Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

8 THOMSON BURTIS don’t crave yore help. We don’t want no damn’ airplane buzzin around, with guns on it, nor no Rangers nor Border Patrol- men nor anybody else hornin’ in t’ help us run our business.” Daly’s mind took in the import of the stranger’s words almost unconsciously as he thought of the possibilities in the situation. ‘‘We’re not here to run your business,” Tex told him easily. “But now that we’re on the subject, why are you so keen that we leave here? We came down for a vacation—” *‘And it looks as though we might have some work to do and could start in on you.” Daly said that quietly. Somehow the personal side of the situation did not seem so important. He felt a vague resent- ment at the idea of this bandylegged little Southwesterner taking it upon himself to insult the Government in general. OR A long ten seconds the little Westerner’s eyes held Daly’s, and they were very cold and keen. When he finally spoke, Daly, who was ready for anything, was almost shocked at the tenor of his words. “We ain’t gettin’ nowhere thisaway,” the rider said, conciliation in his voice. His two comrades were standing by the tail surfaces of the ship, now, whispering to themselves. Duke could see them from the corner of his eye. “Now, listen. I ain’t here t’ get in bad with you boys, nor t’ tell you what t’ do. Don’t git me wrong. Here’s the situation. Verona’s a funny town with a funny problem. We aim t’ run it ourselves. Right at this time we ain’t askin’ or wantin’ no outside in- terference. We don’t want no outside cops, sheriffs, Rangers or whatnot runnin’ around hog wild, arrestin’: the wrong people and raisin’ hell generally. This here’s a bunch o’ men got together from Smackover t’ Tampico. It ain’t even a town yet. We aim t’ organize our own law and run our own show. “And it’s liable t’ be very, very tough fur anybody from the outside t’ horn in yet awhile. They ain’t needed or wanted, and nobody could tell what’d happen. Why the hell should you want t’ butt in? Honest, I’m doin’ you a favor.” “It looks to me,” Daly said calmly, “as though..Verona was threatening any one, including us, who interfered.” The stranger looked long and hard at the Duke. He rolled and lit a cigaret with absentminded skill. “My name’s Jed Conklin,” he said suddenly. “I own acreage, am drillin’ wells, and got a heavy investment here. There’s only one way t’ run a boom town like this here one, which come up from nothin’. I aim t’ have my money pro- tected the best way. I ain’t goin’ into it in detail. But I’m askin’ you—” He hesitated. It seemed to Daly that a fundamental nastiness of temper—an impatience which he had kept repressed— suddenly was rising to the surface of Mr. Jed Conklin. “Tn fact, I’m tellin’ yuh tuh mind yore own business while yuh’re here for yore own good! Keep yore hands off this town!” “Suppose we say we'll do as we damn’ please?”’ drawled MacDowei!. “Ho, ho, ho! Why, you old fool!” It was a shout of laughter from the shorter of the Conklin henchmen. As he gave vent to those apparently hilarious words, he smote the taller man a mighty blow on the back. To Daly it seemed that there had been a lack of spontaneity in the laugh, and the taller man stumbled forward as though the blow had been from a pile- driver. Half by instinct and half because of an idea which had suddenly assumed form in his mind, Daly leaped toward them. The elevators of the De Haviland, of course, were hanging, their rear edges within inches of the ground. The big Verona man was falling toward them. Daly covered the eight feet between him and the stranger in one bound. As the oil man’s heavy boot was coming down on one elevator the flyer’s fist crashed to comicloooks.com