Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 167: what you’re looking at

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

The Letter of the Promise into the light and push his way through the rapidly growing throng. “Quick, the launch, Mr. Byrd!’’ he shouted to the second-officer, who had ap- peared on deck; and, followed by Pendelton, he hurried to the gangway. ry THE fire had spread, threatening KH the entire barrio, by the time Colo- nel Bradley reached the scene; and Cutter and his men were trying to check it by pulling down the shacks in its path. An hour later Colonel Bradley mopped his brow, as he stood with the major, gazing somewhat ruefully at the swath cut by the flames. “Hot work!” he exclaimed with an expul- sion of breath. Then he looked about for Pendelton, whom he had a vague impression he had not seen at all during the fre. He was not now in sight. As they started up the street together, he turned to Cutter. “‘What was the trouble between you and Pendelton?”’ he asked. The major met his gaze unflinchingly. ‘‘What did he say?” he countered. “He didn’t say a thing. He wouldn’t even admit that there had been any trouble, but I take it there was.” Cutter smiled indulgently. “Nothing much,” he said, “‘Pendelton was a little careless, a little too familiar in his manner with the men, and I had to jack him up for it. He is oversensitive. You know these Southerners. I think that for a day or two it galled his pride. But he is all right now.” “T hope so,” said the Colonel. “TI like that boy. He’s got good stuff in him— he’s clean through and through.” “They don’t make them any better,” agreed Cutter heartily. As they turned into the street which led past the office to the wharf, they met Pen- delton. He was hot and disheveled; the colonel supposed he must have been mis- taken about his not being at the fire. “T’ll see you both in the morning,” he called pleasantly, a few moments later, as he stepped aboard the launch. ‘“‘And you get a good night’s rest, Pendelton.”’ “Thank you, sir, I hope to,’ answered Pendelton. Cutter laughed; and, when he was certain 165 that the launch was out of hearing, he volun- teered: “You may, but I doubt it. We are going to sea tonight.” Pendelton did not seem particularly sur- prised. “‘Tonight, eh?” he echoed. Cutter’s face was dark. “Yes tonight. It’s now or never. That prying old fool suspects something, and he’ll keep worming at you tomorrow until you give yourself away. I know him! But he’ll come down a peg when he finds that we have given him the slip right under his nose.” Pendelton sighed audibly. He looked years older than he had that first night on the beach. About his eyes there were little lines which had come to stay. But the tenseness was gone from his manner; of the two men he seemed the more composed, the more forceful, the stronger character. “T suspected it,’”’ he said quietly, ‘‘when I saw the fire. But you are crazy, man; we could never get away.” “We'll chance it,’ answered Cutter briskly. ‘“T’ll leave a letter for him on the desk saying that we were suddenly called away by word of Ricardo and will be back tomorrow night. That will keep him guess- ing long enough to give us the start we need.”’ Pendelton drew a step nearer to the other man. ““Major,” he said earnestly, “‘let’s chuck the whole business. It’s a mad scheme and will surely end in disaster. If you will for- get it, I will. Only say the word and I promise you nobody will ever get a breath of it from me.” Cutter frowned impatiently. ‘‘Mad or not, remember it’s only due to me that you are not locked up under a charge of theft. I am engineering this deal. You be ready to open the safe at twelve o’clock—that’s your part.”’ Crossing to the launch which was slowly backing into her mooring at the wharf, he began to issue instructions in a low voice to the patron. IG to his reports, but he could not lose himself in them with his customary absorption. Unconsciously he continued to rehearse that scene with Pendelton. Cutter’s explanation may have been the COLONEL BRADLEY returned CoOMmichooOoks.Ec©