Adventure Magazine Cover — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

- Men of the Night But, Drount, my friend in the Identification Bureau says if I don’t tip him off to who owns those finger-prints that he will frame me. He’ll do it, too. He’s just that sort of a friend. And with my father hiding out—there are plenty like you, Drount. You men love me, but that’s where it ends. You’re not worth a as friends. Oh, shut up. I’m doing the talking. “I wouldn’t turn up anybody to the police. You know that I wouldn’t turn up a nigger that had stole my last crust of bread. No, not if he stole my last bottle o’ hooch. But Middleton—” she leaned forward savagely, moving with a sudden- ness and fierceness that caused Drount to start— “Tl kill him!” ““No, Leela. You’re——”’ “Don’t you say it! Don’t you dare say it. Don’t you tell me I’m drunk. Uh!” Drount protested such thing was farthest from his thoughts, and she answered care- lessly— “You're a liar.” Drount was beginning to think he had made a mistake, a big mistake, in not bring- ing out cherry cordial or something; and the hand-strokes to his hair, the wavy hair, were thoughtful rather than ostentatious. “Listen,” said Leela coldly. ‘You know my cousin? Well, all Holder’s relatives are out to frame her. And I’m running the show. You know why? Why I am so awfully interested? No. You don’t know why. [ll tell you why. You’d never guess. Nobody would ever guess. Nobody knows it but me. And now you are going to know ~ it. But you couldn’t guess in a hundred years. Not ina million years. She is Black Wolf’s sweetheart.” ““No!” said Drount, astonished. ““Yes!”’ said Leela, emphatic. “IT don’t believe it.”’ | ‘“‘Neither did I, Drount. But it is true. Oh, that black devil—give me another drink.” “No,” protested Drount. “‘You tell me what I do or not do! me that tray, Drount.”’ She looked at him, and there was very little that was drunken in her eyes and a great deal that was menacing. Women, if in a mood for a scene, are as likely to break out over being refused a bonbon as they are at being dragged around the room by the hair. Leela was in no mood to be crossed in anything. Drount became really alarmed Hand 139 as he saw the size of the drink she now took. “Now listen. Ill tell you something, Drount. I hate this Middleton. You know that. I alwavs hated him. Javotte too. She thinks she is as good a dancer as I-am! Middleton’s hers. They are working Holder. That is their game. I am ontothem. I am the only one that 7s on to them.” ‘‘But—” Drount protested. 3 “But nothing. Didn’t he carry off all the ice she had coaxed out of Holder? That was framed between him and Javotte— Middleton’s graft. And listen; Javotte’s got another husband. Holder’s relatives had him, had him living with them, ready to spring on Holder and jar him loose from that vamp. -“What. happens? Drount, Middleton gets hep and kidnaps that fellow. Why? To save Javotte. Some other things hap- pened that same night—”’ she stared at him fiercely—“‘but that is enough for vou. He won’t save her. I'll see to that. May the devil eat his soul— You’ve no idea how I hate that fellow.” “Yes, dear—’’ the voice was endearingly soothing—‘“‘T have.”’ ‘Keep your hands off me!” she flashed. “T was just——”’ “Don’t just. Keep still. Iam putting on a show—one of De Broom’s old kind. You know De Broom. I am putting it on for him, and Javotte will be there. It will be some party, Drount. You’d better come. I’m inviting you. “Holder will be there. And Javotte. They won’t come together, though. They won’t leave together either. ‘There won’t be nothing left of Javotte but the crums. I'll show her up. You know De Broom’s parties?” Drount looked wise, smiled suggestively and admitted that he had heard of them. “Coming, aren’t you?” “Where,” asked Drount with a neatine air but half-serious, “do I come in?” Leela regarded him with exaggerated, angry disdain; and her answer was: “You have already come in for enough to satisfy anybody but a Fifth Avenue tradesman. You gypped me on those Rawlinson things and he—he——” She was highly offended even by the memory. “He knew I had ‘fen and never come © near me. I waited weeks!” DOOK C@