Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

160 finished his minute outline of what they were to do. Pendelton laughed, waiting for the joke to be explained to him. “Certainly. When do we start?” Cutter did not join in the laugh. Instead he replied in an even tone: “Tl let you know.” And as they turned to walk back to their quarters, he added casually: “Of course we will take that money of yours with us.” Pendelton stopped short, and the laugh died out of his face also. “You don’t mean the money in the safe?”’ “Yes,” said Cutter, “that is just what I do mean. The whole thing depends on that.” Pendelton shook his head. ‘Well, if my going depends on taking the money, you will have to leave me out.”” He shot a curious look at the older man. “But of course you are only joking. You wouldn’t steal?” At the word Cutter winced, but he turned a cool, unhurried glance on the boy. “Do I look as if I were joking?” he asked. Pendelton did look at him, and for the first time he saw that the man was in ear- nest. A sensation of repugnance tinged with fear passed over him. Had Cutter suddenly gone mad? Without replying, he drew a step backward. .After a moment’s pause, Cutter con- tinued in that same level tone: ‘“‘What is the matter? You agreed right enough a moment ago. Don’t tell me you haven’t the sand to see a thing through properly if you undertake it. It won’t be stealing. We’ll only borrow the money if you like; pay it back when we get control in Pucao. Are you afraid of Bilibid?” Pendelton dug the sand nervously with the toe of his shoe. ‘““Maybe we see things differently,” he said. ‘To me it would be stealing, so of course, I couldn’t do it. Perhaps it’s fear of Bilibid—but I don’t think so. You see,”’ there was a tone of boyish pride in his voice, robbing the words of their histrionics, “T never heard of a Pendelton who did anything to be ashamed of. I shouldn’t like to be the first.” Cutter laughed. ‘‘All right—you are the doctor,” he said, and walked up the beach alone. Pendelton instinctively felt in his pocket Adventure for the key to his safe. Its touch reassured him. Then he sat down on the sand and crossing his hands behind his head tried to puzzle out the meaning of the scene he had just taken part in. That Cutter had been joking he put aside. ‘There remained then but one ex- planation: he had suddenly become unbal- anced from overwork. But somehow this explanation did not satisfy him. In spite of the wildness of the scheme there had been nothing irrational in Cutter’s manner or speech; he had not really tried to persuade him to go; instead, he seemed only to be playing a part, and back of it there was something; the man seemed to have an- ticipated his refusal, to have taken it as a matter of course. Then why had he suggested the theft? Pendelton could not determine; but he felt again that sensation of fear, of a vague, mysterious danger which threatened him. Something in Cutter’s manner had given him the feeling. When Pendelton finally returned to his room, he found Cutter deep in an easy chair, turning the pages of a magazine. At the younger man’s entrance he looked up. “I hope you didn’t take seriously all that flubdub I gave you back there,” he said with a laugh. “Of course not,” said Pendelton, trying to put into his voice a cheerfulness which he did not feel. ‘I knew you were only joking.” The major rose. ‘“‘And I am afraid it was a rather stupid, clumsy joke. I was only trying to get your goat. Come on, let’s have a drink and forget it.” He went out into the hall, called to a muchacho to bring whisky and soda; and when the boy had brought the glasses, took them from him and reentered the room. “How!” he grunted. ‘““How!”’ echoed Pendelton, lifting the glass he had been given. And five minutes later he sank down inertly in his chair. hy PENDELTON awoke late the next f morning with that same sensation of impending danger, that same feeling of mysterious fear. The key to the safe was in his pocket; but he slipped quickly into his clothes. He wanted to see that the funds were safe. CoOMmichoooks (CO