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 did
not ride out to the Circle Bar. There still remained some type to be set
and Potter had declared his intention of completing the work and staying
overnight in town. Hollis had acquiesced and had departed for the Circle
Bar alone.
When he reached Dry Bottom the following morning he found a small crowd
of people in front of the _Kicker_ office. During the night someone
had posted a written notice on the front door, and when Hollis
dismounted from his pony there were perhaps a dozen interested citizens
grouped about the door, reading the notice. There were several of the
town's merchants and a number of cowboys--new arrivals and those who had
remained overnight to gamble and participate in the festivities that
were all-night features of the dives. There were also the usual loafers,
who constitute an element never absent in any group of idlers in any
street. All, however, gave way before Hollis and allowed him to reach
the door without molestation, though in passing he observed significant
grins on several faces.
The notice was written in a bold, legible hand.
"Mr. Hollis:"--it read, the prefix under-scored--"The express leaves
town 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 his
watchful, interested audience. He smiled grimly, seeing several faces
which, though plainly expressing amusement, seemed quietly sympathetic.
He felt that these were wishing him success, though doubting his ability
to cope with his enemies. Other faces were plainly antagonistic in
expression. He looked at both for an instant and then turned again to
the notice and producing a pencil printed boldly on its face the slogan
he 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 my
account!"_
Signed--"KENT HOLLIS"
Leaving his audience to stare after him Hollis pushed open the door of
the office and entered.
He found Potter bending over the imposing table, hard at work on one of
the forms. Three other forms, locked and ready for the press, stood in a
corner. 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 sign
up." He smiled soberly as Hollis flashed a grin at him. "They tried hard
last night to get me to drink. Of course their purpose was to get me
drunk so that I wouldn't be able to get the paper out today. I am not
going to tell you how hard I had to fight myself to resist the
temptation 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 I
got through here. Then I came back and went to sleep. I am a light
sleeper and when some time after midnight I heard a sound at the door I
got up and peered out of the window. I saw Yuma tacking up the notice. I
suppose Dunlavey wrote it." He looked at Hollis with a whimsical
expression. "I suppose you are going to take the express?" he inquired.
"Tried to get you drunk, did they?" shaking his head negatively to
Potter's question, a smile on his face. "I can't understand that game,"
he continued, soberly. "Of course getting you drunk would have prevented
the appearance of the paper on scheduled time. But if they wanted to do
serious damage--of course I mean to the paper," he apologized with a
grim smile, "why didn't they come down here--some of them--during your
absence, and smash things up? That would have made the thing sure for
them."
Potter laughed mirthlessly. "Of course they could have done that," he
said; "it would have been easy--will be easy any time. But it wouldn't
be artistic, would be coarse in fact. Dunlavey doesn't do things that
way. If they smash your stuff, destroy your plant here, ruin your type
and press, and so forth, they invite sympathy in your behalf. But if
they prevent the appearance of your paper without having done any damage
to your plant they accomplish something--they expose you to ridicule.
And in this country ridicule is a potent weapon--even if it involves
nothing more serious than a drunken printer."
Hollis shook Potter's hand in silence. He had expected violence from
Dunlavey; long before this he had expected him to show his hand, to
attempt some covert and damaging action. And he had been prepared to
fight to get the _Kicker_ out. He had not expected subtlety from
Dunlavey.
He went to his desk and sat in the chair, looking out through the window
at the crowd that still lingered in front of the office. Most of the
faces wore grins. Plainly they were amused, but Hollis saw that the
amusement was of a grim sort. They appreciated the situation and enjoyed
its humor but felt the tragedy behind it. Probably most of them were
acquainted with Dunlavey's methods; some of them probably knew of the
attempt that had been made to incapacitate Potter. Certainly those of
them that did know had seen the failure of the attempt and were now
speculating upon Dunlavey's next move. Looking out of the window Hollis
felt that some of his audience must be wondering whether the editor of
the _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 at
several of the men who watched him and then turned and instructed Potter
to take down a column of type on the first page of the paper to make
room for an article that he intended to write. Then he seized a pen and
wrote a red hot defiance directed at the authors of the notice, which
Potter 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 was
America; he was an American, and he didn't purpose to allow the
Cattlemen's Association--or any other association, gang, or
individual--to dictate the policy of his paper or influence his private
actions. Least of all did he purpose to allow anyone to "run him out of
town." He printed the notice entire, adding his answer, assuring readers
that he was sending copies of the _Kicker_ to every newspaper in
the East and that notices such as had been affixed to his door would
react against the authors. He ended with the prophecy that the law would
come into Union County and that meanwhile the _Kicker_ purposed to
fight.
At noon Hollis took the usual number of copies to the station and mailed
them. Walking down the street on his return from the station he
attracted much attention. Men stood in the open doorways of saloons
watching him, a number openly jeered; others sent subtle jibes after
him. Still others were silent, their faces expressing amusement.
But he looked at none of them. He swung along the board walk, his face a
little pale, his lips tightly closed, determined to pay no attention to
the jeers that reached his ears.
When he passed the Fashion there were a number of men draped along its
front; and he was conscious of many grins. Passing the men he heard low
laughter and profane reference which caused his cheeks to redden. But he
walked steadily on. Near the _Kicker_ office he met Jiggs Lenehan.
Followed by the youth he reached the office to find that Potter had
completed the press work and that several hundred copies of the paper,
the ink still moist on its pages, were stacked in orderly array on the
imposing 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 until
the latter reached the crowd in front of the Fashion saloon. Then all
that Hollis could see of him was his red head. But that trade was brisk
was proved by the press around Jiggs--the youth was passing out papers
at a rapid rate and soon nearly every man in the crowd about the Fashion
was engaged in reading, or,--if this important feature of his education
had been neglected--in questioning his neighbor concerning the things
that 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 read
by--it seemed--nearly every grown person in Dry Bottom. Business was
suspended. Down the street men were congregated about the doors of many
of the stores; others were sitting in doorways, still others leaned
against buildings; some, not taking time to search for support, read
while walking, or stood motionless on the board sidewalks, satisfying
their curiosity.
Hollis watched through the window until he began to be certain that
every person in town was supplied with a paper. Then with a grim smile
he left the window and sought his chair beside the desk. He was
satisfied. Dunlavey had made the first aggressive movement and the fight
was on.