Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

Man to Man 9 eye at the sun in the west, he rode on, fol- — lowing in the track made by the spinning automobile tires. iit HEN Packard came to a forking of the roads he stopped and hesitated. The automobile tracks led to the left; he was tempted to follow them. And it was his way in the matter of such im- pulses to yield to temptation. But in this case he finally decided that common sense if not downright wisdom lay in the other direction. So, albeit a bit reluctantly, he swerved totheright. . “We'll see you some other time though, Miss Blue Cloak,” he pondered, “for I have a notion it would be good sport - knowing you.”’ An hour later he made out a lighted win- dow, seen and lost through the trees. Conscious of a man’s-sized) appetite, he galloped up the long lane, turned in at a gate sagging wearily upon its hinges and rode to the door of the lighted house. The first glance showed him that it was a long, low, rambling affair resembling in. dejected- ness the drooping gate. An untidy sort of man in shirt-sleeves and smoking a pipe came to the door, kicking into silence ‘his half-dozen dogs. “‘What’s the chance of something to eat and a place to sleep in the barn?” asked Packard. , The rancher. waved his pipe widely. ‘Help yourself, stranger,”’ he answered in a voice meant to be hospitable but which through long habit had acquired an un- pleasantly sullen tone. ‘You'll find the sleeping all right, but when it comes to some- thing to eat you can take it from me you'll find poor picking. Get down, feed your horse and come in.”’ When he entered the house Packard was conscious of an oddly bare and cheerless atmosphere which at first he was at a loss to explain. For the room was large, amply furnished, cheerfully lighted by a crackling _ fire of dry sticks in the big rock fireplace, and a lamp swung from the ceiling. What the matter was dawned on him gradually; time was when this chamber had been richly, even exquisitely furnished and appointed. Now it presented rather a dejected spectacle of faded ‘splendor, not entirely unlike -a fine gentleman of the old ~ school fallen among bad companions and into tattered ill repute. The untidy host, more untidy than ever here in the full light, dragged his slippered feet across the threadbare carpet. to a cor- ‘ner cupboard from which he.took a bottle and two glasses. “We can have a drink anyhow,”’ he said in that dubious tone which so harmonized both- with himself and his sitting-room, “after which we'll see what’s to eat. Terry fired the cook last week and there’s been small feasting since.’ Packard accepted a moderate drink, ‘the rancher filled his own glass generously and they drank standing. This ceremony briefly performed and chairs dragged com- ~ fortably up to the fireplace, Packard’s host called out loudly: “Hi, Terry! There’s a man here wants something toeat. Anything left?” “Tf he’s hungry,” came the cool answer from a room somewhere toward the other end of the long house, “‘why can’t he forage for himself? Wants me to bring his rations in there and feed it to him, I suppose!”’ Packard lifted his eyebrows humorously. “Ts that Terry?” he asked. “That’s Terry,” grumbled the rancher. “‘She’s in the kitchen now. And if I was you, pardner, and had a: real hankering for grub I’d mosey right along in there while there’s something left.” His eye roved to the bottle on’ the chimney-piece and dropped to the fire. “‘I’ll trail you in a minute.” | : Here was invitation sufficient and Packard rose swiftly, went out through the door at the end of the room, passed through an untidy chamber which had no doubt been intended originally as a dining- room, and so came into lamplight again and the presence of Miss Blue Cloak. He made her a bow and smiled in upon her cheerfully. She, perched on an oil- cloth table, her booted feet swinging, a thick sandwich.in one hand and a steaming * ~ cup of coffee in the other, took time to look him up and down seriously and to swallow before she answered his bow with a quick, blind-like nod. ‘Don’t mind me,” ing swallowed again. yourself.”’ On the table beside her were bread, but- ter, a very dry and black-looking roast and a blacker but more tempting coffee-pot. she said briefly, hav- “Dig in and help ~