Question

the crusty old man helped little ladd dismount, telling him, \you go on inside out of the rain, sonny, while i tend to these horses.\
source: the milagro beanfield war
in the sentence above, crusty has the same or almost the same meaning as:
gleeful
hideous
gruff
intelligent

Explanation:

"Crusty" in this context means having a rough or gruff exterior. "Gleeful" means full of joy, "hideous" means ugly, and "intelligent" means smart. "Gruff" means having a rough voice or manner, which is closest in meaning to "crusty" as used here.

Answer:

gruff