Adventure Magazine Cover — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

18 Adventure the light of that match. It was all bloody and white. Then he said: “¢__-{ This ain’t him, boys! “They crowds around me and gets a look. “Git back to the jail!’ orders the feller who looked at me first, and they left me on my back out there under a tree. “T found my bronc and I sure rattled his hocks out of there.”’ Silent rubbed his neck thoughtfully and grinned widely. “VYeah,”’ admitted Brick; funny, Silent. What else?” “VYub can laugh now,” replied Silent. “The man they throwed into my own little cell was—King Cleeve.” “Aw-w-w-w!”’ Brick grunted his unbelief. “T’m sure as !? declared Silent. “Always I’ve wondered where I seen his face, and when he was talkin’ about Idaho “When do we laugh?” asked Harp. “When I tell yuh that this here jigger that bought the Weepin’ Tree outfit was the person who lit that match and saved my neck.” “Martin!” exclaimed Brick. “Uh-huh.” “Silent, is this straight goods, or are yuh romancin’?” asked Brick seriously. “ ’s truth! I carries them faces pho- tygraphed on my brain, y’betcha. ’Course Martin was all bloody-like, but I know that face. I was kinda bothered about Cleeve, bein’ as he was beat up a lot, and not of much consequence to me—not like Martin was.” “Which makes a different color horse,” sighed Brick. ‘“Things are almost as clear as mud.” “Cleeve must ’a’ been gone when they went back to the jail,” observed Harp. “They busted the door and he just walked out; don’t yuh see? After they takes you away he jist naturally went é. “As a detective you plays real sweetly on the jew’s-harp,” remarked Brick. “Let’s go home before Harp explains the whole mystery.” “Well—” Harp was very serious—“‘well, of course there’s a chance that z “Chances are you’re right, Harp,” mitted Brick. “I hope the stove-pipe draws well. Must take a pasear out there again real soon.” ‘it sure was ad- “We must,” agreed Silent; and Harp nodded, but added: “After observin’ her paw, I’d say we better go one at a time—we'll last longer. Let’s have another li'l shot before we go.” we——| THE Whippoorwill men seemed to : make little effort to apprehend the robbers. Limpy was dead; there- fore unable to tell of the actual occurrence. Silent and Brick refused to talk about it. Bunty Blair hinted at evidence—nothing absolute, but something that might incrimi- nate a couple of unintelligent cowboys. He did not designate them by name, but every one knew whom he meant. Brick, Silent and Harp were stumped. Silent and Harp were sure that Scott Mar- tin, Jean. and Jack Oliver were the guilty parties, but they were equally sure that they—Silent and Harp—did not want the reward, and they were also sure that they were going to act as a stumbling-block to any one else that tried to collect. Brick spent a lot of time alone, thinking, and his actions were looked upon darkly by Silent and Harp. None of them had been out to the Weeping Tree ranch since that one day. Just now Silent and Harp had come in trom repairing a corral at Silver Spring. Brick was not at the ranch. Sing Moy, the ~ god of the kitchen, was the only inhabitant. They asked him where Brick was. “You go—he go,” stated Sing. so go town.” | “Jist like that!” exploded Silent. ‘Send us out to fix a darned old corral that nobody ever uses, and then he goes to town. Let’s me and you go to town. He-e-e-y, Harp! Quit mournin’ on that groan-organ. Let’s go to town.” Harp shoved himself away from the side of the house and wiped the back of his hand across his lips, after which he carefully wrapped the offending instrument before putting it in his pocket. The fact that he had sent Silent and Harp to repair a perfectly good corral, giving him a chance to go alone to Marlin City, was not stinging Brick Davidson’s conscience. In fact, Brick was very, very busy, trying to capture a glass of liquor which seemed to elude his every effort. Brick stepped back from the bar, looking cross-eyed at the glass, and then cautiously stalked it with his hands. “Mebby- COMME OOOKSnrCEOlK