Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

; Man to Man 5 knowledge was offered him freely in a pair of gray eyes which fairly blazed at him. No gratitude there of a maiden heroically succored in the hour of her supreme dis- tress; just the leaping anger of a girl with a temper like hot fire who had been rudely handled by a stranger. Her scanty little bathing-suit, bright blue like the discarded cloak, the red rubber cap binding the bronze hair—she must have donned the ridiculous thing with incredible swiftness while he batted an eye—might have been utterly becoming in other eyes , than those of Steve Packard. Now that they merely told him that he was a blunder- ing ass, he was conscious merely of a desire to pick her up and shake her. “Gee!’’ she panted at him with an angry scornfulness which made him _ wince. “Youre about the freshest proposition I >? ever came across: ATER, perhaps, he would admit that she was undeniably and most amaz- ingly pretty; that the curves of her little white body were delightfully perfect; that she had made an armful that at another time would have put sheer delirium into a man’s blood. Just now he knew only that in his mo- ment of nothing less than stupidity he had angered her and that his own anger though more unreasonable was scarcely less heated; that he had made and still made but a sorry spectacle; that he was sopping wet and cold and would be shivering in a moment like a freezing dog. - “Why did you want to yell like a Co- manche Indian when you went in?” he de- - manded rudely, offering the only defense he could put mind or tongue to. “A man would naturally suppose that you were falling.” “You didn’t suppose any such thing!” she retorted sharply. “You saw me dive; if you had the brains of a scared rabbit, you’d know that when a girl had gone to the trouble to climb into a bathing-suit and then jumped into the water she wanted a swim. And to be left alone,’ ” she added scathingly. Packacd felt the afternoon breeze through the wet garments which stuck SO close to him, and shivered. Tf you think,” he said as sharply as she ~ had spoken, “‘ that I just j os he into that infernal ice-pond, clothes and all, for the pure joy of making your charming acquaint- ance in some ten feet of water, all I can say is that you are by no means lacking a full appreciation of your own attractiveness.” She opened her eyes widely at him, lying at his feet where he had deposited her. She had not offered to rise. But now she sat up, drawing her knees into the circle of her clasped arms, tilting her head back as she stared up at him. “You’ve got your nerve, Mr. Man,” she informed him coolly. “Any time that you think [’ll stand for a fool man jumping in and spoiling my fun for me and then scold- ing me on top of it, you’ve got another good-sized think coming. me, you'll last a good deal longer in this neck of the woods if you ’tend to your own business after this and keep your paws off other folks’ affairs. Get me that time?” “T get you all right,” grunted Packard. “And I find your gratitude to a man who has just risked his life for you quite touching.” “Gratitude? Bah!” she told him, leap- ing suddenly to her feet. ‘‘Risked your life for me, did you?” at that. ‘‘Why, you big lummox, I could And take it from ° She laughed jeeringly have yanked you out as easy as turn a ~ somersault if you started to drown. And now suppose you hammer the trail while it’s open.” He bestowed upon her a glance whose purpose was to wither her. It failed miser- ably, partly because she was patently not the sort to. be withered by a look from a mere man, and partly because a violent and inopportune shiver shook him from head to foot. Until now there had been only bright anger in the girl’s eyes. Suddenly the light there changed; what had begun as a sniff at him altered without warning into a highly amused giggle. “Golly, Mr. Man,” she taunted him. “You’re sure some swell picture as you stand there, hand on hip and popping your eyes outat me! Like a king ina story book, only he’d just got a ducking and was try- ing to stare the other fellow down, , Which is one thing you can’t do with me.’ Her eyes had the adorable trick of seem- ing to crinkle to a mirth which’ would have been an extremely pleasant phenomenon to witness had she been laughing with him instead of at him. As matters stood, Pack- ard was quite prepared todislike her heartily. “Y’d add to your kind information that the trail is open at both ends,” he told her ¢ EOPMICLOOOKS (E@)