Adventure Magazine Cover — page 175: what you’re looking at

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

men in th’ back—yeah! Me for th’ good ole days!’ Jake was twenty-six. Little Tim shook his head. He blinked his eyes behind the green-tinted sun-glasses that he always wore. He rubbed his lean, clean-shaven brown cheeks thoughtfully. ‘Jus’ the same,” he said, “‘she’s a-comin’, old law an’ order is.”’ “You kin have it,” growled young Jake, and strode away. That night a dozen old-timers met in the room above the Mirror Saloon. Tom Campbell’s partner, Frank Jessup, was there, and the others all had known Tom well. They looked mighty grim as they thought of poor Tom, who had always been as square as a die and who had always had a few extra dollars to spare for whoever needed them. Shot him in the back, too! Whatever the rule was in other parts, in Sunbake it wasn’t considered good ethics to shoot a man in the back. “Well,” said Frank Jessup, “it ain’t a case of there bein’ any doubt about it. We know who done it and how, because everybody in the bar seen it. What’re we goin’ to do about it?” “Stretch his neck!’ growled old Mike Sloan, who was foreman for the Triangle-T. ‘“What’s the use o’ beatin’ around th’ bushe”’ ‘“‘Ain’t none,” agreed another, and the December 8, 1926 \K \ se ie an © y . Lt ~*~ ee, a i / f rest nodded. ‘The penalty for murder was hanging, wasn’t it? ‘There wasn’t a doubt in the world that Dave Ellers was guilty, was there? Well, then! The door swung open and young Jake came in, a copy of The Prairie Flower in his hand. Little Tim Wiley had managed somehow to get out an extra; or rather, had put the regular weekly edition out two days ahead of time. Jake slapped the paper angrily on the table. “Look what’s in this thing he calls a paper!” he snorted. It was, indeed, a sorry sheet; funny, even, did one not consider the mental an- guish in which each edition was conceived and born. Tim worked hard over that pitiful rag; nursed and petted and loved it as a mother loves a malformed child; a sickly child whose life hangs by a thread. The Prairie Flower was the first paper in this part of the State, and its future was doubtful—very. ““My gosh!” gasped Frank Jessup. ‘‘Look here!”’ DASTARDLY CRIME COMMITTED; ANOTHER BEING PLANNED. Tom Campbell Shot in Back; Dave Ellers to be Linched. “My gosh!” gasped Frank again. ‘Th’ little shrimp!” Before they could read further, Jake 169 COMICLOOokKS C©