Adventure Magazine Cover — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

38 Adventure boots; that’s why them female tracks never left the rock. “Them greyhounds not bein’ scratched after catchin’ four coyotes showed that all was not right. Mohr had a 45-90 Winches- ter, if yuh remember. That bullet which barely missed Silent was fired from a 45-70 shell, which was a good alibi for that 45-90 rifle, but the shell was swollen at the butt, which showed it wasn’t chambered right in the rifle, and the firin’-pin hit the primer too high.” Silent and Harp grinned at Brick’s snappy explanation. “I had ’em cinched,” smiled Brick. “They didn’t have a single chance in the world except to shoot themselves clear.” “But what about that box of gold?” asked Silent. “Full of bars of lead. Nothin’ but ordi- nary lead, Silent.” “Well, for gosh sake!” grunted Silent. “Whatcha know about that? Lead bars!” “Two L’s,” said Harp musingly. “Two things that has caused a lot of joy and a lot of trouble in this old West. One L started it and another L finished it.” “Lead?” asked Silent. “Uh-huh,” nodded Harp. love.” “Some combination.”’ Silent grinned and slapped Brick on the shoulder. “Tl back Brick in either one. boy sure does save things; don’t he, Harp?” Brick smiled straight ahead; smiled at a day’s work well done; while from behind them came the thrumming of a jew’s-harp; a jew’s-harp doing its little best to play a wedding march as the three broncos shuf- fled across the hills and the setting sun cast long shadows across the Sun-Dog trails. “Lead and GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS by Berton Braley (GENTLEMEN Adventurers with their past behind them Dicing with their destiny upon the board of fate, “Rolling down to Rio” or to Zanzibar you find them, Sometimes on a liner but more often on a freight; War has taken toll of them—oh, staggering the roll of them, Sleeping under crosses on the broken fields of France— But now the rest are free again to tempt the land and sea again, To roam the wide world over in the footsteps of Romance. Gentlemen Adventurers hear the great winds calling, Take again the open road, as restless as of yore, Mastered by a magic that grows ever more enthralling, Still they man their argosies for a stranger shore; Though they dream of treasure there, gold beyond all measure there, It’s the Game they care for and that keeps them playing high, The luck, and every run of it, the chance and change and fun of it, That makes them roving gamblers and that holds them till they die! Gentlemen Adventurers, whom age can never wither, Whose infinite variety dull custom can not stale, Youth is in the heart of them, and Fortune’s gay ‘“‘come hither”’ Sends them forth at eighty on a mad, fantastic trail! Then here’s good strength and health to them and just enough of wealth to them To start them on their travels—it’s all they want or use, Here’s luck, and for the rest of it, be sure they’ll make the best of it, Gentleman Adventurers, wherever they may cruise. ECoOmMmicbooks.co The old -