Adventure Magazine Cover — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

BES aoe he saw a familiar, Bile lensed ~ figure cross a ten foot alley between the New York store and the Palace Saloon. There was not time to make any kind of a signal, = and Dal crouched, waiting to see whether _ Thad stopped in the Palade or went on by. _ Whichever it was, Dal was now determined to walk boldly out and make his presence © - known to Thad. At the worst he could - make a brush run : to his horse and get out of town. ___ To the great surprize of the imitation drunkard Thad swung by the Palace Saloon = = and turning sharply to his left headed straight for the jail. This was better _ luck than he had expected, but his satis- _ faction swiftly changed to alarm just as_he — was on the point of trying to attract -'Thad’s attention. The door of the jail opened and heavy steps strode into the front yard. A moment later Dal heard ae a the heavy voice of Matt Wells, the sheriff, ee =7veamting an inquiry. _ _ “Anything I can do for you this morning, Thompson?” _ “Nothin’ per’ticklar—I just’ wanted to _ know if you'd ever heard anything about # = that neighbor of mine that’s wanted for S _ “Showalter?” the sheriff demanded. “Shore,”’ Thad replied. “Yeah. We got him located all right. . = - Have him right here in the coop ‘fore many ___more days,”’ the sheriff said confidently. _ “That so?” Thad inquired with interest. “Whereabouts is he, sheriff?” - Dal chuckled to himself. Thad’s ques- tion would surely show whether the sher- iff was bluffing or not. “Look here, Thompson; ain’t you pretty _ thick with Showalter? I ain’t giving in- - formation out promiscus till I’ve got my og on him,” the sheriff said irritably. ao Btufin’ ” Dal commented to himself. pot thought you said you had him where “you could git him?” Thad asked innocently. _ “Tt have—but I ain’t givin’ his friends no _ chance to tip him off,” the sheriff laughed. “Tf that’s all you wanted to see me about, = _ he continued, “let’s go to a saloon an’ have a drink.” oe “Might as well,” Thad agreed. : © Dal was in a dilemma. If he let Thad go : away with the sheriff there would almost it was now @. quarter to ten. very many minutes. Some one would surely call an officer’s attention to him. Neither could — _he lay around pretending drunkenness for On the other hand how could he make himself known to Thad in the presence of the sheriff? There was only one ailter- native to immediate abandonment of the whole project, and that called for instant, dangerous action. Dal had come too far, and counted on the result too much to give up at that stage. He arose and stepped swiktly around the corner of the jail. “Stick ’em up, sheriff,” he said low voiced, but in tones charged with menace. “You, too, Thompson,” he added. The sheriffs heavy jaw dropped. His hand began groping absently toward his belt. “Don’t do that, sherifi—you wouldn’t want to git all mussed up right in your own jail-yard,” Dal warned softly. At last comprehension dawned upon the sheriff of the indignity he was being sub- jected to and his face flamed angrily, but he realized his impotence. He started to raise his hands. “Never mind gittin’ ’°em up now,” Dal amended. “Just keep ’em well away from your sides an’ walk into the jail, an’ walk straight.” Matt Wells walked into his own office in a way he had never contemplated. He whirled around with an icy glare. “What the——’” he began fiercely. “Set down,’’ Dal snapped. The sheriff slumped into a chair. “Take his gun an’ keys, then gag him with your handkerchief, an’ then we'll rope him to his chair, Thompson,”’ Dal directed, his - gun swinging ominously toward ‘Thad. “An’ don’t try to bungie the job or Vil ventilate you.’ Thad suddenly came out of the state of coma the shock had thrown him into. He permitted himself one long grin behind the sheriff’s back, then he fell to his job with a great show of fear. But the job he did irussing up the sheriff left nothing to be desired. “T ain’t takin’ chances on leavin’ you two together,” Dal said, jangling the jail © keys. cell for a while, Thompson.” He prodded Thad roughly in the ribs with the end of his six-shooter as they “Til let you think it over in a COmMic iy =~. IOOKS:. com