Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 130: what you’re looking at

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

124 “°T’s ll right. That means clear the grounds and go in f’r supper. You just sorteh stroll in, readin’ out of that ‘Worry’ book in yer pocket. And start on hens if anybody talks to you. They gits disgusted and quits.” MR. WATTS-WRIGHT waved a smiling good-by. He presently joined a group of quiet individuals and followed cautiously. In the big bare dormitory dining-room he found a seat easily and propped up his “Worry”’ against a pitcher. Somebody slapped a tin plate of food down over his shoulder. A moon- faced trusty was spilling gravy on his shoulder. ‘Hey, rube! This ain’t chicken—take some!”’ “Beg pard— Oh, yeh! Listen " His neighbor to the right cracked him in the ribs sharply. Mr. Watts-Wright turned in some heat. “Now, Fraley, cut out ‘this hen stuff. The big chief’ll have yeh up for ’nother ex- amination——’”’ “Listen,” said Mr. Watts-Wright cun- ningly: ‘This yere Hooley ——” “Oh, ferget it!” The pie-faced person turned to the table- mates. “Honest, this nut’ll git us all crazy about Hooley!” “Listen,” pleaded Mr. Watts-Wright. But all he got was,glowering looks and silence. He was glad for that. Fraley had instructed him where he might make a few casual inquiries about Bill McGuire. Mr. Watts-Wright was surprized at the homey atmosphere of the good doctor’s place. The inmates played the piano, idled about, strolled on the veranda. A half- hour gave Mr. Watts-Wright all the gossip about Bill McGuire. He was the latest big card of the good doctor’s and was carefully cared for in the east cottage with other patients who paid the top prices. Mr. Watts-Wright made mental notes of the grounds and exits, followed to the dor- mitory when the retiring-bell rang, as one well-soothed and’ comforted by great Na- ture’s healing course and building fences six . hours for the good doctor. “Tt’s great to be crazy,” murmured young Mr. Watts-Wright, as he pulled the sheet to his ears. “But I trust I’m the only bug in this bed.” hog it all, is Ss to a splinter. Adventure 4 boredly into the telephone in his “i suite at the Maddox House. “Mr. Watts-Wright— Oh, certainly!” : “That’s good,” broke out a throaty voice joyously in the booth down-stairs. ‘Gosh, when I seen in the evenin’ papers that Mr. Watts-Wright was back in the old town agin’, I said to Skip, ‘Boy, this old show ain’t busted yet!’ I says, ‘Watts- Wright’ll do what’s right, all right.’ I says, ‘Watty Wright’ll remember how him and them college boys put my show on the blink once, an’ I grins and tells ’em to cop the hull circus.’ I says, ‘Skip, bein’ we’re stranded here, Watty’s the boy ‘at'll stand by his frien’s!’ ”’ “Oh, yeh!” drawled Mr. Fraley dissimu- latingly. “What’ll it cost?”’, The throaty voice laughed ingratiatingly. “Oh, I knowed you’d say that! Butit ain’t,so much the money; it’s just findin’ a home f’r the bunch temp’rarily, y’under- stan’? Y’see, Watty, my boy, Meta and me busted up, an’ she grabbed half the show before I could git it over the State line. Meta Morel’s Stupendous an’ Unexampled Aggregation, Watty, ’cause Mé€ta tried to She even hollers because { took the three-legged calf, not seein’ any fair ways to whack it even, a three-legged calf, y’understan’, bein’ more complicated than jes’ veal-stew calves. Hey, Watty, remember how Meta gets sore on you college boys while me, I jes’ grins an’ laughs?” “Oh, yeh?’ murmured Mr. Fraley be- nignantly. ‘Yes, sir, she goes to court and gits an in- junction, but me and Skip hooks three cars on to the local freight and lands here with ‘em. Meta got the big top an’ most of the canvas, but I got the Igorot band and most of the animals. Trouble is, Mr. Watts- Wright, I had to unload ’em all in the yards and got to hustle feed and water; and the police yere, they won’t let me use the old show-grounds f’r we ain’t got any permit; and gosh knows you can’t keep a high-bred giraffe, like Ethel, standin’ up all night in the railroad-yards gittin’ soot on her.” “Oh, certainly not!’ put in Mr. Fraley with utter nonchalance. “We never intended to give no show here,” said the voice eagerly. “The big paper’s all out f’r Meta Morel’s go ts an’ COMmMiClMOooks “OH, YEH!” murmured Mr. Fraley ~ (C@