Adventure Magazine Cover, December 18, 1919 — page 32: what you’re looking at

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

—- at nes —- = 2 ~ ing you, old pardner. .dozen girls in the world. I just asked to _ gone, too. argued Steve. 18 “Didn’t take you all year to find her, did it?” he offered bluntly. “Who?” asked Packard in futile inno- cence. “Terry Temple. The finest girl this side the. pearly gates an’ the pretties’. What kind of a man have you growned@ to be with the women, Steve?”’ “No ladies’ man, if that’s what’s worry- I don’t know a know about these people because they’re - right next-door to us and because they’re newcomers, since my time.” Again Royce grunted, choosing his own explanation of Packard’s interest. But, answering the question put to him, he re- plied briefly: “That little Terry-girl can have anything I got; her mother was some class, too, they _ tellme. I dope it up she just died of shame when she come to know what sort she’d picked for a runnin’ mate. An’ as for him, he’s a twisty-minded jellyfish. He’s abso- lutely no good. An’, if I ain’t mistaken some considerable, you’ll come to know him real well before long. Watch him, Steve.” “Well,” said Packard as Royce broke off, sensing that this was not all to be said of Temple; “let’s have it. What else about him?” But Royce shook his head slowly, while his big thick fingers filled his pipe. “We ain’t got all night to jus’ squat here an’ gossip about our neighbors,” he said presently. ‘““There’s other things to be said before things can be done. First rattle, an’ to get goin’, I’m much obliged for that - little bluff you threw Blenham’s way about - me being your foreman. What you need an’ what you got to have is a man with — eyes wide open. Oh, I know, Steve,” Packard started to speak. “You'd offer me the job if both my legs an’ arms was “But it don’t go.” “Vm going to need a man right away,” “Tll have to do a lot of running around, I suppose, looking up the Jaw, arranging for belated payments and so forth. -I don’t want to leave the ranch without a head. You know the men; you know the outfit.” But Royce, though his lips twitched, was firm. “T don’t know the men any too well either,” he said. “They’re all your grand- father’s hirin’, But they’re all live an’ Adventure they all know the game. I won’t swear as to how far you can trust any one of ’em; but you'll have to find that out for -yourself as we go on.” ‘“‘Name one of them for me,” was Pack- ard’s quiet way of accepting his old fore- man’s ultimatum. ‘“T’ll put him on at least temporarily.” “There’s Yellow Barbee,’ suggested Royce. ‘Somethin’ of a kid, maybe kind of wild an’ harum-scarum, maybe not worth much of a But he ain’t a Blenham man an’ he did me a good turn.” Already Packard was on his feet, going to the door. “Barbee!” he shouted. “Oh, Barbee!” The bunk-house door opened, emitting | its stream of light. “Call me?” came Barbee’s cool young voice, impudent now as always. “Yes: come here a minute, will you?” Barbee came, his wide hat far back upon his tight little curls, his swagger pronounced, his sweet blue eyes shining softly—his lips battered and bruised and already swelling. “Come in and shut the door,” said Packard. . | ARBEE entered and stepped across the room to lounge with his elbow on the chimney-piece, looking curiously from Packard to Royce. “T’m here to run this outfit myself, Bar- bee,” Packard told him while returning the youth’s regard steadily. “But I need a foreman to keep things going when I’m obliged to be away. I gave the job to Royce. He won't have it. He suggests you.’ Barbee opened his eyes a trifle wider. Also the quick flush running up into his brown cheeks made him look more boyish than ever, giving him almost a cherubic air. But for all that he managed to appear tol- erably unmoved, quite as if this were not the first time he had been offered such a position. “How much is in it?” was what Barbee said, with vast indifference. Steve hesitated. Then he frowned. And finally he laughed. “VYou’ve got me there,” he admitted frankly. “All the money I’ve got in the world tonight is right here.” the contents of his pocket upon a table. “There’s about seventy-five bucks. Unless I can turn a trick somewhere before pay- eQumspeokes He spilled .