Adventure Magazine Cover, December 10, 1922 — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

ny fle Me 1 A A i 84 rough element and live up to its name.” La Paz, situated as it is on the Gulf of California, collects a goodly portion of riff- raff from all points, and Dockery knew the town well enough to beware trouble in the levy cafés. That is to say, he would have known it, had he been acquainted with the word “beware” in any sense. Having the mini- mum of imagination, he wasn’t. most animals, Nature made it as right as possible by giving him a glorious body, a good eye, that gift of God called muscular coordination, and a charmed life. And, temporarily, youth. So, with the above-mentioned, plus a track shirt, rolled-up sailor’s trousers and some coins earned from travelers by a diving and swimming exhibition earlier in the day, Dockery regarded the Elite as his own for the evening. In the beginning the management and guests weren’t complimented by his out- ward appearance; but there was one at least, up on the balcony, who appreciated what was underneath it. Indeed, this languid Frenchman had been watching and admiring Dockery all afternoon, and, therefore, when the manager stopped at his table—as he had at others—to apologize for receiving so untidy a customer, this indivi- dual looked up from his back number of La Vie Parisienne and told him to go to ——. And it’s quite likely matters would have rested thus, but for Dockery’s sudden impulse to dance with the Elite’s pet entertainer. Dockery’s broad, bare feet seemed out of place on the dancing floor, and the girl’s vehement protests raised shouts of anger from the tables. But Dockery didn’t mind this. He held her close, with his magnifi- cent, tanned right arm around her straining body, and whirled her round and round, mostly off the floor. There is a remote possibility that even this might have passed off, considering Dockery’s build and size, but he, in ending the dance, pulled the final boot, so to speak. For as he released her, he gave her a little push, just with the back of his hand moved from the wrist. He hadn’t intended harm, but maybe he did push a little harder than was playful. Anyway the girl was sent spinning across the floor and brought up with a scream and a curse against a pillar of the balcony. But, like — Adventure With one accord the male representation of the crowd arose, each not wishing to lose such a chance to appear as a protector. One madman lunged out, swinging a chair. He was larger than Dockery, but was awk- ward and all angles, as most oversized men.are. Dockery took the chair away, giving him something in the teeth by way of return. The rest understood at once, when they saw the neat aerial parabola described by this vanguard, why the entertainer had struck the pillar so hard: They, therefore, remained in a body and started the attack from long range. The second volley of bottles and such did better. Dockery upended a table as a shield and returned the fire with pieces of débris that lay within reach. Once he stood bolt upright amid the flying glass and flung a chair with terrific force directly into the center of the mob, inflicting several casualties at one stroke. After that things grew hotter, and fury took the place of caution in the attackers. Dockery maneu- vered to get another table, so as to put one on each side and avoid flanking. A constant fusillade was flying now, and once a sheath-knife whistled by and sank into the wall with a thud, quivering curi- ously; but Dockery crouched to cover only at intervals. Evidently he didn’t con- sider the situation dangerous yet—and his judgment seemed correct, for he hadn’t a scratch. He was still laughing, too, espe- cially when one of his missiles found a soft mark. The Frenchman on the balcony watched with. increasing interest, his right hand clasping an automatic. He had taken a fancy to Dockery and didn’t mean to see him seriously harmed if a slug or two of lead would prevent it. As a matter of fact such probably couldn’t have prevented it, had it come to that, but Dockery could, and did, for that matter. Just now, as it happened, his ammunition was about used up and the crowd was closing in, cautiously again. So Dockery charged into the open. A roar and a shower of bottles came from the crowd as he leaped for a table just under the edge of the balcony. Dockery’s feet struck the center simultaneously and the table cracked and fell on its side, but Dockery had shot upward and, catching the railing of the balcony in both hands, vaulted lightly over. comicbook (EO)