the dining room. Then he proceeded to every table, calling each person by name, smiling broadly, and shaking hands. At each of the tables, he left several tokens that could be exchanged for five cents in trade at the Palace Saloon, his place of business.
“There you go, boys,” he said magnanimously. “Stop by and have a beer on me.”
“Are you gettin’ a little worried, Judge?” someone called.
“About the election? Not at all.”
“You’ve got Colonel Lounsberry and the Tribune against you.”
“Why, if I didn’t have the paper against me, I’d think I wasn’t doing my job properly,” Richards replied, and a few of the customers laughed.
Richards started toward the table of an attractive young woman who was sitting alone, engrossed in the pages of the newspaper.
“Frank, who is that woman Richards is approaching? Do you know her?” Drew asked, tossing his head toward Jana.
“I’ve never seen her before, but I like the wayshe looks. I’d say she’d make a good mama for Sam and Benji,” Frank quipped.
Chuckling, Drew shook his head. “I don’t know why I stay friends with you. You keep pushing, pushing, and pushing when you know I’ve got that taken care of. Mrs. Considine has been with me for almost two months now, and she’s working out just fine.”
“Oh, yes, the giantess,” Frank teased. “But then she’s not in the market for a husband, or so I was told. . . .”
Both men laughed uproariously.
Jana looked up from her paper when she heard the laughter. She saw two men sitting at the table nearest her, but she had been reading and hadn’t noticed them before. Of the two men, one in particular caught her attention. He had dark brown hair, was clean shaven, and had, from what she could tell from here, an athletic build. He was, she thought, a most attractive man.
Even as she was considering his attributes, a rather plump man approached her and stuck out his hand.
“How do you do, ma’am. I’m Jason Richards, and I’d like to ask for your vote for me in tomorrow’s election. I’m running for justice of the peace. Can I count on your vote?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Oh? And why not? I assure you, I can take care of any problem you might have.”
“You can’t solve my problem, sir.”
“Oh, but I can.” He reached into his upperbreast pocket and withdrew something and placed it under Jana’s plate. “Now can I count on your vote?”
Jana looked down and saw a folded bill.
“No, sir.” She handed the money back to the man without looking at the amount. “Your money won’t buy my vote, because I can’t vote. I just arrived in Bismarck last night, so I’m not a resident.”
“Oh, my dear, in Bismarck, that’s not a problem. Take the money, and, remember, I’m Jason Richards, running for justice of the peace.”
“Thank you, but no. Even if I could vote, I don’t think I’d vote for you. If buying votes is the way Bismarck is run, I’ll find another place to live. Good day, sir.”
The smile left Richards’s face and he glared at Jana. “You’ve just made a big mistake, girly. Yes, sir, a big mistake, and you’ll be sorry. Because you see, I will win, and if you so much as step into the street in the wrong place, I’ll have you before my bench.”
“So be it. You’re not buying my vote. Good day, Mr. Richards.”
Jason Richards put a stub of a cigar in his mouth, then turned and stomped out of the dining room.
At the neighboring table, Drew had watched and listened with amusement to the entire exchange between the young woman and the rotund, despicable politician. He couldn’t help but think of the fairy tale he had read to the boys just a few evenings ago. Except in The Beauty and the Beast ,the beast had some redeeming qualities. As far as Drew knew, Richards had none.
When Drew realized that she was turning down Richards’s attempt to buy her vote, his interest in her went beyond just finding her to be exceptionally pretty. He got
“There you go, boys,” he said magnanimously. “Stop by and have a beer on me.”
“Are you gettin’ a little worried, Judge?” someone called.
“About the election? Not at all.”
“You’ve got Colonel Lounsberry and the Tribune against you.”
“Why, if I didn’t have the paper against me, I’d think I wasn’t doing my job properly,” Richards replied, and a few of the customers laughed.
Richards started toward the table of an attractive young woman who was sitting alone, engrossed in the pages of the newspaper.
“Frank, who is that woman Richards is approaching? Do you know her?” Drew asked, tossing his head toward Jana.
“I’ve never seen her before, but I like the wayshe looks. I’d say she’d make a good mama for Sam and Benji,” Frank quipped.
Chuckling, Drew shook his head. “I don’t know why I stay friends with you. You keep pushing, pushing, and pushing when you know I’ve got that taken care of. Mrs. Considine has been with me for almost two months now, and she’s working out just fine.”
“Oh, yes, the giantess,” Frank teased. “But then she’s not in the market for a husband, or so I was told. . . .”
Both men laughed uproariously.
Jana looked up from her paper when she heard the laughter. She saw two men sitting at the table nearest her, but she had been reading and hadn’t noticed them before. Of the two men, one in particular caught her attention. He had dark brown hair, was clean shaven, and had, from what she could tell from here, an athletic build. He was, she thought, a most attractive man.
Even as she was considering his attributes, a rather plump man approached her and stuck out his hand.
“How do you do, ma’am. I’m Jason Richards, and I’d like to ask for your vote for me in tomorrow’s election. I’m running for justice of the peace. Can I count on your vote?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Oh? And why not? I assure you, I can take care of any problem you might have.”
“You can’t solve my problem, sir.”
“Oh, but I can.” He reached into his upperbreast pocket and withdrew something and placed it under Jana’s plate. “Now can I count on your vote?”
Jana looked down and saw a folded bill.
“No, sir.” She handed the money back to the man without looking at the amount. “Your money won’t buy my vote, because I can’t vote. I just arrived in Bismarck last night, so I’m not a resident.”
“Oh, my dear, in Bismarck, that’s not a problem. Take the money, and, remember, I’m Jason Richards, running for justice of the peace.”
“Thank you, but no. Even if I could vote, I don’t think I’d vote for you. If buying votes is the way Bismarck is run, I’ll find another place to live. Good day, sir.”
The smile left Richards’s face and he glared at Jana. “You’ve just made a big mistake, girly. Yes, sir, a big mistake, and you’ll be sorry. Because you see, I will win, and if you so much as step into the street in the wrong place, I’ll have you before my bench.”
“So be it. You’re not buying my vote. Good day, Mr. Richards.”
Jason Richards put a stub of a cigar in his mouth, then turned and stomped out of the dining room.
At the neighboring table, Drew had watched and listened with amusement to the entire exchange between the young woman and the rotund, despicable politician. He couldn’t help but think of the fairy tale he had read to the boys just a few evenings ago. Except in The Beauty and the Beast ,the beast had some redeeming qualities. As far as Drew knew, Richards had none.
When Drew realized that she was turning down Richards’s attempt to buy her vote, his interest in her went beyond just finding her to be exceptionally pretty. He got
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