Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

A Proof By Peril pleasantry. ‘‘Chase away and play!” he growled. Evart’s blue saucers widened. ‘‘Oo-o-o!” he commented. ‘‘Bad as that? Look-a- here, old man, you ain’t going to let it get serious, are you?”’ The hand he tucked under Hargood’s arm was strong and commanding and sure. For all his blundering youth there was a massive solidity about Julia’s brother that had been a source of infinite comfort to Hargood’s more subtle temperament during their college days. The touch won the other out of his morbid reserve. “Serious?” he repeated, with a level glance into the cheerful blue eyes. “It’s more serious than I care to think. If I did not know that your father had made all arrangements for climbing the Brughorn to-morrow and that my withdrawal would disappoint him keenly, I should leave here to-night.”’ “Tush!” said Evart incredulously. ‘‘ You wouldn’t do that.” “T ought to,” returned Hargood, in a burst. ‘I’m not welcome any longer. She won’t speak to me. I can’t get a word with her. It’s all a frightful mystery and night- mare!”’ His fingers interlocked. ‘Listen to him!” mocked Evart. “I’m giving up. I shall get the first steamer for New York.” 66 Rot! ’) Hargood nodded. ‘“‘But look-a-here,” protested the boy, ‘‘just last week you said there was only one thing kept you from asking her.” A twinge of pain shot across Hargood’s mouth. “Ts that one thing still in the way?” con- tinued Evart, pressing laboriously after the truth. “No,” said Hargood. “Then it’s been removed?” “Tt was removed to-day.” “To-day!” cried Evart, scouring his hair. “Then why under heaven aren’t you plan- ning honeymoons instead of moping here? What more do you want? Haven’t I trained you personally for this event? Haven’t I told you you could win any time you would permit yourself to try?” “It’s kindly of you,”’ said Hargood, sim- -ply. “Butit’s no use. Goodness knows this should have been the happiest evening I have ever known if things had gone right. But DPve lost her. She detests me. I sus- 1099 pect the reason and it will be enough to say that it is one no gentleman could bring him- self to combat:”’ “Tragedy!” proclaimed Evart hollowly, and clapped a hand to his forehead. ‘Dark and chill despair! Come here, you He yanked Hargood into a corner. “Now I’m going to make a bet with you. I’m playing my own dope and it’s good. Based on past performances and general hunch. See? I'll bet you—four francs, that’s all I have—four francs, that she’ll never let you get away from her. Under- stand? Whatever you may think about it isn’t worth a whoop. You may think you’re going to cut it. My boy, you’re not a free agent. You couldn’t if you wanted to. Come! Four francs she’ll never let you get away from her in the wide, wide world. Are you game?”’ “I’m tired,” said Hargood wearily. But Evart would not relax his mighty paw. “Is it a bet?” he insisted. ‘Just as you say,’ murmured Hargood, for the sake of escape. He went up to his room and passed a sleepless night. III oes THE party, clad and booted for at rough work, left the hotel before sun- rise with Otto, the head guide, and Jergens, his helper. An hour’s easy climb brought them to the snow-line, the verge of that far white country that ends in distant minarets piercing the sky. Past them, a short, sheer drop below, flowed the mighty glacier, barred and ridged with greenish crevasses in parallel chevrons that the eye followed up and up into the nest of peaks. Clustered on either side, their massy bases walling the frozen river, the giants of the range reared beyond and before them, in bluff angles, rocky arétes, smooth contours, shelf upon shelf, vista upon vista, height upon height, to the soar- ing caps that tossed into the blue at. the zenith. Just across rose the lesser summit of the Brughorn, less inacessible than its overtowering neighbors, but a proud, bright garmented courtier to these kings= Lowering glacier-glasses over their eyes in the glare that shot like barbed lances from the snow, they descended to the glacier. Before essaying the slippery slope ahead they unslung the ropes and the Major CO Ebooks C©