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

had once seen her-a girl holding
him away with gay insolence even
as her eyes pulled him on. He saw
now the faint freckles at the base
of her nose and the curve of her
eyebrows and the close texture of
her skin, gently Drowned by the sun
and the reflection of himself in her
pupils.
She rose and stepped away from
him and did something then that
told him of her thoughts; she lifted
her chin, her face Tightening against
flare of excitement, and pulled her
hands behind her back as she had
done in those old days when she
was afraid of what was to come.
MY boy" she said, breathlessness
in her throat, 'sit is time to CO."
Back homer"
She shook her head. "I'm riding
with you. There's something on
Long Seven I want to find out. You
don't mind, Clay?"
He had his awkward moment in
mounting with his bad hand. They
Travelled single-file up the trail to
Mogul's plateau, and afterward rode
abreast across the dun-yellow sur
| face of the high meadows, beneath
half warm sun. High on the
tawny ribs Of the Mogul ridge cattle
| grazed; puff of dust rose from
the bounding fight of an antelope.
Catherine said: "It is beautiful
world, Clay"
Turning the foot of the Mogul
| Mountains, they came upon the
Long Seven yard. Janet was wait
ing in the doorway, her hands prim-
| ly folded in front of her dress. Harry
Jump and Cap Vermilye were near
the corral talking to the hester from
Salt Meadow, Fox Willing.
These three moved toward Nor
| gan but he ignored them for this mo-
ment, caught by this scene of Cath
crime facing his daughter. Catherine
walked forward, tall and pleasant
in the sunlight, not smiling but near
| to a smile. Janet's small hands re-
mained locked across her dress. Her
face held its precise gravity, its un-
moved reserve; her eyes were quite
cool yet Morgan, who knew his
daughter thoroughly - the shaded
meaning in her various degrees of
silence and politeness-recognized
an odd restraint in his daughter at
the moment. 1t was mirrored re-
sentiment, the cause of which he un-
derstood at once. Somewhere along
the last year or two his daughter
had absorbed the viewpoint of Ann
McGarrah. Somehow Ann McGar-
rah had mysteriously instilled in
Janet her own dislike of Catherine.
These were the ways by which wom-
en- sent their feelings intuitively
across space to other women. jan
ct was AIMS partisan and her small
clear face, so exactly neutral, could
not quite hide her jealousy. He
stood by, quietly angered at Ann
McGarrah for what she had done to
Janet, knowing he had no way of
changing Janet's expression. She
was no longer a child to listen i'm
plicitly to him. In her own mind,
in that shadowland between child
hood and wisdom, were beliefs she
held by her own judgment.
Catherine was at the porch. She
said: 81 haven't seen you for a
very long while, Janet"
Janet's voice was slow and cool.
"Thank you. Would you like cup
of coffee?"
"No," said Catherine, and settled
on the steps of the porch. She looked
F! at her hands a moment, drawing a
deep breath; she was sober and re-
| strained. "No, but thanks. That's
a pretty dress. / had one once, al
most the same color. / wore it to
a lot of dances
"Were you my age them" asked
Janet.
81 was older But at your age
used to dance by myself when no
body was watching"
81 do, too" said Janet. "How
| long did you have to wait before you
could 60 to dances?' She spoke it
and then, remembering her fathers
| presence too late, threw him an en-
barrassed look.
Catherine noticed it. She said inn
mediately: ut will seem long, as it
did to me, but it really will be so
short time."
Fox Willing moved around to face
Morgan. He said, "Mr. Morgan, I
rode over to tell you something :"
no BE CONTINUED