The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-03-20


figure.
Then he stood looking down.
"Stoddard," he said, s'your games
up. Two dead men are going to sit
beside you on this prairie top to-
night, Drake and Powell, maybe one
more. Now listen. Straight along
this rope is your gun with one
bullet. You can roll to it, but if
there's nothing on your conscience
stay where you are. I've caught two
of your guards and now I'm going
to send your herd back to the hills.
After that I'll come to see what
you've done about this bullet"
He mufled Stoddard also with a
coat tied around his head, then left
him.
Unbroken darkness still hung over
the prairie, but morning light could
not be far off. Candy swung the
black into a fast walk until he To-
Gated the steer hide, picked it up,
mounted again and circled toward
the bedded herd with the roll under
his left arm.
Not long after shat, any old-timers
who were guarding the n drive must
have thought they were back in
Indian days, for it was an Indian
stampede trick that Walt Candy
launched with the abruptness of a
thunderbolt.
In burst of drumming hoofs his
black horse came down along the
pool of cattle, and at the end of a
forty-foot rope the stiff steer hide,
now outspread, sailed and slapped
the earth, sailed again and slapped
a startled cow. The cow jumped,
bawling. The thing sailed on, rose,
swooped, gray shape that darted
crazily into the air, slammed into
the herd, and all the while set up a
rafting and cracking of dry leather.
Two thousand head of cows were
on the hoof. Their rising sounded
like hail-and then they were on the
run. They knew only one way, back
in the direction they had come.
The earth vibrated and gave off a
rolling thunder. Guns crashed sud-
denly up ahead guards trying
to turn the herd back upon itself.
But the animals were in full move.
The gunfire lasted only a moment.
The thunder and earth vibration
continued.
Twice Walt Candy crossed behind
the galloping white-faces, until gun
blazed close and bullet winged
past. He wheeled, throwing two
slugs blindly, then was carried out
of range by the onrush of his horse.
He cut the hide loose and rode for
time following the stampede, cer-
tain at last that it could not be
checked, and that these animals
were headed for the n home range.
Off on his left, southwark, a new
ripple of gunfire sounded, and he
heard unmistakably the fog-horn
voice of Horsethief Fisher, and an
other that was like the baying of
Texas bloodhound. The G c riders
had come! Bailey too, and his
bunch!
He drew down, resting his wind
ed horse, with hollow feeling all
at once, and he sat spent, alone as
far as his gaze could penetrate the
prairie top, while the ripple of guns
moved on west and the thunder
of cattle grew more and more dis
tant.
Morning grayed at his back. Some
one was coming. He wheeled and
saw Paul Champion Looping toward
him.
The boy came up. "Why didn't you
let me in this? Look!" He held up
his forty-five. II amt fired shot!"
Candy reined over to him and
grinned. That's all right, boy.
Who's come? Everyone?"
"Sure. The boss got back, too.
He's somewhere"
''Did Helen :"
Paul turned quickly in his saddle
as if just remembering something.
Helen was-there she is" He point
ed into the gray dawn. 'Walt, if
she'll be all right with you I'll go
find me some trouble!'
go ahead" said Candy. 'If
there's any left" He swung to the
ground and was standing braced
against the black horse when Helen
Cameron reined and dropped be-
side him.
"Walt!" she cried. Listen, do
you know? Lavic told me. l made
him talk. 1t was Walt it
was Stoddard!"
"Wait minute he calmed her.
"Wait now. Then tell me just one
thing. Did Stoddard kill Ranger
Powell?"
"Yesl And Chino Drake!" She
choked, staring up.
wait" said Candy, putting out a
hand to her.
In a moment her words came
evenly, in full control: I'm all right
now. When I told Bent Lavic that
Bill Hollister was not going to live,
he talked. It's too terrible, but he
has been SO jealous of dad, and
Bill too, that when he knew Chino
Drake was playing traitor, he
wouldn't tell us. Walt, it was Drake
who took Bills rifle from the rack
and gave it to Stoddard. And Stod-
dard shot Powell with that gun!
After that he couldn't let Drake live.
Don't you see? He killed Chino and
then put the gun back in our house
himself and the whole thing looked
like the c C's doing"
She broke off; going on then with
effort. ''All this time Sheriff Battle
has had the cast of some tracks.
They were Stoddard'sl But Battle