Adventure, November 1915 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ee ° 20 “The papers took it up an’ made a Sun- day story out of it, all wrong except my name an’ a drawin’ some feller made of me, which was good. That brought Dave Hen- ley to Chicago, five years ago, sixty years old and broke. All the talk in the world wouldn’t persuade him I wasn’t the man an’ didn’t know where the treasure was. He offered to share it with me, as he said it was his right. But I had a little money left then an’ I wasn’t goin’ after that treasure with a Henley as my partner. I figgered that would sure resurrect the curse. So I gave him a little of my money an’ got away from Chicago on the quiet. “I figgered it all out finally. That money had to go to some one clean. There was nothing the matter with the gold. It was intended to be used. But I had no right to it, no more than Henley. So I forgot about it. I had this map made when I tried to start the expedition an’ [ still had the fig- gers in the watch. I knew Henley reckoned I had the position somewheres an’ I knew he’d stop short of nothing to get it. I wasn’t the fighting man I used to be. I was old an’ wanted to die in a bed, quiet. “T figgered on leavin’ a letter to some in- stitution tellin’ them of the gold, but when Mister Addams here picked me up an’ saw to it I didn’t need to be cold or hungry, I changed my mind.” Addams felt the girl’s gaze upon his face. He raised his eyes and met her admiring glance. “Then,” continued Fellowes, ‘I made up my mind he was the kind of a man who was clean enough to get the gold. He told me he had partners, so I come around to see you an’ spin the yarn. You’re the clean sort, too. They ain’t no curse goin’ to worry you. “Now you’ve got the map an’ the watch with the figgers, an’ Miss there has got the location of the gold in the cave. I’m through with it. I’m nigh the end of my voyage an’ I’m lookin’ for a quiet anchorage. “The gold is cursed to me. You get it. Give me a bit of an income from it while I live, if you want to—it won’t be long—an’ that’s ample. But you’ve got Henley to buck. He’s like his father—a bad one! I thought I saw him in my court yesterday mornin’ an’ again after Mister Addams come in the afternoon. He was there this evenin’. He followed us an’ looked through the window. Look out for him! He ain’t Adventure | alone in this, an’ three-quarters of a million is a big stake. Keep clear an’ start right away.” He stopped talking, his head, hoary-set with hair and beard, drooped as Peggy Winton stirred the fire. Addams gathered together the papers on the table, folding up the map and setting the watch on top of it. ‘Then you want me to take care of these, Fellowes?” he said. “If you will,” answered the old man, rousing himself from his drowsiness. “‘I’ll sleep all the better for not having them.” Selim, entering to the ring of his mistress, set a screén about the fire and started to prepare a couch for Fellowes. Addams made a low-voiced suggestion to the girl. “Selim,”’ she said, “bring a cot for your- self in here.” She turned to Fellowes. “Then you'll not be worrying about the man who looked in at the window,” she sug- gested. “T’ll worry no more, now that Mr. Ad- dams has the map and watch and you the secret of the caves,’ he declared stoutly. “T’ll not trouble your man.” Remembering his prejudice against brown skins, the girl forebore to press the matter. Addams picked up the watch and map. “T’ll sleep with these between my mat- tresses,” he said. “Jim, have you got a pistol?” : ‘“‘An automatic,” Jim answered. my room. I'll give it to you.” “That goes under my pillow,” said Ad- dams. ‘Well, what about turning in? We'll talk over ways and means at break- fast, eh, Peggy? We’ve got enough to dream on.” “Dream!” exclaimed the girl. “I’m go- ing to sit awake all night thinking. It’s all too wonderful and exciting to waste on dreams.”’ “Tt’s in CHAPTER VII THE MYSTERY IN MONROE COURT WEEN Selim essayed to wake Jared Fellowes for breakfast the next morn- ing, he found the old man up and dressed, pacing the big studio as if it had been the deck of a ship. He had started the fire, which was snapping briskly, and seemed himself to be full of hardy life and vigor. “Tt’s done me a world of good,” he an- nounced at the breakfast table, ‘gettin’ EComichbooks (E@) im