Adventure Magazine Cover — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

22 ambitious thing for to become. I’ll betcha yuh came to the right place, Jim.” “I—I—” Jim hesitated because his tongue did not seem to exactly function. “T picked thish place at ra-ra-random.”’ “That shounds like a college yell,” said Oyster. “You can’t be no cowpuncher in them clothes,” explained Eskimo. ‘Never, nos- sir. You look like Sunday. But in the proper clothes you’d be a dinger.”’ “T intend to dresh the part,” said Jim thickly. “Perhaps I can secure the proper dresh here in Blue Wells.”’ “Oh, you can,” said Johnny. ‘‘We can take you to a place where you can buy just what yuh need, pervidin’ you’ve got the dinero.” “Dinero?” “Money.” “T’ve got five hundred dollars.”’ “My ——!’ Johnny took off his hat. “And you want to be a cowpuncher—with five hundred dollars!” “Tsn’t 1t enough?” “‘Don’ nobody speak for a moment,” begged Oyster. ‘I want to conchentrate. I’m about to go into a tranch.” *Sh-h-b-h-h!”’ warned Johnny. ‘“The man is looking into the future.”’ “Is he a medium?” asked Jim Legg, owl- eyed, as he stared at Oyster. “Medium -——! He’s rare,” chucked Eskimo. “I shee shomethin’ comin’ to a man named Jim Legg,” stated Oyster, his eyes closed tightly. “Yuh see?” applauded Johnny. “Yessir,” nodded Jim. ‘Maybe we bet- ter let him alone, while we get me shome clothes.”’ ‘“He’s comim’ out of it,’”? announced Eskimo. Oyster’s face twitched convulsively and his eyes opened. “Where is the haberdasher’s?” asked Jim Legg. The three cowboys stared owlishly at each other. “Oh, them folks,”’ Johnny Grant squinted thoughtfully. ‘“‘Must ’a’ been that German fambly that nested in down on the forks of Rio Creek,” said Eskimo. “They’re gone. Let’s go buy somethin’ to make a real, regular cowboy out of this here, now, Jimmy Limbs.” W. C. TUTTLE HE sheriff and deputy came back to Blue Wells in bad humor. They stabled their horses and went to the office. Scotty Olson leaned against the doorway and looked across the street at the horses tied at the Oasis hitch-rack. The three at the far end were from the AK; a tall roan, a sorrel and a gray. Al Porter sagged back in a chair, placed his feet on top of the desk and drew his sombrero down over his eyes. “Tf I was you I'd go over to the Oasis and have a talk with them AK scoundrels,” he told Scotty. “By , if I was sheriff of this county I’d shore impress upon ’em that this is a dignified office. I’d make it digni- fied, y’betcha.”’ Scotty turned troubled eyes upon his deputy. “You would, like ——! You'll sag jist as quick as anybody, when it comes to trouble. All the way back from the AK you’ve told me what you’d do. Talk! Yeah, you can talk, Al. If talkin’ was worth a ——, you’d be President of the U. S. A.” “A-a-a-a-aw, ——!’ yawned Porter. “Don’t try to pass the buck to me, feller. It ain’t my trouble. If you want to forgive ’em for lockin’ yuh in a cell—go ahead. It’s none of my business, anyway. But if yuh want to know what I’d do, ’H—” “T don’t! it, Al, I don’t care to hear what you’d do—unless yo’re willin’ to tell the truth.” “All right. We'll just drop the subject. But if they locked me in a—” “They didn’t! —— yuh, Al, I wish they had! Id throw away the keys and leave yuh there until yuh quit runnin’ off at the mouth. I’m more interested in that train robbery than I am in the AK cow- punchers.”’ “Yeah, and you stand a fine chance of catchin’ ’em, Scotty. They’ve had a danged long start of us by this time.” eT s’pose.”’ Scotty leaned back against the door and studied the street. He saw Tex Alden ride in and tie his horse at the rack beside the three AK horses. “‘Tex Alden jist rode in,” he said in- differently. ‘“‘Thassoe”’ It did not seem to interest Porter. “Probably came in to lose some more money.” “Lost eight thousand to Antelope Neal COMICoooks Cc (C@