>O.K. Here's the part of the book where Buck comes up with a way to overcome the banker Longshore wanting to call in all of the city's overdrafts.

Tobe," he said, not frowning now, "old Longshore's got me to thinkin'"

"Unh-unh,"
Tobe
smiled sourly.

"Come here an' sit down," Buck said, reaching for a pad and pencil. He looked up as Tobe straddled the chair in front of him.

"How many gamblin' joints in town?"

Tobe
shook his head.
"God knows."

"Saloons? Them that ain't licensed?"

"No tellin'. "

"Whorehouses?"

>"Five,"
Tobe said, quickly.

Buck tossed his pencil on the desk.

"I want a list o' those places. Names of the owners. When you get that, we'll get together an' reckon up what each of 'em can stand in taxes."

Tobe gulped.
"Tax a gamblin' joint?"

"Hell yes." Buck said, and his eyes got to snapping with excitement. "Here we are givin' them police protection, streets, schools, an' a brand-new fire truck, an' they ain't payin' a dime. Legal places are totin' the whole load."

"Taxin' the girls don't seem right," Tobe frowned. "More like pimpin'"

"Hell, it ain't us," Buck said, "it's the city."

Tobe raised his eyebrows and stared at Buck. Slowly, his face relaxed, and he began to laugh and slap his knees. "That's the ticket," he said, " I can just see little old Ed Reddick collectin' taxes from Josie's Hollow Horn Girls.
Fussin' at 'em when they want to trade it out."

"Ed ain't goin' to collect them taxes. We need a big man, an' a strong one, to start off."

Tobe's smile faded and he groaned.

Buck stood up and slapped his hands together. "We'll open a new account," he said, "private, An' stick ever' dollar we collect in it. Then we'll pay it on the city's debit till we come out."

BEST!
rr
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