Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

956 nice—to frighten—women! Not—nice—to frighten—women!”’ The silence that ensued was broken by two clicks of the handcuffs. Then the deep fatherly voice continued, ‘“‘ Now you will be good, and very quiet!’’ and heavy steps shook the floor. “Burke! The door!” When I threw it open, high up in the doorway appeared the kicking legs of the old man, borne baby-wise in Trainor’s arms. Striding to the bath-room, he placed his burden in the tub with a warning, “‘Now if you yell, Vll come and turn on the water.”? Having locked the door outside meanwhile, he commented, ‘Two days on bread and water will calm his troubled spirit. And * Then he caught first sight of the Girl. The change in him stunned me. He was not embarrassed—he was too big and clean for that—but the big enveloping chivalry of him made him look bigger than ever. He held out a hand, with a gentle reverence in his deep tones that made his ‘Cousin Margaret!”’ sound greater than all proud titles, and looked down at her in a man- ner that would make any woman his to command, because of its sheltering adora- tion. He said, ‘‘Were you much frightened?”’ ‘Not much, Cousin John.” She gave her hand with a child’s utter confidence; and I knew the sweet Southern speech was balm to the sore spirit under his great strength. ‘*But—are there any mo’ big men to come boolging out of places ’round here?”’ (al- most ‘‘raound hyah.’’) The glance of sweet terror that she threw over her shoulder at once shocked me to self- consciousness and rendered me dumb. Truly she was the most dangerous of the daughters of Eve. That was an evening—there is no space for it here. It marked the beginning of many things, and made clear much that had been obscure. At the very start it was plain that all three women had back of them at least three generations of refinement, and their home was a place of broad outlook where any man could breathe deep and free. That Trainor was perfectly at ease in this atmosphere should have been no surprise to me. But I realized that I had been influenced by the attitude of indulgent amusement assumed by his classmates—fellows who, in these Adventure surroundings, would appear awkwardly cheap and provincial. Into this rather rarified New England air the Girl brought the kindly intoxicating glow of the Southland; Trainor opened vistas of the wide wind-swept prairies and eye- straining canyons; while I held my peace, for the most part. CHAPTER Ill BANG! BANG! gj Bae Trainor and the Girl were brought together, and the result was the same old result of the same ‘old cause. Only Trainor had it harder, as was the nature of the man. Here let us step aside to record that the treatment of the deranged gentleman was successful. He never again raised even his voice in the house, and always referred to Trainor in an awed whisper as “ The Devil.” With this notice, he passes out of this nar- rative. To return to Trainor: Now he had a new purpose in life, and he gave himself to it whole-heartedly and selflessly. He did not neglect the pigeons, to be sure. He shot them wherever they scratched in the garden —he had said he would—and he kept accu- rate record with diagram of exactly when and where he killed each bird. But witha new dignity of manner, he lived now unto the Girl, and made no secret of it. His attitude was not that of a lovesick swain, but of the one to do things. “That girl wants a good time, and she’s going to have it,’’ said he. ‘“‘A girl’s idea of a good time,” he further stated, ‘“‘is to have a lot of men around.” So he went after them. Among his Exeter acquaintances there were a. lot of fine fellows, whose pace had been too expensive for him to keep up; but he looked them up now and introduced them at the house on North Avenue. The Girl did the rest—it is born in them down there in Dixie. The old maid, as chaperone, began to have the time of her life, and the porch soon showed signs of wear. Through it all, Trainor, in his one suit of clothes, but with his person and linen always radiant,was his big, extravagant, unconscious self. He did his best to entertain overflow meetings on the porch when the Girl was happy on the river with another fellow, and CO MICLOOKS CO