Adventure Magazine Cover — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

34 from face to face, and: then he looked di- rectly at Zell Mohr, while his hand brushed easily back and forth past the butt of his holstered gun. “What kind of a rifle do you use, Mohr?” Mohr stared at Brick for a moment. “T shoot a .45-90, it it’s any of your busi- ~ ness, Davidson.”’ “Did yuh run out of shells the day of the hold-up?” Mohr continued to gaze at Brick. Then he looked up at King Cleeve as if seeking an answer to a foolish question. Then he shook his head slowly. “Then why did yuh use a.45-70 ca’tridge when yuh shot at Silent Slade, down there at the wrecked stage?” Mohr leaned forward; a natural enough movement, but it gave him a chance to move his hands. “Keep your elbows on the table!” snapped Brick. Silent and Harp moved slowly away from the crowd, and were now standing nearer the door. Brick’s eyes flashed toward them and then back at Mohr. Topaz Tyler still stood in the same position, but now his eyes were upon Cleeve and Mohr as if wait- ing their next move. Scott Martin was standing half-facing Topaz, wondering what was to come next. “Yuh might answer my last question,” said Brick easily. “Who in —— do you think you are—the judge?” growled Mohr. ““Mebbe.”’ Brick leaned forward and snapped his next words: “T ain’t no lawyer, Zell Mohr, but I’m goin’ to pass on your case right here and now! Set still!” Brick’s eyes shifted to Cleeve’s set fea- tures, and then seemed to consider his next question. “Cleeve, you’re a man of intelligence, ain’t yuh? No, yuh don’t need to answer that. You and Zell Mohr was huntin’ coyotes on the day the stage was robbed, wasn’t yuh?” Cleeve nodded and started to speak, but Brick continued: “Zell Mohr’s three greyhounds caught four coyotes for yuh that day. After the hounds caught them coyotes yuh had to shoot the coyotes, didn’t yuh?” Cleeve nodded. ~ “Vuh shot them coyotes with a .45-90, Adventure didn’t yuh? Uh-huh. - After them nice slick greyhounds caught the coyotes—you shot ’em.” “What are you—” began Cleeve; but Brick continued— “As I said before, you’re a man of intelli- gence, Cleeve; so I don’t see why in —— yuh wanted to lie about them coyotes.” Cleeve leaned forward, and his long, tap- ering fingers seemed to clutch at the knees of his trousers. Mohr leaned back and shifted his feet. — “Set still!” snapped Brick. ‘You ain’t started to get tired yet.”’ “What’s all this coyote talk about?” snarled Cleeve. ‘‘Nobody lied. The hounds caught the coyotes ‘s “Veahr” ; Brick’s tone was very sarcastic. “Vuh say they did? Well, now, I’m wonderin’, Cleeve. Them hounds were as fresh as the mornin’ dew, and not one of *em hada single scratch. Did yuh pull the coyotes’ teeth before yuh sent the dogs after ’em?”’ “What are you drivin’ at?” asked Mohr. “Drivin’ at the fact that them coyotes was never caught by hounds.” ‘Suppose you want us to prove it to you,” sneered Cleeve, relaxing and trying to force a smile. Brick smiled back at him, but only with his lips. The crowd shifted uneasily. To- paz Tyler glanced at Brick and then back at Mohr and Cleeve. “Cleeve,” observed Brick, “yuh might like to know that I was cold sober to begin with on the day that you and Topaz Tyler got me drunk and stole that note out of my pocket. You thought I had the note you planted at the robbery, and I wanted to be sure that you wanted it bad enough to steal.” King Cleeve’s eyes flashed to Topaz and then back at Brick. Scott Martin seemed to slide one foot forward as if getting set for a quick move. “T don’t know what you mean,” breathed Cleeve. “Tt’s all rot!”’ snarled Mohr; but his face was green. “V’betcha it’s rot!’ exploded Brick. “As rotten a thing as I ever heard. Set still, Mohr!” Silent and Harp had slowly moved closer. Three Star was standing at the edge of the crowd, but nearer the door, resting both EOmichbooks:- co