Adventure Magazine Cover — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

152 made no attempt to lower his voice, ‘I sure have, but I never shot one in the——”’ He had meant to say “back.” Brick’s right hand shot out and the fingers gripped into Seldon’s collar, cutting off the final word. Seldon clawed for his gun, but Brick’s other arm circled his body, tearing his hand away from the pistol butt and drop- ping the gun to the floor. Brick picked Seldon up in his arms, car- ried him to the door, with Seldon screaming curses and kicking vainly at Brick’s shins. Brick grinned at Silent and started across the street. Seldon’s screams had attracted the attention of Marlin City, and Brick and his burden had spectators as they crossed the street to the Frenchman Le Blanc’s blacksmith shop. vr: ‘©, work-bench as Brick came in. Sev- eral men crowded in behind them, stopping at the doorway of the shop. Seldon’s conversation was incomprehen- sible, but the profanity was very clear and emphatic. Brick carried him straight to Le Blanc’s slack-tub, a half-barrel tub filled with very dirty water, in which the black- smith cooled hot metal. It was not a large tub, but Seldon was not a large man. The immersion followed, while the audience stood in silent enjoyment. Five times did Brick immerse Seldon— immerse every bit of him, except his feet, and the fifth time Seldon spat out the dirty water without profanity. The water was very dirty, and the bottom of the tub was an inch deep with iron flakes, filings and such sediment as a blacksmith shop is heir to, and which did not serve to increase Seldon’s personal appearance. But Seldon did not curse any more. He was very meek as he sat on the floor beside the tub and tried to sneeze the water out of his nose. ‘“‘Ba gar, she’s jus’ lak’ dip in hot iron!” grunted Le Blanc. ‘Get her hot lak’ and den dip queek and she’s mebbe spoil de temper. Ho, ho, ho!” Seldon shot Le Blanc a malevolent glance, but did not speak. He reminded Brick of a rattler, pinned down and exhausted from striking at nothing. ; Seldon got slowly to his feet and tottered out of the shop, a dripping scarecrow. Without a word he went straight to the hitch-rack, where the horses snorted their LE BLANC looked up from his Adventure indignation of such an apparition, mounted his horse and rode out of town. “Me—I’m glad for dat,” grinned Le Blanc. “I’m no la’k dat sonn of a gonn.”’ “First bath he’s had since the Custer battle,” grinned Harp. ‘It sure does change a man.” No one asked Brick why he had ducked Seldon in the dirty water. It was none of their business, and men in the cattle country are prone to mind their own business; that is, if they desire peace and comfort. The audience drifted back to their own business, leaving Brick and Le Blanc standing in the doorway of the shop. ‘““You’ve shod a lot of horses, ain’t yuh, Le Blanc?” asked Brick. ‘You bet,’? nodded Le Blanc. ‘Shoe plenty cayuse. I’m wan good horseshoe— me.” The Frenchman swelled with self admira- tion. He had boasted of his methods of building a proper horseshoe a thousand times, especially when his belt was tightened around several drinks of straight gin, his favorite liquor. ‘“‘What’s the idea of leavin’ the toe-calk off a shoe?”’ Le Blanc wiped his mustache with a dirty hand. 7 “Leave de toe-calk h’off, Breek? Um- m-m—who do dat?”’ “T dunno; I just wondered why anybody would.” Le Blanc considered it a while. ‘‘“Sometame de cayuse she’s cut herself wit’ toe-calk, Breek. When she’s lope her hin’ feet—’”’ Le Blanc nodded violently. “I shoe cayuse lak’ dat one time.” ‘““Whose cayuse?”’ “Four years ago, Breek. I’m de black- smit’ in Nort’ Dakota. One blacksmit’ she’s shoe dis cayuse and de cayuse she’s cut her front legs. De man she’s come to me and I tak’ off dem shoe. De man she’s say: to me for leave off de toe-calk. I’m remembair dees pony. She’s jus’ broke. She’s keek —— out of me.” “Did it cure her of interferin’?”’ asked Brick. “T never see no more. I’m t’ink she’s cure. Le Blanc wan good horse-shoe.”’ ‘“‘Who shoes their own horses around here?” “Who try to shoe?” queried Le Blanc, meaningly. ‘Well, de Nine Bar Nine, de GOMIIGoOO S ©