Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

I2 had been trouble about the girl. Some one had been hurt. Jasper, Elijah and Genner- veeve started their long, painful, despairing hegira across half a continent. Oklahoma, the Indian Territory, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona had seen the tracks of their wagon. Nature had been unkind and man un- kinder. They had run into cloudbursts, washouts, floods, cyclones and tornadoes. They had met Indians, land-agents, bunco men, holdup-men and violent cattlemen. ~ They had been buncoed, swindled, shot at, chased from pillar to post, trying to settle somewhere, but always finding every man’s hand against them. It was pathetic but sublime. Penniless, ignorant, befuddled, they had staggered onward in spite of everything. They didn’t know where they were going. They only hoped that some day they would get there. ? “Tibbs, do you really want to farm this place?” asked Wilcox. “T’m-a honin’ for it right smart “How much land do you want?” The lanky squatter pointed outside to the barren hills that bounded the little valley. His aspirations embraced about sixty acres. Wilcox nodded. “All right. Stay here.” Tibbs seemed amazed and distrustful at this unusual good fortune. His eyes glit- tered with suspicion while his Adam’s apple worked up and down in his scrawny neck. Wilcox saw it. . | “T give you this land freely. I expect only one thing in return.” “Sho! I thought so! What is it!” “Loyalty. If I ever have to fight for my own ranch I will expect your help.” The nester’s calculating face smiled for the first time. ‘“Wa-al, I wa’nt aimin’ to fight none, but if them’s. yore terms mebbe I'll meet ‘em. J gits a farm and you gits me’n ’Lijah to fight for ye. Amen. When’s this yere trouble a-goin’ to start?” “T do not know. Just keep me informed if you see any. Keep your eyes open.” The quiet stranger was satisfied. His act was not altogether charity. He had established a reliable outpost on the farthest corner of his far-flung domain! Tupper was not so talkative on the way home. He was morose and surly, darting black glances at his employer, who never 19? Adventure noticed them. Just as they reached the ranch-house Tupper spoke. He had planned a crushed rebuke that would bring this self-contained stranger to terms. He figured that the man really needed his help vitally. “Tf reckon I’d better git my time,” he announced. “I’m an old hand at the cattle business. Ill prob’ly find some place where a good cowman’s ’preciated.”’ The boss never even turned his head. “All right,” he agreed. ‘“‘Go there.” IV THE morning after the old fore- man’s funeral was cheerless and 88 cloudy, with rain in the mountains. Gloom pervaded the ranch. The boss, who was growing a stubbly beard, loafed around until noon. After that Old Man Shay entertained him. The quick departure of Tupper had aroused curiosity. Old Shay sought to study the boss and sat on the porch with him and chatted for a long time. Wilcox seemed to welcome companionship. Saying nothing, smoking continuously, he listened for four solid hours until the old frontiers- man, encouraged by a good listener, had painted the vivid history of all Arizona. He told the old romances of the Santa Fé trail. He related the sagas of Tucson and Yuma. He spoke of Apache raids from experience, dwelling on the deeds of Gero- nimo, Cochise and Mangas Colorado. He described the range wars. He explained the mental workings of the Arizona cow- puncher. Gradually he worked nearer home, giving histories of various neighboring outfits and telling of the arrival of rough citizens in the district. Then he touched on the home ranch. He spoke of robbers’ lairs in the hills, of feuds, disappearances, shootings, holdups and cattle-rustling. Wilcox was puzzled by the eternal ques- tion. He voiced it at the end of the talk. ‘Why do they all pick on this ranch? What is behind it all?” ‘Several reasons. She’s large. She’s part ways in the mountains. She ain’t had no boss. She’s easy to git to.” “There are other ranches just as open. Some are more so. There is something behind all this. Those ruffians picked this ranch for some particular reason.” cComiclbool C C@