Adventure Magazine Cover — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

46 “Tex, call up Sheriff Trowbridge and give him a description of the man in soldier’s uniform who called you out. He must have been a confederate. Ill go out and ques- tion the guard on the main road gate as to whether anybody passed.” Tex and Sergeant Cary started for head- quarters. The colonel and his brother ac- companied Captain Kennard as he half-ran toward the main gate. A public road ran through the upper section of the reservation and the guard had no orders to stop any- body. : “Tt was absurdly simple for the robbers,” remarked the captain jerkily to his two puff- ing companions. “It’s Saturday night and most of the officers and men are in town. Of course the quarters there are five hundred yards from the machine-shop. I am won- dering who did it—whether it could be pos- sible that Fitzpatrick’s machinations would go this far?”’ “There was a matter of a new gun years ago where the same suspicion of Fitzpatrick was held,” replied the colonel as the three men approached the guard, who held his gun at present arms in their honor. “Have any cars passed through here within the last half-hour?”’ “Ves, sir. One touring-car with two men in it passed west and in about ten minutes went back to town—driving fast.” “Who was in it? What did they look like, I mean?” “One was in uniform, sir.” “Tyo you have any idea what kind of a cat it wasP”’ “No, sir. It was black—a five-passenger touring-car, fairly big and heavy.”’ The captain knit his brows in thought as he stared out the gate down the road to town leading through the Mexican quarter of McMullen. “T think we’d better catch Tex before he rings off on the sheriff, colonel, and give him the dope. Trowbridge knows what he’s doing and I believe can catch that car before we’re much older.” Headquarters held a dozen excited officers and enlisted men—so excited, in fact, that the entrance of a red-faced, dusty-booted colonel did not even create a ripple. Ser- geant Cary was leaning back weakly in Cap- tain Kennard’s desk chair while Tex was talking in terse phrases over the phone to the sheriff of Hidalgo County. ‘“‘Let me give him some more dope when Adventure you get through, Tex,” whispered the C.O Tex nodded. ' “Just a minute, sheriff. Captain Ken- nard has some more news,” said Tex and, handed the phone to the captain. “Captain Kennard, sheriff. We have just found out that a touring-car, five-passenger, black, passed out of the field at high speed a half-hour ago, carrying two men, one in uniforra.” “Good,” came the rumbling voice of the sheriff. ‘‘I’ll get plumb busy over the wire and have every road blocked twenty miles out in short order. A car was their worst bet in Hidalgo County. They must be green. I'll be out soon’s I get things fixed.’ “Fine. That carburetor might turn out to be the biggest robbery of the year, sheriff, and we'll sure be your debtors for life if you land it.” “Haw, haw! Don’t worry, the sheriff. His confidence was infectious and Cap- tain Kennard passed it on to the cluster of men in the office. The trail was hot and with the sheriff already busy every one felt as if chances for recovery of the model were excellent. Colonel Brewster was expound- ing his views to Sergeant Cary of what should be done to the culprits and the gaunt lathe-like sergeant was answering with blas- phemously emphatic remarks that would havesstricken him dumb with awe at his own temerity if he had happened to think of the silver eagles on the shoulders of the man he was addressing. The colonel’s architect brother, despite the knowledge that the events of the evening were far from pleasant for Tex and the ser- geant, could not help but enjoy the novel experience. His keen eyes appraised the fly- ing officers and the handful of enlisted men, and he marveled at the youth of the men who daily performed the hazardous duties of the border patrol. His gaze rested longest on Tex Mac- Dowell, taking in the great height, wide shoulders and lean face of the man who was acknowledged to be the outstanding star of the border patrol. There was a hint of the recklessness that’ Captain Kennard had spoken of apparent in the young flyer, but now there was no trace of boyishness. The wide mouth, ordinarily with a slight whimsical quirk at the corners, was tight and thin, and the large wide-set gray eyes 9) son!’ boomed Gomichbooks 7 (C@