Adventure, January 20, 1922 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

82 The old man’s prophecy in regard to his future actions turned out to be most re- markably true. Midnight found him, rather moist of eye and faltering of step, wandering between the roulette wheel and the bar at the Tin Dipper saloon. Now and then he would wipe the tears from his baby-blue eyes and reach a hand into a pocket of his new, bright blue overalls, where reposed the fast vanishing remainder of his capital, in the form of ten-dollar gold pieces. The tears were not caused by the vanish- ing of the.gold pieces, but were a form of condensation resulting from the liquid re- freshments he found it necessary to take be- tween every three or four spins of the wheel. The crowd. that thronged the sand- covered floor of the Tin Dipper consisted, mostly, of Canto’s least peaceful citizens; therefore there is nothing remarkable about the fact that a loud-voiced argument should break out shortly after midnight. The re- markable fact was that it did not break out long before that hour. The old man in the new overalls was returning from the bar to the roulette wheel when the crowd swayed before him, and there was a sudden roar of a gun. Before he could steady his moist eyes to a focus: something whizzed over his head from the direction of the bar, and the single, big overhead lamp went out with a crash. At the same instant something descended upon his flappy old hat and he sank slowly to a heap on the floor. gerd IT WAS daylight when the old man ems once more opened his eyes. He “ found himself stretched out upon a mud floor—mud that had been packed and dried to the consistency of paving- brick. Placing one gnarled hand to his throbbing head he lifted himself to a sitting position. He looked about him and was not surprized to find himself in a stable. A few feet from him stood Old Slob, dozing with drooping head. ‘Mornin’, Slob,” he said in a parched voice. “I reckon we’ve seen "bout all o’ Canto, eh?” At the sound of his voice the doorway of the little stable filled with a shadow. He looked up quickly and found himself facing a man who wore a bright silver star. ‘So you’ve decided to wake up, have you?” the newcomer grunted. ‘They sent me down to see if you was alive.” Adventure ‘“‘And who might they be?” asked the old man slowly. The other looked at him for a moment and then with a shrug said: “T guess you’ve been away from Canto for some time. You just come with me and you’ll find out soon enough. And mind you we ain’t going to have no fuss about it!” As he said this last, he tapped the butt of a gun at his hip. Without a word the old man rose unsteadily to his feet and followed. The stable proved to be a small shed at the rear of an open space between Canto’s one hotel and a saloon. The old man’s guide shoved him toward a rear door of the hotel and, flinging it open, exposed a narrow stairway. ‘The chief’s office is on the top floor,” he said. ‘Seeing there ain’t only two floors, it won’t be much of a climb.” A few moments later the old man found himself pushed into a small room, in the center of which a large, red-faced man was seated behind a small table. In back of the red-faced man, in chairs against the wall, several other men were seated. All of them displayed a bright silver star. His guide left him standing before the table and joined the others. “IT suppose you know why you are brought before this committee?” the red- faced man asked, after staring at the old man for a moment. “I’m ’fraid.I don’t,” the old man said, passing a hand across his dazed eyes. “I guess I had a little too much to drink since T hit Canto. I don’t just rightly know any- thing. You boys might kinder tell me how the cards lay.” “You know that Canto has a law and order committee?” the red-faced man asked sharply. “T ain’t been in Canto in several years,” replied the old man. “Well, Pll explain,” said the red-faced man. “This committee was appointed by the citizens of Canto to preserve law and order. A great many of our citizens have brought their families from the East, and there’s a strong feeling against needless gun-play. In fact there’s been considerable talk of closing up the gambling unless there’s less disorder.” ; “T see,” said the old man. “But what’s this law an’ order committee got against me?” CoOnmicloool< (C@