CHAPTER VIII
CONCERNING THE "SIX-O'CLOCK"
On Friday evening previous to the Saturday on which the _Kicker_was to be issued for the fifth consecutive time by Hollis, Potter didnot ride out to the Circle Bar. There still remained some type to be setand Potter had declared his intention of completing the work and stayingovernight in town. Hollis had acquiesced and had departed for the CircleBar alone.
When he reached Dry Bottom the following morning he found a small crowdof people in front of the _Kicker_ office. During the night someonehad posted a written notice on the front door, and when Hollisdismounted from his pony there were perhaps a dozen interested citizensgrouped about the door, reading the notice. There were several of thetown's merchants and a number of cowboys--new arrivals and those who hadremained overnight to gamble and participate in the festivities thatwere all-night features of the dives. There were also the usual loafers,who constitute an element never absent in any group of idlers in anystreet. All, however, gave way before Hollis and allowed him to reachthe door without molestation, though in passing he observed significantgrins on several faces.
The notice was written in a bold, legible hand.
"Mr. Hollis:"--it read, the prefix under-scored--"The express leavestown this afternoon at six o'clock--goin' east. Better be on it."
Signed--"Y. Z."
Hollis read the notice and then turned and quietly surveyed hiswatchful, interested audience. He smiled grimly, seeing several faceswhich, though plainly expressing amusement, seemed quietly sympathetic.He felt that these were wishing him success, though doubting his abilityto cope with his enemies. Other faces were plainly antagonistic inexpression. He looked at both for an instant and then turned again tothe notice and producing a pencil printed boldly on its face the sloganhe had devised:
_"We Herald the Coming of the Law! The Kicker is Here to Stay!"_
And below he indulged in this sarcasm: _"Don't hold the express on myaccount!"_
Signed--"KENT HOLLIS"
Leaving his audience to stare after him Hollis pushed open the door ofthe office and entered.
He found Potter bending over the imposing table, hard at work on one ofthe forms. Three other forms, locked and ready for the press, stood in acorner. Potter looked up and smiled as his chief entered.
"See the notice on the door?" he inquired.
"Some of Dunlavey's work, I suppose," returned Hollis.
"Well, yes. I suppose Dunlavey is back of it. But Yuma tacked the signup." He smiled soberly as Hollis flashed a grin at him. "They tried hardlast night to get me to drink. Of course their purpose was to get medrunk so that I wouldn't be able to get the paper out today. I am notgoing to tell you how hard I had to fight myself to resist thetemptation to drink. But you can see for yourself that I succeeded. The_Kicker_ will be ready to go to press in an hour."
He felt Hollis's hand patting his shoulder approvingly and he continued,a little hoarsely. "I took one drink at the Fashion last night after Igot through here. Then I came back and went to sleep. I am a lightsleeper and when some time after midnight I heard a sound at the door Igot up and peered out of the window. I saw Yuma tacking up the notice. Isuppose Dunlavey wrote it." He looked at Hollis with a whimsicalexpression. "I suppose you are going to take the express?" he inquired.
"Tried to get you drunk, did they?" shaking his head negatively toPotter's question, a smile on his face. "I can't understand that game,"he continued, soberly. "Of course getting you drunk would have preventedthe appearance of the paper on scheduled time. But if they wanted to doserious damage--of course I mean to the paper," he apologized with agrim smile, "why didn't they come down here--some of them--during yourabsence, and smash things up? That would have made the thing sure forthem."
Potter laughed mirthlessly. "Of course they could have done that," hesaid; "it would have been easy--will be easy any time. But it wouldn'tbe artistic, would be coarse in fact. Dunlavey doesn't do things thatway. If they smash your stuff, destroy your plant here, ruin your typeand press, and so forth, they invite sympathy in your behalf. But ifthey prevent the appearance of your paper without having done any damageto your plant they accomplish something--they expose you to ridicule.And in this country ridicule is a potent weapon--even if it involvesnothing more serious than a drunken printer."
