The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-08-27

ready to light at the drop OF a hat
Gurd's got it in for Morgan over
something-I don't know what. We
are going to have fight and hate
to consider it,
She said: "You should know the
reason for it, Lige."
why yes" he answered .sHeren-
deem wants to clean up the range
and Morgan is little shy on COM
in in"
She said: mo, Lige. In the be-
ginning it was over woman, Lila.
And now it is over another woman,
Catherine"
He looked down at her, closely
thinking it over. 'Lila-maybe yes.
But Catherine. I doubt that. He's
closer to the McGarrah girl"
There's one thing you don't know,
Lige. Catherine was his first girl.
Even before Lila. She still is. /
don't know if he realizes that. I
don't know if he understands why
he is so bitter against Herendeen,
or why Herendeen hates him so.
1t is Catherine, Lige."
He said: You're damned pretty,
sitting there"
She gathered up the darning and
rose, turning to a corner of the
room. Il ought to go down and see
what Chin's cooking for dinner"
He came over the room. Hearing
his quick steps she swung around,
her face dark-set and stiff. Lige
White showed her his quick smile,
he showed her the gay, excited and
unruly expression she knew so well.
There was that insistence in him,
that quick need. He put his hand on
her shoulder, compelling her to
come toward him. He said, voice
giving him away, Don't freeze me
out, Grace"
She whirled back from him, re-
| treating until she had reached a
wall. She put her shoulders to the
wall and it was this picture that
| hurt Lige White, the sight of his
| wife shrinking away, actually in
fear, with that darkness on her face
and that adamant pride in her eyes,
| as though she hated the things in
his mind then. 1t took all the drive
| out of him, it swung him around.
At the door he turned, once more
covering up his feelings, speaking
as though none of this had hap
| pened.
''I'm going over to see Herendeen,
and maybe Gurd. Probably be gone
overnight"
She remained by the wall until he
had left the room, listening to the
| crush of his feet on the stairs. After
wards, posted at corner of the WIN
dow so that he wouldn't see her,
she watched him ride out of the
| yard and settle the horse into a
| singlefooted dancing across the Fan
olango Desert. AS long as he was
in sight she stood by the window.
When the corrals and barns cut
him from view she dropped the
| darning material from her hands
and crossed to the bureau mirror
She placed her hands on the bureau
top, watching the way her face re-
| mained set and dark. She said,
"Why is it always like that?" and
slowly turned from the room. Chin
had left a broom and pan in the
hall; she bent to pick up the pan
and saw the uncollected dust along
! the floor. She went down to the
kitchen and filled a pail with water
and got rag from closet and
! lugged the pail up the stairs, kneel-
ing on the hall.
She had forgotten about her dress,
or she didn't care. She drenched
the rag and slowly scrubbed the
floor, not with very much method !;
she kept pushing the rag around and
around the same spot, and her lips
were tight-placed and tears showed
in her eyes. She said, This started
long ago. Why do I always push
him away? I always did. Now he
goes somewhere else. 1t is too late. y
She moved along the hall, water
staining her dress. Her hair loos-
ened at the edges, coming across
her forehead. Chin called up the
stairs. Miss Lige White, what you
do there?"
| She cried, Get back to the kitch.
en-" and was openly crying.
| (TO RE c0NTINTtEDJ