Adventure Magazine Cover — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

22 “T went into the Dollar Down, actin’ as drunk as a shepherd on a vacation. Mamma mine, I sure was drunk as a boiled owl. I invited Cleeve to participate, and then Topaz Tyler joined us. “T drank all I could handle and then I sets down on the floor, after I dumped a glass of hooch over Cleeve’s ice-cream pants. Cleeve and Topaz led me out behind the place and swiped the note. They sure was lit up plentiful.” “But about this here note,” said Slient. “T hinted that I had a note; sabe? IL said I had evidence in my pocket. They picked it out of my inside pocket and all it sald was— “Since when did Nature start muzzlin’ coyotes?” Silent and Harp stared at Brick. “You’re awful crazy,” “Awful crazy. What good did it do to let ’em steal that from you?” “IT dunno,” admitted Brick, “‘but I’m just kinda peckin’ around, like a wood- pecker on a tree. There’s a worm-hole some’ers, and I’m goin’ to be the early bird.” “T think you’re crazy,” said Silent, and then to Harp, “You agree with me, don’t 2? “Think ! I know he is, Silent.” - “Pm just as happy as though I had good sense,” grinned Brick. Pea =“ YOU fellers just about raised and put a chunk under it.” Lafe Freeman leaned against the BY bunk-house door and contemplated the three bunks, wherein three blanketed fig- ures reposed in deep slumber. A protrud- ing leg, bare to the knee, was all that would absolutely identify any of the three humps as being human. One of the humps choked over a healthy snore and sat up, blinking at Lafe. “Whatcha say?” Lafe Freeman squinted at Silent’ s yawn- ing face and repeated his statement. Silent reached down, picked up a boot and hit the nearest figure a resounding whack. “Daylight in the swamp!” he yelled. ’ “Up and at ’em, Brick!” Brick uncoiled from his blanket, swung his feet around and sprang for Silent, but Silent was looking for just such a move. His legs shot out, catching Brick in the chest, and the luckless Brick sprawled to the floor. declared Silent. Adventure “Take him off!’ yelled Silent, as if Brick were beating him. ‘Take him off!” Then he threw the other boot, which hit Harp as he lifted up to see what the com- motion was all about. “Aw-w-w-w!” wailed Silent. ‘‘Brick’s to blame, Harp. Honest to grandma, he is. I meant to hit him and he ducked.” Harp rubbed his shoulder and stared at Lafe. Brick got to his feet and sat down on his bunk, ‘The sheriff,”’ stated Lafe ominously, “‘the sheriff says that Marlin City ain’t big enough to hold you fellers.”’ “Oh!”’ Brick seemed surprized. Then he grin- ned. “Goin’ to build her bigger, eh?” “Says he’s got enough evidence to hold yuh all in jail.” ‘“‘He needs stren’th more than evidence,” yawned Harp. “Well, he can make a lot of trouble for yuh, that’s one.cinch. He’s got warrants all made out, so Le Blanc told me, and he’s goin’ to serve ’em the first time yuh show up down there.” “Warrants!” Brick was properly indignant. “T suppose we staged that runaway and grabbed the strong-box! Rats! The fel- lers that done it are the same ones that killed poor old Limpy.”’ “That’s what they’re talkin’ about,” nodded Lafe. ‘They say he rode away with you fellers, and that’s the last time anybody seen him alive. There’s talk that this robbery was all framed, and that Limpy was killed for his share because they was afraid he might get caught and squeal.” Brick stared at the floor, deep in thought. ‘““Mebbe they’re right at that, Lafe.”’ “Betcha forty dollars they are,” agreed Silent. “Know anythin’ about that new feller that bought the-old Weepin’ Tree ranch?” The three cowboys looked at Lafe, but none of them admitted that they did, sO Lafe continued: “His daughter—I reckon it’s his daugh- ter—was in Marlin last night. Came in after grub, I reckon. After she went away I heard Cleeve talkin’ to Bunty about her. Cleeve opines that they’re *kinda mysteri- ous, and then he asks Bunty what he thinks about your story about the female bandit. Bunty said it was a of a thing for a CoOMmMicooolkSse©