The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-03-13

l
utes. The tired animal had lifted
his head, but then dropped it with
out nickering and now remained mo-
tionless.
The looming form was within FIVE
PAGES when Walt Candy spoke with
out rising: "Reach up, you! Quick!
And quiet. Don't spur that horse
of yours, eitherl"
There was a split second in which
the figure jerked, and if he could
have located the voice, guns would
have fiared. Then Walt saw two
arms go up. Drop i'll" he snapped.
A revolver spun downward and thud-
ded. He stood up, giving orders
low-voiced while moving across the
short space between himself and
the mounted man: Turn and slide
down, facing me. Don't grab any
thing. I don't usually play ball this
way. Now stand there"
He stepped up to a lean range
rider of about his own height, thrust
the thirty-eight in close and felt
| for more weapons. There were none.
He reached out and slid the rifle
from its saddle scabbard.
"Now," he said, "gather up both
horses and walk the way / tell
you."
The arms came down. "Look
here ."s
"Shut upl" said Candy. "Turn
square about and go straight
ahead"
In time, walking behind his pris-
oner and the two animals, he came
to the steer hide, angled on a short
distance to the left of it and halted.
Rapidly he took down the mans
own rope, ordered him to stretch
full length upon the earth and bound
him.
His voice was quiet; every action
was in that cold deadly calm. Lis
ten, you. Carefully. Because I'm
going to kill you." He paused, then
finished, Right here on the spot
unless you give me the dope. Is
jeff Stoddard with the herd?"
He bent over. From fiat on his
| back, the man glared up, silent.
| Candy clicked the hammer of his
gun. Better speak up, brother.
What you say won't work to hurt
you any. But what you don't say will
check you out. Is jeff Stoddard
with the herd or not?"
"Yes," came the answer.
| "Where? In camp or night-rid-
ing?"
| How do ! know!"
| Candy stabbed downward. The
gun muzzle pressed against hard
flesh.
Honest, I don't knowl"
| 'Then what's your password to-
night?"
| The reply came more promptly,
"On guard"
| "And the answer to that?"
| Hands down."
"You better be sure that's right, +"
Candy warned, because I'm going
to try it, and if it doesn't work III
come back and kill you."
He reached down, yanked the
mans coat tail up over his head and
tied rope ends around it, muffiing
him.
In the course of half an hour two
riders approaching warily from op-
posite directions across the black
prairie, came to stop.
| "On guard" said one, low-toned.
Hands down." replied the other.
They closed in.
"Up!" said Candy, gun whipped
into startled eyes. Quick! No
sound, you'll Keep 'em like that, kick
your foot out and come down fac
ing me-"
He followed to the ground, added
to his collection of guns and then,
afoot, drove this second prisoner
back in the same direction as the
first, but not within sight of each
other. These men all looked alike
to him, hard, long-backed, tight
mouthed. Yet his cold words
brought talk enough, and he left this
one as he had that other, bound fiat.
and head swathed in a coat. He
still had no definite news of the n
owner.
Whether his approach to the herd
this time was little misjudged, or
an animal had shifted its bed out
from the edge, he didn't know. A
lone critter rose suddenly almost un-
der his horses nose.
The black wheeled. The steer
plunged off in a stiff-legged Jump,
then circled to see what had broken
into its sleep Split hoofs had rat
tied unnaturally loud in what had
been dead silence, and now, about
faced, the animal took snorting
breath.
Candy waited, his horse pulled
in, praying the fool steer would quiet
down and not start the others. Then
next moment at his back voice
said:
"On guard"
Glands down." he answered,
shifting his horse around.
Immediately the voice snarled,
"What's the matter with you, you
damn fool! Jumping cow like thatl
Want to start 'em running?" The
rider came close, growing, "Time
to change the guard. Go on in"
Gandy's gun fiicked into the dim
| faoo HE urordc rapped the night