Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

Safe for Sam myself.”” He jerked the door open. “I’m going somewheres where I can get mea job daytimes. I’ve had enough of this night stuff!’’ “Fiddlesticks, Sam!’’ said Lee. ‘Don’t let some wandering hobo get on your nerves like that!” “You'll see!” insisted Sam. He jerked the door shut and, still muttering, went down the outside stairway which connected the tower office with the ground. | From a tower window Lee watched Loomis trudge up the track westward, toward Willow- burn town proper, something like half a mile distant. “You're a good old bird, Sam,” mused Wheeler, a little grin on his clean, lean young face. “If you take the notion, you will quit, too.” Then the grin abruptly faded. “But youre getting old, Sam; too old to be knock- ing about hunting a job.”’ He picked up his pen as the next block office to the east started an OS. “Hmmh! Wonder if he really did see anybody last night?” However that might have been, when Wheeler came to work the following morn- ing, Tuesday, he found Sam Loomis had not taken his*departure. But Sam plainly was in a State of nerves. “Well, Sammy, still on the job, I see!” greeted Lee merrily. “Yes, yes,” returned Loomis quickly. He paced the office with visible agitation. “But I’m all jumpy, Wheeler! The whole blessed night I kept looking over at that door, ex- pecting every time to see that big face lookin’ in at me!” “Didn’t see anything, did you?” “N-no,” admitted Sam. “I didn’t see anything; but I’m pretty sure I heard some- thing.” “What?” “A noise like somebody was banging something against the bottom of the tower. A couple times, I heard it. Like somebody hammering on ‘the side with a big chunk of wood.” “T’d forget it,” counseled Lee. “Your imagination is working. What would any- body want around here? They’d know there was nothing in the tower worth taking — and that an operator never has any money!” “T know that,” said Sam. “But it’s got me fanning; I’ll go all to pieces.” “Take a long walk,” advised Wheeler. “Get out in the air. That'll help soothe your nervous system.” 59 “Tt’s this night stuff,” persisted Sam, pre- paring to leave. “TI got to get mea day job.” He went out, leaving Lee puzzled and speculating. “Do you suppose,” said Wheeler to him- self, ‘that somebody is trying to scare Sam for just that purpose—to get him off his job? A man might think that. But just what would be the object?” SHORTLY after noon Lee had a visitor—Mr. Brayle, who was as- sistant to Division Operator Pow- ell, with headquarters in Gray Junction, something like an hour’s ride to the east. Brayle dropped off a west-bound light en- gine; a cold-faced, nosey individual who was by no means widely popular. He was in reality a sort of chief clerk, having no official title; but it was quite generally and freely said that he would have liked one. As far as Lee Wheeler was concerned, it invariably pleased the first trick man to be facetious when the assistant was around, this being due to a certain quaint delight in watching Brayle squirm in his efforts to maintain an official poise. ‘Come in, Mr. Powell,’”’ invited Lee, as Brayle appeared in the doorway. The division operator’s man stepped in- side. able to wear successfully that polished air of ease and authority when with Wheeler that he attempted to assume when in the prox- imity of other employees whom he consid- ered his inferiors. ‘“‘How are you, Wheeler?” he said, mov- ing toward the front of the office. Lee now appeared to discover his mistake for the first time. “Oh,” he said, “it isn’t Mr. Powell; it’s only Mr. Brayle. I’m well. How are you? If it’s an inspection trip you'll likely find a little dust back under that stationery case. FH you get down on your hands and knees and rub your nose on the floor you can see it. Been there several months and will be several more. Put it down in your little book; it’ll make interesting reading for the big boys when you turn it in. Outside of that I don’t know what you canfind. Sorry to disappoint you, but things are in pretty good shape, taking them by and large.” ‘“‘Now, Wheeler,” protested Brayle, a little uncertainly, “nothing like that. I’m just dropping in all along the line co say hello. Little friendly calls, you know. Glad ds 4d COmiclbooks Cc Try as he might, he never seemed - C@