Adventure Magazine Cover — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

Sled Wheeler and the Nameless Order when the game started this afternoon. They are marked, and they are my money! A porch-climber took ’em from my cash-box last night—he said half of it went to you— and this ain’t the first time. You rob the bulls—the bulls rob us—the crooks rob us— and you rob us all while you claim to give ‘us protection. No ‘use denying it—I got you cold!” The man’s voice rose with his confidence as Garth only smiled, but now Garth leaned forward and silenced him by simply ceasing to smile. ‘“‘Have I denied anything, James?” He asked it sweetly—too sweetly—and Ardmore began to shake again. ‘“‘What are you hollering about, James?” Garth purred on. “I deny nothing—I don’t like your voice, James, and I have heard enough.” “You don’t bluff me any longer,” Ard- more shouted. ‘And there are others in the same fix—this is the last time.” “Vou are right! This is your last speech to me—if you are in sight when I count three you will rest beneath the daisies, James—the snowy, snowy daisies!” Garth thrust forward his smiling face— the smile drawn to a snarl—as he half-sang the sickish refrain of the old song to the last words. The effect was ghastly—empha- sized by the gun that Garth suddenly put against Ardmore’s stomach. “T hate to spoil this carpet, Ardmore. One—two—good-by!”’ Ardmore had fairly leaped backward, fallen over a chair and scrambled through the door that Garth sprang to open for him —gun still in hand. It was not ludicrous, for Ardmore had saved his life by only a split second. Garth would have fired at the word three without thinking of the con- sequences—but that comes a bit later. Garth shut the office door. Ardmore almost ran to the stair-head, but stopped to look after the lone man who had just mounted the stairs and was making straight for Garth’s office. He had recog- nized Scotty the Crimp—and Scotty’s wolfish face was not pleasant. It might be interesting—if profitless—to speculate on the possible results that would have followed if Ardmore had decided to go on down the stairs instead of tiptoeing back to listen at the office door. But back he went, to hear the finish of Scotty’s peroration, interrupted by Garth. 115 “Get out now, Scotty—while you are alive!’’ . Ardmore outside shivered at the tone—it was Garth’s homicidal wheeze—he was still more deadly than when Ardmore had scrambled from the office. Ardmore started again for the stairs just as Scotty burst through the door backward. After him came Garth—half-crouching— his never failing Colt level at his hip, his face grinning and mouthing like an ape’s. Scotty passed Ardmore in the hall, driven by the terror born of a close look into Garth’s fearsome face. Garth saw Ardmore—flattened against the wall—start to run after Scotty. As the first frightened dart of his prey sets loose the tiger’s spring, this movement set off Garth, and he fired from the hip—once. The gun crashed just as Ardmore ap- proached the stair-head—he seemed to pause—he threw up both hands—bent backward, throwing his stomach to the front—then apparently hurled himself down the stairs with desperate abandon. But what landed at the bottom was a limp and lifeless body that slid onto Scotty’s flying heels as he sprinted for the door. At the hearing before a hastily summoned grand jury it was found that the bullet entered at the back of the neck and came out through the mouth—yet the verdict was justifiable homicide—self-defense! For Garth’s machine was still functioning, in spite of louder rumblings and complaints. There is no doubt, however, that the episode hastened. the movement to form the Com- mittee of Safety. Dan waited in the office until he had heard a short interview between Garth and Bren- ner, who was one of the first on the ground after the shooting. The hallway had been filled with men the next instant, all of them as early as Brenner, but Brenner was prac- tically the only witness called at the hearing. In his listening-post Dan heard Garth tell Brenner what he—Brenner—had seen. After he had got his instructions well impressed on his employee, Garth turned easily to another matter. “Brenner, I told you I would give you a commission on any sale you would steer my way—within twenty-four hours. I only mentioned real estate at the time, but the same thing applies to a very valuable dia- mond I want to sell—a green diamond—and sell quick! GOMIIGooOoO S © iin