w that if the paper failed to appear on scheduled time the
people in Union County would think that Hollis had surrendered; they
would refuse to believe that he had been so badly injured that he could
not issue the paper, and Dunlavey would be careful to circulate some
sort of a story to encourage this view. Now that Ace had brought the
matter to his attention he began to suspect that this had been the
reason of the attack on Hollis. That they had not killed him when they
had the opportunity, showed that they must have had some purpose other
than that of merely desiring to get him out of the way. That they had
merely beaten him showed that their wish was only to incapacitate him
temporarily. Norton's eyes flashed with a sudden determination.

"I don't reckon that the _Kicker_ will miss fire," he declared;
"not if I have to go to Dry Bottom an' get her out myself!"

Ace eyed him furtively and now spoke with an embarrassed
self-consciousness.

"I've been considerin' this here situation ever since you told us about
the boss," he said diffidently, "an' if you're goin' to get that paper
out, a little poem or two might help out considerable."

"Meanin'?" interrogated Norton, his eyelashes flickering.

Ace's face reddened painfully. "Meanin' that I've got several little
pieces which I've wrote when I didn't have anything else to do an' that
I'd be right willin' to have them put into the _Kicker_ to help
fill her up. Some of the boys think they're right classy."

Norton looked around at the other men for confirmation of the truth of
this modest statement. He caught Lanky's glance.

"I reckon that's about right," said that sober-faced puncher; "Ace is
the pote lariat of this here outfit, an' he sure has got a lot of right
clever lines in his pomes. I've read them which wasn't one-two-three
with his'n."

Norton smiled, a little cynically. He wasn't quite sure about it, he
said, but if Ace could write poetry he hadn't any doubt that during the
next few weeks there would be plenty of opportunity to print some of it
in the Kicker. He smiled when he saw Ace's face brighten. But he told
him he would have to see Hollis--if the latter got well enough to endure
an interview. If the boss recovered enough to be able to look at Ace's
poetry before it was printed, why of course it would have to be shown
him. He didn't want anything to go into the _Kicker_ which the boss
wouldn't like. But if he wasn't able to look at it, why he would