Adventure Magazine Cover, April 3, 1918 — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

Hidden Trails killin’, hold-ups, an’ all. They ain’t no difference.” ‘And yet nothing seems to stop the road- agents in this county.”’ She was looking up into his face with brilliant eyes. “No,” he admitted, “‘they seem to be playin’ in right good luck. But you wait. Maybe yuh’ll have to wait a year or two, maybe longer, but you wait. They’ll be got, ma’am.”’ “T’m sure I hope so,”’ she declared, ledn- ing back and patting her hair with long, slim fingers. ‘‘I had some silk for a gown coming all the way from Chicago, and the stage was stopped that trip, and it was raining, and they ripped open the package and left it there in the mud. I could have wept when the agent told me. My pretty yellow silk ruined! I hope they do catch them.” “That’s shore too bad about yore dress,” he sympathized. ‘Likely them bandits didn’t know what it was, or they wouldn’t ’a’ touched it.”’ HE WAS watching a tiny pulse on the side of her round throat. He hadn’t noticed it before. The little telltale was throbbing steadily and fast. Yet the color in her cheeks had not altered a shade. It was her own color, too. He had made sure of that at the cigaret-lighting. “I wish you were the sheriff or a deputy or something,’ gaid she. “Mer Why?” “Because I believe you could catch them. I believe you could do more than this idiotic sheriff.” ‘‘He’s doin’ his best, ma’am. Ain’t yuh takin’ the loss o’ that dress mighty hard?”’ “Oh, it isn’t the dress. It’s the idea of these bandits being able to do what they please. They make a perfect joke of the sheriff and his men. Oh, if I were a man, I'd get out and do something! I’d give these road-agents a run for their money. You said yourself there’s always one horse toomany. I’d make the Fane job that one horse. There are two thousand dollars apiece offered for those bandits. Did you know that?” “Td heard.” He nodded a grave head. “It would certainly be worth almost any man’s while. JI should think you’d try it out.” The brilliant eyes had narrowed ever so slightly, and the little pulse was beating quite rapidly now. 129 “T ain’t a fool,” he said seriously. ‘I never hunt trouble, not never. An’ two thousand dollars ain’t enough for me to bet my life against nohow. S’pose now I lose the life. What good’s two thousand wheels to me? No sirree, you hear me talkin’, if anybody wants to hunt road-agents, let ’em. I wouldn’t think o’ spoilin’ their fun. I got me a good job at the Flyin’-M, an’ I aim to keep it, y’betcha.” “What are you doing in town then?” “Oh, I ain’t exactly started in yet,” the answer came pat. “Yuh see, I figure to spend all my money first. Maybe by the first o’ next week Ill go to huntin’ Scotty’s strays.” “Scotty Mackenzie must be an easy-go-~ ing employer to let you begin work with a vacation.” : “Men are scarce.”” This was true. “I told him I wouldn’t ride for him less’n I could have these few days off. Shucks, I don’t draw wages till I start, so what’s the differ to Scotty? Scotty he said he wished I was twins.” “Twins?” “Shore, so’s he could hire the:other. He wants another man. They’s a whole heap o’ country to cover—more’n one stray man can swing. I tell yuh what, ma’am, yuh ride when the Flyin’-M hires yuh.” Was the little pulse beating less strongly now? He thought it was. Mrs. Wallace turned her eyes away and inspected the pink tips of her pretty fingers. “Do you know,” she remarked suddenly, “T like you.” ‘“That’s—that’s fine,” said he lamely, for he was somewhat taken aback. “Ves,” she continued, “‘you tell funny stories, and you aren’t fresh. JI—LI like it. There’s not much for a woman to do in this town. Of course, I’m busy here in the mornings, and the Broken Dollar fills in the evenings, but the afternoons are awfully long when there’s no one to play with. I’m pretty lonely sometimes.” “That’s shore a fright, ma’am.” not know what else to say. “Will you come to see me sometimes?” She gave him another of her straight looks. “T’d admire to,’ he declared, and meant it, too. And in a little while he said good-by and walked away up Main Street. “Ts she, or ain’t she?’’ he asked himself. ‘‘____. T shore dunno. One thing, she’s He did COMICOOOKS (C@