Page:West of Dodge (1926).pdf/192

 I reckon docterin' hardens a man. I've heard said it does."

"Yes, doctors and hotel men have a hard name," Hall agreed.

"Maybe a hotel man ain't as hard as his name sometimes," Jim said. "Take me: some of these people in this town think I'd drill the fillin's out of a man's teeth for a hotel bill, and here I've been down here this morning tryin' to give my blamed hotel away to a widder woman."

"You talk like she wouldn't take it."

"She wouldn't. That's the joke of it; she wouldn't."

"What's the occasion for all this liberality? Not going to quit us, are you?"

"If I could make that boardin'-train widder see money when it's spread out in her lap before her eyes, I would. I offered her the hotel as a gift, free gratis, if she'd buy the furnishin's. No; don't know nothing about a standin'-still boardin' house, she says."

"And that's a pretty good reason for letting it alone, too. If you can't make money out of it, how do you expect anybody else to?"

"Things is due to pick up in this town when the railroad makes this a division point and puts in a roundhouse and shops. Farley was tellin' me a few days ago it's all settled, provided we win the county seat in the election, and it's a cinch we will. It seems the company's made a deal to give it to Simrall if they beat us, but that was only to quiet 'em down, Farley says. They ain't got a chance in a thousand of beatin' us."

"Yes, Farley was telling me the same thing the other day. He says the company has been pestered and wor-