Adventure Magazine Cover — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

“a S — — = straight ahead at the wall behind the bar. After a bit of this indifference, the stranger walked to the window behind his companion and stood with his back to the room, look- ing out into the night. As if reaching an important decision, Free gave a jerk of his shoulders and moved from the bar, his gaze fixed on the miner snoring ‘in the middle of the floor. The drinkers fol- lowed him with furtive glances, all their former apprehensions returning. As Free shifted his dull eyes and stared toward the bar, every head went right-about, and all became voluble over trivial things. Again Free studied the sleeping miner, pausing to turn over some of the specimens with the toe of his rough boot, all the time swinging his head slowly from side to side as if guarding against interference, but never once, Uncle Dick noticed, did he seem to be concerned at what might happen behind him. The stranger, however, re- mained at the window—an excellent mir- . ror for one wishing to keep tabs on the scene—his thumbs in his belt. Puzzled and wondering why the killer made no overt move, Uncle Dick watched through half-closed lids. Free continued staring at the specimens and at the sleeping man, stepping slowly away from him until he was well down the line. As the men at the bar felt his presence behind them, their bodies registered the effect with little con- vulsive movements. In the wooden face of Shorty, now carving more briskly as if his task were nearly done, there was no revela- tion of the impending dénouement. Free’s right hand now twitched slightly. He was standing in the middle of the room, opposite the store entrance, his profile to Uncle Dick. The mountaineer’s fingers curved round the butt of the revolver in the top of his boot. Without any preliminary move to betray his purpose, Free spun about on his heel, his revolver appearing as if by magic and spitting a shot, just as oe Dick jerked the saddle in front of The killer’s bullet thudded into the sad- dle, and at the same moment the gun leap- ing from Uncle Dick’s boot fired once. Free dropped his weapon and straightened his full height, as if striving to stand on tiptoe, then crashed to the floor, face down. A dead silence greeted this stupendous miracle of Jack Free’s death. Then the CQigbt daar: dlewel He’s one of Gentle: man Ralph’s gang!’ E Shorty’s. thick arm went back, holding ae & the heavy knife by the tip, and then fell to his side as a bullet from one of the drinkers’ guns smacked into his low forehead. The nan at the window yelled something in- articulate and, crouching low, threw up his. gun. Uncle Dick fired, smashed the window ~ behind him and felt a second bullet strike the saddle. By this time the men at the bar had dragged forth their weapons and were turning on Uncle Dick. Before a shot could be fired, someone, an excellent marks- man, extinguished the two smoky lamps. with as many shots. As Uncle Dick darted through the store entrance, still clinging to his saddle, he was © followed by a string of bullets.. Two men “sprang forward to stop his flight, but the sight of his gun caused them to duck for cover. He shot out the lamps in the store as a mob of shouting men poured through from the saloon, but as there was now no light, the mountaineer, as he _ glided through the door into the night, heard the sound of heavy bodies violently col- liding. Running to the shed back of the store, he found his horse and hurriedly threw on the saddle. He could hear some one at the other end of the shed similarly engaged, but the darkness made any observations impos- sible. Groans and cries still sounded in the Happy Fortune, but, as Uncle Dick tight- ened the last strap, he suddenly discovered he could make out surrounding objects. As he was wondering at this phenomenon, the horseman up the line tore by him, his horse kicking and plunging as the strange rosy glow began to spread across the night. The rider, cursing and spurring his beast, took time to lean from his saddle and fire point- blank at the mountaineer. Only the gyra- tions of the assassin’s frantic mount caused the bullet to go wild. With a yell of rage at the murderous at- tempt on his life, Uncle Dick drew his gun _ and began firing, as the horseman turned the corner of the shed. Then mounting, he gave chase, firing rapidly. He could not see his man and rode by the sound of the clicking hoofs. After several bullets had swished close to his head, he dis- mounted. 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