Then an unusual thing happened. Dolf Springer burst in without knocking. He was excited, greatly excited, or he never would have ventured, for Zaanan’s office was sacred.
“Judge,” he panted, “what d’you think? They’ve up and done it. Didn’t b’lieve they’d dast, but they did dast. They’ve up and announced Peleg Goodwin to run ag’in you for justice of the peace.”
Zaanan eyed his henchman. “Git a breath, Dolf. Git a breath. Like’s not you’ll suffocate. Hum! Peleg, eh?” He turned to Jim. “Seem like old times,” he said; “hain’t had no opposition for the nomination in more ’n twenty year. Peleg Goodwin, deacon by perfession.”
Zaanan peered at him briefly and grunted.
“I hain’t so young as I was wunst,” he said. “Maybe my powers is flaggin’. Maybe this here is a spontaneous uprisin’ of the folks, thinkin’ maybe it’s time I was put on the shelf. But, son, I don’t hanker to go on no shelf—anyhow, not to make room for Peleg. But it was bound to come some day. Folks likes change, and I’ve been mighty permanent.”
The old man leaned back in his chair and looked beyond Jim and Dolf; forgot them as his thoughts carried him back over the years. When he spoke it was not to them, it was to the people, to his people, whom he had served and ruled for more than a quarter of a century.
“Yes, folks,” says he, “what some of you is sayin’ is correct. I calc’late I’m a boss. But if you was to look at my bank account or search out my property you’d see I wasn’t that kind of a boss. I’ve run things in this county ’cause I was more fitted to run ’em than you. I’d have liked it if you’d ’a’ had the spunk and gumption to run things yourselves. I’ve let you try it sometimes, and then had to clean up the mess.
“Don’t think, folks, that all these years has been pleasure for me, nor what I’d ’a’ picked out to do. No, siree! When I was younger there was things I had ambitions about. I wanted to git somewheres and be somethin’. But I hain’t had no time. I hain’t had no time to spare to look after Zaanan Frame, owin’ to matters of yourn that was always pressin’. Diversity wa’n’t no heaven when I took holt of it, but now it’s a good place for man to live. I’ve made the laws respected and obeyed; since I’ve been justice one man’s had as much chance in this county as another.