Adventure Magazine Cover — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

WwW by ° @ * | Thomson Burlis, Pee i 2 Author of ‘“Dumpy Puts One Over,” “Mission Successfully Completed,” etc. LARGE number of men who officers of the Army Air Service the Gulf of Mexico to southern California, the best group of all-round airmen in the world. And of them all, “Dumpy” Scarth of Marfa was conceded to be, if not the best, at least unsurpassed. ‘Then came one Lee MacDowell to join the gang along the Rio Grande, bringing with him several elements calculated to make Dumpy redouble his efforts to keep his crown firmly resting in its wonted place. And thereby hangs our tale. The day “Tex” MacDowell reported for duty the dozen flying officers who composed the McMullen flight of the border-patrol were lounging lazily on the steps of the recreation building, taking advantage of the little patch of shade cast by the roof. Out on the field Dumpy Scarth was warm- ing up his ship, preparatory to taking off on his return trip to Marfa. “When Dumpy lit in here this morning I was tickled to death,” stated big blond George Hickman, ‘“‘but I’ll be hanged if I was ever so glad to speed the parting guest in my life!”’ ‘“‘T wanted to hear the straight of that stunt of his, too,” said Beaman. “That bird is sure’a flyer, and I guess he pulled off one of the best little pieces of airwork we'll ever hear about, but good ! That line of conversation he puts out just naturally would spoil anything!” e should know consider the flying: e border-patrol, which extends from - Short, stocky Captain Kennard, C. O. of the flight, laughed at Beaman’s disgusted tone. ‘“‘Dumpy is a wonder in more ways than one,” he opined, lighting a cigaret and lean- ing back comfortably against the railing. He raised his voice slightly as the warm- ing motor on the line increased its roar. ‘‘He’s the first fat-headed hot-air artist I ever saw who could really make good. And who would pick a rolypoly little —— like him for one of the best flyers in the Army— a real genius at it?” ‘‘He’s really good then, is he?”’ inquired Cravath, a new man who had arrived the day before from a Northern field. ‘He sure is,’’ replied Hickman, who was an observer. ‘He's a grand-stander and all that, but no matter how much he toots his own horn on flying, he can back it up. His last stunt, though, has supplied too much pleasure for that pint-size brain of his. knows his head was swelled enough before, but now that he’s famous he’s reached the limit.” The subject of these remarks had re- cently become the most talked about man in the Air Service. A crook, who had been bob-tailed from the flying-corps, had stolen a De Haviland airplane from Donovan Field, having a double purpose in mind: to get even with the commanding officer who had been the means of his expulsion, and to secure twelve thousand dollars in cash by delivering the ship to a young Mexican who was an aeronautical enthusiast. Dumpy 9 129 CO MICLOOOKS ©