Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

Man to Man “Go ahead, Steve; go ahead!’’ “T. said that. I was going to seek my for- tune up and down the world; that the board above the door would be a sign if all went well with me. That as long as I lived it would be there; if I died it would fall.” There wa a little, breathless_ silence. It was broken by Bill Royce’s joyous laughter as Bill Royce’s big hand smote his thigh. “Right again, Steve! An’ the ol’ board’s - gtill there. Go Jook at it; it’s still there.” Again all eyes sought Blenbam. For a moment he stood still, looking about him. Then abruptly he swept up his hat and went out. And Barbee’s laughter, like an evil echo of Royce’s, followed him. V E’D as soon set fire to the hay-barns as not,” said — “* Better watch him, Steve.” And so Steve, stepping outside, watched Blenham who had gone swiftly toward the ranch-house, and who now swung about sharply and stopped dead in his tracks. “He’s up to something, Bill,’ conceded Packard and called quietly to Blenham: “Every step you take on this ranch, I’m right along with you, Blenham.” Whereupon Blenham, his hesitation over, turned abruptly and went down to the cor- ral, saddled and rode away. On the heels of the irate foreman’s word- less departure Steve Packard and Bill Royce went together to the old ranch-house, where, settled comfortably in two big armchairs, they talked far into the night. A sharp glance about him as he lighted a lamp on the table showed Packard dust and disuse everywhere excepting the few untidy signs of Blenham’s recent occupancy. An old saddle sprawled loosely upon the living-room floor, littered about with bits of leather and buckles; on the hearthstone were many cigaret stumps and an occa- sional cigar end. An open door showed a tumbled bed, the covers trailing to the floor. “Td give a year off my life for a good look at you, Steve,” said Royce a trifle wistfully. “Let’s see— thirty-five now, ain’t you?” “Yesterday,” answered Packard. “An’ big?” asked Royce. better?” 2 - og _ oe) Se ee oad “Six foot or - 17 . “A shade better. About an inch and a alf. pp) “Not heavy, though? Kind of lean an’ long like Phil Packard before your” Packard nodded; then, with Royce’s sightless eyes upon him, he said hastily: “Right dain, Bill; kind of lean and long. You’d know me.” “Sure I would!” cried Royce eagerly. “A man don’t change so all-fired much in a dozen years; don’t I remember just how you looked when you cut loose to see the world! Steve?” Packard laughed carelessly. “I’m lord and master of a good horse, saddle, bridle and seventy-odd bucks,” he said lightly. ‘Not much of a pile, Bill.” “‘An’ Number Ten Ranch,” added Royce quickly. “And Number Ten Ranch,” Packard agreed, “if we can get away with it.” “Meaning what? How get away with it?” “Tt’s mortgaged to the hilt, it seems. I don’t know for how much yet. The mortgage and a lot of unpaid interest has to be paid off. Just how big a job we’ve got to find out.” “Seen your grandfather yet?” “No. I should have looked him up, I suppose, before I fired Blenham.* But, be- ing made of flesh and hlood——” “T know, I know.” And Royce filled his lungs with a big sigh. ‘Bein’ a Packard, you didn’t wait all year to get where you was goin’. But there’ll be plenty of red tape that can’t be cut through; that’ll have to be all untangled an’ untied — unless your grandfather'll do the right thing by you-an’ call all ol’ bets off an’ give you a free hand an’ a fresh start?” “All of which you rather doubt, ae Bill?” Royce nodded gloomily. “T guess we’ve gone at things sort of back- end-to,” he said regretfully. ‘‘You’d ought to have seen him first, hadn’t you? An’ then you kicked his pet dawg in the slats when you canned Blenham. ‘The old man’s right apt to be sore, Steve.” “T shouldn’t, be surprizedy” agreed Steve. “Who are the Temples, Bill?” “Who tol’ you about the Temples?” came the quick counter question. “Nobody. I stayed at their place last night.” Royce grunted. 0)(0)(0)|x< (E@ Ain’t made your pile, have you, ~