The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-01-23

WOulQIl 4lidblGl AkG W1S AN6As
His soundless movement carried
him on to a door which must lead
into the family wing of the house
BY this time he knew the front room
was empty. He paused.
"Walt! Listen to mel" Appealing
hands gripped his right arm. Whis-
pering, Helen begged: Don't! You
can't help. I'm working this out,
everythingl You must not go any
farther
But Candy shook his head. He
freed his arm from her Tightening
fingers.
The door gave more easily than
he expected, as if it had been closed
not quite far enough for the latch TO
click into place. 1t opened wide at
his touch, and before him was a
small plain cubicle with desk, a
chair, and a cot; Cash Cameron's
office, disordered, empty.
Immediately on his right was a
door leading to the inner court
formed by the house wings. Candy
sprang across to it, found it un-
locked. Whoever had been here was
gone now.
But there was still another pas
sage ahead. He moved rapidly along
this, seeing a bedroom on the left
of it, and then the last room of the
family wing at the end.
Helen Cameron was no longer be-
hind him. In her fathers Office she
had turned back. Walt stopped, for
the door was open, and he stood
motionless, brought up short on the
threshold of the girls own four
walls. 1t was a large, airy place,
with windows on three sides, cur
tanned, fleece rug on the floor, in
innate with her things that revealed
unguardedly the girl who lived here.
Horsethief Fishers voice blared
suddenly outside. Candy jumped
back along the passage. BY the
time he had reached the kitchen the
old bronc rider and Paul Champion
had tramped in. Helen was putting
plates on the dining-room table.
MAN an child" Horsethief burst
out. "Give us grubl"
He hung his battered black hat on
its own particular wall peg and
reached under the sink for the wash
pan.
"Say, Miss Helen" he called.
Someone leave here just now? Paul
he was ahead of me coming along
the north pasture and thought a rid
er took off southwest"
From his position, entering the
kitchen from the living-room, Walt
Candy could not see the girl. Wheth-
er she signaled Fisher or not, he
couldn't tell.
Without pause nor change in his
conversational tone, Horsethief fin
ished, "But the kid he gets ideas
sometimes. ] guess he didn't see
no one"
In another step Candy could look
at Helen Cameron. She was mo-
tionless beside the long ranch table,
dish in her hands. walt" she
said quickly, ''I haven't told them.
1Ou DelleT.
He nodded and went to the wash
bench where Fisher and young
Champion were bent over, dissolv-
ing gray dust from their faces. ''We
found Ranger Powell this after
noon," he said. "Been dead some
time"
Two dripping faces turned. Horse
thief Fisher looked up, made no re-
ply, bent again and went on wash
ing the back of his neck.
Paul Champion stood up full
height and opened his mouth.
"Jeez," he said, drawing it out.
where's the boss?"
Cameron won't be around for
awhile" Candy told him. "Hollister
will be back some time tonight.
Horsethief, after we eat I'm coming
down to your bunk house. Wait
there, viii you?"
Fisher and Paul Champion were
in the middle of the bunk room, near
an iron barrel stove that had no
fire. A single oil lamp gave dim
yellow light.
So savagely was he gripped in
the urge to smash through any more
barriers and evasions, that Gandy's
stride carried him on close to Horse
thief Fisher, and before the bronc
rider had gathered what was hap
pening, an elbow was hooked around
his neck, and hard fist was push
ing against his nose.
''If you don't open up and talk to
me-" said Candy, "I'm going to
crack your skull and see what's in
It'll" Then he grinned, dropping his
arms. "Horsethief, for Lords sake
let's go at this thing fifty-fifty!
81 think you're the only man on
the c c that has nothing to hide.
I've listened to lot of talk that tells
nothing; now / want to hear some
without a joker in it. What do you
say?"
Horsethief Fisher stared, blinking
sun-squinted eyes. Then the round
face wrinkled with good humor.
1t lasted but a moment. Sober
ing, he said, you're right, Candy.
Plenty of side-mouth talkin'. Nothin'
straight out"
He wiped an open hand downward
over his face as if to iron off the
wrinkles; a slow movement, consid-
ering Walt Candy during the proc
ess. i've been afgurin' on you"
he admitted. Maybe you're the
man l been lookin' for. Hollister,
well, something's happened to Bill
lately. Cash he's kept away from
gun-fghtin' too long. And Miss Hell
en-; shucks, don't know, she's all
balled I'D somehow"