The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-07-30
CHAPTER X

from Sage City, Charley Hillhouse
had pulled into Three Pines and re-
ported his failure to Herendeen.
Both of them had been thoroughly
certain of success and now Her
endeen sat in astonished silence,
the back of his neck flushing and his
hazel eyes freezing on Hillhouse.
Charley felt this bad luck keenly; it
was a personal loss to him, so
complete was his loyalty to the
ranch, so partisan man he was.
He rolled a cigarette, laying his
shoulders against a porch post.
There was no sweetness in the
smoke.
"If we'd kept that damned notice
down another twenty-four hours"
Herendeen said: "He was at the
dance Friday night. He couldn't of
seen it. That's why Harry Jump
came to town in such a lather.
What'd he pay?"
"Eleven thousand"
"Why didn't you keep on?" said
Herendeen, irritably. why didn't
you snow him under? My God, Char
ley, I send you two hundred miles
for something we had to have, and
you buckle up."
"You set the limit" pointed out
Hillhouse. "I went to the limit and
that's all could do"
"You should have figured the
limit didn't mean a thing against
Morgan"
Hillhouse defended himself with
blunt warmth. "I'm no mind read
er. | can't guess what's in your
head, Ben. When you lay out some
thing for me to do, either give me
free rein or else be damned sure
how you tell me to do it." He threw
the cigarette away. well, we've
lost it."
"Charley," said Herendeen, "the
country amt big enough for both
Morgan and me-"
$50 it's fight" said Hillhouse, and
let the long silence fall while he
soberly considered the answer. He
sighed a little and at last shrugged
his shoulders. Been long time
coming"
Herendeen said: "Stay clear of it.,
Charley, if you feel like that"
Hillhouse shook his head. "No,"
he unused, "a man can't be half of
one thing and half of another. He'd
be mighty poor man. I'll do what
/ got to do. If it means | lift a
gun against Clay Morgan I'll do it
and God take pity on me for it. +"
He gave Herendeen a searching
glance. 'sBut don't make no mis-
takes about Clay. When you call
his hand you better be ready to 60
right on with it. What do say to
him when he asks me to move those
coWs?"
LET him worry about that"
Hillhouse didn't like the answer
and was on the point of saying as
much when Herendeen broke in.
Fright now we've got Hack Breath
lit to find. Take out three-four men
and beat up the country around
Dell Lake"
Hillhouse hadn't heard about that.
He said, "Whut's he done?" When
Herendeen told him, he considered
it over a long interval. Afterwards
his shoulders rose and fell, express
sively shaking away good many
memories. 81 guess the wild bunch
finally got him. Been teeterin' on
the edge of crookedness a long
while. Well, I'll find him."
Long as he had known Charley
Hillhouse, it astonished Herendeen
now that his foreman should SO
calmly accept the dismal chore of
hunting down man who had been
one of his deep friends. Long after
Hillhouse had lined out across the
flats, Herendeen puzzled it around
his head. As for himself, Heren-
deem had no scruples to explain
away. He was cattleman protect.
ing his range by whatever means
necessary, with an ambition to ex-
tend that range by whatever means
necessary. A man in this land had
rights if he was big enough to hold
them; if he wasn't big enough then
he had no rights. This was Heren-
deems philosophy entirely.
Eut Hillhouse had in his long cool
head a strange standard of right
and wrong; and zeal as passionate
as that of a fanatic. This kind oi
man could do terrible things and
feel terrible emotions. He was
Herendeen thought, like fellow
packing a stick of dynamite in his
pocket-uncomfortable at times tc
have around.
This was the extent of Heren.
deems thoughts on the matter. Turn
ing to his horse, he lined out through
the Haycreek Hills, reaching Crow.
foot at suppertime. He stopped here
for his meal and later made little
talk on the porch with Gurd and
Catherine.