Adventure Magazine Cover, April 3, 1918 — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

A Shift into Reverse there’s no use of both of us going. You can make it without me.” Weber’s answer was to take up Dugan’s feet and stumble on. But this time he moved barely a foot before he stopped, went to his knees and from his knees to his stomach. As he tried to struggle up again, letting go of his burden, a strong hand lifted him and shoved him down the passage. It was Reasoner. “Tl bring Dugan,” he said. “Get on out and take your place in the boat.”’ Weber obeyed. What Dick Reasoner promised, he would do. When the men sent with Weber reported that the smoke had driven them out, and that Weber had gone on alone, Reasoner guessed what had happened, for he knew that the men of the second did not intend to risk much to save Dugan, and that in the smoke it would be difficult to find stateroom twelve. So he went to the rescue himself, and thought he was lucky when he found Weber and Dugan in the passage. As Weber went on at his orders, he picked up the heavy man in the approved first-aid manner, and bore him to comparative safety on deck. ‘The officers of the Senator were rounding up the last members of the fire-fighters, and getting them into the boats. All felt that it was barely a ques- tion of minutes till the magazines blew up, and that hurry was necessary. ‘See if your men are all out,” directed the first officer. “We are abandoning.” A sailor helped Reasoner down the gang- way with his burden, where he turned Dugan over to the hospital steward, and mustered his crew. The four who had failed to follow Weber kept their eyes in the boat, and Reasoner did not speak to them. He felt that when the whole story of Weber’s heroism came out, they would be punished enough. With temporary bandages in place, Dugan lay in the stern-sheets of the boat. Reasoner had the tiller, and Weber, too weak to pull an oar, sat aft also. For half the trip over, Dugan was silent, then he spoke to Weber. “Kid, I’ve been all wrong about you. The rest of this second division is a bum lot, but you’re a little man. Don’t be worryin’ about these punctures. Pills’ striker tells me that Ill make it O. K.” Then he turned his eyes to Reasoner. “Dictionary Dick,’ he said, smiling -through.”’ 105 wanly, “I’ve made a lot of fun of you and your queer notions, but you’ve called the turn every time, and I’ll have to hand it to you. Your system has mine skinned a Dutch knot. Now I’m goin’ to save your old bean a lot of worry. As soon as I spill this little yarn to the captain I’m askin’ for transfer. This second division wouldn’t ever forget, and sometimes when a man’s in a pinch, he needs friends. On another ship I’ll start different and see——”’ “T wouldn’t talk so much, Dugan,” interrupted the hospital steward, “it might start the bleeding again.” Dugan glared at him. “Shut up yourself,” he said, with a flare of his old temper. “I stop when I’m Then in a moment he asked humbly enough, “Could I speak one more word to Weber?” The steward nodded, and Weber bent over to hear the low-spoken words. “Tell Alice for me that she can go on and live her life in peace, and that Ill live mine.” Then the injured man settled back, and neither Reasoner nor Weber heard his muttered comment: as they went alongside the Dixie, and a dull roar behind them heralded the last of the Senator. “Gone!” he said. ‘‘That’s what almost happened to me, only DPve been given another chance.”’ THE Dixie steamed at full speed a, | for the nearest port, where the SS passengers from the Senator and the wounded were landed. Slim Higgins and Reasoner were at the rail as the boat shoved off with Dugan aboard. “Well, Dick,” said Slim, ‘‘what’s the good word?” “Reverse,” answered Reasoner. “I’ve looked it up carefully, and it means to turn backward; to change entirely.” “Reverse,” repeated Slim. “I follow you, old worm. To shift gears. Well, my fond hope is that Dugan’s clutch don’t slip, and that he can keep right on backin’ up to ‘reverie’ and ‘reverence.’ He needs 7em both.” Slim turned away to keep his face straight, and Reasoner looked at him with a puzzled frown, for how could, Reasoner know that Slim had raided his sea-chest and found the little cross-marks by the words in the well-thumbed dictionary? C@Onniclooo® S (C@