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

she had heard, about his shoot-out
with Cleve Tanner.
"A notch? I hadn't thought any,
thing about it,
All her bitter contempt of the lone
ly-riding men of violence came into
her voice. Isn't that what the gun
men and the COW thieves always
do?"
He was motionless long time.
Then he drew the skinning knife
that always swung at the back of
his belt in a worn sheath. Its blade
was lean and followed, worn al
most out of existence by a thousand
honings. He stood looking at the
knife; he tossed it in the air, and
caught it by the handle again.
Il wouldn't go cutting marks on
the handle of a gun," he said at
last. His voice was thick. Nobody
cares what anybody does to the ham
die of gum
Roper stepped forward, and with
the keen blade cut a notch clean
and deep in the left arm of Dustys
cross.
When he looked at Jody she was
staring at him strangely, almost as
If she were afraid
All through the afternoon Jody
Gordon had ridden the barren trails
above Ogallala, on a pony that for
ever tried to turn home. Thaw was
on the prairie again, and the South
Platte was brimming with melted
snow; in the air was something of
the damp, clean smell which had
marked another spring, In this same
place. But it was now more than
six months since Jody had seen Bill
Roper; and she found it no help that
she was forever hearing his name.
1t was with reluctance that she at
last rode up the rise upon which it
stood, unlighted, in the dusk.
She unsaddled her own pony, boot
ed it into the muddy corral, and
threw the forty pound kak onto the
saddle-pole with the easy, one-hand-
ed swing of the western rider. AS
she turned toward the house she was
trying not to cry.
Then, as she walked through the
stable, a figure rose up from the
shadows beside the door and barred
her way.
Jody Gordon's breath caught in
her throat. She said, evenly, Look
ing for someone, Bud?"
The spare-framed visitor took off
his hat and held it uneasily in his
two hands. "Well, I tell you, Miss
Gordon-could I speak to you for
just minute7 I'll tell you the fact
of the matter. I'm a Bill Roper
man."
Jody Gordon's heart jumped like
struck pony BILLY sent you to
me?"
II haven't seen Bill Roper. But
I've seen Ben Thorpe. Miss Cor
don, tell me one thing: Is your fa-
ther backing Bill Roper? / mean,
is he backing this plowing into Ben
Thorpe?"
"My father" Jody Gordon said,
''has quit Bill Roper in every way
he possibly could"
That's what thought" Shoshone
Wilce said. "Only trouble is, peo-
pie that don't know the difference,
they don't none of them believe that
any more"
Jody Gordon interrupted him
sharply. What's happened?"
miss Gordon, your father is in
terrible bad fix. I'm afeard-rm
afeard he's going to die before this
thing is through"
What do you mean?"
"Most people think Lew Gordon is
backing Bill Roper maybe yeu
know that? Well, now there's feller
rode to Ben Thorpe from Miles City
"a feller that was foreman with
Thorpe's Montana outfits under
Walk Lasham. Maybe this feller
had some kind of fight with Lash
AMI don't know nothing about
that. But this feller swears to
Thorpe that Lasham is letting the
Montana herds drain away to the
Indians, and to the construction
camps, and Ben Thorpe never see-
ing penny of the money from beef
or hide"
''Is Bill Roper cutting the Thorpe
outfits in Montana?"
Don't know, myself. They say
he's swarming all over Montana,
with a bunch of kid renegades be-
hind him, riding like crazy men,
and raiding night after night. Some
say nobody knows how hard Lash
am is hurt, Lasham least of any;
and some say Lasham has sold out
to Bill Roper, or your father-or
BOTH"
What does Thorpe himself
Think"
Thorpe thinks your father has
bought Walk Lasham. Just the same
as he thought your father bought
Cleve Tanner in Texas, until Bill
Roper gunned Cleve down. And
Thorpe is fit to be tied. A man like
him - he's terrible dangerous al
ways, Miss Gordon; but now he's
ten times more dangerous than he
ever was In his life
You mean you think Ben Thorpe
will-will-"
Miss Gordon, / know. Ben
Thorpe is going to kill Lew Gordon,
lust as sure as"
Jody Gordon's eyes had darkened
in the dusk, making her face seem
very pale. what do you want me
to do?"
Shoshone Wilce shrugged. "That
amt hardly up to me, Miss Gordon.
But I'll tell you this: many's the
time I've seen your father go stomp