Adventure Magazine Cover — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

22 Pete fairly flew to Markum’s office with the authorization. - “I'd better git a lawyer, hadn’t I>?” ‘‘Go ahead. Get a regiment.” “I dunno. I ain’t got much money. Stayin’ in the city’s costin’ me a lot.”’ He hesitated a moment. “Do you know any good lawyer that don’t charge too much?” “Sure. Here’s a card. Gives his name and address.” In ten minutes Pete was back with a thin- faced attorney. Markum looked surprized. “You do business in a hurry. Well, all right. Here!” He jerked a thumb toward the lawver. “Write out a bill of sale for a minin’ claim—this man’ll describe it. The claim will be sold for consideration agreed upon by both parties. See?” A paper replete with legal verbiage and land descriptions was soon completed and signed. - “All right,” said the promoter. ‘‘That’s all. Dolliver, you come back a week from today.”’ Pete scrawled a long report to Tom and returned when the week was up. Markum was brief. “Bring up a chair. Sit down. Now. We’re all ready to incorporate. Articles will be filed today. Dummy directors. One share each. My chief clerk’s secre- tary and treasurer. You're president.” 1 Pete nearly fell over. A_ president! President of a million-dollar corporation! “Happy days!” he gasped. ‘Holy smoke! I wonder what Tom’ll say.”’ “He'll say nothing. He’s in it, isn’t her” “Um. Yeh. I reckon it’ll be all right. But— Gosh! I ain’t quite got my bear- in’s yet! Jest—jest what am I supposed to do when I’m a president?”’ “Sit still and don’t rock the boat.” ‘“Well—if that’s all you want, Mr. Mark- um, I reckon I'll fill the bill.”’ “All right.”” The fat promoter turned to a clerk. ‘Tell Metz I want him.” § A GANGLING man in chair-worn A clothes approached with a green eye-shade over his forehead. “Mr. Dolliver—Mr. Metz,’’ introduced Markum. “Metz is secretary and trea- surer. Dolliver’s president. Metz, bring Adventure all the papers about the Escalante Bonanza Minin’-Company here.” “The which?” shouted Pete. “You heard it! Jessica sounds foolish. Jaguar’s too wild-catty. We're givin’ it a real name.”’ “‘Yousure are,” grunted Pete suspiciouslv. “Oh, rats! We’re changin’ the name of your Jessica claim. It’s the same mine under a different title.”’ He pushed a paper over with pudgy hands. ‘“‘There’s a resolution by the board of directors authorizin’ the new name. You’re president. Sign when you're ready.”’ Pete read it and finally obeyed. “All right,” snapped Markum. “Now we're started. We'll put this through quick.” He pondered for a moment. His clerks were gone and he could talk privately. “Do you need any money?”’ “N-no. I’ve got enough for a few weeks.”’ “T can advance you some if you want. It always comes in handy. We’ll square it later.” And Markum’s hand dived into a drawer and produced a roll of bills, also some gold. “Um,” considered Pete thoughtfully. ‘“‘Well—if it don’t put you out——”’ “It won't. Here. Better take four or five hundred. Five hundred. All right.” Pete took the cash and signed a receipt, feeling much better. Standing hat in hand at the doorway, he turned to the promoter and made him look up from his work. “Mr. Markum, I want to say you've acted like a white man. I—I reckon I was brought to the right place; and if this here mine’s floated you’ve got a couple of friends who’ll stand by vou if—if you ever go broke on some other proposition that ain’t so good. Us fellers down in the desert ain’t much on stwe, but we’ve got darned good hearts.”’ Pete felt a trifle melodramatic so he cov- ered immediately. “Shoot that stock out quick—we want action.” Old Pete was not without dignity as he stood full-sized against the door as if framed for a painting of some gnarled old pioneer. But Markum wasn’t studying pictures. “All right,” he laughed. “I’m busy, COmiclbook CO