Adventure Magazine Cover — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

Men of the Night ‘‘“Mame, it was considerate of youse to leave them Loudens their wall-paper. The word’s been passed t’ grab you quick.’ ‘So I ups and outs wit’ a stone I’d been savin’ f’r meself. ‘* “Aw right,’ he says. ‘T’ll turn this in as recovered,’ an’ off he goes. “Say, if ’'d met any more frien’s I’d had t’ come home in a newspaper f’r a fig-leaf.”’ “Gee, Mame!” Billy exclaimed, a hand going down into his pocket and closing on a roll of paper money thick as his fist. “Stow it. Stow it, kid. When I wants charity I’ll hike round to t’ Salvation Army an’ get it, see?” - “But if you’s stony?” “Me? Say—look.”’ She thrust a silken leg out from under the table and pulled her skirt high, and a large lump just below the garter gave emphasis to the words— “T c’d buy the gold fillin’ out o’ Rocker- feller’s teeth.” With careless brush of hand she threw ’ the skirt down, crossing her legs under the table. “You’s a wonder, Mame!”’ “Tl say so.” “How’d youse do it?” Mame gave him a long stare from the corners of her gray eyes and faintly shook her head. “Vou wouldn’t b’lieve if I tol’ youse; but T ain’t goin’ tell. But listen, Billy. I want ’o tell youse somet’ing. "Member I tol’ you an’ Jimmy them Loudens would frame that girl Frank marries?”’ “Sure I do.” “Well, they’re tryin’ it. I listened in on a lot o’ talk that’s goin’ on in that house. An’ they got some guy that’s willin’ to say he’s married to Frank’s wife!” Billy’s astonishment was great. Mame went on: ‘‘Maybe he is. I don’t know. A lot o’ girls get hooked up wrong an’ ’cause they don’t like to use arsenic on him they have to carry a bum of a husband along wit’ ’em all t’rough life. Oh I’m f’r us women, strong. Ever’time. That’s me.” “Sure,” said Billy, vaguely but with emphasis. ‘“‘Who is dis guy an’ where is her” “Pete Burillo’s t’ rat’s monaker, an’ he’s livin’ in town right wit’ t’ Loudens. They’re gettin’ it all framed to run him in on Frank.” 127 And Mame shook her head wisely, as if there were more that. she could tell if she would. There was too. It would have ex- plained the lump below her garter. Hol- der had rewarded her generously for the news which out of the goodness of her heart she had carried to him. Billy sat meditatively wondering about this news. He said nothing of his own guess, but he rather though® maybe that fellow who had been blackmailing Mrs. Holder on the night of the robbery was this same Bur- illo. Middleton would be interested; and so would Leela Cabron; Leela especially. ‘‘An’ here I am,” said Mame plaintively, “wit? a roll an’ wit’out me Jimmy. I wish whoever drawed t’ firs’ map wit’ Missouri on it had broke his wrist!” At that moment Red the Gob swung a chair around, dropped it with a clatter and flopped himself down beside Billy the Dude, saying— “Wat ’s dis I hear ’bout Silkeen’s Dolly hookin’ up wit’ Matty Murdock?” Mame’s protest was imntediate and vehe- ment. She knew nothing of the report, but denied it emphatically. Dolly wouldn’t do it—not such a fool, for one thing. Billy admitted something was wrong be- tween Silkeen and Dolly, as she was out of sight and Silkeen didn’t know where. Nothing like that had been suspected. But Red the Gob told how somebody had seen her at one time, and somebody else had met her on the street another time, with Murdock. “Sweet ——!”’ Mame cried. gets wise——” She buried her face against her palms to shut out the vision that she knew was prophetic. XVIE "e@e' LN THE gilded living-room of the R @> Stacy Loudens an interesting con- — & ference was in session. It had been in session ever since dinner; and the dinner had been among other things a social suc- cess, because for the first time in the history of New York, De Brooms had dined under a Louden roof. Of course Burillo had not counted as a guest. He was nothing more or less than evidence; and very precious. Jessica De Broom, tutored among the refinements of her husband’s people, viewed the gilt finishings of the living-room with “oF Silkeen DOOK (C©@