The Coming of the Law Part 7

"We don't care for that kind of business," smiled Hollis; "we're going to run a real newspaper. We're going to get paid ads!"

"I hope so," hesitatingly replied Potter.

"Of course you do," laughed Hollis; "but whether we get paid ads or not this newspaper is coming out regularly and on time. Furthermore, we're going to cut down on this plate stuff; we don't want a paper filled with stale articles on snakes, antedated ocean disasters, Egyptian monoliths, and the latest style in opera hats. We'll fill the paper with local news--we'll ginger things up a little. You are pretty well acquainted here--I'll leave the local items to you. What town near here compares with Dry Bottom in size?"

"There's Lazette," returned Potter; "over in Colfax County."

"How far from here?"

"Eighty miles."

"Got a newspaper?"

"Yes; the _Eagle_."

"Bully! Step on the _Eagle's_ toes. Make the _Eagle_ scream.

Get into an argument with it about something--anything. Tell Lazette that as a town it's forty miles behind Dry Bottom. That will stir up public spirit and boom our subscription list. You see, Potter, civic pride is a big a.s.set to a newspaper. We'll start a row right off the reel. Furthermore, we're going to have some telegraph news. I'll make arrangements for that to-day."

Hollis's enthusiasm was infectious; a flash of spirit lighted up Potter's eyes as he rose from his chair. "I'm going to set up the head for the first page," he said. "Probably you'll want a slogan; that sort of thing is the style out here."

"We'll have one," returned Hollis briskly. "Set this in triple leads: _'We Herald the Coming of the Law! The Kicker is Here to Stay!'_"

"Good!" declared Potter. He went into the composing room and Hollis saw his fine old head bent over a type case. Hollis turned to his desk.

He sat there long, his tall, lithe body slack, grim, serious lines in his lean face. He had thought of his conversation with Judge Graney concerning ambition--his ambition, the picture upon which his mind had dwelt many times. A little frame printing office in the West was not one of its features. He sighed with resignation and began methodically to look over the papers in the desk, finding many things to interest him.

He discovered that in spite of his father's one great fault he had been a methodical man. He smiled regretfully, wis.h.i.+ng that he might have been able to have seen more of him. Among the papers he hoped to find a personal note--a word--from his father. He found nothing of that character.

After a time he took up a pen and began to write. Long ago he had decided that in the first issue of the paper he would attack the Cattlemen's a.s.sociation. Judge Graney had ridden out to the Circle Bar on the previous Sat.u.r.day afternoon, remaining over Sunday, and accompanying Hollis on the return trip Monday morning.

While at the ranch the Judge had spent much of his time in communicating to Hollis his views of the situation in Union County and in acquainting him with the elder Hollis's intentions regarding the newspaper. Hollis had made some inquiries on his own account, with the result that when he reached the _Kicker_ office this morning he felt that he had acquired a good and sufficient knowledge of the situation.

Looking over the old copy of the _Kicker_ he studied some of the advertis.e.m.e.nts. Evidently some Dry Bottom merchants had been brave enough to antagonize Dunlavey by advertising in the _Kicker_. With this copy of the _Kicker_ in hand Hollis rose from his desk, told Potter he was going out, and proceeded to visit some of the merchants whose advertis.e.m.e.nts appeared in the paper, hoping that their bravery still abided with them. He made a good solicitor. Some of the merchants flatly refused, saying they did not care to risk Dunlavey's anger.

Others demurred, confidentially announcing that they had never considered the paper seriously and that there was really no good in advertising in Dry Bottom anyway--the town wasn't big enough. Half a dozen listened quietly while he told them that the _Kicker_ was in Dry Bottom to stay and then smiled and told him to run their advertis.e.m.e.nts. They rather admired his "nerve" and were not afraid of Dunlavey.

At noon Hollis stepped into a restaurant called the Alhambra. While he ate he was critically inspected; the Alhambra swarmed with customers, and the proprietor quietly informed him that he was a "drawin' card" and hoped he'd "grub" there regularly. In return for his promise to do so Hollis secured his advertis.e.m.e.nt.

