Adventure Magazine Cover, April 1916 — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

A Hot-Dog in a Hurry she saw dimly a safe rent by an explosion, its door open. The combination dial hur- tled through the air and landed spinning on the floor. Smoke and fire issued from the split safe. Everywhere little heaps of film burst into flame where they fell. The watchman went leaping across the big room and down the hall to turn in the alarm. Miss Dem straightened her hat, choking on the smoke. Joe rushed back again with other men in his train. They carried fire-hose and axes. The lonely room of a moment before became the center of seething activity. The pale electric light was dyed rose-color with the mounting flames. Came the splash of water, the hiss of resisting fire, the rise of white steam. Then with a sudden rushing crescendo of sound, the regular firemen arrived. Lines of black hose writhed over the floor like serpents of deliverance. _Miss Dem stepped back out of the way, right onto her lost key. So is it tolerably sure that one will find just about what one isn’t looking for. She tucked it joyfully into her purse and made for the stairway, murmuring to herself: ‘This here is no place for pettiskirts!”’ She ran through the courtyard, dodging the firemen and the hose-lines. Half-way to the St. Peter’s gate-house a man grabbed her arm and turned her face © to the light. It was Steve, the watchman who had let her in. He was pale as ashes, and his hand shook on her arm. “Thank God!” he exclaimed, and, turning, walked with her to the gate and to the edge of the dense crowd which had gathered out- side. “I’d never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you, Miss Dem, after [let youin. I’m generally more strict —you were the second one [I let in to-night. Don’t tell any one. I’d get into trouble.”’ “‘Keep movin’!”’ a policeman bade them, shouting to be heard over the din of arriv- ing engines and clanging bells. Miss Dem gave Steve a gentle push. “Run along back, Steve!”’ she said in his ear. ‘I’m goin’ home to have a nap before breakfast.” She disentangled herself from the pushing crowd, skipped over a pathway of red-hot cinders trailing from a passing engine, and ran for the car. Arrived at home—this time with the key i8I —she filled Angel-face to the muzzle with puppy-biscuit, and retired to rest. IN THE morning, drawn by a not unnatural curiosity, she went to the Morisson plant. The place was buzzing like a beehive. Every employe who could get in, whether by hook or by crook, was there surveying the damage. The room where the explosion had taken place still smelled acrid with the burned-out flames. Water had soaked the floor. It ran in little rivulets in every direction. Bits of charred paper lay about. The thin partition wall gaped where a fragment of iron had hurtled through. On the floor, here and there, was the sticky detritus of burnt film lying where it fell when the ex- plosion blew it out of the safe. “Lord!”? Miss Dem exclaimed. ‘‘What a mess!”’ 3 Falworth and Mr. Morisson passed in close conversation. The latter was saying: ‘Too bad! I was banking on that!’ “Well,” the chemist returned with a wave of his fat white hand, “‘we gave him the best possible chance.” They passed out of sight into the movie "man’s private office. Miss Dem stood looking after them. Some one touched her arm. Steve stood beside her. Hé looked nervous and wor- ried. “Say, Miss Dem,’* he began in a low tone, ‘‘you haven’t told any one you were in here last night, have you?” ‘‘Was I hatched yesterday?” she retorted with a smile. Steve looked relieved. ‘“‘No one else knows but Joe—the man who took you up,” he told her. “TI got him his job—he won’t snitch.”’ “How about the other person you let in last night?”’ she asked him in a sudden curi- osity. Steve looked blank. He shook his head. ‘““You were the only one got past me,” he declared. “Oh, I thought—” she began, trying to piece something together in her mind. Steve leaned toward her. “T can rely on you not to get me into trouble, Miss Dem,” he whispered, as a couple of employees passed them. “I’d be bounced if it got to Mr. Morisson’s ears that I & She put out her hand and grasped his CoOMmichoooks CO