Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

~snake-eater and a elephant. Playing Safe in Piperock The monkey cage must ’a’ got busted up in the fracas, ’cause just then a mangy little member of the missing links hopped from a wagon-wheel and lit on Dough- god’s shoulder. Doughgod stiffens like he was hanging on to a electric battery and then lets out another whoop and tries to buck the monk off. Doughgod col- lides with Old Testament and the two of ‘em goes down in a heap. “Make it a good one,” says Magpie and kicks the staple out of the lock on the dog cage. Doughgod and Old Testament got up just in time to trail the others and lead that yelping bunch of mongrels away from us. Then we flops, weary-like, down upon our canvas again. Magpie slips his gun loose and shoots the head off that snake, which is hunting for a place to hive up under our tents. “Five hundred and eighty dollars, Magpie,” says I. “She’s going fast.” “Yes,” he admits, “she’s fading out, Ike. The Simpkins’ Stupendous Shows is about scattered. Nothing left but a Sorry you missed your meal, Bosco.” “My ! Did you think—I—say, that snake still had its fangs!” “Oh!” says Magpie. “I see. You— you sort of commit suicide with a-empty gun, as it were, eh?” “ “As it were,” nods Bosco. “I’m going away from here,pretty soon. I ain’t got nothing to wear, no place to go and nothing to ride upon.” “There’s lots of places to go,’’ says Magpie, “and you can ride that danged elephant if you want to.” : “Like !’ says I. “I’m going to have something out of this. I’m shy two hundred and ninety dollars, Magpie.” HEN cometh old Judge Steele and Yuma. They’ve got a white rag on a stick. Yuma is half out of clothes and they both seem chastened in spirit. They halts fifty yards away. “We come more in sorrow than in anger,’ states the judge. “Sorry we didn’t kill you fellers early this morn- ing Which of you deplorable jassacks is the tiger-trainer ?” “T wash my hands of the tiger,” re- plies Magpie “I may have Yuma ar- rested for stealing it but that’s all.” 131 “Tt’s in the saloon,” says Yuma, bow- ing apologetic-like. “Buck is in there and so is Old Testament, and we ain’t heard from them for quite a while.” “Half-Mile’s bronc is in there, too,” adds the judge. “Half-Mile roped it and then fell off his bronc as it went into the door.” “Gosh!” grunts Magpie. “I feel sorry for the bronc.”’, We walks down to the flag of truce and like a pair of danged fools we let ‘em get the drop on us. They takes our guns and throws away the flag. Then they prods us down in frent of the sa- loon, where all of Piperoeck stands or mills around. They gives us three cheers—we already had a tiger. “Now,” says Judge Steele, “we’ve got these hombres. Wick, you hold the watch. Now we're going te give you hombres just five minutes te get your danged tiger out of our late friend Buck Masterson’s place of business.” “Late?’ asks Magpie. “Is Buck late ?”’ “Well,” says the judge, taking off his hat, “maybe I was a bit hasty in that statement but I will say this much: He’s danged tardy.” | “Old Testament is tardy, too,” says somebody in the crowd. “One minute is passed,” states Wick. “The consequences is what?” I asks. “Your case is parallel with horse-steal- ing,” states the judge. Magpie looks at the crowd and grins. “You horse-thieves suffering any to speak of ?”’ “Two mirutes gone,” reminds Wick. “You know best.” “Can I have a gun?” asks Magpie, but the judge shakes his head. Magpie tightens up his belt and spits on his hands. “Come on, Ike!” I wonders at the time what Magpie spits on his hands for. He sure wasn’t afraid the tiger would slip threugh his hands. Cleopatra was awful old and old age naturally makes her childish and cross. Reminded me of*that poem about the woman who knew by heart from finish to start the book of iniquity. Cle- opatra was that kind, I reckon. We pilgrimed up to the front door, but all is still. . Gomichbooks (E@)