Adventure Magazine Cover — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

8 Adventure just a shaver. He staked off a claim to a hundred and sixty acres of fine bottom- land and jest naturally squatted on six hundred more. When they come and tried to put him off, glory to God, they’d waited too long and it belonged to the old man.” Mr. Birdsong dropped his phrase of laudation with perfect simplicity and with no trace of irreverence. The South American agent looked up at the sign which assured him Goldstein’s detectives never slept; then after a moment, observed in a casual voice that Arkansas lands had advanced sharply in value. Mr. Birdsong nodded. “Yes, God has sure blessed our fam’ly, and I thought I would pay back His many mercies by spreaden the Word.” Out of this sentence, the phrases ‘‘many mercies” and “spreaden the Word” each wore the cadence of much use. The Stendill financial agent looked at his man carefully— ““By—by what?” “Spreaden the Word,” repeated the Arkansan, not realizing the words could involve any obscurity. “You came to New York to—to—spread- en the Word?” groped Lassiter. “Oh, no, not in New York. I guess there’s plenty of Bibles in New York. I’m going to South America. That’s my chosen field.’’ His faint accent on the words “‘chosen field’’ told Lassiter this, too, was a favored cliché. The South American agent nodded, still slightly at sea— “T see—you are going to South America to sell Bibles ss “Give ’em away,” corrected Birdsong. “To give them away?” Mr. Birdsong nodded— “To make my calling and election sure, brother,”’ Lassiter took a moment in an effort to construe this olio of politics and theology, but after a moment resigned. “When do you sail?” ‘“‘That’s just up to the Lord,” drawled Mr. Birdsong. ‘I’m working for Him now.” He spoke as concretely as if he knew the Deity’s street address and tefephone num- ber. “TI come up here to sail on the Brazilian tomorrow. I thought I come up in plenty o’ time, but they tell me down at the office all the rooms are sold on the Brazilian. - billeted for your steamer. Not only that, but all the rooms are sold for the next six months to come. I went down to the Brazilian herself to ask and make sure, but down there they said the office men knew more about it than they did. “Well, after I done all I could, I jest went back to my room and put my case before the Lord. I been wrastlin’ with Him all day in prayer; tellin’ Him, if it’s His will, to lead me to a stateroom on the Brazilian somehow. Well, I wrastled all day. About a hour ago, I felt like I got a answer, so I jest let Him direct me, and took a little walk and come out here and set down.” Lassiter stared at the fellow. “You don’t really mean you are sitting here waiting for—for the Omnipotent to send you a berth on the Brazilian?”’ Birdsong straightened with a faint bel- ligerency— “Why man, you don’t doubt He could, do you?”’ Lassiter abandoned the point hastily. ‘“‘How are you going to get along in South America—do you speak SpanishP”’ “Why, no,’ admitted the Arkansan simply. “God may send me a Spanish interrupter, or He may cause me to speak in tongues. He’s running this shebang, not me.”’ | The conversation was again slipping out of the Stendill agent’s grasp. He cast about for another topic and observed that he him- self was sailing on thelBrazilian the next day. Birdsong sprang up, a sudden light pour- ing into his sunburned face. “You are! Well, bless His holy name! I knowed He wouldn’t desert me here in New York! Praise the Lord!” Lassiter held up a protesting hand: “Hold on! Wait, Mr. Birdsong. I don’t want you to build any false hopes—I can’t take you ” “Why, I'll bet you do!” cried Birdsong. ‘‘What have we been led together here for? Fount of Mercy?”’ “T am not aware of being led, al- though 2 ‘Lassiter hesitated as the amazingness of the coincidence thrust itself upon him. “‘__although it is extraordinary that you should have stumbled upon anybody at all Come to think about it, it’s really astounding—six million people in New York; three hundred pas- sengers on the Brazilian—six or seven MICLOOOK (©