Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

7 <2 Adventure when the newcomer entered. There was a set smile on the boss’s face, and he almost purred. The other men got away from him, looking nervous. "Lo, Yager,” greeted Dolan. ‘Where you been lately? Ain’t seen you much.” The other answered laconically, and his side-shifting eyes showed he was ill at ease. “Been up to the mine lately?” purred the OSS. “Yeh. <A few days ago.” “Where was you yesterday? Wanted to see you.” “Oh, I was around town. Over at Looey’s, mostly.” “Where was you last night?” Tt came like a whip-lash. The man’s eyes shifted again, and he seemed non- plused. He was not quick-witted. He stood there like an oaf, sensing that some- thing was wrong but not knowing just how to reply. “You was at Mesquite Springs!’ thun- dered the boss. Carlton caught his breath. The other turned white. He put up his hands as if to fend off something. His jaw drooped, and his eyes twitched. The boss sprang forward like a tiger. “T’ve got you now!” he snarled. “Thought you'd git away with it. With me? With me? Huh!” Pyig) DOLAN’S mighty left arm grasped 4a) the back of the man’s neck, The — = right hand reached forward. Its muscled fingers clutched the throat and lifted the screeching man off the floor, flinging him backward pn to the counter. There was a thud and a squeal. The man’s eyes were popping from their sockets, and his face was distorted inhumanly. “Who told you to do it?” bellowed the There was a gurgle from the wide mouth that sounded like a stifled shriek. Dolan ran a finger along the throat, under the jaw. The man squirmed sickishly and flailed his long legs in every direction. Carlton turned away, wondering what to do. “Who told you to kill Snow?” roared the boss. “Quick! You've only got a second to live!” Carlton couldn’t stand it any longer. ae he shouted. “Man alive— on’t!”’ He dared the ferocious wrath of the boss and laid a hand on the muscled shoulder, trying to pull it away. “Shut up!” roared Dolan, turning his savage eyes on the engineer. “Git out of my way—quick!” And with one heave of those powerful shoulders he shoved Carlton across the aisle, Then the boss looked down upon his victim again. This time his voice was very soft and smooth. “Tell me before I strangle you!” “Black!” gasped the suffering man. The boss bared his white teeth in a wolfish smile, “Jim Black!” he snarled. “I thought so! What for? What did he want? Quick —answer!” “Money!” choked the other. The boss ran his finger under the jaw again. The other screeched. “A letter! A letter! Snow fought. Oh! Leggo me!” “Was Black there?” insisted the boss. “No. It was Lige Hackett.” This re- ferred to one of the worthless loafers hang- ing around town. Carlton had recovered his balance, but he found himself trembling and perspiring as the result of the fiendish scene he was wit- nessing. Every nerve in his body was tingling. He knew the boss was his friend; he admired Dolan for many things, but here the boss sickened him. Though the man probably deserved this punishment, Dolan’s wrath was too inhuman, and Carl- ton feared—knew—that before his eyes a man’s neck was about to be broken. He rushed forward with all his desperate strength and tore at those cruel fingers madly. “Quit it—quit it!” he pleaded. “Dolan —come out of it! It’s murder—murder! You'll be as bad as he is!” The savage eyes of the boss glared at him for an instant, and Carlton wondered if he, too, were to be a victim; then the giant passed an elbow in front of his eyes. And, when they were cleared again, they were sane, “Holy smoke!” came the voice of Lange, behind Cariton, in awe at the miracle. “What the—what do you want me to dor” roared the boss. “Kiss him?” “No, but don’t kill him. You’re a deputy sheriff. Why not arrest him?” ‘The idea seemed to be utterly novel, and comicbooks.com