Adventure Magazine Cover — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

FT + ~ . oe “2 J s 2 id - . . 14 o~ “ ; x s 3 = You don’t need to be tryin’ to run him an animal. be) ~down—you ain’t goin’ to git a hold of him you know,” Dal flared. “He ain’t worth much except fer coyote _ Adventure Poimicieas what to do when the sleeping. potion he had administered to the patient should wear off. “Well, what’s the verdict?” Dal asked.° _ bait,” the stableman went on unperturbed, ® “Back not broken, but several vertebrae | “but the saddle is a right good rig, an’ with _ that Navajo blanket, an’ the bridle, chaps, rope, an’ them silver mounted spurs the whole outfit ought to bring somethin’ near a hundred an’ fifty. “We'll let it go, a the doctor said curtly. _ The question of the stableman’s lien was arranged, and Dal was compelled to sign a bill of sale, to be void if he should pay the doctor the hundred and fifty within thirty days. He could not look old Spot in the ‘eye. Although he felt the justification was ample he could not help feeling like a traitor to the old horse who was more a pal than For years old Spot had been his best and most confidential friend. _ While the doctor. was getting ready Dal borrowed a sheet of dirty writing paper, a dirtier envelope, and a stamp from the stableman and wrote a letter to Thad Thompson. Dear Thad:—Go to my cabin and look in my _ pants ets for my purse. There’s fifty dollars in it if somebody ain’t beat us to it. Then sell as many of my cattle as you can round up and send the money to me, or rather to Walter Dallas, at Hog-up. And for God’s sake be sure that you get at least a hundred and fifty dollars, for I need that much ——.bad. Harvest my wheat and keep the money to pay for your trouble. Dal, He mailed the letter and climbed in be- side the doctor in his little one-seated buggy. Once having embarked on the expedition® _ the doctor seemed to be cheerful enough, laid the whip on the team of little sorrel mustangs, and they whirled into the desert under a cloud of scorching alkali. The sun was not far past the zenith when they reached Silver Zone. ; The doctor shed his coat, washed up, and became busy with Bently. - Vincie’s eyes showed her surprize at Dal’s return, but she followed the doctor into the room where _her fathér was, without a word of comment. : * _ Dal.washed up, and calmly boiled some cof- fee and cooked some hot-cakes. He could see no logic in starving himself unnecessar- ily, but in foraging through the Bently’s cupboard he found that their grub supply = SS * was pitifully small. He had just finished ___ washing his dirty dishes when Vincie and the doctor came out, the doctor giving her oe badly dislocated, causing paralysis of the lower limbs,” the doctor explained crisply. “T’ve put him in a plaster cast which he’ll have to wear for six months at least. I’d like to speak to you personally,” he added. Dal followed him out to his buggy. “That man should be in a hospital where | he can have better care, but in the fix he’s" in it would kill him to move him,” the doc- tor said bluntly. ternally some way also, and I[’ll tell you frankly that at his age he hasn’t got one chance in a thousand of getting well, though he may live for six months.” “Tt’s tough,” Dal said simply. “When you comin’ back?” “T’ve done all I could,” the doctor said earnestly. “All right then,” Dal assented. ‘“You’ll have your money in thirty days.” “Took here,” the doctor hazarded nerv- ously, ‘I don’t want to be hard on you. If you're around Hog-up and want to use that horse, and will promise not to take him——”’ “Go to ——,” Dal interrupted pointedly. The doctor grinned and began to hitch up his team. Dal found the dull ax, and the remnant of a grindstone, and seating him- self upon the wood-pile began the laborious process of whetting the tool. Vincie found him still at it an hour later. “Why didn’t—didn’t you go back with — the doctor?” she queried in surprize. “I looked for you to thank——” “T was huntin’ through these old cabins for somethin’ to work with,” he evaded. “You mean—you are going to stay here?”’ “Sure. I’m the hired man—at least un- til I pay you for the water my old horse drank.” The mention of old Spot brought a gulp to his throat which the girl . naturally misconstrued. “We are not so niggardly that we would take pay from you after what you’ve done.”’ “T know it. I was only jokin’, but I’m goin’ to stay here an’ help until your father -gits on his feet again,” Dal said firmly. Suddenly the girl’s hands went to her face, and she ran toward the cabin. Dal was not much surprized at her break= down—in fact he had expected it. He went i comicbooks ‘‘He seems to be hurt in- - (E)