“If I was a drinking man, still, I would toast that.” Haynes had been promoting his sobriety despite his reputation as a drinker. He made himself out to be a reformed man, though that was surely a sham. He had just become more careful about hiding it. And there were persistent rumors that Haynes was himself involved in the bootlegging business, though no one had come forth with any proof. McBride suspected that the rumors were true. There was not a direct line from the disappearing liquor at the courthouse, but there was one if you just added Kane Wootan into the line.

“And what can I do for you, Frank?” McBride asked.

“Well, I'm getting pressure from above about the draft resistors. ‘Slackers.’ That war over there just keeps eating up the troops. A terrible thing. The Germans and the British are just stalled over there in France, killing each other in bigger and bigger numbers. Washington wants us to start rooting out slackers and getting them enlisted or to jail. I need your help with Graham County.”

“Graham County has an admirable record for enlistments, Frank. I would venture to say this county has more enlistments per thousand men than any other county in Arizona. Certainly way more than Maricopa and Pima. Why aren't you after them?”

“Who says we're not?” Haynes replied. “Everyone knows Graham County has signed up a good share of its eligible men. And this is not about Graham County. It's about this whole state, the whole country. We all got to do what we can. We got to get the war over and the Kaiser out of town. We all got to do our part. Hell, if I was younger, I'd sign up.”

“No, you wouldn't.”

Haynes laughed. “Guess you got me there. But it needs to be said. Got to let the young ones know we all share the burden.”

“So I'm supposed to round up all the young men in this county who haven't enlisted yet? How am I supposed to do that? Are you going to give me additional men to help find these fellows? Isn't that your job? That's federal, Frank, not state or county.”

“Like I said, McBride. We all do our part. It's not your job. But I'm spread thin. I can't cover Graham, Gila, Pinal, Greenlee, and Cochise Counties with the staff I got. I need help from the locals.”

“But we don't have the authority.”

“We can fix that. I can deputize one of your deputies, and you can use his authority to make the arrests and then just hold them for me. It will all be well and proper.”

“You want Martin to round up slackers?”

“No. Kempton is a born temperance enforcer. I'll deputize the other one—Wootan. That will give him something to do. I understand he hasn't got an excess of ambition.”

“He's not as enthusiastic as Mart Kempton, but he's all right.”