Adventure Magazine Cover — page 111: what you’re looking at

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

110 and Bill, who was wedged in between the shafts of his wagon and the rearmost portion of his horse, was using an apparently unlim- ited vocabulary of profane remarks, ad- dressed to the occupants of the big touring- car, which remarks were apparently in no manner interfered with by reason of his rather uncomfortable position. ¢ The horse was tentatively nibbling at a wisp of grass and Bill’s dog was lying in the slender shade of a fence-post, seeming to be waiting for Bill to finish his remarks. As to the two occupants of the automo- bile, which had evidently been thrown off the road by a deep rut, both were quietly sitting in their car, the driver with his hands resting on the steering-wheel. The other was wiping blood from his face, which was rather badly gashed. ‘The car’s wind-shield was shattered, the front axle bent and the head-lights twisted, giving the machine a curiously cross-eyed appearance. Johnson stopped his machine and both alighted. Morgan approached the two men in the wrecked auto, carrying his gun in his hand, ready for an emergency. Johnson went to the assistance of Bill. “You ain’t hurt, are you, Bill?” he in- quired. “No, I ain’t hurt,”’ said Bill after directing a last scathing flow of profanity at the two liquor-runners, ‘‘but it ain’t them or’nary whelps’ fault that I ain’t all blowed to “Lemme help you out,” offered Johnson. “T guess you ain’t hurt or you couldn’t swear like that.” “I’m gifted thataway,” stated Bill mod- estly, as with the officer’s aid he untangled himself from his horse and dusted himself off. Then, taking a greasy-looking plug of to- bacco from his hip pocket, he bit off a huge chew, looked himself over, spat a couple of times and asserted: “Guess ’m O. K. now. Let’s go an’ look em over.” And the two crossed the intervening space. Morgan had in the mean time searched the two men and collected what weapons he found—a pair of ugly-looking revolvers— and was investigating the contents of the tonneau. : “They sure had a load,’’, he remarked to Bill and Johnson, as they approached. “They’re loaded to the guards with booze.” Adventure “Bill,” solemnly said Johnson, “if they’d hit you, you’d sure gone somewhere in good: spirits.” “Ain’t it the truth?” agreed Bill with a cheerful grin. ‘But wouldn’t it beena of a note if I’d been blowed off’n the map on my last trip? Wouldn’t it now?” “There wouldn't have been any funeral expenses anyhow,” pointed out Morgan. Bill made no reply. i MORGAN and Johnson now pro- ceeded to examine the wrecked car, but it was obvious that it would not be moved without assistance from the near- est town, so they turned their attention to the men in the car. “You guys are sure in bad, ” remarked Morgan. “Look at our car.’ He pointed to the torn gash in the up- holstering, marking the path of a bullet, “Vou came awful near to gettin’ one of “You surely wouldn’t have got us if it hadn’t been for that shooter,” retorted oneinasurly toné. “I just gota ‘glimpse of that red flag through the dust an’ turned out to give him a wide berth an’ hit that rut. If it hadn’t been for that you never would have caught us.” “T guess that’s right,’ agreed Johnson. “Vou sure have a peach of a car.” “She'll do eighty if you open her up,” stated the driver. “I ain’t never had the nerve to hold her wide open yet,’ he added. “Well, let’s get goin’,” Morgan suggested. “You two fellers’”—speaking to the liquor- runners—‘‘get in the back of our car.’ Which they accordingly did. “Bill,”’ turning to the shooter—‘“‘you sure were in the right spot at the right time; do yqu need any help to get goin’ again?” Bill squinted at his wagon. US. “Nope,” he announced. “I can git goin’ all right.” ‘All right,” was the response. “So long, old scout.” Both officers climbed into their car and proceeded down the road, with Morgan sit- ting where he could keep an eye upon the two prisoners. “So long,”’ said Bill. He turned toward his wagon, grasped his horse’s bridle and by careful maneuvering soon had his wagon back in the road. He then climbed up, seated himself, whistled for his dog, who jumped up beside COMIC SOOKSaCS)