Adventure Magazine Cover, November 10, 1924 — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

The Casual’s Return “Losing your train? How come you lost your train?” “We got torpedoed! That’s why we didn’t get here before.” “Now wait,” said Jake, “you got that wrong. It wasn’t the train we lost, it was the ship. The train got torpedoed. They give us six months apiece for callin’ the looey a handcuff volunteer.” “That’s right,” agreed Eadie. ‘Jake, correct me if I am wrong. Where did we land, Jake?” “Weehawken. Bring us some encores. Hey! Four cats!”’ “Encore qual,’ smilingly agreed the buxom female. | “Tt was my turn to buy!” cried Eadie, when the four next ones arrived. ‘What do you mean horning in out of your turn?” “Well, you can buy the next two,” said Jake, slipping his arm about the waist of the plump waitress, and trying to kiss her. She squeaked, and laughing heartily, smote Jake a ringing box on the ear, that toppled him into the refuse on the floor. “Boy,” said Jake, getting up and rubbing his ear, ‘‘ain’t she a dandy! There was meat behind that pat. My head’s goin’ ’round like a top!” More friends of Eadie’s arrived, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back. Each one svougnt, and those at the table . bought ““Where’d d all this money. come from?” asked Eadie. “Have I just missed a pay to add to my other troubles?” “No,” said the Frog, “we haven’t been paid, because we haven’t finished our firing yet. Got one more day’s work on the range todo. They wouldn’t pay us because they didn’t want anything to interfere with the range work. The second battalion finished theirs and they were paid this morning. So we went down and borrowed from them. They were glad enough to loan it to us, you bet, because all the money they don’t spend tonight, and they’ll spend every cent they got in their clothes, they’ll have to spend some other time.”’ “It’s time we went home,” said Lee. Indeed it was. f S ar incidentals and started to climb the Bm hill back to camp. Eadie noticed that he had a ringing tingling of his entire body, such as one has THEY paid for the omelette and in his ears, a peculiar . 61 in a limb that has been asleep, and is but then awakening. “‘Joe,”’ said the Frog, throwing his arm about Lee’s neck, “you won’t leave me in the midst of ; these desolate fields, will your You're the very best friend I’ve got.”’ “Frog, you should know me better than that. I wouldn’t leave a buddy if the whole Boche army was after me. I feel like a little song. Let’s sing one.” A shout from Jake startled the two. “Lee,” said the Frog, “look at that crazy sergeant!” Now, as the men elifibed the hill, they went by a house that was even meaner and dirtier than its fellows. This house was the haunt of the Algerian labor troops, half-bred Moroccans, men with straggling beards and yellow snaggled teeth, and hair that crawled and wriggled it was so alive. One of these men had his face pro- jected from a window and was laughing merrily at the four Americans. To him went the sergeant like an arrow from the bow. 3 “Who are you laughing at, you black scum?” cried the sergeant. He snatched a bottle from the Algerian’s hand and brought it down with all his might on the other’s skull. Bock! The Algerian slid from sight with a suddenness that was astonishing. The bottle did not break, being of very heavyglass. Another Algerian, wondering what had caused his comrade so suddenly to measure his length on the floor, thrust an inquiring head from the window. Bamf He joined his Tecum- bent comrade. “YViytyil’’ cried all the other Algerians, and three of them tried to get at Eadie through the window. | Eadie beat upon them as one does who plays a xylophone, and they took in their heads again. At. this moment Jake ar- rived. | “Hey, sergeant, lay off,’’ he cried. come away.’ Eadie collapsed.. Too much exertion is always fatal in such cases. Jake bent over and gathered him up as if he were a child. “Nix, The Algerians piped shrilly, but they were not many and they are indeed a spineless race, so they confined their retaliation to curses that Jake did not understand. Jake started away with the limp body of the sergeant. Eadie’s feeble hand caught hold Comicbook ©