Hollis shook Potter's hand in silence. He had expected violence fromDunlavey; long before this he had expected him to show his hand, toattempt some covert and damaging action. And he had been prepared tofight to get the _Kicker_ out. He had not expected subtlety fromDunlavey.
He went to his desk and sat in the chair, looking out through the windowat the crowd that still lingered in front of the office. Most of thefaces wore grins. Plainly they were amused, but Hollis saw that theamusement was of a grim sort. They appreciated the situation and enjoyedits humor but felt the tragedy behind it. Probably most of them wereacquainted with Dunlavey's methods; some of them probably knew of theattempt that had been made to incapacitate Potter. Certainly those ofthem that did know had seen the failure of the attempt and were nowspeculating upon Dunlavey's next move. Looking out of the window Hollisfelt that some of his audience must be wondering whether the editor ofthe _Kicker_ would pay any attention to the notice on the door.Would he scare?
Hollis had already decided that he would not "scare." He grinned atseveral of the men who watched him and then turned and instructed Potterto take down a column of type on the first page of the paper to makeroom for an article that he intended to write. Then he seized a pen andwrote a red hot defiance directed at the authors of the notice, whichPotter set up under the heading:
"Why the Editor of the _Kicker_ Won't Take the Express."
In clear, terse language he told his audience his reasons. This wasAmerica; he was an American, and he didn't purpose to allow theCattlemen's Association--or any other association, gang, orindividual--to dictate the policy of his paper or influence his privateactions. Least of all did he purpose to allow anyone to "run him out oftown." He printed the notice entire, adding his answer, assuring readersthat he was sending copies of the _Kicker_ to every newspaper inthe East and that notices such as had been affixed to his door wouldreact against the authors. He ended with the prophecy that the law wouldcome into Union County and that meanwhile the _Kicker_ purposed tofight.
At noon Hollis took the usual number of copies to the station and mailedthem. Walking down the street on his return from the station heattracted much attention. Men stood in the open doorways of saloonswatching him, a number openly jeered; others sent subtle jibes afterhim. Still others were silent, their faces expressing amusement.
But he looked at none of them. He swung along the board walk, his face alittle pale, his lips tightly closed, determined to pay no attention tothe jeers that reached his ears.
When he passed the Fashion there were a number of men draped along itsfront; and he was conscious of many grins. Passing the men he heard lowlaughter and profane reference which caused his cheeks to redden. But hewalked steadily on. Near the _Kicker_ office he met Jiggs Lenehan.Followed by the youth he reached the office to find that Potter hadcompleted the press work and that several hundred copies of the paper,the ink still moist on its pages, were stacked in orderly array on theimposing stone. In a very brief time Jiggs burst out of the office door,a bundle of papers under his arm, and began the work of distribution.Standing back from the window with Potter, Hollis watched Jiggs untilthe latter reached the crowd in front of the Fashion saloon. Then allthat Hollis could see of him was his red head. But that trade was briskwas proved by the press around Jiggs--the youth was passing out papersat a rapid rate and soon nearly every man in the crowd about the Fashionwas engaged in reading, or,--if this important feature of his educationhad been neglected--in questioning his neighbor concerning the thingsthat appeared in the paper.
Presently Jigg's customers in front of the Fashion were all
supplied.Then other purchasers appeared. Soon the _Kicker_ was being readby--it seemed--nearly every grown person in Dry Bottom. Business wassuspended. Down the street men were congregated about the doors of manyof the stores; others were sitting in doorways, still others leanedagainst buildings; some, not taking time to search for support, readwhile walking, or stood motionless on the board sidewalks, satisfyingtheir curiosity.
Hollis watched through the window until he began to be certain thatevery person in town was supplied with a paper. Then with a grim smilehe left the window and sought his chair beside the desk. He wassatisfied. Dunlavey had made the first aggressive movement and the fightwas on.
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