Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

984 the success that evaded him elsewhere and had come so easily here.” “Gosh! That’s queer! Funny things these scientific guys get next to, eh?” ‘“‘So you see there’s nothing to do but stay here,” continued Carmelita; “at least, till we get rich enough to buy radium by the pound,” she added whimsically. ‘““Why not pay this other fellow his loan and tear up the contracts? There’s always a way to get around those things.” ‘““We’re not as clever as you!” sighed Carmelita. ““T never saw the contract yet that I couldn’t wriggle out of!’’ boasted Manahan. ‘““You’d better engineer it so I can see them, eh?”’ “Tl try,’’. promised Carmelita dubi- ously, “‘but he’s so suspicious of strangers. I’m afraid he’ll tell me that he needs money more than advice.” “Hm! Well,” said Manahan, drawing quickly into his shell at the innocent sug- gestion, ‘‘what do you say to a game of seven-upP”’ Late into the night they played, yet long before sunrise Carmelita was galloping over the road to the Hermit’s Mountain. When she returned, flushed and triumphant, she sent two messages, one to Nancy in Denver, the other to Jim in St. Louis. Then she went up-stairs to dress for breakfast. V give AT A DIRTY little table in the =*3 darkest corner of a small restaurant in Benton Carmelita toyed nervously with a cracked stoneware cup of muddy coffee and watched a tall, thin-faced young man wrestling heroically with an order of beef-steak and German-fried. As he helped himself to the fifth slab of soggy bread, he caught her shuddering gaze upon him and laughed sheepishly. “Wait till you get so far along in your career of crime that you daren’t go into the diner for fear of meeting some of your ‘con- tributors,’ Carmelita. Gee! but I was hungry.” “That’s all right, Jim. I’m only sorry I can’t treat you better, but “Don’t let that worry you. I know we can’t afford to be seen together at a hotel. By the way, do I eat, up there?” ‘Why, of course you do, you long-legged Adventure Indian! Don’t worry. I’ll grub-stake you for a couple of weeks.”’ “Wow! Do I have to play. the hermit that long?”’ “Not if it grinds you!” said Carmelita impatiently. Jim speared several disks of slippery potato and regarded the arrangement on his fork with sobering face. Hespoke this time without levity. ‘“What’s wrong, Carm? I know you’d never send for me if you hadn’t a good thing in sight; but I’ve had too many good things fall through to mind one more. Is the game queered?”’ “Oh, no, not that. I’ve got my fish hooked, Jim, but I’m getting tired of playing him, and for two cents I’d let him get away with the line.”’ ““Won’theland? Suspicious? Eh?” “That’s not the word! There’s nothing in the dictionary mean enough to do him justice, the hateful old fat-head!”’ Jim’s eyes twinkled. ‘‘You don’t seem to think well of this gentleman,” he said slowly. “T don’t!” ‘“What’s his particular graft?” ‘“‘He’s a politician, and in the shipping business on the side.” “T see. And when will you steer him up against me?”’ ‘“‘The less he sees of you the better. That bum Dutch dialect and mongrel scientific dope of yours wouldn’t fool a baby in the cradle,’ replied Carmelita. _ “Don’t get sarcastic, lady. I'll do better when I get made-up for the part. You know I’m no good at rehearsals; it takes scenery and costumes to warm me up to my gait,” said Jim. ‘‘As for the suspicious boys, they’re my meat! Anyhow, I'll bet a simoleon that this fellow’s hands are so black he’s never dare make a peep in court, even if you trimmed him down to a case ten-spot.” “T stand about as much show of trimming him, my friend,” said Carmelita, ‘‘as you do of—beating a faro-bank!”’ ‘Is it so?”’ grinned Jim, at the mention of his pet diversion. ‘‘Then, just so’s we won’t get into an argument, what’s your ‘spiel’ and why don’t he swallow it?” ‘““He swallows everything, except a hint formoney. I haven’t dared mention money in his presence for three days now, for fear he’d jump over the traces.” CO MICLOOOKS (©