Adventure Magazine Cover, April 3, 1918 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

136 “T shore put my foot in it, I guess,” he mourned, when Johnny had rolled a scorn- ful cigaret. “That Anvil hoss showed yuh’d been west o’ the Bend trail some’ers,” said Johnny, sticking the cigaret in his mouth for a dry smoke, “an’ ’cause yuh didn’t know nothin’ o’ the Dogville trail nor Tommy’s gettin’ religion showed yuh’d been romancin’ round the country north an’ west o’ Cutter. He could see by the condition o’ the hoss yuh’d been shovin’ along hard an’ fast. An’ a fellah in this country don’t shove his hoss less’n he’s a hoss-thief or in a posse.” “Maybe he took me for a hoss-thief,”’ suggested Racey hopefully. “O’ course if you was yuh’d ride along with him the way yuh did an’ yuh’d bring the hoss here to the Bend, where the brand’s known, wouldn’t yuh?” “Well I) “Racey, Pll bet he knows yuh was part of a posse.” “Can’t help it. guess all this?” “Tf we’re a-goin’ to corral these road- agents yuh’l hafta guess a lot more’n this. Djever stop to think Harper may be one o’ the Farewell killers?” “He ain’t,” said Racey, eager to be of some use. “He was at Rocket nearly a week. I heard Dave Sinclair say so.” “He was, was he? Guess now I'll just go down an’ have a li'l talk with Dave.” “Do yuh think that Bale Harper feller is in with the road-agents?” asked Racey lugubriously hugging his knees. “T dunno. He’s somethin’ off, whatever his game is, or he’d never ’a’ made them breaks about the Dogville trail an’ Tommy’s whisky. Look here, Racey, didn’t nobody see nothin’ o’ the jiggers that downed Lute Holloway?” “Tt was dark, I tell yuh. All Bill Lainey an’ Mike Flynn an’ me could see was so many black shadders a-flyin’ past.” “Think now. Scratch yore head if yuh gotta, but think. You talked to Slim after he was shot, didn’t yuh?” ‘Shore, but = “An’ yuh heard him talk, didn’t yuh, Now, what——” . “Everybody was runnin’ ’round, I tell yuh, Johnny. How can I remember?” “Tf yuh’ll shut up about a minute an’ gimme a chance I'll show yuh how yuh How’n —— could I Adventure can remember maybe. You an’ as many as could was all in the room with Slim. There was Slim a-layin’ on the bed with Doc Kramer swabbin’ at his nicks an’ puttin’ on bandages. ‘They’s the lamp lit, an’ somebody’s a-holdin’ it so’s doc can see to work, an’ Bill Lainey’s breathin’ hard an’ shufflin’ his feet, an’ Slim’s a-talkin’ kind o’ gaspy, an’ yuh gotta scrouge forrard so’s yuh can hear what he’s sayin’. Now what did he say besides that about they bein’ four of ’em‘an’ Lute’s runnin’ out first? Nemmine how I know it. I know. Now, what did Slim say?” Thus adjured, Racey strove to live again his part in the scene reconstructed by Johnny Ramsay. There was Slim lying on the blood-stained blankets of the bed. Doc Kramer had cut his shirt and trousers away. There were tourniquets on both legs. Slim was talking—wheezing, rather. What was he saying—something about a horse, wasn’t it? Yes, that was it. A_ light-colored horse. And one of the riders wore no hat. Slim saw him against the stars. Was there anything else? Racey Dawson scratched his head, closed tight his eyes, but, could not remember another word of what Slim had said. He opened his eyes and hitched nearer his friend. “T thought maybe yuh could tell me somethin’ if yuh tried,” observed Johnny, when Racey had unbosomed himself. ‘A light-colored cayuse, huh? Dun, maybe?” “Can’t say. Slim didn’t.” ‘An’ the gent with no hat—was he ridin’ this light hoss?”’ “He was ridin’ one o’ the others. I remember Slim sayin’ that. He seen him plain against the stars after he’d fell down —Slim fell down.” ‘““‘No hat. Now, why wouldn’t he wear a hat, I wonder?” pondered Johnny. “Maybe he lost it,’ contributed Racey. ‘Maybe he had it tied to his -saddle- strings. Maybe she was a odd hat or somethin’ an’ he was afraid somebody’d recognize it. Maybe she was a wide white hat with a high crown, higher than most. Djever see a hat like that, Racey?” “The red-head!” Racey’s whisper was sharp. “He had a hat like that!” ‘He shore had, an’ comin’ back after Slim would be what he’d do if he got the chance.” “Slim did run him out o’ town kind o’ abrupt.” (C@ Gomichvook