd go
anywhere in the world with you.
But now you have to come out of
here-quick-by the back way. I'll
do anything"
Roper turned his head to look up
into her face, very close to his.
There was more to this girl than
there was to the rest of her kind.
Even now he was unable to recog-
nize that Marquita was capable of
sincerity of purpose, and pas
sionate preoccupation in her pur-
pose, not to be expected here. 81
wouldn't step aside two feet" he
told her, Ito pass Walk or any man.
I tell you, Walk won't fight!"
Suddenly she whimpered. Bill
Roper saw that three men had come
into the front of the Palace Bar.
The first of the three, a dark, lean
man with wide, bowed shoulders,
was Walk Lasham.
Marquita caught Bills head in her
arms, forced up his chin, and kissed
him. He was surprised at the unex-
pected softness of her lips, hot
against his mouth. Then abruptly
Marquita stopped, and as she sprang
away from him he felt the weight of
his gunbelt ease. She flung over
her shoulder, Its for your own
sake!" Her face was white, fright
ened.
Ito be continued)