Adventure Magazine Cover — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

- was calm and steady as he ascended the steps of the courthouse. He started at once for the county clerk’s office, but stopped, dumfounded, as’ he saw the slim figure of a girl’emerge from the office and close*the door gently behind her. *‘Vincie!”’ he gasped. She came toward him smilingly with © outstretched hand. “What are you doin’ here?” he asked ungallantly. “J came to help you fight that murder charge,” she said candidly. __ “But how did you know I was arrested? We tried to keep it from you.” - “T knew you were wanted, and I knew Mr. Bradley was some kind of an officer, so I suspected it when I saw the queer way you both acted. But of course it was in the Salt Lake papers, and I saw it there when I stopped to interest some capitalist in my— our silver mine,” she.explained. “Haven’t you been home yet?” he demanded. ' “T haven’t any. home,’’ she said simply, “and I’m afraid my two years at Silver Zone have spoiled me for the things I used to like.” “Was it you that told Bradley my side of the story?” he asked. “Yes. Thad Thompson objected, but I was sure Mr. Bradley would be fair, an it looked like our only chance. I was sure I could make him believe you were telling the truth.”’ Dal saw that there were things ‘she as yet did not understand, but he did not en- lighten her that the only effect of her story on Bradley was to send that relentless bloodhound on the trail of a bit of evidence against him. But the big, all-important thing was that she had come to fight shoulder to shoulder with him in his battle for life. “Vincie,” he said unsteadily, “you know— you must know what I think of you. Ii I wasn’t so far below you—your és ‘“‘There’s some one listening,” she broke in laughingly. ‘And I thinks it’s the clerk who sells marriage licenses.” - 978 Adventure — ~~) [HERE was a hint of frost in the Ya air, and it grew steadily colder as the sun dropped slowly behind the Western mountains. But there was warmth in the hearts of the two persons on horse-— back who rode away from Topaz. Dal had learned that Vincie had been staying with Thad Thompson since she had come to Topaz, and it was through her that Bradley had picked upon Thad and Brick to help arrest Hasbrouck and Gurley. “So you’ve been stayin’ with Thad, an’ learning to ride old Spot,” Dal said. “Yes. I’m afraid you’ve lost him—old Spot I mean. I don’t intend to give him up,” Vincie said, leaning ahead to pat the old pinto’s proudly arched neck. Dal slapped the neck of Sport, the little desert mustang, with a gesture that de- noted he did not care; but he made no reply. the time when he had had to choose between old Spot’s life and his own. After all the gods had been more than kind. Had he not been true to the faithful old horse he“ would have condemned himself to be a fugitive for life. Vincie would have come to Topaz, found him gone, and passed out of his life forever. They rode on in happy silence until they came to a fork of the road. “T reckon we’d better-spend the night at Thad’s hadn’t wer”’ Dal asked. “Really, Dal,” Vincie answered, softly, “T’d rather go to our own place. It isn’t as bad inside the cabin as it looks from the outside. You see, Thad and I came over here several days ago and fixed it up—for us.” They turned their horses blissfully to- ward their ranch, Hasbrouck had almost ruined it, but even the trampled fields and torn-down fences were not unsightly in their eyes. It could all. be repaired by hard labor. True enough they owned a silver-mine and would not need to labor—but they had forgotten it. His mind was roving backward to ' Eomicbooks: co AL