Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

om % > he shook the snow from his hat, his broad shoulders and his boots. “Hfi, men! Good evenin’ to ye! Any- ing oF Besneconie *” he shot at the crowd by the stove. “Here,” the bully answered in tones colored with ridicule, pointing. _ Baskin closed the door behind him, walked smilingly over and halted beside his pal. Something was wrong, he saw at once. Then he caught sight of the still leering face of the bully, and he understood. He stepped toward Ashford, folded his arms across his chest and looked Ashford straight in the eye. “All right, Gid,” he said narrowly; “keep it up. You'll git yores, all right, ef ye'll jest keep it up. It won’t be me that hands it to ye, neither; it’ll be Lonesome hisself. > He shore carries a su’prize package in each paw, and he’ll lay a wallopin’ on ye that four hosses cain’t pull off!”’ Gideon Ashford laughed to save his face, so to speak. As yet he had not fought either Howling Jim or Bentley; they were to him unknown quantities. He found an empty box close to Lonesome and sat down. Another minute and the commissary door opened again. This time a slender and nicely-figured girl of not much more than twenty came in. Snow particles glistened like diamond chips on her pale-blue home- knit and tasseled headgear and on her cheap but warm imitation Paisley shawl. Her cheeks were as rosy as red apples from the cold air and good health, and her long brown eyes were full of laughter twinkles. Smiling for no reason whatever, she walked across to the counter. She paid not the slightest notice to the score of log- gers, who had fallen as still as death at the sight of her and who now watched her as if she were the very Jast woman in the world. Those big, rugged men adored Nancy Kirkland: - “My dad ain’t got any tobaccy,” she drawled softly to Billy Allison, the clerk, a pale youth who hailed from the Jowland. Allison gave her a tin of smoking tobacco. ae to go to his feet. Bentley tapped him Ss ly on the arm. “ “Set still,” said Lonesome. “But " “Set still!’’ Lonesome snapped. Ashford stared in amazement at having his hand thus called. Then his face clouded. “T got as good a right to go home with her as you have.” “No, you ain’t!” Bentley’s low, steely voice cut him off. ‘‘You ain’t fit!” The girl was gone. Ashford rose, and his huge and hairy hands curled up into fists. Bentley slipped to his feet without any apparent effort. “You ain’t fit,’ he reiterated. “Any man what lies and steals and drinks and gambles ain’t fit to go with any decent woman anywhere. I’ve shore said it. Ef you want to fight me about it, go to it, I’ve took all o’ yore fun-makin’ and mouth- in’ T’ll ever take. Ef you want to start somethin’ wi’ me, start it right now; I’m ready and a-waitin’.” Lonesome’s face was pale save for a tiny pink ‘spot under the sunburn of either cheek. His eyes fairly sparkled. He held himself as’ tense as a coiled steel spring. The bully turned red and glanced with a sickly grin toward the men who watched and waited at Bentley’s elbows. Ashford knew that he had to fight or else let the outfit take it for granted that he was afraid. And that steel spring of a man who stood before him dared him to so much as lift a finger! : For a moment there was charged silence. It was broken by a silly little guffaw from the lowland youth who held forth as com- missary clerk, and with that all the loggers except the two belligerents themselves joined in a roar of derisive laughter. Gid - Ashford, the fallen false god, became still redder. He slumped back to his box, took paper and tobacco from his pocket and nervously began to roll for himself a cigaret. _ Now that the thing was over, Howling Jim Baskin turned and placed a hand proudly on his pal’s shoulder. To the sur- She put a little silver coin on the counter prize of everybody, Lonesome Bentley and turned for the door. Lonesome Bentley’s gaze had been fast- ened sternly and defiantly upon Gideon Ashford’s dark countenance from the mo- ent of the girl’s coming. Ashford now _ put his hands on his knees and was about - oF 2 é ~ ay i . * . - ‘ % Sa “ le « threw Howling Jim’s hand off angrily. “Never mind,”’ said Lonesome. Baskin stared, looked hurt, stepped slowly to the counter and leaned against it rather heavily. Bentley gave the crest- fallen erstwhile bully a look of contempt én CT)