“How does the town feel about it?”
“Oh, they’re divided. You’ll find croakers and boosters. The minute it begins to look as if they’re goin’ to start puttin’ up a dredger though, you’ll see the Chamber of Commerce standing on its head and wiggling its toes — only they ain’t goin’ to put in no dredger.”
“Why not?”
“Because it would show up their prospects too much. The minute a dredger works that country, it’d show that the ground had been salted. I don’t think they intend to spend no money to put up a dredger. They’re doin’ a lot of talkin’, pourin’ gold into the ground, and gettin’ it back so they can pour it into the next hole. How about fillin’ your glass again?”
I said, “No, thanks. That stuff has authority.”
“It packs a wallop. That’s what I made it for.”
“Go ahead,” I said. “I’ve got to drive the car back.”
“I don’t hit it very hard, but I like it when I’m sittin’ around talkin’ with a friend. You’re a good guy — a writer, eh?”
“Uh, huh.”
“What do you write?”