Adventure Magazine Cover — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

=? =, 3 es > nn — es i= | ye oe ee said the Merchant affectionately. - passi ing Ethie time trying to reach his own ae Serdc-fone.- = = “You see that dog there?” he asked. a SS oe Oy do. 29 - iT “A decenter creature chix breathed,” “But - hecan’t set his mind to sleeping on account of the fleas. You’re interested in dogs? Would you believe that those fleas are the bane of his life, and me and him both to- ec gether can’t get him rid of them? I’ve put powders on to him and the fleas ate them with thanks, and DT’ve washed him in kerosene and they frisked about till he tried to leap into a fire.” The Merchant shook his head and looked for sympathy to the man in the bush. “The devil’s in you,” said the man, “you and your filthy dog and your fleas! Will you pull me out of this bush?” “Be easy,” said the Merchant. “We’re coming to younow. You must rid that dog of his fleas.” “How?” “That’s for you to say. Take the beast into your lap and pick them fleas off of him, one by one, big and little, old and young, and destroy them.” “But how?” “That’s for you to say,” repeated the Merchant, “but I can tell you this: You’ll do a good job on that dog for the names you’ve called him, or you can stay there ‘till you burst!” “Young man,” said the officer, “it’s your day now, = I'll pick fleas while the sun shines, but the time will come when you'll wish you’d eaten those fleas and maybe give thanks for a meal no better. Give me the beast!” ~The Merchant put Kamerad into the man’s lap, and the officer set to work catching the fleas, the long twilight of France furnishing light for the task. When he had done, Kamerad took a parting ‘snap at him and lay down to sleep in peace for the first time in his life. The Merchant had cut a cudgel and this he thrust into the bush for the man to lay hold of, and, with a pull and a heave and a rip and a tear, he was out of the thorns. “Where are you going?” asked the Mer- chant as the officer set off for the road. “To call out my men, you inhuman _ villain!” shouted the officer, quivering with “<-> underneath the ground, and then: you'll wish you never were born!” “Shame on you,” grinned the Merchan “Would you show yourself in the road with no more clothes on your back than would make a tight pair of socks for me?” The wretched man clapped his hands about him and found that he was rags and tatters, where he was not bare, from his shoulders to his shining puttees. ““Give me your blouse,” he begged. “T will and welcome,” agreed the Mer- chant. “One soldier should always help another, but, being that I’ve enjoyed your acquaintance and might never meet up with you again, you must give me a sou- venir. Give me that thing you have on your cap.” There was no help for it and the provost marshal knew better than to bargain with his customer now. He pulled the insignia from his cap, while the Merchant shed his overcoat to doff his blouse. “Tt’ll be small for a man of your size,’ said the Merchant, advising him. Bal there’s a fine deep ditch with little water in it beside the road out there, and you could just walk along in that if you don’t want to scandalize the neighbors.” With a final grimace and a snap of the jaws that spoke more than a book of ora- tions, the big man wrestled into the blouse. Away he hurried toward Toxerre, hauling | down on the tails of the garment as he went. The Merchant and Kamerad lay down cheek by jowl and fell fast asleep. There they snored comfortably till the morning | sun shone green through the leaves, except for the times when the Merchant woke up laughing. — | | Cen THEY took to the road again in the (Ge) morning, going forward through the woods so as to make the circuit of Toxerre. The Merchant studied the tree- tops for the smoke of an Army kitchen and Kamerad sprang and cut capers at his heels. There were two opposing rules concerning kitchens in the A. E. F.; one was written and one was not, and the unwritten one was obeyed. An order had_ gone forth from Chaumont, armed in the panoply of stamp and seal and signature, strictly en- joining that no men were to eat at Army © kitchens ert cee outhits pains age tice eg r EMRE: ; Tl have a run Sore . Ati hide 3 —— = ae ° : bE =e =. ee =e me 4 ae ae aia <= Pe ee — sees 5 * a Pees ec 3+” a ae see ae ft na — ae = se Eo ache as Bag STS a eg =: a pee Pe a ~ <a —— 4 c a rang —¥ = eamicboake con’