Adventure Magazine Cover, April 3, 1918 — page 122: what you’re looking at

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

120 Johnny sat down on the door-sill, braced his toes against the jamb, and built him- self the inevitable cigaret. He stared lazily across his humped knees at the lady. He did not find her in the least hard to look at. She was handsomer than she used to be, he told himself. No two ways about it, she certainly filled a fellow’s eye. ‘“‘What’s that?” she asked, raising dark eyes to his. ‘“‘I—] didn’t say nothin’,” denied Johnny, going red to the ears. ‘“‘She—she’s a nice day.” “T beg your pardon. I thought you said something about eyes.” “Whore Me? Nun-no, ma’am.” “All right.” Indifferently. “Come to think of it, maybe now I did say somethin’ about eyes,” he observed, imbued with sudden daring. “I was just thinkin’ how yore eyes are a plumb dark brown, almost black, an’ yore eyebrows the same, an’ yore hair is a li’l lighter, an’ yet they all kind o’ match.” She gazed at him with parted lips, the aforesaid almost black eyebrows inquiringly arched. Then she smiled adorably and spooned up some more filling. “The wonders of nature,” she twinkled at him. ‘“‘Keep your eyes open and you'll learn something new every day. You never used to be so observant.” “My eyesight’s gettin’ better,’ dry comment. _ “T know,” she said, leveling the spoon at him, ‘‘you’ve been reading novels. You're getting romantic. You stop it, do you hear? Eyebrows and eyes and hair, indeed!” She sniffed quite audibly. “But they look so kind o’ — kind 0’ pretty,” he protested. “I was just tellin’ yuh. Why, ma’am, even that smear 0’ flour on yore nose looks nice.”’ “Never mind about my nose,” said she, rubbing the feature in question vigorously with the corner of her apron. ‘Of course I know I have a certain element of charm, as it were. My perfectly good mirror tells me that. But it isn’t at all necessary for you to tell me about. I don’t like it, and I won’t have it.” “Won’t yuh?” NTO.” “Why?” “Darn the man! I declare, when it comes to fool questions you’re worse than a brat! What you need is a little exercise, > was his ) Adventure and what I need is some fresh water. The pail’s in that corner. Do you think you can find the well without being led to it by the hand?” “T know I can’t,” he declared promptly. ‘“‘Besides, yuh need some fresh air. This kitchen’s kind o’ hot. C’mon out.” “After. Get a move on with that water, and stop your nonsense.” When Johnny had gone, Dorothy sat looking through the open window at the green and distant Government Hills. There was a tender little smile on her lips. At the sound of his returning step she went on with her pie-making. ‘“‘Where’s yore ma?” he asked, suddenly bethinking himself of Mrs. Burr as he set the full pail in the corner. ‘“She’s over at Mis’ Acker’s on Jack Creek.” “IT thought you said yuh done sent Sammy Barnes for her,” said he, recollecting what Dorothy had told the marshal the previous afternoon. Dorothy giggled. “TI sort of told a fib,” she confessed. “TI didn’t really send for ma. You see, I knew Scotty and some of his boys would be fencing in that quicksand at Wagon Slue on the Dogsoldier yesterday, so I sent Sammy for Scotty instead. But I thought Dan Smith and the rest of that mob had better keep right on believing as long as possible that they had nearly two hours in which to try you and—and—instead of the thirty minutes or so necessary for the ride to Wagon Slue and back.” “YT know what yore ‘an’—an’’ means,” said he soberly. ‘“They was shore out to hang me. They’d ’a’ done it, if it hadn’t -been for you.” ‘“‘Nonsense!”” she exclaimed, sliding the pies into the oven and kicking the door shut. ‘Jim Mace and Soapy were there. I didn’t really do anything.” “Ym thinkin’ different,” he told her earnesfly, took a step toward her, and paused, overcome by sudden _ shyness. “Cuc—call me Johnny, will yuh?” Dorothy deliberately turned her back on him and crossed the room to the tiny mir- ror hanging beside the china-closet. Here she busied herself in pulling and patting her coiffure into shape. Head cocked on one side, she surveyed the effect. Johnny scraped an uncomfortable foot. He thought he had made her angry, and CORnnICLOO S (C@