Adventure Magazine Cover — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

114 earning a living. True, his was the cheap sporting type of face and dress; his com- plexion was dark, suggestive of Latin par- entage; his upper lip was stained by a faint mustache that he touched caressingly from time to time. “You know,” he began with a dramatic drawl, a sort of cat-with-a-mouse manner, “TI believe somebody would be glad to pay for what I can tell.” She answered fiercely: ‘‘Jus’ once you try eet! find you next time.” ‘“‘He’ll stay where he is for some time yet.” “But when Cabron moves a finger, Jus’ one leetle finger—what happen, eh?” She was frightening -him with a name of which she herself was afraid, but as long as he didn’t know that, nothing was lost in the effect that she was after. ‘““Well, let’s talk business,”’ said the fellow with an uneasiness that he could not hide. “What am I goin’ do if you don’t ccme through?” ‘“’Trus’ me.” “Trust the “Eet is the same. Sure.” “Say, don’t try to make a joke.” _ He spoke with what he thought was an air of firmness. “Y’m not to be trifled with. I don’t want—” this with a manner of great con- sideration—‘‘to be hanging around you all the time trying to get enough to live on. Just give me a good stake, an’ I’ll beat it.” “Yees, anything—ever’thing to be rid of you. But I can not open heem.”’ As she half-ragefully drew out the word she snatched at the glittering knob and jerked as if to pull the heavy steel door open, tearing its bolts and locks apart. Cabron he will 19 Ese IT WAS then that the man jumped « ¥ as if shot, and she whirled. Both stood in a frozen attitude of amaze- ment; for the curtains had parted, a tall, masked figure was in the room and his pleasant voice, significantly ironical, had said— “‘Perhaps I can be of assistance.” Javotte mumbled something like an in- voluntary prayer in a foreign tongue, and her knees weakened so that for a moment she was unsteady. Here again was the dread Black Wolf. The man swore, then flashed a revolver. “Hands up!” he cried. Adventure Middleton’s hands were empty; but he answered carelessly: “No, my friend, it is not ‘Hands up.’ I can not open a child’s bank with my hands up. And your gun—kindly point it at the floor. From the way your hand wabbles I see you-are not used to playing with firearms.” ‘Who are your” “A gentleman of the night, profession- ally.” ““Take off that mask. Let me get a good look at you. Take it off, I said.” Middleton’s right hand had slipped into his side coat-pocket with an unhurried movement that did not attract attention until the bulge of the pocket as he thrust it forward gave the convincing appearance of a revolver’s nose being pressed against the cloth. It was.only his forefinger, but it was enough. “T heard you.” There was an ominous softness in the answer. “Yes. I heard you. But if I take off the little visor I am wearing it will be necessary for me to shoot # He waggled the right-hand coat-pocket slightly by way of emphasis. “Do you care to have me remove it?” The quiet manner of asking was a threat. His voice was smooth and dangerous, polite. The man gave his answer by his attitude, not with words of submission. He lowered his gun and stared, jaw loose, and very much afraid of the poised figure. The sense of fear that some people are able to inspire in others, in any others, is in the menace of personality. Dangerous men often do not convey the feeling that they are dangerous; and weaklings kill to keep from being thought cowards; some who bully, rave, threaten, inspire much the same sort of dread as lunatics; but it is poise, the calmness of mastery, that decides when two men are face to face which is to be obeyed. Middleton said to him politely, words shaded with contempt: ‘There is nothing to be frightened about. This safe—I can open it.” To Javotte— “With your permission, may I?” Javotte was trying to breathe slowly. Her little hands were cramped into fists, and she seemed scarcely to dare trust her- self with an answer. She was afraid. She MICLOOOK (C@