Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

§2 Having given the audience a satisfactory demonstration of skill in the dim light of a camp-fire, he moved the second machine into the dark and assembled it there in about the same elapsed time required for the first. General Juan Jesus Cassiano was even more impressed than the five cowboys who were serving this evening as truck drivers. Their complimentary remarks were cut short by the necessity for early departure but the general had other matters in mind. “If you can operate an airplane,’ Gen- eral Cassiano whispered to Sam Tupper, “I will pay you fifty thousand dollars to remain.” Now Sam was a machine gunner and by no means a flying man, but fifty thousand dollars is entirely too much money to be treated with contempt. Just out of re- spect for that sum he would like to negotiate a few minutes even though he would later have to say a reluctant ‘‘No.”’ “‘Where’s the machine?” he asked con- fidently. “It will be here in a few days,”’ was the reply. Almost anyone can be an aviator when not confronted with a machine. It was a fearful temptation to a person of the sporting proclivities of Sam Tupper. “Sure I can run it,” Sam said. ‘Just trot it out and I’ll make it call me mama,” “You will remain then?” General Cas- siano asked. “T sure will,” Sam assured the com- mander. His glance, however, wandered toward the river and he estimated the distance to its shore at not more than one hundred yards. Under the circumstances, why not? Sam had always wanted to be in the flying corps and here was his opportunity. If he had one lingering uncertainty it would have disappeared a moment later. “Come and I will provide your uniform,” said General Cassiano. Sam followed his commander to a large tent where many wooden boxes were piled, one on top of the other. General Cassiano opened a box and produced the uniform. The fascination of gold and scarlet braid is too well known to require further com- ment on the subject here. In spite of the fact that Sam thought General Cassiano looked like something that pops out of a box when the spring is Adventure released, he was delighted to be attired in similar fashion, though less resplendent. Having little sartorial experience, Sam supposed the tight fit of his clothes was simply the military style. The coat would not button, but he was glad of that because it made for comfort. The trousers ceased operations abruptly half an inch above his shoe tops but the garment was so tight in other places that he could not bend over to observe short- comings in the vicinity of his ankles and remained ignorant of them. Well pleased with himself, Sam went to bed on a saddle blanket, fully attired as were all the other soldiers, and began counting his wealth. If he could hold out a week or ten days he estimated that the pay ought to amount to not less than a thousand dollars even if fifty thousand were his annual salary. There was also the chance that fifty thousand dollars was his weekly salary—maybe it was daily! Few men have gone to bed more bril- liantly attired or facing brighter prospects. It was the happiest night of Sam’s life. Only one cloud hung over it, namely, the possibility that Uncle Dudley might come after him and disgrace the uniform by dragging its wearer home by the ear. However, he dismissed this possibility on the ground that the rebels have a playful habit of holding persons for ransom and they would not be likely to overlook such a juicy prospect as Uncle Dudley, who had so recently come into possession of a good round sum in American currency. For five days Sam strutted, ate, drank, lolled about the camp, fraternized with generals, and slowly stretched his uniform to a point which made breathing a trifle less difficult. On the sixth day an auto- mobile truck thundered into the camp carrying gloom in the form of an airplane. But it was in pieces. ue SAM sighed with relief. He was Sie not a mechanician; hadn’t pretended to be. Some one else would have to assemble this machine. But there was a tall, slender, blue-eyed young man sitting on the seat with the driver. He seemed to be in charge of operations. General Cassiano was summoned and greeted this young man. A moment later Captain Samuel Tupper was introduced to Captain George Barnes. micloool © inn