Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

IO. affection as he watched the tall young flyer’s form fade into the blackness toward his tent. And he fell asleep that night wondering and worrying about the same thing that every other man of the McMullen Flight was dis- cussing. But the captain had decided that he must settle things between Ransom and MacDowell, or else get rid of Ransom. As for that youth—he was congratulating him- self on his victory! @ fore the captain took action— action that was destined to have far-reaching consequences. During those two weeks Ransom remained on the fence, in the opinion of McMullen, ready to fall off into popularity or the reverse. He showed himself to be wonderfully eager to learn, deprecatory of his ability, conscious always of his greenness. On the practise patrols which he flew as observer every day his reports were nearly always as good, and sometimes better, than those of the regular back-seat man. He was about ready to take his turn. His spare time was used around the hangar, drinking in the wisdom of motors and planes from enlisted men who knew a Liberty motor down to the last bushing clearance. But time and time again he caused a hush of disapproval to fall over the gatherings of the McMullen Flight when Tex Mac- Dowell was present. His answers to the Texan’s persistent efforts to make friends were curt and pugnacious. Usually the smiling, easy flyer contented himself with a mockingly humble retort, but occasion- ally the gray eyes hardened and his lean, tanned face set like granite. Never did he allow himself to give any further evidence of resentment. And Ran- som, with the uneasy knowledge that he was deliberately making an ass of himself, yet could not draw back. Pride—the mem- ory of that day so long ago when all Arilla had laughed at him—drove him on into more reckless indications of his hatred and the farther he went the more difficult it was even to think of responding to MacDowell’s advances. And one Miss Natalie Brewster, pride and joy of the colonel commanding the near-by cavalry garrison, probably complicated mat- ters considerably, for Tex was considered to IV IT WAS two weeks, however, be- Adventure be her favorite cavalier, and after the third day of Dave’s stay at McMullen he himself was utterly in love with her. Colonel Brewster’s daughter was an Army girl, which means that she was more than just a beautiful woman. Creamy skin, ripe red lips and long-lashed eyes have always had the power to weave a net for unwary males, but Natalie was that rare kind of girl who can inject into her relationships with men a sweet, frank comradeship that was more like a man-to-man friendship than anything else. All her life she had been among men— camping, riding, playing on Army posts where she often had been the only girl among a hundred men. For years she had been housekeeper, comrade and almost mother to Colonel Brewster. Add to natu- ral beauty the health and grace and whole- someness born of an outdoor life on forsaken border Army posts where riding, swimming and tramping frequently represented the only possible diversions for anybody, and you have Natalie. Tex met her at a dance given by the flight .and promptly asked her to grant him the next one. “Oh, I’m sorry, but I’ve promised some one already,” she replied, looking with in- terest at the man of whom she had already heard so much. “How about the second?” inquired Tex. “Tl have that one, too,” she confessed. “Sorry,” grinned Tex and drifted away. And for the rest of the evening he danced joyfully with every McMullen matron pres- ent, whirling the somewhat more obese ladies about with many flourishes. He never failed to bring them back to their seats flushed and laughing, for Tex had a line when he wanted to use it. He would grin cheerfully at Natalie when they passed, and had the time of his life. Now Natalie was the direct opposite of all that the word ‘‘vamp” has come to mean, but no woman accustomed to male admira- tion can brook indifference from an attrac- tive specimen of the other sex. One by one every single man at McMullen had come un- der Natalie’s spell, to be trained quickly into frank, sexless comradeship with all the tact born of years of admiration from all kinds and conditions of men. Natalie was twenty-two and from the time she started scampering around Army posts in pinafores she was the petted daughter of the regiment. COmiclboo \ ) CO