Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

Man to Man = 27 last time on Ranch Number Ten. He'll come back; he’ll come snooping around at night; he’ll perhaps have a way of knowing the first night ’m away and come then. There’s something he left there that he wants. And while I am away you’re fore- man, Barbee.” A flickering light danced in Barbee’s blue eyes. “Orders from you, if Blenham shows up at night 7 “To throw a gun on him and run him out! The quickest way. Tonight I want you to squat out under a tree and keep awake— all night. For which you can have two days off if you want.” “Tf I thought he’d show’—the boy’s voice was little more than an eager whisper, —T couldn’t sleep if I tried!” _ Then Packard had spoken a little about Red Creek, asking his few questions, and had learned that Blenham had his friends in “Packard’s Town” where Dan Hodges of the Ace of Diamonds saloon was an old pal, that “Whitey” Wimble of the Old Trusty saloon across the street hated both Hodges and Blenham like poison.” “Us boys,” added Barbee, ‘‘always hung out at the Ace of Diamonds, bein’ Packard’s men. After now, when I go on a rampage, I’m goin’ to make frien’s across the street. Frien’s sometimes comes in handy in Red Creek,” he added smilingly. The road, as one comes into Red Creek from the east, divides at the first bridge, one fork becoming the northern half of the intersected street, the other the southern half. Steve Packard, filling his eyes with the two rows of similar shacks, hesitated briefly. Until now he had always gone to the Packard side; when a boy he had regarded the rival section with high contempt, ‘looking upon it as inferior, sneering at it as a thoroughbred might lift lip at an un- worthy mongrel. The prejudice was old and deep-rooted; he felt a subtle sense of shame, as if the eyes of the world were upon him, watching to see him turn toward the ‘‘low-down skunks an’ varmints’’ which his grandfather had named these denizens of the defamed section. The hesitation was brief; he reined his horse to the left, impatiently riding straight toward the flaunting sign upon the lofty false front of the Old Trusty saloon. But, short as was his indecision, it had not ended before he had glimpsed at the far end of the street the incongruous lines of an auto- mobile—red racing type. “Boyd-Merril. Twin Eight,” thought Packard. ‘‘So we’ll meet on the same side after all, Miss Terry Pert!” There were seeds of content in the thought. If it were to be range war between him and his grandfather, then since obviously the Temples had already been drawn into contention with old man Packard, it was just as well the fates decreed that he and Terry should be on the same side of the fence, the same side of the fight, the same side of Red Creek. He tickled his horse with a light spur; despite the manner of their last encounter he could look forward with something akin to eagerness to another meeting. For, he told himself carelessly, she amused him vastly. But the meeting was not just yet. He saw Terry, jauntily, even saucily dressed, as she came out of the store and jumped into her car, marked how the bright sun- light winked from her high boots, how it flamed upon her gay red scarf, how it glinted from a burnished steel buckle in her. hat. band. As bright as a sunbeam herself, loving gay colors about her, it seemed to him that across the’ distance she fairly shone and twinkled. _ There was a faint shadow of regret in his eyes as she let in the clutch and whizzed away. She was headed down the street, her back to him, driving toward the rémote railroad station. Off to the north he saw a growing plume of black smoke. “Going away?” he wondered. “Or just meeting some one?” : UT he had come into Red Creek on a business in no way connected with Terry Temple. He drew eyes and speculation away from the occupant of the red car. He had figured it out that Blenham, if it had been Blenham who had chanced on Bill Royce’s secret and no longer ago than last Saturday night, would have wasted no time in acquiring the one-dollar bills for his trick of substitution; that if he had come for them to Red Creek that ‘same night, after post-office and stores were closed, he would have sought them at one of the two saloons; that, since currency is at all times scarce in cattle-towns i in the COMIC NOONKS (E©) 2