Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

Li’l Son-of-a-Gun to town to notify the sheriff and wire to Redding: But you know that.” “Yes, sir,’ answered Sandy. ‘‘Let’s get busy. Don’t you worry none, Miss Bah- ba’a. We'll have him back safe and sound in no time.” Barbara Redding rose to her feet. “T trust you, Sandy,” she said, holding out her hand. ‘‘Boy’s father isn’t here——” Her voice trembled and she caught her lower lip between her teeth. Sandy took the nervous little hand in his own strong, lean fingers and smiled at her. _ “Shore you can trust- me,” he said. *Ain’t I his godfatheh?” - Once outside he drew a deep breath of re- lief and led the way to the office, the usually brisk and decided superintendent SHO wInS dejectedly. 2 eats like I can’t breathe, think or talk when they’s wimmin in trouble,” said Sandy to himself. ‘All a man can do is to say he’s sorry and make promises.” He turned to Barton, sitting by his desk. “The sheriff an’ his bunch can’t get here till afteh dark, Mr. Barton,” he said. ‘“‘T ain’t overstrong on posses. You can hear or see em comin’ for ten miles as if they was a circus parade. Swear in a lot of fel- lers that mean well an’ ain’t got a lick 0’ - sense when it comes down to this sort of work. We may need ’em at a pinch, but they’s betteh ways of handlin’ this. You see they ain’t goin’ to be mo’ than two or three of ’em with Hammond in this kidnap- in’ proposition, ’count of the split-up. Me an’ Mormon an’ Sam, if he gets back in time, can handle Misteh Hammond an’ his pals very nicely. “Now they’s two things to do. One fo’ you an’ one fo’ me. I’m goin’ out to try an’ pick up trail. You stay heah an’ cheer up Miss Bahba’a—Mrs. Redding, I mean— an’ wait fo’ somethin’ to break about the ransom. ‘They’ll be some kind of a mes- sage comin’ along soon. Mebbe befo’ dark, mebbe after. If you catch sight of the man who brings it, have him followed. Send Pe- ters, he’s got a good hawss an’ some brains. Don’t hold the man—trail him. Don’t let any of the boys scare him off. He may lead Peters to somethin’ we can lay hold of. “Tf you think it’s goin’ to ease Miss— Mrs. Redding—any, let the boys go out scoutin’, but I’d advise against it. It'll worry her sick to have them comin’ in one at a time an’ say they ain’t found anythin’. S agi P Besides, if I strike somethin’ I may need all of ’em fresh.” “T’ll take your advice, Sandy,” said Bar- ton. “I wish I’d taken it about. Hammond in the first place.” “He'll be in jail anyway fore the week’s out,’ assured Sandy. “I’m off. You keep yore eyes open for the message. That’s their play—ransom.” He walked quickly from the office to where Pete awaited him, and sprang into the saddle. “That'll give him somethin’ to do and keep him from thinkin’ too much, anyway, Pete,” he said, as he cantered over to the corral. ‘Oh, Mormon!’ The stout cowboy came over to the fence. “‘Ain’t they nothin’ we kin do, Sandy?” he asked. ‘“They don’t seem no sense in goin’ ahead brandin’. The boys don’t know an iron from a rope.” “Tf Barton sends ’” em out, Marmont you tell ’em to scatteh an’ keep away from Salt Cafion. Tell ’em to keep clear of the ranch till I come back. You stick aroun’. You. an’ Sam an’ me’s goin’ to take a hand in this by our lonesomes, I think. Don’t let, any excited idiot take Pete. I’m changin’ to Goldie, an’ I’ll need him fresh later. Get yore hawss rested up good an’ save a mount for Sam. Give ’em all three some grain, I’m goin’ to put Pete in the barn.” Sandy turned Pete loose in a stall and transferred his saddle to his second-string _ pony, a bright bay mare. He passed between the spacious out- buildings and followed a stream that led into a pocket cafion, rapidly narrowing with mounting cliffs till there was barely room to pass dry-shod along the a borders of the creek. pez walk, her hoofs ringing on the rocks. “This thing must have been a out,”’ said Sandy, talking half to himself, half to his mount, as was his wont. “Timed it too. *Leven o’clock with no one about the ranch an’ the kid alone on the verandy. They may have been layin’ round for two or three days for the right minnit. If anybody’d seen ’em—it’s a cinch it wasn’t Hammond—they’d have been lookin’ fo’ work!” Presently he crossed the stream and dis- mounted at the foot of a narrow trail that gave the only exit to the rim of the cafion. SANDY set the mare at a swift ‘S: EComicboo