The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-04-17
CHAPTER vi

would be gong east Dy ralIroau,
beginning the long roundabout way
which would bring him to Texas long
before Bill. With his camps as
secure base, Pierce was to begin the.
missionary work which would lay
the foundations for Bill Roper's wild
bunch.
Lew Gordon had shaken hands
with him gravely at his departure:
an uncomfortable job for Bill, which
he was glad to get over with. But
Jody Gordon-he had not seen her
again at all. He was thinking of her
now as she had fiared up at him the
night before, warlike as a little ca
gle, but very lovely still, with the
fire in her eyes.
Watchful always, he knew when,
two miles off, horseman dropped
from lookout just at the crest of a
rise; and he lsnew that the rider
had seen him and was moving to in
tercept his trail.
He did not have so long to wait
as he had thought. No more than
ten minutes had passed when the
unknown rider came busting around
the shoulder of sand hill and head
ed toward him at the dead run. Rop-
er turned his horse broadside to
the approach and waited.
The rider was Jody Gordon.
She appeared to have taken to
the saddle in a hurry, for she wasn't
wearing chaps, or anything else she
should have been riding in. What
distance she had come she had come
fast, for her pony's f1anks were
heaving.
"You sure punish that horse" he
said.
"I've got no call to save him.
I'm not going any place."
There was little silence, awk-
ward for Bill Roper, as she sat and
looked at him. The lower lids of
her eyes were violet, so that he
knew she had not slept: but he could
not read her family smoky eyes.
She was more pale than he had ever
seen her, and the passivity of her
face made her look like little girl
again.
Sure sorry" he said, "that
didn't get to say good-by to you.
Didn't seem like you were any place
around"
For a second or two the familiar
twinkle seemed about to come into
her eyes. Ibid you hunt real
hard?"
"Well-maybe ! didn't. / guess
it kind of seemed like we'd already
said everything there was. to be
said"
Maybe" she said slowly, st
didn't say everything / ought to
have said. / want you to know
this: When you ride out of my life
there isn't going to be anything left
in it."'
"Jody," he said, "are you trying
to turn me back now?"
Her only answer was little hope
less motion of her hands.
"Your father and I put in four
hours last night, roughing out the
terms of my split from King-Gor-
don. Think back yourself-did you
ever see me turned back from some
thing figured ought to do?"
She shook her head, and her face
had even less color than before.
"What did you say to my father::"
''What did he tell you said?"
"That I-quit you"
"Well--didn't your"
Don't you know" she said Graz
lily, 81 wouldn't ever do that?"
He was silent, his eyes on his
buckskin gloves as he adjusted his
rope, the buckle of his rifle boot.
II don't care anything about King
Gordon" Jody said. II don't care
whether you stay in King-Gordon,
or get out, or where you go, or
what you do. I'd go with you if
you wanted me to go; and if you
don't know that you don't know
anything at all!'
"Jody-you mean that?"
''In King-Gordon you were on the
way to big things. But l don't
care anything about that. Let the
breakup with my father go through.
Quit King-Gordon without two bits
to your name. Take the least out
post camp there is under the brand,
and let him have the rest. I'll go
with you, and stay with you; and
I'll help you in every way / can
to build something of our own"
He wanted to say something, any,
thing; but he found he could not
speak at all.
Jody said, almost Historically,
Aren't you ever going to say any,
thing?"
Bill Roper mumbled to his saddle
horn, Didn't know you felt that
way Wouldn't ever be any call
ANY reason-for you to let go all
holts like that
She was leaning toward him now,
her voice gentle, coaxing, very ten
der. "Our own little old outfit-any
outfit, any place-don't you see what
a happy place we could make that
be? A place where we could plant
trees near the water, and watch
them grow into big trees; and we'd
be there together"
Roper shot a quick glance at Jo-
dy, and Immediately sent his eyes
away again, as far as they could
reach. If he had looked at her again,
perhaps he would have kicked his
pony stirrup to stirrup with hers and
picked her out of the saddle, and