Adventure Magazine Cover — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

The Mask Morgan shot him a glance, full of suspicion. “I ain’t said so,” the corrected quickly. “IT shot the wrong guy, that’s what hap- pened. He had friends with a drag, and they went after my scalp. Kinda looks like they were due to get it.” “You shot him?” The tone was full of horror. ‘Well, had him shot. That’s what a commissar’s for. If you don’t shoot a bunch of ’em every so often the crowd down at Moscow begins to think you’re a bum. And then—good night!” They were incredible, the things Morgan told him, sprawled over his cot in the fading light from the one-barred window. It seemed to Barret that he must be dreaming, that it would soon be time to get up and go down to the hardware store. He heard tales of men and women shot down in cold blood for the sake of their clothes or trin- kets. He learned of unbelievable official corruption, of the bleak horror of a Russian Winter, when people froze and starved by the thousand in a land of plenty—things he had read from time to time but had set down as the wildest exaggeration until now, when he heard them in Morgan’s matter-of-fact unhurried words, inter- spersed with bits of satirical comment, and backed and intensified by the cynical glint in Morgan’s narrowed eyes. “And that’s Russia,” said Morgan at “Good ——! missar.”’ “You bet your life I was. It don’t take much to put it over on this crowd.” “But Great Heavens! Shooting peo- le 9 Somebody would if [ didn’t. And you were a com- ‘Sure. Believe me, the wise guy is the one that does the shooting.” There was a silence. Then hesitantly: “But do you think they’d shoot us? Without even a trial?” “Depends,” Morgan told him. “That hittle kike commissar don’t like Americans. ‘On the other hand shooting us might make a good deal of a stink—if any one ever heard about it.”’ “What you doing in Russia anyway?” he inquired suddenly. “Not in any official capacity are your That would help.” Barret shook his head. “No, just on a vacation, Thought it would be interesting to see if Russia was as bad as they said.” “Huh, you’ find it’s that all mght. Married?”’ ““No.”’ ‘Just as well. It’s a thousand-to-one shot that bird I talked to on the train will try to do anything for us. It’s ten thou- sand to ene whether he can do any good if he does try.” “Of course he’ll try.” ‘‘Why should he? He may go down and talk to es a little, but he won’t waste much time over a coupla strangers. I’ve bumped off half a dozen foreygners in my time as commissar, two of ’em Englishmen. They was food speculators. ‘There never was any come-back about it.” _ They were interrupted by the key turn- a n the lock. ell, they don’t intend to starve us anyway,” remarked Barret hopefully as a soldier entered with the evening pyok or ration, a piece of black bread, and the inevitable tea. Under Morgan’s cynical gaze he was try- ing to put the best face on it, and surpriz- ingly, succeeding beyond his expectations, so well in fact that he was able to eat his share of the unpalatable meal with a cer- tain amount of cheerfulness. “Lord,” he said when they had finished, “‘I’d give something nice for a smoke.” Morgan hesitated, glanced at him, and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a single, bent, twisted cigaret. “Here,” be said. “Saved my life,” Barret told him as he lighted it. Then he noticed something. “But you’re not smoking, ”” he observed. “No. Don’t feel like it.” “Bui—but—say, was that your last cigaret?” “Forget it. a while.” “But look here,” cried Barret distressed. “I’m terribly sorry— I.didn’t realize——” “?Sall right. I’m used to it. But it’s going to be tough on you I’m afraid. You see a feller like you that’s always been used to having some money around : “But I’ve got money, plenty of it.” “T thought they’d frisked you at the rail- road station.”’ “They did, but they missed an inside pocket. I’ve got plenty left.” “Oh, you’re all right then. You can Do me good to quit smoking oO Comicboooks CO