Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

CON Oey Do etre hh We Pehle TEMS cD peek 4s a) pa * ite Fe iy shy 1 Vie ay ‘ ; : wei ayy Py ENN : . ie ¥ ¢ - > a a Pees ry I Bary pits alah EMER NPA OPM Oi Vt eh idee) Comba AY Se My) er een Wr Srypoewenc dy Tal Huai ePRDgLR piv § 2 SMES AB d Tea, APN Se Vie A ae IGP ART DRAM eave A telay sy 8 : Adventure with all of his former pleasant manner. “Pull out the ignition-button; push down the starter-pedal with your right foot; throw out the clutch with-your left; put her into low; let in your clutch slowly; give her’a little——” “Smarty!” He had counted upon some such interruption and chuckled silently when it came. “I know all that.” 7 “Then why don’t you do it?’ he queried innocently. ‘‘You’re right square in my way, the road’s narrow and I’ve got to be moving on.” “T don’t do it,”’ she informed that portion of the world which lay immediately in front of her slightly elevated nose, “‘because it won’t work. I pulled out the ignition but- ton and—and nothing happened. Then I tried to foree down the starter-pedal and the crazy thing won’t go down.” “T see,’ said Packard interestedly. “Don’t know a whole lot about cars, do you?”’ “The world wasn’t made overnight,” she said tartly. ‘I’ve had this pesky thing a month. Do you know what’s the matter?” He took his time in replying. He was so long about it, in fact, that Miss Blue Cloak stirred uneasily and finally shot him a ques- tioning look over her shoulder, just to make sure, he suspected, that he hadn’t slipped away and left her. “Well?” she asked again. “Speak to me?” he repeated himself, pretending to start from a deep abstrac- tion. ‘Oh, do I know what’s the matter? Sure.”’ She waited a reaspanble length of time for him to go on. He, sectre in the sense of his own mastery of ‘the situation, waited for her. Between them they allowed it to grow very quiet there in the wood by the lake shore. He saw her glance furtively at the lowering. sun. “Tf you do know,” she said-finally and somewhat faintly, but as frigidly as ever, “will you tell me or won’t you?” “Why,” he said as though he had not thought of it, “I don’t know. If I were really sure that I was needed. -You know it’s mighty hard telling these days when you stumble upon a damsel in distress whether a stranger’s aid is welcome or not. If there’s one thing I won’t do it’s shove myself forward when I’m not wanted.” “You’re a nasty animal!’ she cried hotly. 1 | 9) “ - oo “ a Sn A ee SP ee {eee Ce ere eS oe, RD SS PO Ser - i. - re rae >: — a en “For all I know,” he resumed in an un- troubled tone, “the end of your journey may be just around the bend, about a hun- dred yards off. And if I plunged in to be of assistance I might be suspected of being a fresh guy.” “Tt’s half a dozen miles to the ranch- house,” she condescended to tell him. “And it’s going to get dark inno time. And if you want to know, Mr. Smarty, that’s as close as I’ve ever come or ever will come to — anything of any man that ever lived.” He could have sat there ‘anitil dark just - for the sheer joy of teasing her, making her pay a little for her recent treatment of him. But there was a note of finality in her voice which did not escape him; in another moment she would jump down and go on on foot, and he knew it. So at last he rode up to the car, dismounted and lifted the hood. “Tgnition,’”’ he ordered her. She pulled out the little button again. His eyes upon hers, his grin frank and un- concealed, he took a stone from the road and with it tapped gently upon the shaft running from pump. Immediately there came that little ne sound she had waited for. “Starter,” he cmnaaieeted: 3 And now her foot upon pedal achieved the desired results; the engine responded, humming pleasantly. and stood back eying her with a mingling of amusement and triumph. Her face red- dened slowly. And then, startling him with its unheralded unexpectedness, a gay peal of laughter from her made quite another girl of her, a dimpling, radiant, altogether adorable and desirable creature. “Oh, I know when I’m beat,” she cried frankly. “‘You’ve put one across on me to- day, Mr. Man. And since you meant well all along and were just simply the blunder- headed man God made you, I guess, I guess I have been a little cat. Good luck to you and a worth-while trail to ride.” She blew him a friendly kiss from her brown finger-tips, bent over her wheel and took the first turn in the road at a swiftly acquired speed which left Steve Packard behind in dust and growing wonderment. ‘ “And she’s been driving only a month!” was his softly whistled comment. ‘‘Reck- less little devil.”’ Then in his turn cocking a speculative He closed the hood ae | > comrcbooks SOU