Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

I2 look for the boys from the ranch I passed one of these recruiters. He looked at me and did not salute. Iwasa little sore at the deliberate discourtesy and then I heard ‘Bronc’ Weston’s voice saying that I ought to discipline this fellow. So Bronc and I chased him. I remonstrated with him sadly but firmly and as I remember it made him practise a few times. ‘Well, this bird must have gone to Ran- som and spilled a lot of stuff, because right in front of the grand stand Ransom, loaded for bear, lit on’me like a ton of brick. He got nasty and I gota little sore. There was a big crowd around and even had he been right in bawling me out he had no business creating a scene. “So to close the argument I made him call that lying sergeant and instruct him per- sonally in saluting, to the great glee of the crowd. Without conceit I may say that I think Ransom, being mad, had already come out second best in the repartee,. and when I beat it to the grand stand I left him red asa beet. You see, me being a captain and he only a lieutenant put him in a fix where he didn’t know whether he had to stand it or not, and the temper of the crowd decided him. “Then he made himself more ridiculous by trying to have me arrested, but dad, the mayor and a couple of judges called on him and persuaded him to drop it. The whole bunch left town that same night. “T can see some point in the kid’s being sore—he’d been cutting a big swath there in town and he must ’ve known that his get- ting mad about it and showing it so plain just made the laugh bigger. He’s young and sensitive and being made ridiculous Jike that just rubbed him raw, and he can’t for- get it. Shucks! Even I can blush right now thinking of some times when I made a public fool. of myself, and knows I’m hard-shelled enough!”’ He laughed reminiscently. “T remember my first dress-suit dinner- party at college. Id heard it was consid- ered very nice to push in a Jady’s chair for her to sit down at the table. Me and my partner came into the dining-room last, and found .evervbody else standing at their places. I didn’t waste any time, but with- out waiting for the old doctor to make a move I just pushed in this poor damsel’s chair and she had to sit down. Then every- body else stayed up while the old boy—the Adventure host—asked a blessing. Boy, I’m red right now when I think of it!” The captain laughed. “I’ve had a few of those things myself,” he admitted. ‘Ransom just got a big dose and the more he moons over it the worse he feels toward me. I wrote him an apology right after it, and since he’s been down here I’ve taken him in hand privately twice. I’m sorry, and nobody realizes better than I do that I acted the fool, as wellas Ransom. ButasI say, I’ve gone out of my way to apologize to him and show him that I want to let by- gones be bygones, and I fai] to see anything more Icando. I'll be if I’m called on to lick his boots for him! Every time he sees me he lives it over, I guess, and because he’s got a lot to learn he hasn’t reached the point where he can forgive anybody who made him ridiculous. And he’s so little I can’t even lick him!”’ The two were silent a moment as the little car sped smoothly along the moonlit road. Captain Kennard knew human nature and he found it easy to understand why the high-strung, sensitive Ransom mentally writhed under the memory of that day in Arilla, and also that the longer Dave con- tinued to feed his hatred for Tex the more difficult it would be to change him. “Tex, I’m going to put it up to you,” he said finally. ‘I’m going to send you and Ransom on a more or less faked trip to El Paso for a week. The excuse will be to let you both study the liaison going on up there between the cavalry and the airplanes— they’re doing spotting, radio-work, and so forth. Being thrown together like that you may be able to get under his skin and make him forget his grudge. ‘‘He’s got a lot of good stuff in him and I’d like to keep him, but sooner or later he’ll be the means of busting the morale of this place all to unless he gets over his kid- dishness. He’s crazy about the Air Ser- vice and is proud as a peacock because he’s on border patrol, although I think he’s worrying a lot over you. I’m relying on you, old man and I think you can put it over.”’ “T’ll try, but what he needs is an old- fashioned spanking,” drawled Tex. “I look for a very—er—pleasant journey.” Which sardonic comment was to be jus- tified, for it was indeed an eventful adven- ture in friendship which the captain started COmicloo CN Vp) CO