Adventure Magazine Cover — page 158: what you’re looking at

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

152 face of a portly man wearing the insignia of a lieutenant-colonel. “Can I give you a ride, Mr. Graves?” inquired the colonel, getting out of the car. “Thank you, but I’m just going up to headquarters. But you have the advantage of me sir.” “T met you in Rome in 1918,” stated the colonel, ‘‘My name is Sax.”’ “You have a better memory than I, colonel. But I was there. Glad to have seen you again. Good-by.” He walked on, leaving the colonel to climb back into the car. “Now that’s funny. Id give a little piece of change to find out just what that fellow’s business is,” muttered the portly officer as he settled himself in the car. Graves walked into the small, one-story frame building which had been dignified into Headquarters of the First Provisional Air Brigade, and walked over to the ser- geant-major’s desk. Evidently he knew something about the army. “Mr. Graves, to see the adjutant,” he stated. He spoke with a certain preciseness in a modulated voice that instinctively gave one an impression of culture and re- finement. “Ves, si.” The sergeant- major disappeared into the adjutant’s office with unusual expedition, returning in a few seconds to say— “All right, sir.” The captain who arose as Mr. Graves walked into his office gave him a quick survey in which interest and appraisal were equally mingled. Graves had removed his hat, revealing thick, iron-gray hair which lent distinction and force to his appearance. He was a little above medium height, and the unobtrusive perfection of his clothing hid a pair of stalwart shoulders which a wrestler would have had no reason to be ashamed of. “Yt have an appointment with General O’Malley, captain,” said Graves. “Yes indeed. The general is ready to see you.” The captain motioned toward the closed door which led from his office. “Thank you.” Graves walked over to the door, opened it, and closed it again behind him after entering the inner office. In both speech and action he appeared to be a very direct Adventure gentleman with a pronounced disinclination to waste either time or words. “General O’ Malley?” “Yes. I’m glad to know you, Mr. Graves.””~ As the two men shook hands there was a pause lasting several seconds. Eye to eye, they adjudged each other as strong men will when each knows that the other is worthy of his steel. Graves knew that before him was perhaps the most brilliant and audacious of the . younger officers of the army—the great chief of a hazardous service which even then was preparing to prove that its fledgeling wings would carry it far beyond where any- one save its officers believed it could go. As for the general, he had in his desk a letter from the Secretary of War—a brief note which stated succinctly that Mr. Graves would be treated with the utmost consideration, be cooperated with to the fullest extent, and that he carried with him authority the nature of which he personally would divulge. O’ Malley watched his visitor closely as he turned to find a chair. There was a change in his appearance when seen in profile which was almost startling. Full-face, his coun- tenance was broad and strong, with the high forehead of a student and the slightly tightened lips of a firmly molded char- acter. In profile Graves looked like a hawk—one saw that his nose jutted aggres- sively from his face, and that both forehead and chin subtly strengthened the impres- sion. taller. Even his body seemed thinner and GRAVES deliberately flipped the sf ash from his cigar and then reset wi the weed in his wide, slightly droop- ing mouth. His brilliant eyes rested on the general’s face. “General, I have here some papers for your inspection, in order that you may be- come somewhat acquainted with my mis- sion. Needless to say, not a soul aside from ourselves and persons whom I may find it necessary to tell must know even a detail of the matter.” Very few men would have spoken as tersely and directly to O’Malley. The general, however, merely nodded. “T surmised as much,” he said quietly. Graves drew a thin, long envelope from his pocket and presented it to O’Malley. CORMMICLOOOKS (C@)