"Except me," Mr. Jay said.
That evening Tesno had dinner with Persia, as he often did now. Sam Lester was there, too, and he spent the whole time with them instead of returning to his office when the meal was finished. He sat, sipped brandy, read a newspaper; once in a while he even entered the conversation. When they had moved into the parlor and were sipping brandy, Persia mentioned that they had put on a new deputy.
"I know," Tesno said. "I'm wondering why you picked Willie."
"The council thought him suitable."
"He said you recommended him."
Persia shrugged. "He's a nice boy. He seems qualified."
"A breed kid who stutters?"
"What do you mean?"
"He's part Indian."