It had soaked in on him at last, the spot he was in. Soaked clear through a quart of booze until it hit him where he lived and rubbed the place raw.

“Why—why, god-dang you!” he said. “I was just makin’ talk! You know danged well I was! I never even seen those pimps last night!”

“No, sir, I bet you didn’t.” I grinned at him. “I’d bet a million dollars you didn’t.”

“Y-you—” He gulped. “You m-m-mean you did k-kill—”

“I mean, I know you’re a truthful man,” I said. “If you said you didn’t see those pimps, I know you ‘didn’t’ see ‘em. But other folks might think somethin’ else, mightn’t they, Ken? If those pimps’ bodies was to crop up some place, everybody’d think that you killed them. Couldn’t hardly think nothin’ else under the circumstances.”

He cussed and made a grab at me. I stayed where I was, grinning at him, and he slowly let his hands drop to his side.

“That’s right, Ken,” I nodded. “That’s right. There ain’t a thing you can do but hope. Just hope that if someone ‘did’ kill those pimps that no one ever finds their bodies.”

The train was coming in.

I waited until it came to a stop; and then, since Ken seemed too dazed to do it by himself, I helped him on.

“One other thing, Ken,” I said, and he turned on the step to look at me. “I’d be real nice to Buck, if I was you. I got kind of a funny idea that he don’t like you very much as it is, so I sure wouldn’t do no more talkin’ about makin’ him peck horse turds with the sparrers.”

He turned back around again, and went on up the steps.

I started back through town.

9

I’d been thinking it was about time to do some political campaignin’, since I had a pretty tough opponent coming up for a change. But I figured there’d been enough going on for one morning, what with Ken’s big talk; and anyways, I just didn’t have a campaign plan this time.

Always before, I’d let the word get around that I was against this and that, things like cockfighting and gambling and whiskey and soon. So my opposition would figure they’d better come out against ‘em, too, only twice as strong as I did. And I went right ahead and let ‘em. Me, almost anyone can make a better speech than I can, and anyone can come out stronger against or for something. Because, me, I’ve got no very strong convictions about anything. Not any more I haven’t.

Well, anyway, by the time it got ready to vote, it looked like a fella wouldn’t be able to have no fun at all any more, if my opponents were elected. About all a fella would be able to do, without getting arrested, was to drink sody-pop and maybe kiss his wife. And no one liked the idea very much, the wives included.