Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

36 six-shooters and such things. He was won- dering what got into Curry. He stared with a concentrated thoughtful stare that made the gunman wiggle. “Well, say it!” snarled Curry. ‘““Youare insolent. Youhad better get out.”’ “Then you won’t sell the ranch, hey?” The eyes of the boss twinkled. “Your methods of persuasion hardly en- courage me.’ “Oh. Mebbe you want me to bend a six-gun over your head.” “T doubt if that would help you any.” “No. I reckon not. You’re too thick in the skull.” The boss sat back. His voice was very deliberate. “Just what is the reason for this? Are you trying to enrage me so you will have an excuse for murder?” “Naw. I want your ranch. I came on business.” “Allright. Businessisover. You may go.” “Veh. Ill go. You're too bull-headed to deal with. Ill have to git a few more fellers before you'll see the hght. Mebbe Ill have to give ’em what I gave John IIastings.”’ ‘It was out before Curry realized it. “Oh. So you killed Hastings.” 7 “Tt was a fair fight! He shot at me and I shot at him. He missed. I didn’t.” ‘“‘What were you doing just before the shooting?” “That’s my business!”’ “Tt may be a jury’s business. Hastings was on his own ground attending to his ‘duty. He was shot by a trespasser.” “Tt was a fair fight! It was self-defense! You can’t make it no other way in this country!” “Tf the fight was so fair why didn’t you speak about it before? The death of Hastings has been a mystery.” ‘“‘Aw, I don’t blab everything I know!” “No. Well, Curry you may consider it a fair fight, but you will hang for it if there is a law in Arizona!”’ Curry smiled. “Yeh? All right. Hang me! Come take me now!” ® IT LOOKED like a stage-play ! where the villain hurls his de- SMA} fiance. Wilcox had a native disgust for ‘“‘scenes.” Curry was fairly rattling with six-shooters, spurs, knives, silver orna- Adventure ments and all the rest of it. The boss looked weary.. “Get out!’ he grunted, with impatience. There was some further defiance from Curry, but he went, slamming the door. It-was a queer encounter from the start. Wilcox was puzzled. He was not surprised that the gun-fighter had refrained from trying murder, for few persons can shoot an unarmed man, and Curry wasn’t think- ing of that anyhow. He had come on a definite mission. Wilcox wondered what was behind it all. A thunderbolt struck him two days later while he was on the range with his cattle and riders. It came toward dusk. Off on the northern side of his dwindled herd was a commotion. Riders rushed there to find several men making away with a small drove of cattle. It was a deliberate attack, calculated ‘to start trouble. The raiders made plenty of noise when they cut the cattle from the main herd. The angered Wilcox boys whipped out their weapons and opened fire. The others returned the fire, finally retreating after a sharp encounter. One of the Wilcox riders was shot through the head. He lay face downward as he had fallen from his horse and the men gathered around him silently and swore under their | breaths; but as their eyes looked at the boss he saw they were shaken. Wilcox understood. They were brave enough and loyal enough, but they were enduring too much. These episodes were coming too thickly. The boss looked from one to the other. His voice was husky. “Boys, Pll give it up any time you say. I can return to the ranch-house and fight it out there.”’ There was a long silence. The men looked at the ground. ‘Not now,” muttered one of them. till we even the score a little.” The other men nodded. Wilcox saw they were right. As a peaceful ranch-owner he had been on the defensive from the start. It was wrong. Few wars are won by the defensive side. It may hold out, but it can never advance. The boss resolved to at- tack. A few days later he sallied forth with five men, seeking trouble. He patrolled the hills and valleys of the ranch without “Not cComicloooks C@