Adventure, July 1, 1928 — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

THE DUKE AND THE DUCATS =~ 29 warnings seriously, or else Conklin struck too unexpectedly,” Daly surmised. “Slats wanted to leave the game, but couldn’t, it seemed to me.. He must have thought he had everything arranged. I guess Conklin’s got some of his leading henchmen out of the way, but Derringer has enough organized opposition left to make it interesting.” As they stole around the corner of the Ivers storehouse, they got a good view of the main street. It was almost an organized battle now. One solid mass of men was being driven back, but Daly could not tell whether they composed the forces of Conklin or Derringer. The fighting was terrific, and stunned men were being trampled in the surge and flow of the struggle. Thgy got in the back door, and two or three watchmen were satisfied to let them make their way through the merchandise after they had explained their errand. The front of the store was deserted. “T wonder whether Ivers is out watch- ing—no, he wouldn’t be,” Texas said as they mounted the stairs. see UPPER floor was practically dark. Somewhere in the rear one light was burning. “His office marked. “I—” “Throw up your hands!” From behind four different masses of material there came four men. All had guns and all were masked. They ad- vanced toward the flyers, the leader’s eves sparkling through the slits in the mask. Where had Daly seen those eyes before? “Here, what’s this?” Ivers was at the door of his office. “Stay where you are!” barked some- body, and a man detached himself from his comrades and covered the storekeeper. “Every one of these fellows is a Mexi- can!” Daly told himself unbelievingly. “And Ivers, damn him, is in on it! Try- ing to pretend these men could be hiding outside his office door without him knowing it!” is lighted,” Daly re- “What saps we are!” Tex was groaning as the men got to them. Daly was flaying himself, also. They should have buried the money back of the gambling place. No, the hiding place would have been tortured out of them, if necessary. “JT presume this is what you want,” he said coolly, thrusting the bag forward. The leader bowed mockingly. He was tall and slender. Why was he so familiar? “You are right,” he agreed. ‘We also want Lieutenant MacDowell.” ““What2” It was an exclamation of utter aston- ishment from the Texan. ‘‘What the hell do you mean?” Ivers fairly shrieked in his wheezy voice. “We shall take Lieutenant MacDowell across the river, and it will cost his father fifty thousand dollars to get him back.” The leader spoke those words as if enjoying them. Behind the mask his peculiar eyes were aglow with a curious catlike light. Suddenly Daly’s mind, like ice now, found the solution of the famil- iarity. He was the man from whom they had asked directions, that afternoon— the blond hair and the oriental eyes. It could be no one else. And he had known Ivers, from what he had said. “The directions shall be given now. We will go into the office, to avoid observation.” | The stilted English, spoken with just the trace of an accent, was the final identification of the mocking outlaw, as far as the Duke was concerned. Helpless before six ready guns, Ivers and the two flyers were marched into the office. Right outside the window were hundreds of people, Daly reflected. On the ground floor were watchmen. That battle out- side was interspersed with shots now. “Listen, Daly.” The leader was businesslike now. His masked cohorts disposed themselves in a circle. At least three of them were Mexican. ‘“Tomorrow, or at latest the next day, you will fly, with the money, down the river between Laredo and McMullen. comiicloooks.com