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Page 19
TOM HAS NO PLANS FOR LEAVING TOWN
"My plans for leaving town?" repeated Tom pleasantly. "Why, gentlemen,
I'll meet your question frankly by saying that I haven't made any such
plans."
"You're going to do so, aren't?" inquired Duff casually.
"By the time that my partner and I have finished our work for the road,
Mr. Duff, I imagine that we shall be making definite plans to go away,
unless the railroad officials decide to keep us here with Paloma as
headquarters for other work."
"We believe that it would be much better for your health if you went
away at once," Duff insisted, with a mildness that did not disguise his
meaning in the least.
Tom deemed it not worth while to pretend any longer that he did not
understand.
"Oh, then it's a case of 'Here's your hat. What's your hurry?'" asked
Reade smilingly.
"Something in that line," assented Jim Duff. "I venture to assure you
that we are quite in earnest in our anxiety for your welfare, Mr.
Reade."
"Whom do you men represent?" asked Tom.
"The citizens of Paloma," returned Duff.
"All of them?" Reade insisted.
"All of them--with few exceptions."
"I understand you, of course," Tom nodded.
"Now, Mr. Duff, I'll tell you what I propose. I'm curious to know just
how many there are on your side of the fence. Pardon me, but I really
can't quite believe that the better citizens of this town are behind
you. I know too many Arizona men, and I have too good an opinion of
them. Your kind of crowd makes a lot of noise at times, and the other
kind of Arizona crowd rarely makes any noise. I know, of course, the
element in the town that your committee represents, but I don't believe
that your element is by any means in the majority here."
"I assure you that we represent the sentiment of the town," Duff
retorted steadily.
"Much as I regret the necessity for seeming to slight your opinion," Tom
went on with as pleasant a smile as at first, "I call for a showing of
hands or a count of noses. I'll tell you what we'll do, Mr. Duff, if it
meets with your approval. We'll hire a hall, sharing the expense.
We'll state the question fairly in the local newspaper, and we'll invite
all good citizens to turn out, meet in the hall, hear the case on both
sides, and then decide for themselves whether they want the railroad
engineers to leave the town or--"
"They do want you to leave town!" the gambler insisted.
"Or whether they want Jim Duff and some of his friends to leave town,"
Tom Reade continued good-humoredly.
Jim Duff turned, gazing back at the men with him. They represented the
roughest element in the town.
"No use arguing with a mule, Jim!" growled a red-faced man at the rear
of the crowd. "Get a rail, boys, and we'll start the procession right
now."
"Bring a rope along, too!" called another man hoarsely.
"Get two rails and one rope!" proposed a third bad character. "The
other kid doesn't seem to be sassy enough to need a rope."
"Gentlemen," broke in Harry Hazelton gravely, "if anyone of you imagines
that I'm holding my tongue because I disapprove of my partner's course,
let me assure you that I back every word he says."
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