Adventure Magazine Cover, April 3, 1918 — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

A Shift into Reverse minute, was stimulation enough for the youngsters. Until Dugan railed at them, they had forgotten how they hated him. _ Alongside the Senator a few passengers and a part of the crew who had been re- lieved from the fire-fighting, came into the boat at once, but when there was still room for half a dozen more, they stopped coming. Dugan stepped out of the boat and ran up the ship’s gangway to the deck. He wanted to get a full load before he shoved off. A man met him at the top. He wore no hat, his face was scorched, his eyes red. “Help!” he cried, in a voice full of anxiety. “Shut up yappin’,”’ ordered Dugan. “You grown men give me a pain, actin’ like a lot of babies.” “My wife,” explained the man, resenting the other’s tone, ‘not me. I want help to get her up from below.” ‘Where below?” “Don’t stand there asking questions, but get some more of your crew and come.” Dugan realized that the man’s emotions were not fear for himself, but worry for some one else. ‘All right,” he agreed, and called down to the boat, ‘Come on deck, one of you.” The men hesitated. ‘“‘Weber,” desig- nated Dugan, used to calling on the boy for extra tasks, and in a moment he joined Dugan and the passenger, and the three ran down the deck toward the fire. As they went the man explained. “When the fire-alarm came, I went to help with the fire, and my wife said she would call the other passengers near us. They put me where I couldn’t get away, and for hours I haven’t seen her. I have watched every. boat that was loaded. Between times I have searched the state- room and all those near it. The smoke is awful down there and she has been over- come and is lying unconscious somewhere. I want you to help me find her.”’ In the passage alongside the staterooms the smoke became worse as the three men went forward. ‘A little more of this and I go back,” objected Dugan; “your wife probably went in one of the boats while you were looking at another.” “This is our stateroom,” said the man, “T’ll look once more to be sure.” Dugan and Weber followed. : ) IOI Inside the room the smoke was not so dense: and a woman tottered toward their guide from where she had been lying across the bunk. “John!” she cried, “I’ve: been looking everywhere for you. I was afraid you were hurt. Take me out of here.” Thesman put his arm around the woman and turned toward the door. “Ves, dear,” he said soothingly, ‘‘there are plenty of boats. Here are two men from the rescue ship. We will go now.” wee LYUGAN had been behind the man, Zo | and the woman had not yet seen him, but Bryan Weber had seen the shock of surprise, followed by the spasm of hate, which went over his features as he heard the woman speak, and then looked from behind her husband at her face. The man’s revolver lay on a small table at one side of the room. Dugan stepped quickly forward and secured it. The woman’s eyes followed him fasci- nated. “Cain!”’ she cried, “Cain Dugan! him, John! He'll kill you.” Stop Her voice rose into the hysterical note of — absolute terror, and as her husband turned toward Dugan she repeated the warning in a barely audible whisper as she passed into unconsciousness. “Ves, Alice,” said Cain Dugan, addressing the woman as if she could still hear what he was saying. ‘The devil is good to his own. I knew that the big chance would come. I intend to kill this home-breaker before your eyes, just as I have always sworn to do.” Dugan was so full of his anger that he did not realize at first that the limp form of the woman in her husband’s arms could not hear what he had to say. Then he addressed the man. “So you are John Ryan. Ill show you how to break up a man’s home.” Ryan did not answer. “Everything has happened so well for me,’’ continued Dugan, his words charged with sneering triumph. “I will shoot you in a moment and then carry the woman out to the boats. She has fainted and won’t see me do it, but then that allows me to tell my own tale when I come to trial. A man mustn’t expect too much.” John Ryan was no coward. As he faced Dugan’s deadly rage his eyes did not waver COnniclooo S (C@ |