The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-07-23


and walked deeper into q natural
rock fault, against a steady play Of
wind. He dropped to his knees and
felt the flooring with his hands.
There had been fire here but when
he lighted match he saw that the
ashes were old. He had made bad
guess.
He climbed over the ridge and
took another trail downgrade until
the lights of Freeport showed again.
There was a rutted wood road at
this point which dropped circuitous-
ly off the hills into the end of a
narrow street. When he reached
this street-end Morgan paused to
have look, turned cautious by the
nights events. For he now knew
there was no longer any safety
riding alone. Thus had the country
changed in the space of a week.
Morgan reached the general store,
left his horse and walked into the
half-gloom, into the stagnant COM
pound of old store smells. A stove
in the middle of the room showed its
fire through square isinglass eyes; a
man stood bowed over counter, his
lips silently framing words as he
read paper. Morgan's presence
pulled him from this chore. He said
idly: Hello, Morgan"
Morgan said: SHANK of a busy
evenin', Kern"
Kern Case was huge-bellied and
high and round-shouldered from all
his weight. He was younger than
he looked but he had the moon
shaped ungiving face of man to
whom silence was important. Thin
shank" he said.
They knew each other pretty well,
yet there was always reserve to
keep, roundabout way of talking
Out in the hills were a hundred men
who stayed there for the profit of
it; in this town now were other
men who would fade through rear
doors at the sound of swift-coming
horses. Kern Case, himself an hon.
est man, held the secrets of these
others in his head. They trusted
him. and he kept his mouth shut.
when Morgan asked his question
it was not question at all but
statement.
pretty dark to be chasing through
the hills
Maybe" said Kern Case, "you
went down the wrong canyon"
Il could ride this country asleep.
But maybe I guessed wrong
Sometimes, said Kern Case, "a
man gets tired of sleepin' on the
ground"
Maybe" agreed Morgan. He
turned the remark over in his head;
it meant something but he didn't get
it. He backed to the stove and
warmed himself, gently rubbing the
seat of his pants. Kern Case didn't
show any change on his face, though
his eyes were laughing at Morgan.
You're a long way from the ranch.
Ridin' back tonight?"
Never gave it a thought"
Case started to speak and changed
his mind. Somebody came quickly
into Freeport, horse beating out
rhythm on the dust of the streets
far end. Case folded his hands on
the table, serenely incommuni-
cative, listening to the horse haul
up. Morgan said, "Hell of lot of
traffic for dead burg" and moved
| idly to awdrthe door.
Twenty years ago." said Kern
Case, you'd of got shot for re-
mark like that"
Paused by the door, Morgan
watched the newcomer swing off his
horse in front of the hotel. He
looked around at Case. "Times
change. So do visitors" He stepped
into the store, turning to the stove.
He wheeled when he reached it,
keeping his eyes on the door. The
newcomers steps faded from the
street and the silence thickened
across the town. Morgan's face was
ding and still; his lips were fiat,
their edges pushing together. A flare
of light showed in his eyes and he
stood straighter than before, he
stood balanced and attentive. The
newcomer steps broke the still
ness again, heavy and loud and COM
ing rapidly forward. Case stared
at Morgan, reading what was to be
seen. In way it was information,
for when the storekeeper put his
attention to the door and saw Ben
Herendeen there he wasn't greatly
surprised. Morgan's expression had
been in the nature of warning.