Adventure Magazine Cover — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

THE BUCKAROO OF BLUE WELLS sprawling on his face, his rifle flung aside. Jimmy did not go near him. He sighed heavily and headed for the horses, where Marion’s ‘white face and astonished eyes drove every other thought from his mind. Neither of them spoke as he cut the ropes which bound her, and she got stiffly from the saddle, clinging to him. “Vou—you came, didn’t you, Jimmy?” she whispered hoarsely. “VYea-a-ah, I sure did.” Jimmy grinned on one side of his face, because the other was glued tightly with gore. “It was quite a trip. This has been a tough season, Marion.” It was rather inane conversation, but under the circumstances it was excusable. The man was trying to sit up, and Marion pointed to him breathlessly. Jimmy went staggering out to him, a loose-jointed young man, who had been hurt so many times that he was numb all over. He picked up the rifle and stepped back, tottering on his feet. “Vou better stay where you are,” he told the masked man. “You ain’t so awful tough.” Tae had heard Johnny Grant use that expression, and it seemed to fit the occasion. He turned his head and called to Marion. “Can you lead the horses up here, Marion? ‘We've got to pack this lead- filled person to a doctor, or he won’t Eve to be hung.” CHAPTER XIV WHO GOT THE PAY-ROLL? mee EN Hashknife turned back to ae / the Double Bar 8 it was because A fe ofasingle theory. He was fairly MME) positive that Marion had not been kidnaped by those men because they wanted her; but that they had had reasons of more importance to them than the mere capture of a young lady. Hashknife wasn’t sure just what this was, but he had a suspi- cion—at least, enough suspicion to send him back to the ranch, instead of heading a posse over to the breaks of Broken Cajion. He rode his horse into the stable, un- saddled quickly, turned it into the corral, and ran to the house, where he found Nanah, bathing her head in a basin of water. He explained to her the necessity of locking the house, covering the windows, and of keep- ing out of sight. 75 Without question she obeyed him, and he went back to the stable, climbed to the little loft and sprawled near the window, concealed by a screen of hay. He could not see over the ranch-house, except at a dis- tance, but his little window gave him a fairly good view of the country toward Broken Cajion. Apollo wandered about the patio, possi- bly wondering why no one was about. Mocking-birds sang from the twisted vines along the walls, and little lizards scuttled here and there over the débris of the for- mer bunk-house. Hashknife yawned and waited, wondering what success Sleepy had had in gathering a posse. He had been there over an hour, when his keen eyes detected two riders, who seemed to be coming swiftly toward the ranch from the northeast. Blue Wells was almost directly north. He wondered if some of the posse had turned back from going to Broken Cafion and were coming to the ranch. When about a mile from the ranch they swung due west, passing from Hashknife’s vision. He went to the rear of the loft, and peered from a crack. The riders came into sight, swinging in toward the ranch again, but disappeared into the cafion where Hashknife had captured Plenty Goode, fol- lowing the mysterious shot from the hill. It took them several minutes to cross the cafion, and he saw them draw rein in the heavy cover, where they stayed for about frve minutes, evidently studying the ranch buildings. heir elevation gave them a good view of the whole country. Finally they rode down toward the stable. Hashknife was unable to recognize them, nor did he recognize their horses—a roan and a gray. Softly Hashknife went back to his former position at the window. He heard the riders come in behind the stable, where they stopped. After a few moments he heard them in the stable, talking softly. One of them laughed, but their conversation was too indistinct for Hashknife to hear what was said. He was so intent on listening that he was not aware they were out of the stable, until he turned his head and saw them going into the patio. It rather amused Hashknife to see that these men were both masked. One of them went to the ranch-house door, finding it locked. It was evident to Hashknife that these men were sure that every one had left COMICLOOOKS Cc (C@