Leaving the Alhambra he returned to the _Kicker_ office, seating himself again at his desk. The sun came slantwise through the window full upon him; the heat was oppressive; the flint-like alkali dust sifted through the crevices in the building and settled over everything in the room; myriad flies droned in the white sunlight before the open door. He heard nothing, felt nothing, saw nothing--for his thoughts were miles away, in an upper story of a big office building in the East from whose windows he even now looked down upon a bustling city.

Life would be so different here. He heard a sound behind him and turned.

Dunlavey was standing just inside the door, his great arms folded over his chest. He had been watching Hollis, his eyes narrowed with a cynically humorous expression.

Hollis knew that by this time Dunlavey must have discovered his ident.i.ty. He swung slowly around in his chair, his face wearing an expression of whimsical amus.e.m.e.nt as he greeted his victim of a few days previous.

"Welcome to the _Kicker_ office," he said quietly.

Dunlavey did not move. Evidently he had expected another sort of greeting and was slightly puzzled over Hollis's manner. He remained motionless and Hollis had an opportunity to study him carefully and thoroughly. His conclusions were brief and comprehensive. They were expressed tersely to himself as he waited for Dunlavey to speak: "A trickster and a cheat--dangerous."

Dunlavey's eyes flashed metallically for an instant, but immediately the humorous cynicism came into them again. "I don't think you mean all of that," he said evenly.

Hollis laughed. "I am not in the habit of saying things that I do not mean," he said quietly. "I am here to do business and I am ready to talk to anybody who wants to do business with me."

Dunlavey's hands fell to his sides and were shoved into his capacious trousers' pockets. "Right," he said tersely: "that's what I'm here for--to talk business."

He pulled a chair over close to Hollis and seated himself in it, moving deliberately, a certain grim reserve in his manner. Hollis watched him, marveling at his self-control. He reflected that it required will power of a rare sort to repress or conceal the rage which he surely must feel over his humiliation of two weeks before. That Dunlavey was able to so mask his feelings convinced Hollis that he had to deal with a man of extraordinary character.

"I recollect meeting you the other day," said Dunlavey after he had become seated. He smiled with his lips, his eyes glittering again. "I'll say that we got acquainted then. There ain't no need for us to shake hands now." He showed his teeth in a mirthless grin. "I didn't know you then, but I know you now. You're Jim Hollis's boy."

Hollis nodded. Dunlavey continued evenly: "Your father and me wasn't what you might call bosom friends. I reckon Judge Graney has told you that--if he ain't you've heard it from some one else. It don't make any difference. So there won't be any misunderstanding I'll tell you that I ain't figgering on you and me hitching up to the mutual friends.h.i.+p wagon either. I might say that we wasn't introduced right." He grinned evilly.

"But I ain't letting what happened interfere with the business that's brought me here to-day. I've heard that you're intending to start the _Kicker_ again; that you're figgering on staying here and running the Circle Bar. What I'm here for is to buy you out. I'm offering you fifteen thousand dollars for the Circle Bar and this d.a.m.n newspaper."

Dunlavey had lost a little of the composure which had characterized his actions since entering the office and the last words of his speech had writhed venomously through his lips.

Hollis's face betrayed absolutely no emotion. Though Dunlavey's visit to the _Kicker_ office had surprised him he was not surprised at his offer for the ranch and the newspaper, for according to Judge Graney he had made some such offer to the elder Hollis. Coming now, with an addition of five thousand dollars, Dunlavey's offer seemed to advertise his reluctance to continue the war that he had waged. Hollis appreciated the situation. If Dunlavey were to buy him off now there would come an end to the warfare that had already been an expensive one for the interests represented by Dunlavey. Likewise, the acceptance of the offer would give Hollis an opportunity to withdraw gracefully. Dunlavey had placed the issue squarely before him. The young man held his future in his hands and he did not reply at once.

