Adventure Magazine Cover — page 192: what you’re looking at

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

3 ——— we ¢ > = ale Mo a ne o ~ Parsons, you must change your mind about charging me with blackmail.” THE key did not work easily; the. lock was a difficult one. As the governor, a little excitedly, turned and wrenched—it was only a matter of seconds—all drew nearer, craning their necks. The lid was lifted. Daniel made a movement as if to snatch at the contents, but his hands stopped as though he had suddenly come upon a snake. The governor too drew back amazed and looked at me. “Ves, yes,” I said, “it is empty, but you see when I got my hands on it five years ago—borrowed it one night from Mr. Corn- wall here—” Daniel, suddenly enlightened - as to who had robbed him of the box five years before, cursed under his breath— “T took the liberty of destroying certain criminal evidence against a gentleman it is needless to mention. How did I know what had been put into the box since or how ‘valuable was its contents? Mr. Cornwall there—’’ I indicated Joseph—“offered me a very handsome price and his brother has also pledged himself to give me——” I cast significant glances at the satchel. Unfortunately I never got any of the money he had there. That was one place where my scheme fell dovn, but I was some- what compensated by the expressions on the faces of the men about me. For five years the man who was the governor of Utah had lived in fear and trembling of an empty box. At any moment of that time, had he, as he eventually did do, let his con- science get the better of his judgment, he could have smashed the Cornwalls and come off unscratched. For five years the two cunning brothers had nursed an empty box as their talisman. So sure had Daniel been that none could open it without a key, that he had not taken the trouble of having ‘another key made to investigate its contents. He had seen me close the box with the papers in it. I explained to the governor in as few words as I could how I had stolen the box, to whom I had given it and why, five years before. When I had finished, he was silent, staring at me. Then he said that he had | to the detectives, who had taken theirhands _heard of me, but he had down but still held their places by the wall— _ “T call on you to bear witness that Mr. - Cornwall affirms the transaction. So, Mr. a > * "3. <a “se - 4 -— he ne - eS deal of what he had heard. He believed now that he had been wrong to doubt. I felt sorry for Steve Ellis at that moment, for he had listened and, listening, he understood a great deal that possibly he would not have believed had he heard it at any other time, under any other conditions. His face was an apology, his lips trembled. He said nothing. The atmosphere of the room was so tense that no one had noticed that the door stood open,nor who stood there, listening, waiting. I had kept a watchful lookout from the corner of my eye on Daniel Cornwall, though he stood perhaps some ten feet from me, but at that he came near to fooling me | ee because he had his gun in the side trouser’s He > pocket instead of in the hip pocket. jerked it out and leveled it, not at me but at the governor. Perhaps he intended the © next shot for me—perhaps a third even for Ellis. The bursting roar of two guns, exploding» almost at once, filled the room, detonated ‘through the hall and set the hotel into a commotion. I had shot with nothing more than split seconds to work on, but the gun went from his hands just as he pulled the trigger and his hand was shattered. By one of those odd chances of luck, the bullet struck the little steel box and ricocheted into the dictionary. “If you had pointed it at your own head I wouldn’t have interrupted -you,”’ L said coldly, glancing past him to the doorway. To the detectives I said: “There is some work for you. Arrest him for the murder of Mrs. Steven Ellis!” “That’s a lie!” Joseph screamed, starting up. At that moment of crisis, brother-love, family blood and sharing of loot on dirty deals stood stronger in him than his pre- tended love for the dead woman. Joseph was an adroit scoundrel—ten times more adroit, though less aggressive and daring than his brother. He had at one time practically convinced me that he believed Steve Ellis had murdered her. “That’s a lie!’ he cried, him? You?” Heglared contemptuously at me. I pointed toward the doorway. - There, a little pale, rather thin but tense, determined, Cora stood, with Jack beside her, looking as if he was ready to fight - the world. * “Yes, I do!” she said almost in a doubted a great “Who accuses. _ —— - * “we Y Vr 3 - ea ac “ -< ns tis j t {: tv fi aty * Ni >, , A Duy Despre ay Ny Wha hoe oy" Vy Whe a ae : tn? we i a“ ded nme VY Sy i \ ie D) Sie rut war ~ ; a Mi a } Sita oe bi re 7) ey —" > a oe ~— ~ ~ x . “