Adventure Magazine Cover, February 3, 1921 — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

aoe The Heart of the Range men were taking to the calaboose. They were doing their duty as gently as possible, and Marie was making it as difficult for them as possible. She was as mad as a teased rattlesnake, and not a man of her six captors but bore the marks of finger-nails, teeth or heels. She had, they were told by a bystander, after Marie had been safely lodged in the calaboose, attacked without warning and with a derringer Jack Harpe as he was walking peacefully along the sidewalk in front of the Starlight. Only by good luck and a loose board that had turned under the girl’s foot as she fired had Mr. Harpe been preserved from sudden death. ‘“‘That’s shore tough,” Racey said to their informant. “I’m goin’ right away now an’ get me a hammer an’ some nails an’ fix that loose board.”’ “You better not let Jack Harpe — you say that,”’ cautioned the other. “Tf you want somethin’ to do, s’pose now you tell him,” was Racey’s instant sug- gestion. Racey’s tone was light but his stare was hard. The other man went away. if “FIRE! Fire!” shrilled young Sam ite Brown Calloway, bouncing out of ~———il his father’s store and jumping up and down in the middle of Main Street. “The jail’s afire! The jail’s afire!”’ Men added their shouts to his childish squalls and ran toward the jail. Racey and Swing trundled along the sidewalk to- gether. “She’s Safire all right,” said Racey. “Lookit the smoke siftin’ through the win- dow at the corner.” The smoke was followed by a vicious lash of flame that whipped up the side of the building and set the eaves alight. The glass of another window fell through the bars. with a tinkle. A billow of smoke rushed forth. Smoke was seeping through cracks at the back of the building. “My Gawd!” exclaimed Racey, as.a shriek rent the air. “The girl’s in there!” He had for the moment forgotten that Marie was incarcerated in thé jail. But Kansas Casey had not forgotten. Racey, having picked up a handy ax, raced round to hack. only to find the deputy unlocking the back door. A burst of smoke as he flung open the door assailed their lungs. Chok- ing, holding their breath, both men dashed 137 into the jail. Kansas unlocked the girl’s cell. “You shore took yore time about comin’, drawled Marie. “I didn’t know but what I’d be burned up with the rest of the jail. You big lummox! You don’t have to bust my wrist, do yuh? Go easy, or J’ll claw yore face off.”’ Once outside they were immediately sur- rounded by the townsfolk. Most of them were laughing. But Jake Rule was not laughing. “Good joke on you, Jake,” grinned a friend. ‘Burned herself out on yuh, didn’t she?” “Yuh can’t keep a good man down,” shouted another. “Never let the baby play with matches,” advised a third. >» “Get pails, gents!’ shouted Rule. “We gotta put it out. Where’s a pail. Who——” “Aw, letter-burn,” said Calloway. “How in yuh gonna put it out? She’s all blazin’ inside. You couldn’t put it out with . Shoshone Falls.” “The wind’s ‘Blowin’ away from town,” contributed Mike Flynn. catch. Besides we been needin’ a new cala- boose fora long time. You done us a better turn than you think, Marie.” “Tf you say I set the jail afire, Mike Flynn,” cried Marie, “yo’re a liar by the clock.” “Vou set it afire,”’ said the sheriff sternly. “You'll find ita serious business settin’ a jail afire,”’ “Prove I done it then!” squalled Marie. “Prove it, you slab-sided hunk! Yah, you can’t prove it, an’ you ‘know it!” To this the sheriff made no reply. “We gotta put her somewhere till the judge gets sober,” he said hurriedly. “Guess we'll put her in yore back room, Mike.” “Guess you won’t,”. countered Mike. “They ain’t no insurance on my place, an’ I ain’t takin’ no chances, not a chance.” “They’s the hotel,” suggested Kansas Casey. “You don’t use my hotel for no cala- boose,” squawked Bill Lainey. ‘‘Nawsir. Not much. You put her in yore own house, Jake. Then if she sets you afire, it’s yore own fault. Yeah.” Jake Rule scratched his head. It was patent that he did not quite know what to do. Came then Dolan, the local justice. CORMICGLOO© <S) ‘Nothin’ else’ll | (C@