speech?"

"I will if you'll keep quiet long enough, boy," Jim Duff retorted.

"I'll try," sighed Reade. "Let's hear you."

"This committee of gentlemen--" began the gambler.

"All gentlemen?" Tom inquired gravely.

"This committee," Duff started again, "have concerned themselves with
the fact that you have done much to make business bad here in Paloma.
You have prevented hundreds of workmen from coming into Paloma to spend
their wages as they otherwise would have done."

"Some mistake there," Reade urged. "I can't control the actions of my
men after working hours."

"You've persuaded them against coming into town," retorted Duff sternly.
"None of the A. G. & N. M. workmen come into Paloma with their wages."

"I'm glad to hear that," Tom nodded. "It's the effect of taking good
advice, not the result of orders."

Some of the masked listeners stirred impatiently.

"It's all the same," Jim growled. "Your men don't come into town, and
Paloma suffers from the loss of that much business."

"I'm sorry to hear it."