Adventure Magazine Cover — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

124 : word. ’Pon my soul, you’re too infernally honest for me!”’ He wagged his head; in a moment he brightened. “By the by, you’re out of acommand. I want you to drop in on Tibbert—Merl and Tibbert. You'll find Tibbert’s no Zeesman. Looking fora captain, he tells me. Hada no- tion about you, Sondheim, if I may be hon- est. I told him I didn’t think it could be so. But you can settle that with him.” “No,” Arnie disagreed. ‘“‘He’ll settle that with himself like all the rest.” The warm surge of his blood cooled a little. He was a fool to jump so quickly at an ap- ‘pearance of good fortune. Hadn’t his life been full of these appearances? The gray-haired man leaned forward and grasped his knee, saying: “Tt was drink Tibbert spoke of—or some such nonsense. If it’s not the truth—and I’m sure it’s not—why didn’t you convince them as easily as you’ve convinced me?” “You don’t own ships——”’ But here Japes, to whom Amie with hardly a second glance had passed the check, found his voice and broke in excitedly: “Gorry! I want tuh know! This ’ere says twenty-five thousan’ dollars!” g The little man’s jaw had sagged so that it was difficult to tell his emotion. “Shipping is at ebb-tide,” planation. apes only gaped. aides eaatipied Arnie as if he had not heard Japes at all, “‘what was it to me came the ex- what they thought? No getting anywhere | by talking about yourself.” “Mm! An odd philosophy. ways felt it wise to advertise.” “T guess it depends on what you’re after,”’ Arnie speculated. A brisk laugh answered this, and— ““You’re a queer one, Sondheim.” “Then I ought to get along in a queer world.” Arnie shrugged; but he had no note of cyn- icism in his voice; he had never known a morning like this—so full of incomprehensi- ble exhilaration. He got up. “T’m mighty obliged to you, sir.’ “Tut! tut! Dm going to call ribet be- fore you reach him.”’ “What’ll you say?” Arnie’s blue eyes were confusing. ‘It’s the truth. I used to drink a good deal, and likely I will again when there’s nothing else to do.” Facing those mild blue eyes, the man of We've al- Adventure business knew himself at a loss to measure and catalog this enigmatical character. Out- guessed, he would have said. And yet Arnie was simplicity itself in nature, in intent. The man was interested. “No doubt you would,” he smiled, “in spite of anybody and everybody.” “It’s up to the world and Whoever runs it,’ spoke the seaman in Arnie. “Tt’s up to you ahd the way you fight it,” briskly returned the other. Of all that was said, this Arnie took away definitely when he shook hands once more and with Japes came again to the street. It was nothing but the schoolboy’s common les- son: to Arnie it represented a novel scheme. He thought it “funny.” “T snum! With so much money mebbe ye'd be junketin’ off tuh buy some pieces in a whaler, er leastways a smack all yer own and mebbe a bit of a home——” “Money?” Arnie adjusted himself to this required angle. ‘“‘We’ll divide it—if that’s fair. Twelve thousand for a ship”’ He shook his head. ‘‘No bottoms that cheap. A smack—that’s not a vessel. A home——” He stared away the idea. “T thinked—I thinked— san’!”’ thin chest and fluttered on to the air. ye wishful I sh’d siggest——” Arnie mused: ‘A bigger ship, she says. Tibbert’s.”’ Japes uttered not another word but trotted along beside him. Tibbert was-a coldly commercial type with none of the old-time traditions of the sea to soften his judgment of what the ocean highway stood for. He greeted Arnie with a nod and a wave of his hand toa chair. He looked out of eyes steel-edged to mark every slightest chance of fortune. His mouth had a singular twist. ‘““You’re Sondheim. Kofel phoned abeut you. I know who you are.’ This remark carried a stern meaning. Ar- nie smiled and reached for his cap. “You've done one or two uncommon things lately. I’ve got a wind-boat, the Twelve thou- A deep sigh filled the ttle cook’s “RB e That would be Samson, loading with flour for Victoria, re- turning with fish. Captain Loman’s willing to take you as mate.”’ Arnie considered in silence. He could not have misunderstood Lelona. It was not after all a question of being mate or master; it was simply a question of a big ship and Comiechboo CS (E@)