Adventure Magazine Cover — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

Pay Gravel won it from French Curly. From a poorer player of course. And no disgrace to have Curly win—sometimes he gets me—when I’m off guard and quit watching him for a second.” Then very seriously: “All right, Dinsdale. I’ve done my best for you, but a man must play his own hand. I saw trouble where no trouble exists, undoubtedly. And I was selfish; I confess it. But I did want you to join me in a little matter, little work and big results. A bit of business where you couldn’t lose- if you had nerve. And J’ll gamble you’ve got mountains of nerve.” Dinsdale chewed his under lip reflec- tively, and in a milder tone said: “T’ve got nerve, allright. Ain’t boasting for me to say that. About all I have got,” and he laughed shortly. ‘But look at it my way: I want a squint at Jim Omaha. If he’s on my trail I want to know him by sight. A man doesn’t have to scoot from these hills just because some one is after him. There’s always a chance of some- thing happening to Omaha. Lots of men are killed by Injuns up here and buried by the first stranger who happens along.” San Juan gazed at the determined face admiringly and declared: “Yes, Dinsdale, you’re outfitted with nerve. I’m no tenderfoot, but when it comes to Jim Omaha and he has reason to think he wants me—excuse me! And I never saw him. “But better men than I have run away from him, or tried to, and they’ve told me about him—some of them have. Others have just dropped out of sight and they didn’t go into hiding. When Omaha re- ports back to the Union Pacific that he’s ready for the next job you can gamble he’s handsomely finished the one he was working on. Then this prospecting trip with Pyrites is off, eh?” “T won’t say it’s off,’ was the slow re- sponse. ‘‘Maybe after this cuss blows in and I have had a chance to size him up, so I can know him on sight the next time we meet, I’ll go away with Pyrites for a bit. Maybe then I’d be keen to come back and dip into the big game you’re raving about.” “I’m afraid Pyrites won’t wait. He’s crazy on the one subject—prospecting. If you don’t stake him, and I don’t, he’ll get some one else to. If he can’t get a stake he’ll go without one. He starts tomorrow 115 morning, stake or no stake. Then again, there wouldn’t be any point in your going with him except as you did so to dodge Omaha.” “Don’t agree with that last,” stubbornly retorted Dinsdale. ‘‘All I want is one peek at Omaha. Just a look so Ill know him and not be thinking that every stranger may be him. I sort of feel I ought to stick along here till I can size the ‘bloodhound’ up. Just sort of feel that way.” ‘So long as he can’t be after you for the railroad job there’s no reason why you shouldn’t stay here as long as you wish,” the gambler carelessly replied. “Oh, he may think he has reason to want me,’ mumbled Dinsdale. “Anyway, I’m much obliged to you for the trouble you’ve taken.”’ “Not a bit. Iwas selfish. I wanted you in with me on the big thing. Perhaps it’ll work around to that.” ae} THEY shook hands, and Dinsdale Ce slipped out into the night. He took the middle of the road and kept a hand on a gun; for hungry men sometimes grow desperate, and while the law was not badly overridden in the town itself there were occasions when footpads tried their luck. As he reached the lighted stretch before the Centennial Hotel he relaxed his vigi- lance. Some one in front of the hotel called out sharply and men appeared at the win- dows and ran from the door. Those who left the building scurried around the cor- ners. Curious to see what was about to happen Dinsdale halted and sought the cause of the disturbance. “Run! Greenback! Run, you _ fool! shouted a man crouching at the corner of the hotel. ‘“He’s after you most proper!” howled another voice. Dinsdale began to realize that his ap- pearance was the cause for the excitement. He remained motionless, wondering what it all was about. That he was not a favor- ite with the strangely acting spectators was proved by a deep voice bawling— “Now git him, Bandy!” Dinsdale growled under his breath and glared suspiciously about, expecting an attack from every patch of shadow. He had not placed any credence in the threats of Bandy Allen so persistently repeated to 1?) Gomicbdooks (C@