Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

The Black Quag Scowling impatiently, Roberts scribbled something and handed it over. ‘Vou know your own business, no doubt.” “T do, sorr—better ner you. An’ when ye find this man out, ye c’n send f’r me, an’ -Tll come back—though I misdoubt it'll be too late, sorr. The saints help ye!” He was gone. - Roberts turned to me, grinning ruefully. “Superstitious lot! My best foreman, too. Wonder if Hand would take his job? I only wish I’d had that man’s experience, doctor. certificated engineer like that should be looking for a timekeeper’s job? Must be in mighty hard luck.” “T only hope you don’t join him there,” Maid It and with that dubious comfort left him alone. CHAPTER IV GAGE OF BATTLE UCH was the coming of Lily-White Hand to Black Valley. For a few days he went about his business in Camp Two, and I saw nothing of him. Then Roberts, as he had threatened, gave him O’Shaughnessy’s place, and he bossed a gang of men. From a distance I saw him once or twice, standing with ,booted legs wide- spread, gloved hands idle at his sides. He never raised his voice; he scarcely gestured; but the laborers leaped to obey him, ‘ work- ing furiously. Also they gave him a wide berth, passing him, when they must, with averted heads and stealthily making that odd Sicilian sign of the horned hand, the charm against the evil eye. But he was not long at this. North and south, the grades reached out for each other until they had en¥roached a full quarter of a mile upon the bosom of the Quag. And the Black Quag preserved a sullen silence, not giving tongue as it had a month before; and the engineers laughed at us, saying, “‘Where’s your demon swamp now?” But our old men muttered together, fearing some evil thing—for that Spring the Quag had not yet fed. Then the Ontario System reached out a Jong arm and took one of Warren Roberts’ assistants; that engineer who had im- mediate charge of the ~southern end-of- track. And Roberts gave the place to Wonder why a highly © I5! Isaac Hand, as was his privilege; and con- gratulated himself to me that he had so good a man for it. “He’s'a wonder, that man Hand,” he | averred. ‘Just watch him fill that flat!” — Still in his much- washed khaki—I never saw:him in any other dress—Lily-White Hand left the railroad camp and came to board at the Putnam House in the village. Now he was an engineer; he could not min- gle with mere workmen. So he established himself-in a room, with no more visible baggage than a foot-long roll of khaki cloth would hold, and ate at the long table with Roberts and his aides. Mrs. Putnam cooked for him, and pronounced him quite the gentleman. “Not a bit of trouble,” said she. ‘Eats what’s set before him with his eyes on his plate, and never a word out of him. And pays a week in advance.” ) And Sally Putnam served him; but her opinion was different. “He has a devil,” she declared, for she was an outspoken young lady and well grounded in ;the Scriptures. And when her mother pressed for a reason the girl only Shook her head, admitting Hand’s outward decorum. ‘‘But wait and see!” A very unreasonable attitude, no doubt—which I was inclined to share with her. It was at the Putnam House that I perceived the aptitude of the man’s nick- name—for already the village and the camps called him ‘“‘Lily-White,”’ save to his face. JI had never seen him ungloved until one day when Molly, my wife, had gone shopping in Buffalo and I must eat at the hotel. I sat at the long table with the engineers; and Isaac Hand came in late, stripping off his gauntlets and stuffing them into a pocket as he came. He sat down; and I looked at his hands. They were small and supple, with tapering fingers like a woman’s, and their nails were meticulously fled, trimmed and polished. Also they were white—snow-white, lily- white—and soft and delicate of texture. They exuded a faint fragrance, as of creams and unguents; and Lily-White Hand regarded them lovingly as he ate. But the sight of: them irritated me; it is not normal, not wholesome, that a man should have such hands. The meal being over, Roberts went back to his office and his assistants dispersed, each upon his own purposes. I found COMmMicOOoks.CouMm