Adventure Magazine Cover — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

26 yuh to get sore at my conversation. I want yuh both to look at this thing lke I do. Spread your cards if yuh want to, or keep ’em face down. I’m spreadin’ mine. ™ ‘“‘There’s a warrant out for me and Silent Slade for robbin’ the.stage of a box of gold on July 15th. There was a woman mixed up in it.” Brick had watched Martin’s face, but it never changed a line. Jean looked only mildly curious. Brick continued: ‘““They’re talkin’ about you folks down in Marlin. I found this in the dust where the stage was robbed.” Brick handed the note to Scott Martin. Martin glanced at his own name on the dirty envelope and looked searchingly at Brick’s face. He slowly took out the note and looked down at it. | Brick could see Martin’s face lose its ruddy hue and grow blue—like taking hot steel from a forge and plunging it into cold water. Martin handed the note to Jean. and the two men watched her read. “What—where did you Martin put his hand on her arm. “Let him do the talkin’, girl.” “‘There’s three of us that have seen the note—me and Silent and Harp, ma’am. It looked kinda bad. Of course we didn’t know your initial was J, and we didn’t know yuh had a man by the name of Oliver workin’ for yuh.” “Jack isn ‘t here yet,” said Jean. stopped “What do you think?” Martin’s tone was very cool. “T’ve been doin’ a lot of thinkin’,” grinned Brick, “but it ain’t got me much. There’s somethin’ crooked, pardner. The evidence against yuh is—too—danged— good. If yuh know anythin’ Brick reached inside his bosom and drew out the three masks. “T found these today. They— Look at the sewin’, will yuh, ma’am? It sure don’t resemble your work a-tall.”’ Jean picked up one of the masks, while Martin held the other two in his hands, watching her. Came a sound at the door, and they turned to look into muzzles of two rifles, held in the hands of Bunty Blair and Three “He Star Hennessey. For a moment there was ~ silence, and then Bunty Blair laughed aloud. “Don’t move your hands,” he cautioned; Adventure and then his eyes caught the significance of the black cloths. IT WAS a very inopportune time for the three people, each holding an incriminating mask. Circumstantial evidence, it is true, but evidence that no jury would overlook. Brick realized their danger, and his mind worked fast. Bunty chuckled and Three Star grinned. “Caught with the goods,” said Bunty, relishing his own words. ‘‘Gettin’ all ready for another job, eh? Kinda lucky, I am.” There was not a ghost of a chance for anything except surrendemn Scott Martin looked at Brick, and the friendliness had all left his eyes. His look was an accusation. Brick glanced at Jean, but she was looking down at the table-top, looking at one of the masks. Her face was white and her lips tightly compressed. None of them had put up their hands. . Bunty gloated. It was his moment and ‘he was going to enjoy it. “Unbuckle your belts,” “Careful with your hands. ’em to me.”’ Bunty stepped inside, holding his cocked rifle at his hip, while Three Star covered them from just outside the door. Brick slowly unbuckled his belt. Scott Martin was holding out his belt, but Bunty was watching Brick, and did not take it. Bunty was afraid of a trick. Brick held out his belt and gun, but before Bunty could take it he let it fall to the rag carpet. Bunty stepped forward as if to pick it up, but changed his mind, “No, yuh don’t, Davidson.” Bunty was determined to take no chances. “Pick it up yourself. You can’t fox me this time.” Brick grinned at Bunty as if in apprecia- tion of Bunty’s caution; but he was in reality grinning at his own cleverness. Bunty had been foxed, but did not know it. It was a desperate chance, but Brick de- lighted in taking chances. He half-knelt to pick up the belt and gun, but his hands grasped the rag carpet in- stead; and with a sudden backward heave he yanked the carpet from under Bunty’s feet, throwing him upside down. As Bunty fell Brick threw himself for- ward and into Bunty, and they rolled al- most into the startled Three Star, who was unable to shoot for fear of hitting Bunty. ar ordered. Now, hand EoOmichbooks. co