Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

THE DUKE AND THE DUCATS 9 his jaw with all the momentum of his jeap plus the skill which was the result of half a hundred fights. The oil man staggered back, his foot brushing the linen of the control harm- lessly. “You would, would you!” Daly snap- ped coolly, and another blow to the side of the jaw felled the astounded Texan. “Why, damn you—” The smaller man had jumped at him, but Daly jumped backward with catlike quickness. His Colt was out before the other man’s. “Don’t anybody move!” came Mac- Dowell’s vibrant voice. His gun was out, too, trained on Conklin. Daly, his gun on the smaller henchman, and his eyes on his fallen foe, spoke very clearly. “Trying to make sure our ship’ll stay on the ground, by putting it out of com- mission, are you?” he inquired coolly. “Mr. Conklin, this is a very interesting party— “What the hell do you mean! Put them popguns up, you squirts!” The faded little Southwesterner was suddenly boiling with rage. His eyes were snakelike, and his ,leathery face was working with emotion he could no longer control. ‘What d’yuh mean, soakin’ that man thataway?” he rushed on furiously. “By God, if you think yore uniforms is gonna git you anything in this here town you got another think comin’! Gun play you want, huh? We'll blow the top o’ yore heads off, you—” “Shut up.” It was MacDowell. He moved forward lightly and clapped his hand over the irate oil man’s mouth. “Listen here,” Daly cut in steadily. His victim was still on the ground, dazed, and the little fat man seemed entirely nonplussed. “Your two men here de- liberately framed up a dodge to put our ship out of commission. Maybe you knew about it, and maybe you didn’t. It strikes me as a very peculiar thing for a respectable citizen to come out here, threaten officers and warn them not to interfere, and put their official equipment out of order. We ought to carry the three of you into town and put you in the lockup for attempted destruction of Government property and interference with officers of the law. “But we won’t, now. We're not here on duty—supposedly. But the property this ship is standing on is protected by the Government right now, and it starts twenty feet from the ship on all sides. Now get the hell off that property! Fast!” For a fleeting second the Southwest- erner stood immobile, his face a study in baffled fury. Something in the Duke’s passionless tones bound his _ tongue, _ though, and he did not speak. His eyes shifted to the eyes of MacDowell, stand- ing over him. Without a word he turned and walked away from the ship. “Come on, you two,’ Daly said tersely. “If the big boy can’t walk, carry him, Fatty!’ Fatty supported his partner, who was not too dazed to mumble curses. “‘There’s some news you might as well spread,” called MacDowell. “We've arranged for a couple of guards, and their orders from now on’ll be to shoot anybody that passes the dead line. Get that, Mr. Conklin?” Mr. Conklin did not answer. As two horsemen rode into the field he and his henchmen rode away. MacDowell, his eyes shining with the zest of the battle, lit a cigaret. “T’ve seen dumb things, and peculiar things, and what have you,” he stated, “but Pll be damned if I ever saw any- thing like this!” “T can’t get it at all,” Daly admitted. “Great God, Tex, no man could be such a fool as to come right out and tip his hand if he was up to something criminal! Conklin comes right to us, and warns us in plain terms to keep out of things. Any dumbbell in the world would know that a man who did that was up to some- thing illegal—and any dumbbell would know too much to do it if he comicloooks.com