The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-05-22

from Jouy Goruon. IaInI uarnp-
ness showed on his forehead, but
his fingers acted cold and awkward.
There's five of us here" Tex
Long said. ''You expect US to just
suddenly feed every Indian in crea-
tion?"
1--WE got twenty-seven riders wait
ing to throw in with us at the first
word"
''Twenty-seven riders? Where?"
"All over Montana. What do you
think l did all winter? Holed up like
a she-bear?"
Silence again, while they all stud
led Roper.
How many you figure to mover"
Tex Long asked at last.
Roper's voice was so low they
could hardly hear his words. BE
tween twenty and thirty thousand
head"
Tex Long threw his hat against
the roof poles in a gesture of COM
plete impatience. Dead of winter"
he said; maybe having to fight
part of the time; why, thirty-forty
cowboys couldn't drive"
1--WE don't have to handle this
stock like fat beef" Roper remind
ed him. I'VE don't have to pull UP
for quicksand, or stampede losses,
or high water. If hundred head
get swept down a river, what the
hell? Some different Indians will get
hold of 'em downstream. Working
that way, hard and fast, thirty cow
boys can move every head in Mon
tanal"
Were terrible short of time"
Tex Long said.
Il know it; in another couple of
months their chuck wagons will be
heading out, and the deep grass will
be full of their riders. We have to
move and move quick"
1T might be-" Dry Camp Pierce
declared himself, ''it just could be
done" A hard gleam was coming
into the old rustler's wary eyes.
"And if it can-great God There's
never been nothing like thisl"
The others seemed to have had
the breath knocked out of them by
the unheard-of scope, the bold dar-
ing, the headlong all-or-nothing char
acter of the plan.
"This is bigger than the Texas
raids" Tex Long said wonderingly.
This is bigger than anything has
ever beenl"
Suddenly Dave Shannon smacked
his thigh with his huge hand. "By
God, believe it'll bust 'emi"
Over the pack of outlawed young
sters had come a wave of that IA
natic enthusiasm which sometimes
sways men as they face the i'm
possible, but Roper, strangely, was
unable to share it. The great raid
he had planned all winter now
seemed futile-a plan senseless and
| cold.
BILL" said Lee Harnish, whats
the matter with you? You got chills
and fever, or something?"
| Roper spoke to Harnish alone, as
if he had forgotten the others. "That
letter was from Jody Gordon" he
said.
bad news, SOM"
II don't know. She wants me to
come to Ogallala."
| ''When?"
"Now-right away"
| What for? Does she say?"
"She says she needs me; she says
she needs me bad, and right away.
/ guess she does, all right. If she
didn't, ! don't believe she'd ever
write, to me-"
The faces of the wild bunch rid
ers were expressionless, noncommit-
tai; Roper knew they wouldn't have
much to say. They were youngsters
still-all except Pierce; but their
faces were carved lean and hard by
long riding, and a lot of that riding
had been for him.
He stood up, shaking his shoulders.
Catch up your ponies"
1--WE pulling out? Tonight YETI"
"You bet your life we are. Ought
to make Red Horse Springs by mid
night"
"And after that" Harnish said
slowly, what is it, Bill? Is it Ogal-
lala?"