“Will you allow me to make a suggestion?”
“I certainly will. I’ll be glad to have your advice.”
“Don’t undertake to jump on them, officially, the moment they strike
town. In order to have your proof you must wait until they try to
operate. Have them watched sharply. If you’ll give me permission to
take a hand in the matter, on the side, I may be able to bluff them
out entirely. I reckon it’s for the interests of your city to close the
thing up without the public knowing there’s any doubt about land titles.
Of course I don’t need to suggest to you that you make a flying start
now and straighten out your law and titles so that no other shysters can
come along making trouble after we get rid of these gentlemen.”
“Watch me in that line,” declared the mayor, thumping his breast.
“You’re right about handling them with gloves, Mr. Mann. I tell you if
you can do anything to help us you will stand mighty high with me and
with Breed City.”
“In handling them I may be able to make it seem like a personal quarrel
between them and myself,” I suggested. My horizon was growing wider all
the time. “They are dangerous men, but I’m not afraid of them.”
“But I don’t want you to be a martyr.”
“I’m not afraid of them, I say. If trouble does happen here and it seems
like a personal quarrel, you will understand it all, Mr. Mayor!”
“Certainly, sir!”
“It may seem strange to have a stranger come along like this and offer
to meddle in matters where he has no personal interest. Those men are
nothing to me, one way or the other. But I’m for fair play always!”
His Honor warmed to this modest candor.
“The city is behind you in whatever you may do in this thing, sir. As
mayor I say it. You’ll be backed to the limit. And if you get hurt while
you are trying to do a bit of a trick for us I’ll be scissored if I
don’t toss law and order up for a little while and organize a lynching
party and head it in person.”
“If I thought it would come to that I wouldn’t meddle in the affair! The
only reason I am offering my services is because I hope to be able to
keep Breed City from suffering a setback.”
“Hand ’em any jolt that’s coming to ’em in the name of Breed City
and its mayor.” His Honor clapped his hand on my shoulder.
I trudged back to the hotel in a fairly comfortable frame of mind. It’s
a lucky general who can choose his own battle-field, get to it well
ahead of the enemy, throw up earthworks and set a big gun or two in
position. So, I said to myself, “Let ’em come!”