Adventure Magazine Cover — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

A Pot of Gold get out of here. tomorrow.” Pete appeared at the appointed time for minor business, but he wasn’t feeling very spry. Worry and excitement had preyed on him. During the glad reaction he had gone to the Palace bar, where toasts to the mine were copiously drunk with cattle- kings and miners and ranchers. They slapped him on the back and called him ‘““Mr. President.” It was very gratifying indeed. When Pete returned to his lodging-house he found a letter from Tom. He had walked through seven blocks of rain. He took off his dripping coat, doffed his soggy boots, looked into a cracked mirror to see what was the matter with him, and sank down on his bed to read the letter with blurred eyes. The missive was concise, giving a rough outline of a struggle with the citizens of the hills. Then it touched on the corpora- tion. Come back day after Hurry things all you can (urged Tom) but don’t let anything get away from you. I have an uneasy feeling that things are working almost too smoothly up there. I maybe all wrong. Still, you had bet- ter let your lawyer review everything you do. Never forget to write every agreement with your promoter in black and white, so there can be no possible misunderstandings Don’t get tripped up on anything. “Huh!” grunted Pete. ‘I don’t git the idee. He wants us to hurry, and then he says things are goin’ too smooth.”’ Pete pondered dully. His dizzy brain went over the events of the past few weeks, but he couldn’t see a flaw. BF mize) slanting rain. The gaslight danced on the flowered red-and-yellow wall-paper and it soon made him bilious, so he went to _ bed. He placed his watch and a bottle ona chair within reach. “Good old Jonesy,” he muttered. ‘‘Jonesy’ll fix me up all right. Jest a few swallers more and I’ll be spry as a kitten—I wonder what in tarnation’s the matter with me?” At four in the morning the slattern land- lady explored to see who was burning so much gas. The soughing of Pete’s labored breath came over the transom. The land- lady opened the door, gave one look and AT DUSK he lighted a gas-jet and closed his one window against the 23 then flapped down-stairs to call a hospital. In a short time an ambulance arrived. — A white-clad medico entered and gazed at Pete with practised eye. ‘Pneumonia,’ he announced. V » AV eee Tom found that Jed Hill’s choice collection of rascals and cut- throats were his intimate neighbors the young mine-owner was curious to know whether they would try to occupy his property. He borrowed a horse and prepared with provisions and arms to start into the desert, planning to take an indirect route to the mine by cutting across the hills. Just as he was mounting, Jed Hill came into the dusty corral. ‘Goin’ to look at your claim?” asked Hill. “IT might,” grunted Tom, rueful at being observed so quickly. “Well, I haven’t anything much to do. Mebbe I'll go with you. Id like to look at it.” Tom sensed no direct danger from Hill just yet. The man was under obligations to him. “Allright,” grunted Tom. ‘Come along.” As they rode on the sunlit trail, with here and there a yucca-palm or sentinel cactus to vary the monotonous sagebrush or alkali or plain yellow sand-flats, Hill developed talkativeness. His reminiscence embraced Arizona, Mexico and practically the whole West. Tom gathered that he had traveled largely and sometimes very fast. With his tongue loosened Hill also made free comments on his followers. He was not idealistic about them. ‘“‘They’re wolves. Hungry wolves.” “Still, they’re getting restless. Maybe they think you’re using too high a hand,” suggested Tom. “Veh? Well, Dll keep it that way. There’s only two sets of people here—them that I feed and them that starves. Savvy? “Them that I feeds won’t fight me. Them that starves ain’t strong enough.”’ Tom saw what a piteous mess the country had become. The talk of starvation was literally true. All legitimate industry was dead. The robbers had preyed on one an- other till all were despoiled except the chief robber, who kept a retinue so that the others could not despoil him. CO MICLOOKS C©