Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

Pards was unlocked and opened. On entering he was greatly disturbed to observe the girl trying to erase signs of weeping. Ellis hur- riedly explained: ‘Annie, this is the friend I was speaking of, Nathan Goss. My sister, Nate. She doesn’t like the idea of hiding.”’ “You’ve told her everything?” significant- ly asked Goss. He found it impossible to maintain his poker expression under the girl’s questioning gaze. “Everything.” More at ease Goss told the girl— ‘Your brother, ma’am, isn’t to be blamed for anything except having a streak of hard luck, which comes some time or other to the best of folks.” “But he’s the best of folks,’ she quickly reminded. “People here must know that.” “The Pilgrim is all right, ma’am,” agreed Goss. ‘‘But most every one in the territory is a Stranger to most every one else. I don’t see as it'll do any one any good for him to give himself up when he’s innocent.” “Not even to clear himself?’ she de- manded. ‘“Some times it’s the honest man whocan’t - clear himself,’ he slowly replied. ‘Not knowing anything about a certain scally- wag’s death he can’t say anything except that he didn’t doit. There’s two men who know who did it—the murderer and an Indian hunter. The first won’t tell, of course. The last might be induced to, al- though he refused to tell me. He stays in the mountains and comes to camps only to sell meat. It might take all winter to find him. When he’s found and says he’ll talk then we can walk into court. Whip King believes as I do—that your brother better lose himself for ‘a while.” ‘Whip King?” she repeated, her eyes re- flecting her bewilderment. “Master hand with a long whip, ma’am. A man you can hang your hat on. Trust him, you know.” The girl was perplexed and suspicious of the quaint talking young man her brother called friend. Ellis sensed her prejudice and hurriedly informed: “Not hearing from me for some time and depending on letters I wrote early in the season, she decided to come out. She was planning to start for California Gulch to- morrow.” ‘All I’m thinking about now is to get you back East,” she told him. 115 “You ought not to have come on a chance of finding me in bonanza,” he said. “T think it’s a mighty fine thing her com- ing,’ remarked Goss, his dark eyes flashing. The girl felt she had been rebuked, and her face was dreary with sadness. She confessed: “T’m afraid I’ve been foolish. It costs lots of money to come. But I was home- sick.” It impressed Ellis as being odd that one snugly back in Martinsville should be home- sick. Goss eagerly insisted: “Tt was brave of you, ma’am. Your brother has been working in cap the whole season, but who knows if he won’t strike rich ore another season? He can get work at Caflon City. Friends cf ours have a little ranch near there. Garden stuff fetches a good price. Next spring he can try prospecting. Maybe Pll go with him.” “VYou’re a miner, Mr. Goss? You know about mines?” There was scepticism in the question. Goss had no idea what Ellis had told her. He gravely replied: “Perhaps a speculator would be near right, ma’am. [ve been in the diggings two years and in my way have taken quite a few chances.” She walked to the window and stared out on the town and enigmatically observed: “Frank is very impressionable. I have worried more about his coming under bad influence than his failure to find gold. It’s hard for me to understand how he could get into such a mess if he was busy digging dirt and hunting for gold.” Her brother flushed and warmly declared— ‘“‘No man in the mines has better friends than I have.” “They would go into court and testify to your character?’ she asked without turn- ing from the window. ‘And Mr. Goss will testify. His word will have influ- ence, naturally.” Now it was Goss’ dark face that burned. He coldly answered: ‘““T have spent my time in the mines and camps. I know but few people here. Where Iam known my word goes.” “Great Scott, Annie, there isn’t a squarer man in Colorado than Nathan Goss. If you’d seen him run Charley Dodge out of Oro. when Dodge had the drop on him “Your sister isn’t interested in that,” broke in Goss. COMIGDIOOKSEEO