Adventure Magazine, December 10, 1924 — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

Stark of Auburn says he. “I ain’t goin’ to kill you less’n I has to, so be quick.”’ The money was in a bag on the pommel of my saddle, and I reached for it with one hand, keepin’ the other well up in the air. It was all there was to it. That gun was screwed into my ribs, and I knew that at my first wrong move Bad- Eye would blow me in two. As I lifted the money bag I looked in front of me, and there was Mr. John just roundin’ the bend. When he caught sight of us he jerked in his horse and reached for his hip. I saw the flash of his gun as he pulled it and closed my eyes. Likewise I believe I tried to pray. I could feel that charge of shot tearin’ through my body as plain as if it had already come. Then the pressure let up on my side; the money was snatched from my hand; I heard a cracklin’ of bushes and a poundin’ of hoofs; I opened my eyes to find Bad-Eye gone and Mr. John ridin’ up toward me. I yanked out my gun as I jumped from the saddle, and I was half way inside the bushes after Bad-Eye when a voice stopped me. “Wait! The sheriff will get him,” it says, and I turned to see the major. He was comin’ in from the left along the field path, and. there was somethin’ about the look of his eye and the set of his jaw that made me wish I’d kept on the way I’d started. Mr. John spoke to him as he pulled up. “Well, father,” says he, “it seems that we were too late.” The major didn’t answer for a while. He just sat there borin’ into him with his eyes. “Humh,” says he at last 3 “it looks to me as if you got here too soon.’ Mr. John tightened. You could see he somethin’ was comin’—somethin’ bad. “What do you mean?”’ he asks. The major waited again before answerin’. It kind of made you think he was takin’ aim. “‘John,” says he, “I’ve known all along that you were a fool. But I never thought that you were a coward. You're the first Stark I ever heard of who was one.”’ Mr. John started to break in on him, but he held up his hand. “"No,”’ he goes on, “don’t say anything. I saw all that happened just now. You may try to tell me how you let the pay roll 61 get away from you with your pistol in your hand, but it won’t get you anywhere. There’s only one way to explain it.” Mr. John had been excited and red. Now he got quiet and gray. ~“Father,” says he, ‘I’ve stood a lot from you. I was prepared to stand a good deal more. Now I’m through. As you say, there’s only one way to explain what hap- pened. When you’ve found it out and done the right thing, I’ll come back again.” The major let him ride off without a word, and then turned my way. “Mr. Wilson,” says he, “so far you’ve seemed to be a pretty good hand at minding your own business. It will pay you to keep on, if you get what I mean.” “Yes, sir,” says I, “but I’d like to ask one question. How did you know I was goin’ to be held up?” ‘‘Two of them planned it, and one of them got scared and told,” answers the major. “We found out about it just a little before. As you were late, we knew that you would come this way. John cut through the fields to warn you. I waited at the edge of the brush. It’s a pity I didn’t reverse it.” He spoke so smooth and easy, that I de- cided to take a chance. Anyway he’d give me a kind of lead. “I see, sir,” says I, “but you’re wrong about Mr. John. If you'll let me ex- plain——” The major stared at me a second. He was twistin’ his quirt, and at first I thought he was goin’ to lash out at me. If he’d done so it wouldn’t have stung any more than his words. “Mr. Wilson,” says he, “let me give you a piece of advice for your own good—for your own, personal good, sir. If you've_ decided to leave here, sign off in the regu- lar way.” I was still lookin’ after him when he made the edge of the field. IV MR. JOHN rode straight in to June Frére, the sheriff, and reported the robbery. Then he asked to be ap- pointed a deputy to hunt down the thieé. For a week there was a lot of ridin’ round and searchin’, but they never caught Bad- Eye. Most folks thought he’d took to the swamp. The major offered a reward, and I tried CoMmiclbook A) C© 5}