Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 152: what you’re looking at

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

1098 no danger there. What’s wrong? Come, girl, come!” His voice tightened to the breaking pitch. it} 7 aN SHE leaned upon her alpenstock, a KN trim, competent, self-sure figure in =~ her tan walking suit. The serenity and balance of abounding health, the vigor and sanity of rich blood, showed in her fresh skin, her clear, gray eyes, her lithe sym- nietry. She was of the sun, the spotless snow, the clean air, this girl. Frankly, hon- estly, in the light of the straight things she honored, she judged him. “Don’t let me detain you if you care to go back,’”’ she answered, and her tone was steeled in indifference. If there was a throbbing in her throat it was not visible. If a prayer crept unbidden from her heart it was crushed. She watched. The dead silence of the fog-wrapped moun- tain, filled only with the drip of moist grasses, closed about them, strained with possi- bilities of impending disaster. Hargood was in agony, but he snatched at her words. ‘Will you stay here?” he asked quickly. ‘T_T should like to go back—back there— for a while—I must.” He kept darting quick glances over his shoulder toward the ravine. ‘“‘If you are determined to stay— though I can’t see why—Julia.” At his stammering, appealing speech something gave in the girl’s restraint. Her armor weakened at no joint, but there was a traitor within. Her level gaze fell, her head drooped for an instant. When she looked up again her eyes were no longer upon Hargood but averted from him along the Reisenweg toward the hotel. It was as if she had seen the thing for which she had watched and had put it from her for all time. “Vou will stay here—while I go?” re- peated Hargood. “You will be quite safe at this spot, Iam sure.” “Ves,” she answered wearily. “Yes, yes, anything—go!”’ For the first time it reached the man’s agitated preoccupation that something was decidedly wrong with Julia. The knowledge added once more to his perplexities. He bit his lips, stared, then frowned. ‘‘Once more, will you come with me?” he asked. Her response was only a slow, negative movement of the head and a little gesture with her lax fingers as if unconsciously free- ing them from some remaining shred that clung unpleasantly. Adventure Hargood stared a moment longer, then spun on his heel. His drawn face was that of a man overburdened. Jamming his al- pine hat upon his head, he hurried off into the fog. The girl remained leaning upon her staff, almost without breath until the last padding footstep had died away. Suddenly she started and looked about her questioningly. She was alone on the flank of the mountain in the dim circle of the fog. Both hands pressed convulsively against her breast. “It came in time,”’ she breathed. ‘‘Oh, if I had not known until later! Iam thank- ful, thankful!” Swiftly she gathered the folds of her short cloak about her and without a backward glance vanished in the direction of the hotel. Something, a soft and stricken sound, stole through the mist, but it might have been the drip from the weeping grasses on the moun- tain-side. Il fl EVART RIPLEY sought Hargood @ where he stood, glooming, in the “@ pbilliard-room of the Hotel zum Brughorn. It was clear to that perspica- cious young man that even the distressing exhibition of the English game then in prog- ress could not wholly account for his fricnd’s knotted brows and heavy stare. Where- upon he felt moved to lumber into action after his own ponderous manner. ‘““You’ve had a fuss,” he began know- ingly. Hargood’s brooding gaze expressed wit- less vacuity. ‘“‘A broil,” continued Evart. ‘Don’t tell me! I noticed she wouldn’t look at you during dinner. And she never called for your testimony explaining to the Major where you two were while the landslips were messing up the Reisenweg this after- noon. Huh! When she said you came back by the valley path and the funicular she had that soothery, peppery, April-fool-molasses- taffy way she always uses for fibs. I knew right away you must have been off some- where having a lovely scrap.” Hargood shrugged. “Oh, yes, I’m wise,’”’ continued Evart, nodding his big head sagely. “I’ve not been her brother for nothing. She will scrap. You'll have to learn.” Hargood winced under the club-footed ’ Comicbook (©