The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-06-18

At daybreak Clay Morgan rode as
far as the Antelope Plains with the
roundup crew and worked with it un-
til mid-morning. Afterwards he set
off to have a look at the grass and
water on the western edge of the
Moguls. Gurd Grant, having busi-
ness at his own ranch, went along.
Gurd was big and completely
friendly man of Morgan's age with
light features and a consistently
pleased expression in his eyes. There
was no malice and no subterfuge
of any kind in Gurd. But now, as
he rode, he spoke in a rather trou-
bled, uncertain way of Herendeen.
''You know, Clay, he amt such a
bad fellow. | hate to see you two
start chewing the same piece Of
leather. Of course, you never did
like each other. can remember as
far back as school when you and
Ben got in some pretty tough jan
gles."
"Gurd," said Morgan, turning to-
ward his partner, Il want to warn
you. Ben's the kind of fellow that
gets worse the farther he goes. May
be he'll start by chasing a few
crooks out of the country. But he
won't stop there. He'll get the idea
that nobody has any rights unless
they're riding close to him."
Riding on through the short hills,
they came to Crowfoot's quarters
seated in a small round valley
backed against the Haycreek Hills.
A creek, charging out of the pine
timber, crossed the meadow in front
of low, ng-galleried white house
surrounded by poplar trees. The
two dismounted in this pleasant
shade and went back to the dining
room for a late noon meal. They
were still at the table when a single
rider came out of the hill trail at a
full gallop. A moment later Cath
crime Grant appeared.
Gentlemen" she said, ''you are
both very solemn"
Gurd Grant held his seat with a
brothers. habitual indifference but
Clay Morgan rose at once before
this laughter-loving girl with the gay
and gently blue eyes. This was
Catherine Grant, who, with her
brother Gurd, ran Crowfoot.
'Once," she reflected, there was
a man named Morgan. He lived on
top of a mountain and never did
come down. He grew a beard, SO
they say, and got the habit of talking
to himself. I wonder whatever hap
pened to him?"
Crazy as always" said Gurd.
"And quit running your horse down
that trail, you hear?"
She didn't hear. She stood in front
of Clay, stripping away her riding
gloves-smiling and watching his an
swering smile break the solid
healthy darkness of his face. Gurd
Grant sat as an interested and for
gotten spectator to this scene, quick
to note his sisters instant gaiety in
front of Clay, and Clay's Tightening
expression. There always had been
an odd closeness between these two
people. Sometimes, as now, that
closeEess puzzled him and some
times bothered him; he never could
get at its meaning All he knew
was that whenever they met they
seemed to share some old memory
which excluded everybody else, as
now. He rose and left the room.
The cook brought Catherine her
meal. She sat opposite Clay, eating
a little and talking a little. Clay
lighted a smoke. He braced his ell
bow on the table, chin propped in
his long, heavy hand. "Your hair
he said, ''is getting darker"
That's gray you see. Gray from
worry"
when you were eighteen it was
almost carrot red"
She said: Il remember you said
that once, long time ago. 1t al.
most made me cry. I came home
and wondered if I could dye it."
''We used to talk pretty straight,
didn't we? We had some tall quar-
rels."
She gave him a straight, smileless
look. why did we ever quarrel,
Clay
Maybe" he said, "it was be-
cause we always stuck together and
had so damned much fun" He
wasn't sure of what he wished to
say. This girl was a close, deep
part of his life. Once, she had been
nearer to him than any other wom-
an. Some of that old feeling re-
manned, SO that when he sat by her
now he had feeling of pleasan,
ease; knowing that he had to ex-
plain nothing to her, knowing that
she understood.
Suddenly she rose and turned
away, knowing what was in his
mind. He left the table, following
her out to the house porch. He
said: "See you later, Catherine -
'All right, Clay"
Gurd came around the house. He
said to his sister in teasing,
amused voice: "Rakin' up the ashes
of an old fre?"
Flush"
"You twc," commented Gurd,
fused to be pretty thick. Before
Lila came along. always won-
dered how thick?"
She Strengthened against the porch
post and showed him a self-con-
tanned expression. Gurd laughed a
little. seeing his sister close up on