He sat silent for a few moments, studying the coa.r.s.e, brutal face of the man seated before him, noting that his under jaw had come forward slightly, and that the cold, hard glitter had come again in his eyes.

However, Hollis's silence meant nothing beyond the fact that he was going slowly over the history of the fight between his father and the man who sat there representing the interests which had begun the war. He had no thought of surrendering--that would be dishonorable. He was merely revolving the situation in his mind, considering how best to word his refusal. He did not want to appear belligerent; he did not want to precipitate war. But he did want Dunlavey to know that he purposed to have his rights; he wanted Dunlavey to know that he could not be frightened into surrendering them. He clasped one hand over his knee and leaned back in his chair, his gaze meeting Dunlavey's steadily.

"Dunlavey," he said quietly, "what is the actual value of the Circle Bar ranch?"

Dunlavey smiled blandly. "You couldn't find any man around these parts to take it at any price," he returned.

"Why?" questioned Hollis.

Dunlavey grinned mysteriously. "I reckon you know why," he returned; "you're pretty much of a tenderfoot, but I reckon Judge Graney has put you wise to the situation. There ain't n.o.body wants to buy the Circle Bar except me."

"Why?" persisted Hollis.

"I reckon you know that too," laughed Dunlavey. "It ain't no secret. The Cattlemen's a.s.sociation is running things in this here county and it ain't wanting anyone to buy the Circle Bar except me. And n.o.body is fool enough to antagonize the a.s.sociation. That's the why, if you want to know real bad."

"You are frank about it at any rate," conceded Hollis smiling slightly.

"But that doesn't get us anywhere. What I am trying to get at is this: what would the Circle Bar bring in cash if the Cattlemen's a.s.sociation ceased to be a factor in the county?" Dunlavey grinned broadly. "For a tenderfoot you're real amusing," he derided. "There ain't n.o.body out here crazy enough to think that the Cattlemen's a.s.sociation will ever be put out of business!"

Hollis's lips curled a little, but his gaze was still steady.

"That's evasion, Dunlavey," he said quietly. "You will remember that I asked you what the Circle Bar would bring 'if' the a.s.sociation ceased to be a factor."

Dunlavey favored Hollis with a perplexed grin. "I don't know what difference that makes," he returned. "We're dealing with what's before us now--we ain't considering what might be. But if you want to know my personal opinion it's that the Circle Bar might bring thirty thousand."

"Thanks," said Hollis dryly; "that's getting somewhere. And now we'll be able to talk business. We've got thirty thousand to start with. I am told that when the a.s.sociation began its war against my father he was rather prosperous. Usually he rounded up about two thousand head of cattle. But we'll call it a thousand. We'll say that they brought about thirty dollars a head, which would make an income of thirty thousand dollars a year, gross. We'll deduct fifty per cent for operating expenses, losses, and so on. That would leave about fifteen thousand.

You've been fighting the Circle Bar for several years. We'll call it five. Five times fifteen thousand is seventy-five thousand. That represents the sum which my father would have made from the Circle Bar if you had not fought him. Add to that the thirty thousand which you admit would be a fair figure for the ranch if the a.s.sociation were eliminated as a factor, and we have a total of one hundred and five thousand dollars." He smiled and leaned a little farther back in his chair, narrowing his eyes at Dunlavey. "Now we have reached a point where we can get somewhere. I'll take one hundred thousand dollars for the Circle Bar."

The calm announcement had no effect upon Dunlavey except to cause him to grin derisively.

"For a tenderfoot you're pretty slick," he allowed, his teeth showing.

"You've figgered it out so that it sounds right reasonable. But you've forgot one thing. The Cattlemen's a.s.sociation ain't eliminated. It says that the Circle Bar is worth fifteen thousand. You'll take that or----"

He smiled grimly, holding back the threat.

"I think I know what you mean," said Hollis quietly, without changing color. "You mean that the Cattlemen's a.s.sociation will continue its fight and eventually ruin the Circle Bar. Perhaps it will--no man can tell what lies in the future. But I can tell you this: you can't r.e.t.a.r.d progress."