Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

A powerful story of the Montana cattle trails and the Great Blizzard of ’86 ridin’ line, Horace?” Buck tried to keep the eager tremor out of his voice. “We’re full handed fer the winter, Bell... You should ’a’ tackled me a month ago.” “A month ago,” said Buck Bell with grim humor, “I was fatter’n a bear in berry season. Had a thousand dollars. Had a idee I was a top hand at draw poker: The nighthawk took me fer my roll.” This story of tough luck was not a new one to the ears of the wagon boss. It is a tale as old as the oldest cow hand. Horace, still thinking of the cook, missed the flicker of disappointment in Buck Bell’s snow bitten eyes. He failed to see the beaten droop of the big boned shoulders inadequately clothed in a soiled flannel 117 shirt and two undershirts. Buck didn’t own anovercoat. His boots were rusty and he kicked his toes against his stir- rups as he rode, by way of restoring cir- culation. white headed,” said Horace as they dropped down the ridge to- ward town, “he’d have sense enough to save a winter stake.” He did-not mean to be unkind. There wasn’t atmean drop of blood in the cow boss’s veins. He was sorry for Buck Bell and-hid his softer emotions under the words he now mumbled into the up- turned collar of a threadbare coat. -I'ruth- fully speaking, Horace himself was prodi- e OOKS like when a man begun gittin’ comicloooks.com