Are you folks prepared to spend a little money ?' I says.
"'Yes,' he says, 'if it comes to that.' "'Wa'al,' I says, 'it putty most gen'ally does come to that, don't it?
Now, the's one feller that's doin' ye more harm than some others.' "'You mean Staples ?' he says.
"'Yes,' I says, 'I mean Staples.

He don't really care a hill o' white beans which way the road comes in, but he thinks he's on the pop'lar side.

Now,' I says, 'I don't know as it'll be nec'sary to use money with him, an' I don't say 't you could, anyway, but mebbe his yawp c'n be stopped.

I'll have a quiet word with him,' I says, 'an' see you agin.' So," continued Mr.Harum, "the next night the' was quite a lot of 'em in the bar of the new hotel, an' Staples was haranguin' away the best he knowed how, an' bime by I nodded him off to one side, an' we went across the hall into the settin' room.
"'I see you feel putty strong 'bout this bus'nis,' I says.
"'Yes, sir, it's a matter of princ'ple with me,' he says, knockin' his fist down onto the table.
"'How does the outcome on't look to ye ?' I says.

'Goin' to be a putty close race, ain't it ?' "'Wa'al,' he says, ''tween you an' me, I reckon it is.' "'That's the way it looks to me,' I says, 'an' more'n that, the other fellers are ready to spend some money at a pinch.' "'They be, be they ?' he says.
"'Yes, sir,' I says, 'an' we've got to meet 'em halfway.