“Sure,” says Mark, “that’s the gen’ral idee of it, but,” he says, “most gen’ally the f-feller gits it that’s got the most p’litical pull, don’t he, honest Injun?”
Mr. Wiggins laughed. “Well,” he said, “maybe politics does have something to do with it. If you think that, what made you come?”
“Because,” says Mark, “Binney and me is p-politicians, and we got pull.”
“Oh,” says Mr. Wiggins. “What influence have you to bring to bear?”
“Why,” says Mark, “we sort of f-f-figger on yours, and on Mr. Brown’s.”
Mr. Wiggins laughed right out. “Don’t you know,” says he, “that Brown and I don’t live in the same nest at all? You couldn’t get the two of us to agree on anything to save your life. And, besides, I never saw you or heard of you before. How do you figure you have my influence?”
“Because,” says Mark, “we calc’late to be reg’lar p-politicians and see farther into what’s goin’ on than m-most folks, and because you want us on your side a l-little worse ’n you want ’most anybody else in the county.”
“Now look here, sonny,” says Mr. Wiggins, “I’m pretty busy, and, while I like boys and am willing to fool with ’em, to-day I’m short of time. Come in some other day.”
“Wait a m-minute,” says Mark, “till we tell you how we size up this here sheriff fight.” He didn’t wait for Wiggins to say he could, but jumped right into it.
“This here is the hardest f-f-fight for sheriff in years,” says he, “and anybody that b-beats out Bowman’s got a job on his hands, eh?”