Adventure Magazine Cover — page 190: what you’re looking at

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

946 you had better stay where you are till they get home.” “When are you lookin’ fer ’em back?” inquired Mr. Connors courteously. The branch was made of hard wood and it was a very knotty bit of timber; the length of time he might be required to occupy it was interesting. The rustic mind runs to loquacity. The woman found herself explaining in more detail than the circumstances required. “My husband is the minister. My son is the justice of the peace. They have both gone up the river, but the boat is due at the landing in an hour or so—unless it is late. You might as well wait a while and see them.” Mr. Connors groaned from the depths of his soul. In an hour or so, unless the boat was late! “Lady,” pleaded Mr. Connors in his most ingratiating voice, ‘“‘I come here lookin’ fer a doctor, see? W’ena guy goes ter git a doc- tor, it ain’t right ter butt in an’ stop him. Dat’s de way it looks ter a man up a tree, lady.” The woman ventured no opinion. merely closed the door. ‘““Lady!’’ shouted Mr. Connors in his most humble and winning manner. “Lady!” The door opened again. “Well, what is it?” “Lady, I come here to git help fer a guy dat’s lyin’ on de railroad track wid a busted slat. He ain’t got nobody ter look after him. If you keeps me up here dere ain’t no tellin’ what’ll happen ter de pore afflicted feller.” “A man with a busted what?” inquired the lady suspiciously. ‘A busted slat,” repeated Mr. Connors. ‘Dis guy falls down a clift and caves in a few spare-ribs. Dat’s on de level, lady. I ain’t kiddin’ wid yer.” “You mean the man is wounded?”’ ‘“‘Dat’s it. He’s all in an’ down an’ out.”’ ‘““Where—where is this person?” The minister’s wife put the question with pre- liminary symptoms of relenting. If some one were genuinely in distress, she must probe the facts. “Right up de railroad about three-quar- ters of a mile from here.” The lady was considering. While she did so the beast below made a sound as if licking his chops with the relish of keen anticipa- tion. She Adventure ‘When my husband and son come home,” ruled the woman at last, “they will investi- gate your story. Of course they may not get home to-night—the boat is usually a few hours late.” Once more Mr. Connors groaned. ““Meanwhile,”’ added the lady, ‘‘T’ll call off the dog. You can vamoose.”’ “T’anks, lady.”” Mr. Connors voice was eager. ‘“‘But,” continued the warning voice, “‘ the dog will be about all evening, and if you come back ; ‘“Me come back, lady!”’ voice trembled with emotion. Dis is me farewell appearance!” The lady opened the door a little wider. ‘“‘Fido,’? she commanded, ‘‘come here! Here, Fido! That’sa good little doggie!”’ Thirty seconds later Mr. Connors dropped to the ground and disappeared. Mr. Connors’ ‘“Ferget it! MR. LEWIS COPEWELL resumed consciousness to find himself appar- ently deserted. With the reawak- ening of his mental activities came a re- newed horror of the situation which engulfed him. He must finda telephone. He strug- gled to his feet, but while he slept his injuries had been multiplying and his joints stiffen- ing. He breathed with difficulty. Also, he could not walk. One ankle had swollen until his shoe bound it like a vise, and when he stepped forward he fell, with nauseating pain, to the broken rocks. The following is a true capitulation of the casualties suffered by Mr. Copewell: one broken collar bone; one broken rib; one sprained ankle. Mr. Copewell was not a man of flimsy courage. In order to send a single reassuring word to the lady he loved, he would gladly have waded through blood, but one can not wade successfully through blood on one foot. He could not even walk along a railroad track on one foot. He tried hopping and found it, on the whole, an un- satisfactory means of locomotion. Then Mr. Copewell crawled back to his suit-case and sat down again in despair. Mr. Lewis Copewell was not astonished that his chance companion should, as it seemed, have abandoned him in his adver- sity. His meeting with Mr. Connors had been merely casual. Finding himself con- verted without warning from a voyager bound for the Enchanted Isles where a beauteous maiden awaited him into a C© MICLOOKS CO