Adventure Magazine Cover, December 10, 1922 — page 163: what you’re looking at

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

Seven Fools “Hello,” the other responded dourly. “Register over there by ,»my shack,” Smart Aleck said, “if you’re goin’ into the forest.” The others on the porch—a half-dozen khakied and booted men and women, and a little old man in a skull cap reading over his spectacles in a paper-bound book en- titled ““How to Camp Out,” paused to listen. The man on the porch kept on swinging his feet and smirked insolently at Smart Aleck, who was instantly miffed at such lese majesty. “Tf you go in you want to put out your camp fires!” “That’s logical,” agreed the stranger. “Y’m the fire guard,’ informed Smart Aleck mightily. “I’m layin’ down the law to you, mister.” The man slid to his feet and spoke sar- castically— “Pleased to know you, Mister Fire Guard.” “Don’t get funny. Who are you?”’ “‘Name’s Jones.” “Jones?” The forest man looked his vis- a-vis up and down curiously. ‘Not Logical Jones, bootlegger?”’ “They call me Logical Jones,” the other admitted insinuatingly. “You ain’t got a quart of tobaccer juice, have you?” the fire guard asked, and haw- haw-hawed loudly in changed humor. Then into the cast of the forming play sprang another character, a large man fashionably dressed, but with the soft gray suit now wrinkled and awry from sleeping in a chair, shoes unlaced, hat dipped over heavy eyes, and a stick in hand in a kind of ridiculous pomp. “Say,” he demanded hotly, “ain’t you people ever going to bed?” Everybody stared. The man stepped out and allowed the screen door to close with a bang, and informed them incredulously— “There’s a woman still up doing her week’s washing under the office window!” There was silence marked by equal in- credulity by the others, then the fire guard guffawed and roared out that the stranger didn’t know it was morning yet. The stranger looked back at the dozing figures in the dimly lighted office, at the coming full day outside. “Aw, scratch yourself on a glacier and get waked up,” admonished Smart Aleck. “Tt’s ‘good morning’ I tell you.” 157 “You must get up in the night here on the farm,’ sneered the man, looking at his watch with blinking eyes. “Kindy dusky,” agreed the fire guard, ““down here behind the hills. But you can see old Kulshan up there, with the light behind the dome.’’ “tT don’t give a hang!” Smart Aleck cocked his head, shut one eye, and regarded the big man speculatively. “T’ll bet you, stranger,” he said, “that I can go to the top of that peak and back again in nine hours. Beta hund’rd dollars.” The man answered with a look of con- tempt at this rural fellow and his back- woods scheme, then leaped to startled interest. ‘“‘Nine hours!’ he repeated. ‘I under- stand it’s a three, four day trip up there and back?” “T got a hundr’d bucks that says nine hours,” declared the guard. ‘“‘What’s this?” spoke up he who had given his name as Logical Jones. ‘They told me it couldn’t be made in less than three days. To the top of Kulshan, you mean?” “That’s what I’m saying—with a hundred dollars.”’ The big man and Jones regarded each other. “Shall we take him up?” asked Jones. “Wait a minute, let me see,” replied the other. “How about this? What’s your proposition?” ‘Go from here to the top of Kulshan and back inside o’ nine hours. Not in no air- plane but on my own feet.” “How far is it?” “They call it fifteen miles to the summit. Besides that it is two miles up—ten thou- sand feet. Ask Dad Sinehour.”’ They all turned to the old man in the skull cap, who at once became slightly flustered. “T have been here barely two weeks,” said he. “I am practically unacquainted. I have a little bookstore up-Sound. Carry a few etchings sg “Yes, but how long does it take parties to go up and backe”’ “I’ve seen several. Three days, always three days, when they hurry.” “Then if you should start at seven o'clock,” said the big stranger looking at his watch, ‘‘you would have to be back here by four o’clock this afternoon? Is that the proposition?” GEomichbooks (EO)