Page 20 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

Adventure

spots on the ground where his feet touched. through the· unmoving gash of mouth.
But the man did not follow him around, nor He handed lhe squealing boy the rope-
even at.tempt to curb his backward leaping, bound bindle.
to herd him with blows. "Git there before the twenty-fifth. Slope!"
The man stood still. When the boy The ~oy started off ~mong the trees.
danced out of range, he lifted the suspenders As he limped away, he whimpered like a
and wailed until the boy danced, screaming, whipped dog.
back into striking distance. Strong-Arm wiped the sweat from the
Once Chick did not dance back quickly back of his neck and from his brow. He
enough. The suspenders lashed his tiny felt in the right hand and seemingly uncon-
face. A streak of white showed full across sciously, for the shoulder-holster under his
small nose and cheeks, to change rapidly left arm. Then he looked round at the
into a red line of swelling where blood oozed three hoboes and at the sole remaining
in many pinheads. road-kid, a challenge in his almond-shaped,
cold green eyes. No one said a word nor
CHAPTER IV made a move. Only the Frisco Kid held
tightly to his trembling dog.
THE JOB "Gimme a smoke," he demanded.
He approached with sharp certitude of
SHOCKED out of all caution by the stride the hobo alongside the Frisco Kid who
fiendish barbarity of that blow on the was proffering the sheaf of papers and small
face, the Frisco Kid made at that to muslin sack of tobacco. But he did not
rise. But the bleak-faced fellow alongside take the makings. There was an uncon-
him, who had finished rolling the cigaret, trollable gulping behind him. He slewed
shoved him down, a hand on his arm. round, one hand under his left armpit, his
The hobo said no word, but he used more almond eyes suddenly narrowed into semi-
strength than the occasion demanded to circular slits. The boy, Chl;ck, stood there
shove him down. He used that strength to on quaking legs,' the bindle of clothing
instil inta the Kid's mind a sense of fear of under one arm.
himself. He was prepared to back up "Oh,'Strong-Arm, I-I can't; I can't," he
Strong-Arm. It was dog eat dog. He was gulped. "I-I'm scared!'' '
afraid of Strong-Arm and his gun and, to The red welt across tiny nose and cheeks
protect and safeguard himself, he would showed with startling vividness the ghastly
attack the Frisco Kid. pallor of the little face. He looked up at
Portugee looked at the Kid, his amber the man, a hideous terror stretching his
eyes blank with a vast and utter surprize. baby eyes-the distracted terror of an inde-
All at once his swarth face broke out into a scribably driven child.
thick sweat. It was as if he were shocked Strong-Arm said no word, but his almond
and altogether shaken by the Frisco Kid's eyes widened with cold malignant light and
foolhardiness. He turned over abruptly his brutal, unfinished-looking gash of mouth
and, on hands and knees, we:tit creeping curved into a frightful snarl. He reached
stealthily away into the darkness. down for the suspenders upon the ground.
Chick'? frail, quivering legs were pulsing Once more he curled those suspenders
blood from the red welts that stood out like round the blood-streaked, frail and quiver-
so · many malignant boils. Strong-Arm ing legs of the screaming boy.
suddenly paused in his inhuman pursuit, the The Frisco Kid made an inarticulate
suspenders upraised menacingly. sound in his throat. He could not help it.
"Yuh'll do it. now, Chick," he insisted. Here was cruelty cutting into cruelty's
The ,boy did not look at the man. He wounds!
danced from one foot to the other and his The discolored suspenders dropped from
screams broke into soft, choked squeals of Strong-Arm's hand as if afire. He whirled
agony. He could not speak. But he round. His right hand was again undei: his
nodded his tiny straw-colored head. armpit, his eyes once more narrowed mto
Strong-Arm threw the discolored sus- semicircular slits.
penders upon the ground. He reached "Who's coughin' now?" he vociferat d
over and picked up the bundle of clothing. through the snarling gash of mouth th t
"Yuh know what's wanted," he said never moved.