Adventure Magazine Cover — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

82 | Adventure you know. She’s one of the fatal women. “Well, she said you mustn’t have been “She was serious for two minutes one so much of a fellow as your ehome-town day, and told me that never a man in the papers made out to let somebody sneak in world could have her love. I don’t under- an’ cut your neck in two while you slept. stand. She’s all fire and red blood. What could I say ’cept that she didn’t want “And say, old man, you may want tokick to b’lieve anybody ever cut your wind-pipe? me all around the room, but one day— I Not much! She poked a finger at a head- didn’t mean to doit, either. Iknow you’ve line, an’ I must ’ve showed it in my face, got a temper like a thunder-cloud. Butone because she said— _day— If you’d ever been right up face to “ “Tsn’t he dead?’ face with her, looked at her, stared down “Allexcited. I said I knew —— well you into her eyes, you’d understand— And _ weren’t. She didn’t b’lieve me. She riled one day— Listen. First I’ve got to tell me up, made me mad, till I blurted it out— you she’s true as gold, an’ got lips like clam- then I told her not to breathe it to a soul. shells— One day I told her you were She promised, Don. An’ Zoronna’s all Everhard.” right.” He was stripped to the waist and sitting “Ts she?” in a chair, holding a basin of warm water “Stake my life on it— No, something with his left hand while I washed the crusted really valuable. Stake that on it.”” And, and fresh blood from his shoulder. It was _ reaching into his pocket, he drew out a roll pierced with merely a flesh wound, andIam_ of bills. not without a little skill in the care of “Listen, Don; there’s no use to look like wounds. you meant pistols and coffins for two——” I stepped in front of him and looked down Eying the roll of bills, I said cynically— questioningly into his anxious eyes. ‘Another pair of shoe-buckles?” . [think I may say that no man ever gets to “T was thinkin’ of a cigaret-case. Said know me so well as to be at ease whenIam_ she didn’t have one she cared about—an’ likely to be angered. if I don’t spend it on her the tailor or some- I said nothing, and I made no sign. body ll get it. Think I take chances an’ I was thinking. Zoronna had not only get shot, just to pay a tailor? , no. known who I was, but she had urged Hur- I got a sick aunt. When she dies I’ll pay gronje to come. Yet if Remy’s report was him an’ the rest of em. That’s what I tell to be trusted Hurgronje did not know but ’em anyway.” that I was dead. “Did she ever tell you her life was in ‘“Now listen, Don,” Lord Bob ventured, danger?” made uncomfortable by the fact that I said “What the ——, old man? Her life— nothing, “you’re makin’ a mountain out ofa danger?” peanut-shell.”’ 7 “Ves. It’s the usual way some women I said nothing. make fools of men. Need the man’s “She’s not goin’ ’o tell anybody—she’s _ protection, you know.” prob’bly forgot it by this time. She’s aw- “She wouldn’t pick me to watch her fully forgetful about names.” lap-dog from a tomcat,” he said with such a “Ves?” I asked noncommitally. note of rueful sincerity that I almost felt “T told her before I thought anyway.” sorry for him. “She knows I’m a fool, Then with a burst of inspiration, ‘Fellow Don. If I tried to change she’d run me off. can’t be responsible for what he does with- “She hates serious men. They annoy out thinkin’, can he?” her. Fellows like you. You’re awfully I looked at him steadily, and for a time annoying, old chap. Just now, for instance I was not at all confident that Lord Bob was —the way you're lookin’ at me.” sO innocent about the matter as he ap- I fancied that Zoronna, who I was begin- peared. He was very clever in many ways. ning to perceive knew many things that she “Tt was all over that Pittsburg stuff,” he did not reveal, knew that Lord Bob was explained. ‘She read the papers. You better fitted than to guard lap-dogs. I know, you couldn’t miss it— For Heav- knew that his nerves were steel and that he > en’s sake say something!”’ was unbluffable, and that his brains were I said: far from being shallow as a saucepan; all “All right. Goon.” of which made it difficult to realize that he COMME OOO KS ney nn)