Adventure Magazine Cover — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

4 Adventure’ knees against the upper bank, while the other sprawled in the road, turned over sev- eral times and finally stopped in a sitting position with his legs dangling over the edge of the grade. The one at the side of the bank blinked his eyes several times and then ran his hand through his mop of brick-red hair. Then he got painfully to his feet, walked to the edge of the grade and looked around. The other, a giant of a man at least six feet six inches tall, with a long, crooked nose and a wide, humorous mouth, retained his position, except that he took a red-silk handkerchief from his hip pocket and blew his nose violently. Then he said— ‘Brick, old Lafe is goin’ to be real put out about them there pintos and that wagon, y betcha.” The red-head nodded sadly. Then he turned and spat out some sand. There was nothing heroic-looking about “Brick” Davidson. His hair was the color of new-baked bricks, and his thin, sensi- tive nose was plentifully besprinkled with freckles. His eyes were very blue and very ready to search out the humorous things in life. He looked below medium size, com- paring him to the bulk of ‘Silent’ Slade, but Brick was not a small man. He spat out some more sand and looked at Suent. “Whatcha drop them lines for?” “You argued with me, didn’t yuh?” The big man’s tone was querulous. “Yuh always argue with me, Brick Dawvid- son, and you know danged well I’ve gotta gesture.” “Gesture!” Brick Davidson spat again contemptu- ously. “Gotta, eh? Why didn’t yuh go to a school where they teaches yuh to talk with your mouth? Write me a note next time, Suent. Floppin’ your arms like a he-buz- zard gittin’ ready to fly don’t convey no thoughts to my mind.” Silent Slade got slowly to his feet and peered down the hill. The stage had stopped in a clump of jack-pines, and the four stage horses, almost stripped of harness, had tangled with the limbs of a fallen pine. One of the pintos stood near the wrecked wagon, front feet tangled in lines and neck- yoke, kicking viciously at a dangling tug. The other pinto was unfortunately past kick- 1g at tugs, unless ghost horses wear harness. “Brick!” exclaimed Silent. “Brick, I didn’t see much before the ca-tas-trophy, but. somehow I gets the fool idea that there was a woman beside the stage.” — “Whatcha tryin’ to do-o-o! Whatcha tryin’ to do-o-o!”’ A long, lean face—a face that was scratched and dirty, with a long lock of grizzled hair sticking straight up like an in- terrogation point, suddenly. appeared from behind a mesquite-bush at the edge of the grade as its owner scrambled slowly back to the road level. He stared at Brick and Silent, and his jaws worked spasmodically as if trying to loosen something distasteful to his palate. “Tt was thisaway, Limpy,” began Silent. “T’d rather hear Davidson tell it,” inter- rupted Limpy Squires, the stage-driver. “You kinda alibi yourself before yuh tell anythin’.” = “There was a woman—” began Silent. Limpy turned and looked down toward the wrecked stage; then back at Silent and Brick, masticating furiously. Brick’s toe de- scribed a circle in the dust as he averted his glance from the old stage-driver. Limpy looked back down the hill and Brick stooped swiftly and picked something off the ground. His sudden motion caused the others to turn, but they only saw Brick’s hand coming away from his hip pocket, dangling a package of smoking- tobacco. “Vuh ain’t mentioned the hold-up,” re- marked Brick. “Have yuh forgot it, Limpy scratched his tousled head, while his tongue explored the interior of his mouth. Then he nodded. “You fellers sure busted up a regular party. I wonder E Limpy slid down the bank toward the stage, and Brick and Silent followed him. Limpy led the way into the thicket and climbed up on one of the front wheels. He peered under the seat, then got down and limped around to the other side, where an iron box was lying upside down. “They never got it,” grinned Limpy, pat- ting the box with his toe. ‘““What’s in it?” Brick knelt down and looked at it closely. “T dunno. Sent out by the Whippoorwill mine. Danged thing must weigh about a hundred pounds.” ‘“‘Who was the woman?” asked Brick. CoOnnicoookSs (S@)