Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

“T wish Finch’d git out of town!” snapped the boss. “Why?” “Yells and moans all night. Gittin’ worse, Hurts the hotel. Peo can’t sleep. I own a half-interest in hotel.” Black’s eyes flickered at this barbarous commercialism, but still he said nothing, ‘That noise must be hard on the Carlton gal,” added the boss. “Darned ; No way to treat a lady like that. Fine gal, ain't she?” Black nodded again. “Worth hav im,” remarked the boss, looking crafty, ‘Bet, if there wasn’t nothin’ in the way, a young feller like you'd take a chance.” Black nodded again. The boss looked at him curiously. “If an accident hit, that Carlton feller, there'd be a scramble,*all right,”’ observed the boss very casually. He waited for some remark, but none came. ‘“‘Best- lookin’ filly that ever come to town,’ he finished. Black looked wearied. Dolan changed the subject. “Think Finch may be all right. soon?” he asked, Black sat back in his chair. “‘Why do you ask me?” he demanded. “Oh, I thought you was interested. Saw you stand by him when he was shot, You took him to the hotel.” ‘ei? “Tf he gits away, then he won’t disturb the hotel,’ said the boss. ‘‘Fact is, I’m tiredofhim. Wishhe’d goferkeeps. He’s a pest. I'd help put up a purse to plant him, jest for the public good.” Black’s gaze became direct and cold. “Not while I’m here!” he stated. The boss was taken aback. This man Black was believed to be for hire, and yet here he turned down a bid! The boss knew that Finch would not pay top prices for any job. Dolan could easily beat Finch’s sere and yet Black had turned him down— co “Why?” asked the boss bluntly. “Friend of mine,”’ snapped Black, “How?” persisted Dolan. “Helped me once.” The boss looked curious. He knew that,. if Finch lived, Black would probably carry _ out his lethal contract against the engineer, but here was an angle that was hard to ” he z Black looked” td ee es wards some: ta tugasonth: a, Go Sent: igtewi Leven had mica gs i, Pleaded for went crazy t desperate, “out with a to collect. New game for me— don’t like hold-ups. Caught Finch on road. Got fifty dollars, I had List be see ee eee money q elping me Wty "Td tove- tia Ten io Go eee and gave fifteen hundred dollars.” The boss was staggered. Such a about the crooked old miser of Lost Deer Matt went to, yous Melia % t went to your: ’ gasped Dolan. “She died happy.” ‘And Finch loaned it?” “No. He-gave it.” VI Nee THE boss nearly fell over. The }) thought of the old miser of Lost * Deer Valley giving fifteen hundred dbilars to any one was ible—unthink- able! Black must belying. Ifnot. . . Dolan’s eyes narrowed at a new thought. “That was two years ago?” he asked. Black nace ais eee The s lashe memory episodes of two years back. Black had been present for three years. a first one he had acquired a big part of his repu- tation. The boss remembered Black's initial battle, staged right by the bar of this dance-hall. There were a few be voiced sentences between Black and some cattleman, then a quick reach for guns When the lightning of Jim Black's patel had struck, the cattleman was talking forever. What it was all about, nobody ever knew. They Lag. that Black had fired in legitimate self-defense, “F nid Fe where delay would have been fatal ce ! then there were oe epist a comicbooks.com a4:;44 42