Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

. botind with heavy chains. Good! The Seven Cities of Cibola. T am content to pay the price but I will not die and trust my Life-to-Come to the intercession of such as your priests teach. No! No! I trust to Quetzal! Quetzal- coatl of the golden hair and the kindly ways, who asks no sacrifice but a tender heart and true words—to Quetzal, then, and to—yes, to her—the tenderest, truest, softest goddess of my people, the only one who can understand the poor Indian —Ari-zuna—the goddess of the sun.” Before either of the men could see what she was doing, she had placed the point of the dagger against her breast just below her heart, the butt of the handle against the stone floor. She sud- denly threw all her weight upon it and fell forward on the floor and lay still! Mendoza swore a great oath and sprang to raise her from the floor, but it was too late. “Brave heart,’ said Andres slowly. “Senor Governor, am I cleared?” ““Yes. Come with me, both of you. I will send women here. Quiet, my child.” For Mercedes, leaning against the wall, covered her face with her hands and burst into a quick flood of tears. “Come, I say.” “One moment, Senor Governor. It is an ill moment, but one-can not choose his time for all things. I come to you—I, Andres de Avilez, a gentleman of Spain, Iilf whose forefathers have worn coat armor for five hundred years. Through field and desert, through good and evil re- port I have sought Mercedes, and by the aid of God I have found her and, in all honor, brought her back to you. My own honor is untainted ; my fortunes are restored. May I have her now that I have restored her to you? Sejzior, I have the honor to ask of you the hand of your ward, the Sefiorita de Acasta, in marriage.” “How say you, Mercedes?” Mendoza chuckled a little. : Mercedes said nothing for a little. She simply held out her hand, her face averted. “Bueno! I think, Sefior Scoutmaster, that you may take the hand as you seem to have already taken the heart. You have won more than Cibola.” Andres, taking no denial, raised the girl’s hand to his lips as the governor passed out and closed the door. “Cibola?” said Andres softly. “Cibola? -If we had won the Cibola that they told us of, we would have won only go and jewels and lands and power such as any mere king can win, but I——” “Yes? You, my Andres eg “T have won more. In truth, not every man can win a bride from the sun—and you are that—my Ari-zuna!”’ Mercedes said not a word as she came into his arms.. “ COMMICLOOOLK< (E(o)