Adventure, December 1914 — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

106 choked the whole trail from the hog-back to the bend. They arrived at the hog-back before the men below had mounted, ran along the crest and halted beside the motionless sled. The packs were gone, but the man lay on his back across the sled, his white face, marred by a bloody welt over the temple, turned up to the stars, his mop of yellow hair hang- ing down to the snow. The dogs, big Mac- Kenzie River huskies, likewise lay upon their backs, humped in grotesque attitudes among the twisted harness. ‘Slide rock got them!” breathed Sark, finally. ‘‘It’s certain as dynamite when it CHAPTER I SOLE RESIDUARY LEGATEE VE you ever heard how I first made the acquaintance of Mr. Jerningham Creed?”’ The lawyer shook his head. A smile wrinkled his lips as if for some reason he found the earnestness with which Mr. Adair put the question amusing. “It’s a queer story. Then the whole thing has been a queer story—and it seems as if the queerest part of it was still to come.” NIN Adventure starts. Look at his legs and the legs of my poor beggars of dogs. He sure took a des- perate chance, Bassett, hiding out under an avalanche!”’ ‘“‘Sure desperate,’ agreed Bassett solemn- ly. “But still, if you figure it out, Sark, your chance ten minutes ago was just the same as his. “Say,” and he whirled toward Clavin, Hassing, and the rest who showed heads and shoulders as they ran up the slope, “talk about your circumstantial evidence! Talk about your proof! Come here and well show you something transcending proof!’ LIVES- A » rote > Adair had got up from his seat and was wandering about the room. Now, sudden- ly returning to the table, he leaned over it toward the lawyer. “When I first met Creed I was starving— perhaps you find that amusing. You seem to have your own ideas of amusement.”’ Mr. ‘Foster smiled again, tapping the table with the edge of a sheaf of blue papers. “The truth is, Mr. Adair, that in a sort of general sense I find the whole thing amusing. Surely you and Creed were never made for each other. The whole thing seems incongruous. I can’t see you asso- ciated—especially with this at the end of it.” DOO (©