Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1885-11-05
TO me like you've got the hang nv

things, yit."
'How-what do you meanp"
"Wall, you don't peer to understand
the needs NV the town"
''The interest of the town is my in
terest, and of course / am making 1t
my study"
"You must larn mighty slow. thenp'
"Why SOP"
because you amt never said a
word agin that Teller Flip Hanks. Thar
amt bigger scoundrel in the country,
an you oughter say So"
"Oh. l cannot afford to do anything
like that"
"W'y KANT. youp"
Because il would make him mad
and wouldn't do me any good"
"Uv course it would make him mad
an that's 'zackly whut you've got to
do Ell you ever make anything outen
this paper. Lemme tell you whut
you do now; Jes' come out an say
that Hanks is thief DO il an blame
me of don't help you along"
81 can't do that, Mr.. Tyler, but I'll
tell you what i will do: will publish
any communication that you may
write"
"But I'd halter put my name to it
wouldn't IP"
"Yes."
mo, that wouldn't be business. Us
folks here air a easy set an somebody
mout think that L was prejudiced, an
l wouldn't have 'em think thater way
fur putty, but you ken say whut you
please an folks won't pay no 'tention
to you.
This was n high compliment, but /
could not comply with old Mats re-
quest. explained why such course
would be d disastrous, but he heard me
with Impotence. When l had finish
ed, he said:
That's putty good talk. but it don't
show no sand, an sand is whut n
mans got to have in this here settle
ment; an the quicker you show it, the
better. Wall, I'll leave you to think
over what I've said an / hope that
you'll soon come to your senses. Wall,
good day"
Old Mat had not been gone more
than ten minutes when Flip Hanks en-
tered the office. Hanks had never f,l-
vorably impressed me, and the fact
that he had killed a newspaper man in
Texas, made me uneasy when / was so
unfortunate as to be thrown into his
society.
"Well, how are you stirringp"
Hanks asked as he seated himself on
box.
IL can't complain. How are you
getting along?"
middling. How do you like
our town."
"Very we'll"
"Glad to hear it. We are rather an
easy set of people and we like to see
every man enjoy himself. How are
you doing with your paper? Maxim
any money!"
mo; my patronage is rather slim.
at always will be unless you adopt
a different course.
81 am dong my best"
"Yes, it seems that you are doing
the best you can against yourself.
You have been here long enough to see
how the land lays and why you dom t
pitch into that old fool Mat Tyler and
give him particular hell is something
! don't understand. You've certainly
got sense enough to see that he is try
ing to run this town. He is as ignor-
ant as pig, and, more than all, he IS
thief. On, / know what / am talk
ing about Say, put this in your pa
per and charge it to me-"
He gave me a piece of paper on
which he had written the following:
Taking brains into consideration
there is not a bigger scoundrel in this
country than old Mat Tyler Why
any community that pretends to be re-
spectacle tolerates him is a mystery to
us. The Hon. Mr.. Hanks, who is WELL
known to all our citizens is the man
that is building up our county and
ought to be encouraged by our peo-
ple."
'Mr Hanks. can't print this"
"Why SO. SIR? You don't pretend
to insinuate that it is not true, do
you?"
He gave me look that made me
feel nervous. mo-" replied, II do
+ not dispute your word, but"
''But whatP Spit it out"
swell, I'll give you my reason: ]
don't care to stir up a strife"
That's fine way for a journalist
to talk. You haven't got the nerve OF
fish. Now want that thing printed
and it's going in your paper. l offer
topay for it and always demand what
l pay for"
..Mr. Hanks, l came here with the
expectation of conducting my business
in quiet way, and don't care to be
identified"
"All right. Go ahead in your own
quiet way, but II this thing don't come
out in the next issue of your paper
you'll hear more music than you ever
heard at circus. This Is all l am
going to say"
knew that he would carry out his
threat, and as l did not care to hear
his kind of music, grew sick at heart.
As was meditating, trying to devise
some way to escape, old Mat, who had
seen Hanks leave the office, entered.
''fiere,s suthin' that I've had ri
out" said he, FAN l want it to GO in
your paper" He handed me piece
of paper and read the following:
"Flip Hanks is one of the worst mer
unhung. He served term in the
Texas penitentiary aud now he is pa
rading around as one of the best mer
in this neighborhood. The Hon. Ma
Tyler, though. is an honest, upright