Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

Paradise Bend ‘Saturday night, next week. Butter, but- ter, who’s got the grease? An’ the canned cow. That’s the stuffy. Say, that’s a-goin’ to be a reg’lar elephant of a dance, that is. They’s a new girl in town—TI seen her. She’s stayin’ at Mis’ Mace’s, an’ she’s as pretty as a royal flush. Miss Kate’Saltoun her name is, an’ she’s from the Bar-S down on the Lazy River.” “We'll all go,”’ announced Doubleday. ‘You bet we will,” said Giant Morton. “Swing, where’s that necktie o’ mine ye borried last week?—yes, the red one. You know the one I mean. You wanted it so’s ye could make a hit with that hash-slinger at the hotel. Can’t fool me, ye old tarra- pin. Where is it?” “T’ll git it for ye later,” gurgled Tunstall, his mouth full. “I don’t guess I lost it. Ca’m _ yoreself, Giant, ca’m_ yoreself. What’s a necktie?”’ | “Don’t guess ye’ve lost it! Well I like that! I paid a dollar six bits for that neck- tie down at the Chicago Store. There ain’t another like it in the territory. Ragsdale said so himself. You gimme that necktie or I'll pizen yore bronc.”’ See quired Telescope of Loudon, when they were riding the range the day before the dance. “TI don’t guess so. I don’t feel just like dancin’. Don’t enjoy it like I used to. Gettin’ old, I guess.” “I’m goin’, but not to de dance een de hotel. I’m goin’ to de dance-hall, un I weel play de pokair too. Ah, I weel have de good tam. W’y not you come wit’ me?” ““Maybe I will. See how I feel tomorrow. I’m goin’ to pull my freight next week sometime. Got an engagement in Fare- well in five weeks or so, an’ I want to find the little hoss before then.” “We'll fin’ heem, you un me. I am ready any tam you say.” That evening Scotty Mackenzie halted Loudon on his way to the bunk-house. “Goin’ to the dance, Tom?” queried Scotty. “T’m goin’ to the Bend, but no dance in mine.” “Say, you make me sick! Dorothy’ll be at that dance, an’ ye’ll hurt her feelin’s if ye don’t go. She’ll think ye don’t want to dance with her or somethin’.”’ “GOIN’ to de Bend tomorrow?” in- 131 “IT can’t help what she thinks, can I? I don’t have to go to that dance.”’ ‘““Ye don’t have to, o’ course not, but ye got to think o’ other folks. Why, only day before esterday when I was at the Bend she was askin’ after ye, an’ I told her ye’d sure see her at the dance.” “Ve did, did ye? All right, I’m goin’ to the Bend tomorrow with the rest o’ the boys, but I’ve got a little poker game in mind. The dance is barred, Scotty.” “Oh, all right. Have it yore own way. I’m only tryin’ to help ye out. Say, Tom, y’ain’t still thinkin’ o’ goin’ away, are ye? Ye can have that bay like I said, an’ an- other pony, too, if ye like. Ye see, I want ye to stay here at the Flyin’ M. I’m hard up for men now, an’ ‘s “Say,” interrupted Loudon, on whom a great light had suddenly dawned, ‘“‘say, is that why yo’re so anxious to have me go see Miss Burr, huh? So I'll fall in love with her, an’ stay here, huh? Is that it?” “Why, Tom, o’ course not,” denied Scot- ty indignantly. “I wasn’t thinkin’ o’ such a thing.” “T ain’t none so sure, Scotty. . It sounds just like ye.” ‘Well, it ain’t like me nohow. Yo’re wrong, Tom, all wrong as usual. Suit yore- self about the dance, suit yoreself. I got nothin’ more to say. Here’s a letter come for ye today.” Scotty handed the letter to Loudon and departed, offended dignity in the set of his shoulders. ‘The pose was assumed, and Loudon knew it. When next they met, Scotty would reopen his favorite issue as usual, ‘‘Now how did he guess it?’”? wondered Scotty, gloomily kicking the pebbles on his way to the office. “How did he guess the truth, I’d like to know? An’ he’s goin’ away after all! The best man in the outfit! I got to do somethin’, that’s a cinch.” Poor Scotty! So must Machiavelli have felt when one of his dearest schemes was upset by some clever Florentine. Left alone, Loudon tore open the letter. It ran: Dere frend lowden Id_uv rote sooner only Ive been sick fele bad stil sene things fur a weak but I can rite now anyhow. Wel, after you an Mackenzy lef in the afternoon Block an the uther fellar rid in. I noed the uther fellar what stole yore hoss cause he looked just like you sed hed look but the hoss he was ridin wasnt yore hoss he was sum- buddy elses hoss I dunno whoos yet. Wen I sene CoOMmicboooks (CO