Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

When Good Fellows Get Together At the age when most girls are half-way through school, and attending juvenile parties, young lieutenants were already competing for the privilege of escorting the colonel’s daughter wherever she might de- sire to go—and it was not because she was the colonel’s daughter, either. She set out to bring Tex into line, and then found she liked him very much. Pete Miller, who had often offered his heart and hand to the same young lady, once opined that he wished he had had sense enough to act indifferent for a while before springing the question, for Tex made no ap- parent effort to rush her. Not being in- trospective, he did not bother his head as to the precise nature of his feelings and would have been much amused at the idea that there was any sentiment attached to their friendship on either side. Which same idea developed in the minds of every man at McMullen, to say nothing of a few dozen downcast young cavalry officers. Tex thought her the most charming girl he had ever met, liked to be in her company if there was no poker game on, and more or less unconsciously drifted into the habit of seeing her very often. Then came Ransom, who threw himself into the business of winning her with all the ardor and enthusiasm that was his, which was a good deal. His utter adoration was bound to affect any girl and Natalie was no exception. McMullen never discussed things of that sort, but they watched with interest. There were vague rumors of a time when Tex had dropped in to call when Ransom was there, and something had hap- pened that always brought a troubled look into Natalie’s eyes afterward when both men were near, but nobody knew exactly what it was, although they could surmise. Certain it was, however, that Ransom’s at- titude toward the strangely patient Mac- Dowell was becoming more and more in- sufferable, so Captain Kennard took the bull by the horns. He summoned Tex to his office one evening. ‘How would a ride suit you, Tex? I’ve got something I want to talk over with ou.” “Fine. I might be able to guess what it is, captain.” The C. O. grinned and led the way to his trim roadster. “The bringing up of children,” pursued II Tex, “is inoculated with deviousness.” “Your vocabulary is a treat, Tex. When I get this bus running, I wonder whether you want to tell me about what’s biting “Ransom.” “T guess I might a as well,” replied Mac- Dowell as the car slid smoothly along the road and turned toward town. “I haven’t said anything about it because I hate to do what I know Ransom is afraid I will do— shoot off my mouth too much. But ac- cording to the lay as she stands, you have a right to know and of course won’t say any- thing about it.” “Right. I’ve worked like a nigger for a year to get this gang happy, contented and have every man fit in. Sooner or later Ransom is going to cut his throat as far as this particular section of the Air Service goes or else come to his senses.”’ “Well, it was like this,” Tex began asthe captain ‘eased up on the accelerator and pointed “the roadster down the San Eliza- beth Road, stretching palely white before them. “It was just one of those little things that turn out big. I’m not proud of my part in it, but it was funny, or so they tell me.” He grinned impishly in the darkness. “T got home—that is, to Arilla; Texas, where dad has a house to use when he gets sick of the ranch—about a year ago. I was sort of a two-for-a-cent hero, you know, all ribboned up, prisoner in Germany, aviator and all that stuff. Ransom was up there with a little bunch of men to recruit for the Artillery. The fair was on at the time and these artillerymen had their booths up out there. I got there in the morning and ran into a bunch of the boys from the ranch right off. Well, between them and dad and other judges of good liquor, by the time the afternoon came along I was slightly illu- minated. I always insist on the fact that I was not drunk, merely slightly tanked, and that not observable.” “Able to navigate, eh?” put in the captain. “T WAS perfectly O.K., you under- stand, but what I mean is that per- haps I was in a little more receptive state for foolishness than I would have been without the liquor. Well, I proceeded to the fair to watch the afternoon races. I was still in the uniform of a British captain, and when I was going into the grounds to oO MICLOO© © ZN UM) C©