Adventure Magazine, December 10, 1924 — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

78 through the growth a short distance and halted in sight of the house. Howard Baker and Jones were talking with six Sioux. Four of these were Brown Wing and his three com- panions. A third white man, a stranger to Baptiste and Martha, sat in the doorway. Jones was angrily declaring: “T want that gun back without any more talk. You know me. You know you can’t come any games like that on Robinson Jones. Now you look sharp and fetch that gun.” His stepson, not relishing the argument, urged: “They understand what you’ve said. Let’s drop it, or we’ll be scaring the com- ny.” Through the open doorway Martha could catch glimpses of two women and two children. She knew these must be Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Baker, busy with the Sun- day dinner. Then a third woman, a stran- ger, came from the house and climbed into a long wagon of household goods a short distance from the house. She began over- hauling the load and picking out various articles. The man in the doorway went to help her and began carrying articles into the house. Jones was angry, but said no more. Brown Wing said: “Gun no good. Here is a good gun. Trade for trader’s gun and five dollars.” Jones glanced at the gun the Indian was carrying and offered: “T’ll trade for my gun and give you three dollars. That’s enough boot.” Brown Wing held out for five dollars, but suggested that they shoot at a mark so the trader could convince himself the gun was that much better than his. Jones agreed to this, and Baker was pleased to “have done with the quarreling. While he was bringing his gun from the house and loading it the stranger made himself useful by affixing a target to an oak six rods from the house. The six Indians stepped to the mark, electing to shoot first. In turn they fired rapidly. , Jones laughed at their marksmanship, although none had failed to make a re- spectable hit. In-a bantering tone he said to Brown Wing: “Can’t you see that white men always shoot better than red men? The bow and arrow is your weapon. You never can learn a gun as a white man learns it.”’ Adventure With that Le threw up his rifle and drilled a hole close to the bull’seye. Baker fired next and came within two inches of the bull’seye. Brown Wing had shot best for the Indians. The Indians were a bit sullen over their defeat and began reloading as soonas they had fired. Jones’ good nature was nearly restored, and he said: ‘‘We won’t Say anything more about the gun you didn’t bring back. I'll trade guns with you. But three dollars to boot is enough. I won’t pay more.” With their guns loaded the Indians waited for Brown Wing to conclude the trading, Killing Ghost insisting they were losing too much time from hunting. Brown Wing said— “Five dollars.” Baker stepped into the house long enough to hang up his empty gun by the fireplace and then came out and stood beside the door, smiling at Jones’ efforts to beat the Indian’s price down to three dollars. The stranger resumed his task of carrying arti- cles from the wagon to the house. Jones was growing ugly again at Brown Wing’s stubbornness. Miss Martha felt at her back and then remembered she was not carrying her bow and quiver. Baptiste’s wrinkled face puckered into a frown, and he whispered something to Miss Martha. Shanty Mose yawned and muttered— ‘“‘No whisky-selling this trip.” Martha put her finger to her lips as a sigs nal for him to keep quiet. Baptiste mopped the sweat from his face, breathed in relief and murmured— “The Dakotas go back to their hunting.” This as one of them started up the trail toward the Jones place. Jones suddenly ceased talking and stared sharply at the five remaining Indians for a few seconds, then stepped around the cor- ner of the house still in view of the woman and two men in the woods. He started to reload with nervous haste. Killing Ghost, without lifting his gun from his left arm, shot Baker dead as he was stepping into the doorway. An in- stant later Mrs. Jones was shot and _ killed as she seated herself in a chair just inside the doorway. The next second the stranger fell dead from a bullet as he was reaching up his arms to take another load from the woman. As this man dropped the woman in the wagon fell forward on her face. cComicbook CO 5}