Adventure Magazine Cover, June 18, 1921 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

14 as they started for the mess-hall. for El Paso?” “Yes,” admitted Tex. “Suppose we make it right after dinner. You arouse my curlosity, which is an effeminate weakness of which I am ashamed,” he added. “It’s a tip on Dave Fitzpatrick,” the ranger told him as they entered the mess- hall, where Tex received a noisy greeting from the remainder of the flyers. He in- dulged in various spicy bits of badinage anent mash-notes, sideslips into the ground in an effort to hit the landing-mark, and other references to his brief but eventful career as a border pilot, finally getting a chance to arrange with lanky ‘Hub’ Ches- ter, engineer officer, that the McMullen ship be got ready to go without delay. Chester, who had made a world’s record when he flew thirteen hundred miles and back on a special mission in two days, twenty hours flat flying-time, promised that the ship would be ready and then asked— ‘‘Who’s that observer with you—Ransom, did you say?” “Uh huh. Why?” “‘He’s been looking at me pretty steadily ever since we sat down. I was wondering whether I ought to know him.” “He’s a new man, afflicted with a vast ad- miration for border-patrol pilots. Your reputation, plus your fatal beauty, is what’s responsible,” grinned MacDowell. Chester was as homely as he was good-natured, which meant he was in no danger of being shot for his beauty. As the meal ended and _ tobacco-smoke began to permeate the atmosphere Tex caught the Ranger’s eye and nodded. They excused themselves and walked slowly toward the line, where Chester’s mechanics were busy on the visiting ship. “Tf you’re bound for El Paso the warning I’m passin’ on to you about Dave Fitz- patrick is what I call in the nick o’ time,” said Ayres. “Oh, that’s the lay, is it? Say, do you mind if I get my side-kick back there to hear what you’ve got to say? Id like to have him know all there is, if we’re going to be up against anything.” “Sure thing—nothin’ very mysterious about it.” In getting Ransom, Tex was trying to play his hand for all it was worth with the young observer. He intended to pass up no bets in his effort to come to an under- “Bound Adventure standing, for Captain Kennard’s sake if nothing else. The puzzled Ransom fol- lowed him to where the ranger squatted in the shade alongside a hangar. Tex himself had but a shadowy idea of what Ayres’ news might be. ‘Before I say anything, do you mind tellin’ me just what it was you did to Fitz- patrick, the time he raised such a stink up in Brownsville?”’ 7 “I was feeling somewhat festive, and fly- ing my De Haviland along the San Eliza- beth Road about five feet in the air. A car came around a corner, got scared and backed into a ditch. Fitzpatrick was the only one in it and I gather he had to walk some ten miles before he got a two-mule- power rig to haul his boat out of the ooze. I was sorry it happened, but it being Fitz- patrick, I bore up nobly when everybody from the general down bawled me out.” ‘‘And every one on the border laughed themselves loco,’’ added the ranger with a grin. “Still, I don’t quite see why that should make Fitzpatrick yearn for your scalp none. Accordin’ to our dope—and she comes straight—he’s out to get you.” “Who is this Fitzpatrick?” inquired Ransom. “You must be new to the border, ain’t you?” was the return query of the ranger. Dave nodded. AYRES sent a stream of tobacco- juice with deadly accuracy at a passing ant, deluging the unfortu- nate insect in a stinging flood. “Fitzpatrick owns a store at Tia Nita, on the Mexican side of the river. And for twenty years, more or less, he’s been makin’ crooked money, smuggling firearms, opium, and lately hooch. That is, we know he has but we never pinned the goods on him. He’s got a young army 0’ spigs, chinks anc outlaw whites under his thumb all up an’ down the border. We’ve caught a hundrec of ’em, but it’s plumb impossible to pry their mouths open. Fitzpatrick’s got the confi- dence of every bandit from Villa down and there’s a lot o’ men say he’s got pull on this side o’ the river that has went plumb to Washington. And I’ve personally knowed men he’s wanted to get rid of that has hac something happen to ’em, pronto. Some- times his work is coarse—the man gets shot by some unknown. Then again he sat- isfies himself with just gettin’ something on COMmicloo oN Uf) CO