Adventure Magazine Cover — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

es Silver Zone related definitely to the problem of which Silver Zone was the storm center. Those two, with another one Dal already had in his possession were ample to send the post- master over the road. The first one read: “2 “Letter to-day for Lonesome Jim from an assayer | named Bently saying that some samples he had sub- mitted had assayed thirteen per cent. silver and a lot of other valuable mineral. The old cuss has found the silver lode that everybody was crazy about around Silver Zone forty years ago.-It must be worth millions. “I removed that letter and forged one that I put in its place saying that the samples ‘he submitted were worthless. ‘That will cure Lonesome Jim I guess. I’m sending this to you so you can start hunting for it immediately. I don’t dare to hold this more than a week before giving it to him, but it don’t matter much. If you can’t follow him to it you ought to be able to locate it anyway for it can’t be far from his cabin. This will be the biggest thing we ever tackled—T. C.” Here was proof to convict the postmaster _ on three separate counts, tampering with the mails, forgery, and conspiracy; but the point that Dal grasped first was that the letter he had found in Lonesome Jim’s poke, purporting to come from Bently was now explained, Samuel Bently’s honor was forever cleared, and none but Dal had ever known that it could be questioned. It was no wonder that Cutler had flinched at the mention of a letter found among the pros- pector’s effects. Dal hastened to read the sicoad letter. _ “The Assayer who reported on Lonesome Jim’s mine arrived to-day. Because Jim never sent him any more samples he believes him dead and has come out here to try to find his silver mine. If they get together imagine what will happen to me when they find out how I’ve monkeyed with their letters. And don’t forget that Jim will go back to his mine, and that will end our chances of ever getting it. For God’s sake do something with Jim—and do it quick. The Assayer has a girl with him.—T. C.” That letter had sealed the doom of Lonesome Jim. Hasbrouck must have mur- dered him just before Bently arrived at Silver Zone. Every fact dove-tailed to- gether nicely to build a wall. of evidence around Hasbrouck and Cutler. Had Hasbrouck for any reason ever chosen to use those letters against Cutler, and mailed them to the district attorney there would have been nothing in them to prove that Hasbrouck was the recipient of those letters; but losing them the way he_ did, and with other incriminating memo- ‘pape’s?” Hop Sing suggested. randa, the coils were fastened around hi = as firmly as they were around the post- — master. And the skeleton of Lonesome Jim, = which Dal could produce, would be a power- 3 ful exhibit. = ae The events of the sordid drama were easy ae to trace. Following the receipt of theforged letter Lonesome Jim had abandoned his claim, but had gone on hunting for another one in the same country with that blind; - > == unbeatable optimism which only the real ae desert rat possesses. Hasbrouck and Cutler had failed to find the real mine. Thenhad come the arrival of Bently on the scene. Cutler had sent word to Hasbrouck, and the cattléman had taken the simple, direct way of preventing a meeting between the cheated prospector and his assayer. He had followed him on one of his prospecting tours: and shot him like a dog. + Still, they had failed to find the mine— any of ‘them. Lonesome Jim had lived true to his name and kept his secret. Dal did not doubt that that secret had been hard to keep. Certainly Hasbrouck must have exhausted every possible means tomake him tell before murdering him— | =< and those means must have included Dal refolded the papersintoapacketand = gave them back to Hop Sing. ~ eee “Hide ’em here for me,” he requested. Sa “But if I git killed and a feller name of — Pet Bradley should come around give ’em to him. But if he don’t come the first = — chance you git you take’em to Annamucca an’ hand ’em to the banker there—we ~— don’t know what the sheriff might do. You~ won’t git into any trouble by doin’ it.. ‘“‘(Mebbeso something velly bad in them “Bad enough to hang Hasbrouck,” Dal ; said grimly. oe A smile overspread the face of the China- ‘Me no velly sorry,” he said cheerfully. “Me keep papes.’ sa “Now; how many men are here?” Dal asked. = ae “Flifteen.”’ a : “Where are they?” = “All in blunk-house ’cept Hasblook an’ Kutch—they stop along little house,” Hop —— Sing informed. Rae “All right. You go back into the bunk- es house an’ entertain the lucky thirteen. [Tm = goin’ to call on the other two,” Dal said comicheoks:com