The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-08-13


her finger-point. Her hair glowed
darkly in the mornings light, it
deepened the color of her cheeks.
II don't know" she said in a re-
served voice She wouldn't look at
him during these moments. 1T IS
Herendeen's influence, I suppose"
She lifted the soft earth in her
hand and let it slide between her
fingers. Her face was sweetly So
Der. Her long and fresh-colored lips
expressively changed shape when
she looked at him. ''No explana-
tions, no apologies. That is the way
you've always been."
What else can anybody do?"
Nothing, I guess. Only it makes
it hard for people to understand you
sometimes. To know what is in
your head"
"You never had any trouble fgur-
ing me OUT" he reflected.
"Ah, but have a special gift that
way. / know you through and
through" They were silently laugh
ing at each other, influenced by an
undercurrent which always buoyed
them up when together. She turned,
lying back on the ground, her body
full-shaped against the folds of her
riding habit.
She pillowed her head with her
hands and watched the bright blue
patch of sky showing through the
pine-tops, speaking in a distant,
dreaming voice; Nothing ever
changes, Clay. The earth, the wind
or the sun. Or the things want,
or you want"
He remembered what Ann Nc
Garrah had so swiftly asked him:
What had he wanted? Now, not
knowing what it was, he asked Cath
crime: What do I want?"
She said in a faraway tone: 81
wish I knew"
What do you want?"
She turned her head, so close to
him now that he saw the gray fakes
of color in her eyes. The dance of
laughter was in them, and an in
expressible gravity was in them,
both humors blended. Tt was the
way she hid herself from him when
she chose. "Never ask a woman's
age, never ask what she wants"
He said indolently: 81 wish I had
a steak, with onions. Maybe Ger
man fried potatoes and a piece of
apple pie. Now that's what want"
She said: 'Do you remember the
night we rode to Freeport in the
rain and ate Kern Cases flapjacks
and coffee, and played rummy un-
til he got scandalized at our conduct
and sent US away? 1t was awfully
dark in the Potholes that night,
Clay"
"What ever happened to that
brown dress?"
She said in a wondering tone,
"You still remember it?" Then she
added quite gently: Somewhere in
the attic, Clay. 1t is up there with
all the other things / outgrew and
put away to forget-and never quite
forgot. Would you want to go back
to those times, Clay?"
"No," he said, II guess not"
She said: "There's something
else l came up here to tell you.
Herendeen has sent over the
mountain for the Ryder boys.
They're gunmen, Clay"
He said, '"Time to CO., and held
out his hand. His fingers were warm
and strong, they had pressure as
she pulled herself half-upright and
for a moment, her shoulder softly
touching his chest, she watched the
dust dancing in shaft of slanting
sunlight, her eyes half-closed. mo-"
she murmured, Il guess I wouldn't
either"
"What?"
go back to old times. We'd do
the same things, and make the same
mistakes. Nothing changes.
She turned her head to him, her
lips pressed in soft humor. But the
expression on Morgan's face sent
the smile away and for this short
heady interval of time they were
remembering the same things,
hard-touched by them, dangerously
stirred by them. That old closeness
came back, that old reckless, sweet
wildness came back and shook
them; and for a moment he was
shocked alive by the things her
nearness did to him. The past
rushed up and he saw her as he