Adventure Magazine Cover — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

54 for all of them. He reached into a gun cabinet, picked out.a certain one of the repeating shotguns there and said: “Timmy, TPve been waiting for you to come; and here’s the gun I saved up, and she’s loaded. You were a good wing shot at chickens and jumping jacks in the old days.” Timmy Keyes stopped short. He looked ‘into the eyes of his old friend. He saw the faith of aman in him. He reached and took the gun, turned on his heel and raced back at the doorway. Wad Metchler was still coming. He had slowed visibly as he saw whither Timmy Keyes had rushed. He was now sixty feet distant as Timmy Keyes sprang forth into the bright sunshine, gun in hand. Timmy’s cheeks were splotched beneath a light tan. He had the repeating shotgun by the breach held with one hand as he squared deliberately away. He was a quick, good shot at birds. He now gave Wad Metchler all the time needed to go for his big 45s. It was fair range for a revolver. Metchler had killed a man at a greater distance. As against Timmy Keyes, frightened man that he had long been, it was a fair proposition—revolvers against a shotgun. Metchler stopped so suddenly that his soles slid on the pavement. He grabbed at his guns, but the coat he had buttoned for the chase intervened and he found the butts of his weapons covered with the cloth. Panic seized him. The cowardice that had permitted him to bully a man afraid now shone forth in all its mean and craven spirit. “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot, Keyes!’ he screamed, ‘I—I was on’y foolin’!”’ ‘“‘About face,”’ Keyes ordered, and Metch- Jer turned. “Take off your coat; drop your belt.” Metchler did as ordered. ‘“‘Now march for city court,” Keyes said, and stepped quickly, and overtaking Metch- ler, holding the shotgun against the fellow’s spine, having slung the belt and holsters over his own shoulders. There in the court Keyes said to the judge: ‘You fined this man ten dollars for run- ning me down this morning, and ordered me to clean the dirtied street. Now you send Adventure this man to jail for one year, and fine him $500 for disorderly conduct.” “Yes, sir, Mr. Keyes,” the judge gasped. ‘¢Just as soon’s I can prepare the complaint an’—an’ commitment.” | “T’ll appeal that,”’ the prisoner declared. “No, you won rt, ” Keyes said to him. “You've hounded me, and you’ve bullied me. You’d use your freedom on appeal to kill me. You say you'll go to jail, or I'll blow your back-bone in two now, and take my chances with the courts on your record. Say you won’t appeal it—say you’ll go to jail, you cowardly scoundrel!” “Yes, sir! Don’t shoot, Mr. Keyes! I'll go to jail!’ Metchler whimpered, Sg Ge | was only joking—I “On the strength of that, judge, I’ll pay half the sentence—the five-hundred-dollar fine, Keyes said with the western flow of humor. “But he’ll serve the term in jail.” Keyes left the prisoner, well sentenced, in charge of the city marshal. He walked back down the street to Simms’ hardware store. Simms was there. Keyes handed the gun to the man, and said: “T owe you my honor, Dan. Give me a— Why, say! I got that scoundrel’s revolvers, haven’t I? Well, all right. I'll wear them.” “Good Lord—Timmy!” Dan gasped as he took the gun. “TI thought this was the—the twelve-gage automatic. It’s a sixteen-gage and—and the thing ain’t loaded!” “What?” Timmy gasped, his jaw drop- ping. ‘Holy smoke! And I was throwing a bluff—I looked as good as that, did I? Well —um-m— All right, Dan. I don’t think I'll wear these guns, either. Hang ’em up in your window—put a card on ’em, ‘Cap- tured by Timmy Keyes’. Leave ’em there. Now, Dan—just which one of those guns is loaded?” “That one—this one right here,” Dan said. “All right, Dan. Much obliged. It wasn’t—wasn’t the gun I needed. But I know where it is, now. That’s enough. When I need it next time I’ll come—and I'll come a-running—but not the same way.” “You'll never have to come, Timmy,” Dan said. “Every man in town knows now that you can take care of yourself. No- body’ll ever have a chance to try you that- away, or any other way, again.’ COIN DOOKS (©