Adventure Magazine Cover — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

162 “With Frenchy and them two strangers testifyin’ that they seen yuh kill the beef?” sneered Ribs. ‘‘You gotta slim chanct, Dunlap.” Patsy Darcey had turned to Shorty, her eyes seeming to bore a hole in the little cow-puncher: ““You’re the man that Steve kept from going over the bank, aren’t your And the other man is your partner. Isawit through the glasses. And this is the way you repay him for risking his life to save yours! Haven’t you a spark of manhood or decency in your make-up? Are you men or just tools for this fat toad that makes war on women and men who haven’t the means to fight back?”’ Shorty, abject misery written in every line of his red face, squirmed in his saddle. He tried to speak, but no words came. In- stinctively he turned to his partner for help. Tad, as unused to women as was his little partner, made a game attempt to step into the breach. ““Ma’am,” he began, ‘‘Ma’am, I—we— me ’n’ Shorty here ain’t aimin’ fer to do the boy no harm. We——”’ “I reckon we savvy yore game, stranger,” Steve cut in coldly. “‘Yo’re workin’ fer the Slash R, drawin’ fightin’ pay. Lyin’ pay, I reckon I should ’a’ said. No honest cow-hand works with the Slash R spread. Don’t waste time on ’em, Pat. I’m ready to go now, Sheriff. Pat’ll stay here, I reckon.” “Pat will go wherever you go, Steve,” said the girl. ‘‘To jail if they take you there. It’s through me that the Slash R got it in for you. I’m no quitter, Steve.” “T’ll take that hide along, Austin,” said the sheriff. ‘‘Roll it up so’s I kin pack it across my saddle.” Ribs stepped into the house and in a moment reappeared, dragging a spotted hide. Tad’s eyes were fixed on the hide as Ribs spread it out on the ground and then rolled it carefully. Frenchy led the horses around and the sheriff and his prisoner mounted. “T’ll want you two gents to be in town tomorrow mornin’ at the preliminary hearin’,” the sheriff told Tad and Shorty. ‘We'll be there, Sheriff,’ replied Tad. ‘We'll be on hand in the mornin’.”’ “Better grab ’em afore they quit the flats on yuh, sheriff,” growled Ribs. claim to be so danged wise. Adventure “IT got one man arrested. That’s a plenty. I can’t take ’em in without a subpoena.”’ The little cavalcade got under weigh. The sheriff, Steve and the girl rode together. Ribs, the cow-puncher and Frenchy brought up the rear. Frenchy turned and grinned over his shoulder at Tad and Shorty who sat their horses in dejected silence. Together the two partners watched the party until they were lost to view. “Patsy Darcey,’’ muttered Tad softly, then grinned down at Shorty. ‘‘She shore read yore brand, didn’t she, runt? That there part about the spark uh manhood was shore regular book language. She said yuh wasa tool. That was plumb ss “Quit it, yuh danged magpie. She was meanin’ you as much as she was me. Yuh Now’s a good Get us outa this, chanct to work at it. Tad.” “I’m figgerin’ now, runt. Keep yore shirt on. Supposin’ yuh go in the house and fix up some grub while I stable the hosses. Me ’n’ you is a-goin’ tuh have a busy day and we can’t work without grub. I e’t jerky and crick water till I’m swelled up fit tuh bust. We’re goin’ tuh show the Steve boy and his gal that we’re white folks, Shorty.” Tad put the horses in the barn and sat smoking as Shorty prepared breakfast. Frowning and chuckling by turns, Tad sat enveloped in a haze of blue smoke. Shorty, guided by years of close com- panionship, knew that the big puncher was mapping out a plan of campaign. This cheered him up and as he fried steak and potatoes, he hummed softly. Not until breakfast was over and they had washed the dishes, did Tad divulge the plan that he had thought out. Shorty listened in silence, nodding oc- casionally. When Tad had finished, the little puncher gripped his partner’s hand heartily. “Put ’er there, ole timer! If we kin put it over without gettin’ caught, it’ll shore hit Ribs Austin plumb between the horns. Let’s git goin’!”’ Tad and Shorty rode back to their camp in the hills where Shorty changed his saddle from the big pinto to Skewball, his private horse. Then they took a _ roundabout course that brought them across the creek and on to the Slash R range. MICLOOOK C@