Adventure Magazine Cover — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

“Did they swamp you with applications?” asks Magpie. “T done very well,” says I, and then I says E to Scenery, ‘‘What kind of a sheriff are you to = set here and let the city battle each other?” = “Is there discord up there?” | “Wild and free.”’ 2 “None of my business,” says Scenery. “I’m a the sheriff of the county. They’ve got a a marshal, ain’t they?” “Did. have, but he’s: resigned twenty-seven times today.” “He ain’t got no guts,” says Magpie. has he’s ‘taking good care of them. u Magpie digs into that bunch of aiclicatint =2 and his eyes get plumb wild. He slides his a feet off the table and stares at me. = “Tell me about this discord up-town, Ike.” 3 I explains the whole thing to him and Scenery and they listens without interrupting me once. — “Selling insurance is a cinch,” says x. _ “Yes,” nods Magpie slow-like, “it must ’a’ Ss been. You collected sixty dollars, Ike. The = whole sum of sixty dollars, and you imperiled us to the amount of six thousand dollars!” = “What say?” squeaks Scenery. = “Likely put us six thousand dollars in the = hole. What was you thinking of, Ike?’ ee “Death—exclusively. I’m getting ghoulish —— as ——!’’ Be “Maybe they won’t all die,” squeaks —- _ «* ~ “Maybe only half.” s “Three thousand!” groans Magpie. —- “Say, how much money has the Legion got?” I asks. “Three hundred, Ike—not counting this sixty.” A “Three hundred!’’ I gasps. “I put in three hundred——’”’ . : “Uh-huh,” nods Magpie. “That’s it.” I looks at them and they seem to be looking at me more in sorrow than in anger. I hears Magpie say— é “Tt is monstrous.” I sa ys— “Lizardly speaking, it is Gila monstrous.” Then Scenery cackles and I went loco. I = hate to hear men cackle, especially when they = cackle in E-string voices. It sort of sends a message to my trigger finger and I seems to lose sight of the tender things of life. I never was a wizard on pulling a gun. I sets by and watches other fellers practise the swift draw and _ % most of them are gone hence, but there comes a time in every man’s life when he forgets that he’s leisurely with a gun. I forgot. It was all done fairly quick. I got my hand as far as the butt of that gun and then some- thing seems to explode in my head. When my nervous system gets back to the straight and narrow way, I’m on the floor and beside me with the handle busted off is that danged heavy Adventure E “Well, maybe he ain’t,” says I, “but if he sirup pitcher. over my right eye which matches the one over the left, and my ears are full of molasses. I staggered over to the door, but she’s locked on the outside. On the door is a notice which reads: HAVE WENT TO SAVE THE .LEGION. STAY WHERE YOU ARE—AND PRAY. I’ve got a pinnacle swelled up — “For the soul of the man who hit me twice ; in the same day with a sirup pitcher,” says I. After while somebody unbolts the door and Doughgod Smith sticks his head inside. “You sure look like a changed man, Ike,” et he, peering at me. ‘You look meek and “My looks are liars, ’cause I’m feeling like ° a killer, Doughgod.” “Different here. can’t walk slow. I want to resign, but nobody will stand still long enough to accept it.” “You need a deputy.” “‘Aw-w-w-w, I don’t need help! I need relied: I'd kiss any man who would take this job off my hands.” “T’ll take the job, Doughgod, but not the kiss,” says I. “Hold up your right hand and be swore!’ he gasps. “Give me that star! What’s an oath between friends?” “You’ve got to admit to the ‘So help you Gawd,’ Ike.”’ I’ve been shot at until I “Pll admit that much, but I'm going to place - a lot of confidence in my old .44.” I got the star and went towards town. It’s getting dark but I’m aiming to get close before I shoot. I finds Dirty Shirt setting in front of Buck’s place, which is dark. The Mint Hall seems to be the only lighted place in town. “T came back for medical advice, but I can’t find the horse-doctor,” says Dirty. “I never missed that bell three times in a row before.” “Come and help me kill Scenery Sims and Magpie,” saysI. “I’m sure going to assassinate them two, Dirty.” “All right, Ike. I ain’t heard such good news since Dewey whipped the Italians at Rhode Island.” Bill Thatcher tried to stop us at the door. “What is the password?” he asks. I jams my .44 under his chin, and he wilts. “Pass in, friends,” says he. Sg THEN we gets a view of the interior and I forgets that Icame to kill. Mag- pie and Scenery are setting on the plat- am’ form, each of them with a sawed-off shotgun across their laps. Them blood-hunters are setting around the place as far apart as they can get. Bill Thatcher, Al Thatcher and ‘‘Frenchy” GCoOmiGcbdoo CS, (F@