Adventure Magazine Cover — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

168 could see the swarthy face of Jack Smith; eyes half-closed as he watched the jury. Seldon, Voorhies, Jack Sloan, a gambler, Mel West, owner of the Emporium hotel, Frank Padden, a cattle-buyer, and ‘‘Tiny”’ Taylor, a Bar M cowboy, composed the jury. Doctor Myers had been sitting on the front row of seats, but now he got to his feet and faced the jury. “Have you arrived at a verdict?” he asked. 9) VOORHIES got ponderously to his @ feet and nodded.’ [Ai ‘We have, Doc. We finds that Scott Martin was shot by Brick Davidson, the sheriff, actin’ in—uh “Excess of his duty,” West. “Excess of his duty,” parroted Voorhies. “And we asks that Brick Davidson be arrested for mur——” Voorhies, stumbling over his verdict and request, had lifted his eyes and looked straight at Brick Davidson. Brick was looking at Voorhies, a half-smile on his lips; his right hand resting on his hip, while in his left hand he dangled the two horseshoes. Seldon looked up at Voorhies, as did West, who again prompted— “Murder, ? But Voorhies did not complete his sentence. He started as though to sit down, but straightened up again. Every one was watching him closely. West touched him on the arm, but Voorhies did not respond. Then Judge Grayson turned and looked at Brick, who was only a few feet away. For an instant the judge stared. His hands unlocked from around his fancy waistcoat, and he took a deep breath—a breath that was audible to all. Then every man in the hall looked at Brick. Pete Kane half turned in his chair - and looked at Brick, his mouth open in astonishment. Kane had visions of a man hunt in the hills, in which he would be the leading character. Not a man in the audience, except those who came with Brick, and possibly Lafe Freeman, ever expected to see Brick at the inquest. Not a word was spoken. The crowd leaned forward. This had put a new light on what was to have been an ordinary inquest, in which every one prompted Mel Adventure seemed to know the verdict before the jury was even drawn. Brick let his eyes drift over the audience and then back to Voorhies. “Murder, eh?” Brick’s voice was softly pitched. ‘Found me guilty of murder, did yuh? Well, well!’ Voorhies wet his lips with his tongue. “The evidence—”’ he began hoarsely. ‘Set down, you sheep owner!” snapped Brick, and Voorhies dropped back as though from a pistol shot. The smile had left Brick’s face. glanced quickly behind him. Chet Mailoy, a cowboy, was leaning against the wall, almost in a direct line with Brick and Voorhies. Instead of stepping out of line, which might attract attention to him, Malloy hunched down, slid his feet out and sat flat on the floor. Brick merely flashed the look and turned back, but Malloy knew what it meant. Brick looked at Seldon, and Seldon squirmed. “Steady, son,’”’ cautioned Lafe Freeman, and his whisper was audible to all parts of the room. No one even glanced at Lafe. “T wasn’t invited to this inquest,” ob- served Brick; “but it ’pears to me that I should ’a’ been.”’ “Tf you’ve got any evidence—” began Dal Melchior apologetically. Brick tossed the horseshoes to the table- top. For a moment the tension was broken, as the audience leaned forward for a view of the horseshoes. A cowboy started forward, as though to come up to the table. His boot-soles squeaked loudly, and he stepped back quickly, bumping into another cowboy, who had also started forward, and they both sat down awkwardly in the same chair. No one paid any attention to them, but they remained in that position, with the under man craning his neck around the other’s shoulder. Voorhies took advantage of the lull to. attract Kane’s attention. “Get your man, Pete!”’ Voorhies did not intend to us his order audible to every one. mockingly. ‘“‘Any time you’re ready, Kane.” But Kane did not heed Voorhies’ order nor accept Brick’s challenge. Rather he ignored both. “The law gives a feller the right to be heard, don’t it?” asked Brick. Brick laughed He GOMIIGoOO S ©