Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 71: what you’re looking at

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

Safe for Sam lets Brayle in? Why, dang it all, yes! Brayle will be watching, and soon as Sam throws it up he’ll place the man he’s picked on third! He could work that, the son-of-a- un! “Next thing is, what’s the big idea behind it? Hardly think Brayle would go to all that trouble merely to place a friend. Must be something bigger. I must think that over. Brayle will gather from what I told him that Sam needs a little more before he'll call it a day. There’ll more’n likely be another demonstration some time to-night.”’ THERE were four men in the little upstairs room of Gray Junction’s most unassuming hotel. The first was a ‘tall, red-faced, burly man with a deep voice. The second was of medium height, quick andwiry. The third was a fashion-plate from cravat to spats, a sophisticated person of near thirty, his eyes round and blue and strangely hard. The fourth man was Brayle, just arrived. ‘Well?’ said the second man. He looked at Brayle. “What is the dopet Can we make it tomorrow?” “Things are coming along, Dusty,” an- swered Brayle, looking a little worried, “pretty well.” “What do you mean, pretty well?” de- manded the other. “Spill it! What’d you find out today?” “‘We’ve got Loomis going, no doubt of that,” returned the N. & P. man. ‘He’s talking about quitting. About one more jolt, I figure, will fix him.”’ “T call that good,” asserted Dusty. “Shark, here, can hand him that tonight. _ Eh, Shark?” “Vou know it!” The first man grinned. “That’s all right enough,” agreed Brayle. “But we’ve got to be more careful.” “How comes?” ‘Wheeler, that blasted first trick operator at “WN,” has something on his mind. He asked me today why any one would want to scare Loomis away. Do you see? He was flip as the devil all the time I was there.” “Oh, the with him!” Big Shark sniffed his disdain. “One of these clever boys! If he gets in the road J’ll hand him one that’ll put him where he belongs.” But Brayle seemed not greatly im- pressed. “T’m not strong for Wheeler, myself,” he ’ 6I stated. ‘But I’d be worse than a fool if I’d let that keep me from saying he’s nobody’s jackass. I tell you, I’m worried. If he takes a notion there’s something up and goes into it, there’s no person going to stop him; not one, or all, of us. He’s that kind.” He turned to the flashy-looking third man, who so far had done nothing but listen. “T want to warn you, Seeley. When you go to work there you be almighty careful. Don’t let him get hold of anything that’ll make him suspicious of you. This is not for your sake only; it’s for ours as well. I’ve gone into this thing too far now to feel any too comfortable.”’ Seeley with a somewhat bored air lit a cigaret. “Don’t get fussed, old top. I fancy we can handle him.” “I hope so. Anyway, you stick close to your room tomorrow. Tf Shark works right tonight I judge Loomis will be ready to throw up the sponge by tomorrow morning. I wouldn’t be surprized if he came in to see the old man. Just as soon as I know, or see him, I’ll tip you off over the phone. Then you beat it up to the office, quick.” Seeley waved his cigaret. “T’ll be ready,” he said. Brayle faced the two others. “Dusty,” he said, “‘you better take Shark out in the truck tonight. You can make it easy by midnight. Find some good place near Willowburn where you can keep the truck under cover tomorrow. If we can get Loomis loose and put Seeley down there to- morrow we'll make a try for that first big shipment which Gip advises will come through on Ninety-Two tomorrow night. I'll get word to Gip. If we can’t work it in time we'll just have to wait a few days till the next one comes through.”’ Dusty pulled his greasy cap tighter on his head. ‘“‘That’s the talk, bo’!”’ he said. ‘‘That’s what we want to hear! Come on, Shark; we'll go down and tune the old boat up a bit. Looks like she’ll have work to do ’fore long!”’ But Brayle held up hishand. “TI want to gofirst. Wait ten minutes before you leave. We can’t be too careful.” He moved toward the door. ‘“You’re all on?” he said questioningly, looking back. ‘There must be no slips.”’ All three nodded. He went out. Co DOOLK AMG C@