Adventure Magazine Cover — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

The Web of the Sun A foolish feeling came over Lassiter. Ap- parently he had been attempting murder over a foible, over mere bad manners— such as the Stendill typists used when they buffed their finger-nails in public. Lassiter felt trifled with. ‘*Tilita,” he said grimly, “if you didn’t object to his = “TI did object, and fight every time!” defended the girl sharply. The number of times implied left Lassi- ter blank and simple. Tilita proceeded with some embarrassment: ‘““He said he couldn’t help—er—the way he did. He said every time he looked at me, a—a sort of—well,; I—I don’t know, primo, I don’t understand it— He said a sort of wild fury z “Oh, good Lord!” groaned the promoter, “thas he been telling you that sort of stuff— and you believing it “ ‘Well, prima, he acted as if it were true—”’ Her voice tilted up in a clear note on “true,” which signified that while she deferred to Lassiter’s wider experience, ‘to the best of her knowledge and belief, an amorous mania certainly seized Dom Pedro Balthasar Nunes when he came into her presence. 3 Lassiter was utterly disgusted, and yet somehow obscurely pleased with her inno- cent stupidity. ‘“Tilita,’ he remonstrated, “vou can’t believe what a man says—no pretty girl can. ing how he has been dreaming, yearning, burning for a beautiful arbol-de-vaca gath- erer, and how the sight of you causes a madness to rush upon him—then I sup- pose he made a dive at you for a strangle hold——_”’ | A chastened nodding affirmed these de- ductions. “Well, take it from me, Tilita, no man ever gets so far but what he can turn around and walk off if. he wants to—just turn around and walk off—like that—’ he snapped his fingers—‘“‘they can all do it— if they want to. The trouble is, getting them to want to i. Here he broke off. His head throbbed too badly for talk. He kicked out of his path | a scarlet and purple orchid which he could have sold for a thousand or two to the New York greenhouses as an unknown variety. Tilita rolled her black eyes around at him, Good Lord, I can hear him now,- buzzing away, working himself up, explain-. 47 and he was unable to tell whether his counsel had impressed her or not. It irritated him. ‘“‘Look here,” he burst out, “how many times has he—no—don’t answer that— It’s none of my affair— We'll drop the subject.” “Two times.” Lassiter drew an easier breath. It eased his head somewhat. But nevertheless he wondered why women would listen to such piffle. intelligence! It seemed to him that the most inexperienced female could penetrate so impudent an He became aware that the girl was smil- ing to herself. The whiteness of her teeth lit up her black eyes and scarlet lips in a lovely way. The smile somehow vexed the dignified Stendill agent. : “Tilita,” he suggested, “it seems to me after what has occurred——”’ She became serious again—almost se- rious. The girl had a fruity look. Her skin absorbed sunlight like a ripe pear and then glowed gently at the New Yorker. She looked as if she had soaked from the jungle its fulgor, its intensity of color, its pressure of vitality. Undoubtedly man is the modest sex. Men spend much cleverness in trying It was amazing in a girt of Tilita’s. to veil their women, and women spend much > more cleverness in getting unveiled. Lassiter fumbled through his clothing and found a pin; he handed it to her. “Your jacket is torn,” he suggested briefly. : The girl took the pin, tested its strength curiously. Evidently it was the first she had ever seen. © ; ‘““How small and strong it is,” she ad- mired. , “Fasten your jacket with it,” said the promoter. The man studied the fall of light through the jungle while she fixed the rent. -““How old are you, Tilita?” he asked over his shoulder. “Thirteen, primo.” Lassiter was thunderstruck. “Thirteen!’’ “St, primo— Why?” Lassiter was constrained to make an- other calculation in regard to old Prymoxl’s age. She was probably not over twenty- six or eight. “T just wanted to know.- You seem older.” The girl looked at him anxiously. DOOLK C©