"Go ahead and hang me, it was worth it!"
"Certainly profits are made in a not for profit business, not there are an abundance of them. It simply means that profits earned by the hospital will be used for pursuing the hospital's objectives, and paying its running costs. Not for profit funds will never go to the hospital’s, directors, or officers. so Leah Steelgrave will never since a red cent!"
Mr McVey, it seemed, was the prophet of how not-for-profit businesses should spend their profits, but Zenobia didn't profit from his advice, because she was concentrating on cutting his hair.
"Uh-huh" she nodded, starting to pick up the knack of looking like she was listening when she had more important things to thin about: like making sure his left and right sideburns were exactly the same length.
"Interesting philosophy isn't it? Go to all this trouble to provide a service to your community, and never make a profit from it." He added. "I doubt any of this is known to any of those that have fought her on this. In fact I believe that the old guard wanted not only the right of ways for the coming railroad, but a for profit hospital to put money in their coffers. Their personal coffers."
She stood back and admired her handywork. Not bad!!
"So, where did she get all her money from in the first place?" Zenobia asked suddenly.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Invested it." He replied. "Smart Girl, 'er woman, though she's been investing for some time, I understand. Fortunes have been built in just that way, and it seems she is well on her way. The rumors swirl about the woman, and have since she was a girl, but one thing is for sure, she has wealth of her own."
Of all those in the town, including her father and the Thorntons, he chose to follow her because she had confided in him once. So he wanted to know who this young woman was, and what she was about. What he was saying about her, common knowledge actually. One just needed to look. The leads were there and relatively easy to follow.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
(A day later)
Returning to his office after the contract signing was complete, after Cole Latham made a fool of himself, and after celebrating with Miss Steelgrave, Phin set to work on the special edition that had to get out.
This was a labor of pure joy! The long struggle was over, the contract was signed and binding, and the construction could go forward at long last. The last he had seen of Leah, she was headed for the telegraph office to send word to those waiting, men and supplies. He worked ferociously to get the edition out, and in no time it was complete, and he was running it on the press.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
The single shot was loud, even with the traffic, the jingle of the trace chains and the people on the boardwalks conversing. It had been some time since that had been gunfire in town, especially in the middle of the day, he was up, pad in hand and heading for the door. "That was a gunshot!" He said to Sarah. "I have no idea what it's about, but I intend to find out!"
He stepped out the door to see a crowd gathered and Marshal Guyer leading a man away, a man who looked familiar, but one he could not identify right off. He started down the street to see who belonged to the body laying on the boardwalk. There should be a story in this, it would appear someone had been murdered in broad daylight!
When he arrived at the body, it was of a man he did not recognize, not that he was aware of every drifter that passed through town, but the one being led off was familiar enough, he just could not place him at the moment. But clearly Chester and Myrtle McIneery stood close behind the body, Chester steadying his wife who splattered with blood, no doubt from the dead man.
He then saw Arabella Mudd scurrying across the the street to the Municipal Building. He would be over there in a few moments himself but just then, the slower moving Mister Jolly and young Raymond, his other assistant, arrived on the scene. "Mister Jolly." He greeted, "Raymond. I see Miss Mudd is already at the Marshals office."
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Phin stepped through the door of the Union office, closing the door behind him "Well Sarah, you're not going to believe what has just happened." He began, "That was a gunshot out there, seems that a Eethan Noolan, noted pistoleer, and Cabot "Turk" Flagg a bounty hunter of the saloon crowd had a brief run-in on the boardwalk. Mister Flagg dispatched the wanted man with a single, well placed shot, but, that is not the story." He went to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee.
"No, far from it actually. There being a five hundred dollar reward on this Noolan fellow. Well the story is Mister Flagg, a bounty hunter mind you, turned down the reward and told Marshal Guyer to give it to charity. Seems that this Noolan had burned Flagg's farm and killed his younger brother, so he looked upon the reward as blood money, Can you believe that? A bounty hunter turning down a reward, no matter the reason for the killing?"
"Well Speed is splitting the money between Miss Bowen at the school, and Pastor Evans at the church. I've never heard the like, not ever." He stated.
Sarah listened as Phinn told her what had happened. She had heard the gunshot but by the time she had gotten up from her desk and went outside to see what it was, a large crowd had gathered. She had also seen Phinn arrive on the scene and knowing that it wouldn't be worth going over, she returned to her desk and the article she was writing. Phinn had delegated all of the town news that he thought was rather mundane to her. The Kalispell Union was the only newspaper in town and the only source for locals to keep up with town happenings.
When Phinn had finished telling her about the money she replied, "Well this Mister Flagg, even though he is a killer, sounds as if he has a conscience. The church and the school can put the money to good use. Kate Bowen was telling me the other day, that she wanted to get a few copies of Ridpath's History of America. This money will certainly help out."
She paused for a moment before going on, "How much do you know about Mister Flagg and does he plan to stay in town long?"
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Know? Not much actually. He is fairly new in town, maybe a couple of days, maybe weeks at best. In fact, I have never seen him before. Sequestered in the saloon, so I can't be sure when he arrived, but he has certainly made an entrance for himself."
"I would think he's making plans to leave town after the shooting, but I could be wrong. He came here for something, though I've no idea what, or why. It wasn't for that Noolan character, seems that was an accidental, if not unfortunate meeting of the two." He shook his head, unfortunate meeting for Mister Noolan. Ruined Missus McIneery's dress, so there'll be something said about that. Chester McIneery is not one to have his wife endangered, nor to see her clothing ruined. Might be a story in that as well."
"Every town needs a newspaper."
With Sarah contemplating the ruined dress of Missus McIneery, and young Tommy Lane not yet out of school for the day, Phin sat back with a cup of coffee to consider the next edition and how he would frame it, what with the shooting and then the donations. A killing was still a killing, and on main street, which still went unnamed, of all places.
But was the end result the most important part of the incident. True, no one was hurt other than the Noonan fellow. A dress ruined and a pair of unhappy people over it, still, the donations to the church, and to the school, that was the real news. Everyone by now was well aware of the killing. No sense running that in the ground, and there was the talk about it all bringing positive attention to Kalispell, and quite frankly, Phin liked that idea. Liked it real well.
So he set pen to paper, the headline, of course, and then the article itself. That was what required framing, at least in his mind. It was becoming clear that he would have to cover the shooting to some degree, and a separate article about the reward, there was just no way around it. But, even so, Phin could make it as palatable as possible, it was after all what he did.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Satisfied with the edition, Phin stepped out onto the porch for a breath of fresh air and to savor the afternoon sunlight. He was aware of the things which had been developing news-wise in town, as well as around the area. The mining operation of Guyer's for one, the rumor of the rustlers return, the pending arrival of the the building supplies and the builders themselves. There would be no shortage of news.
Someone had mentioned they thought they saw Shade Thornton at the Lickskillet, which he thought was highly unlikely, but certainly possible. he would believe that when he saw the man, not that he doubted the source, if he could remember who had told him. The need for a cup of coffee drew him back inside. Things were about to change.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
He poured himself a cup of the hot liquid that seemed to be ever on the stove even of the dog days of summer. A man had to have his coffee, whether he topped it off with a touch of whiskey or not.
So, cup in hand, Phin stepped back outside to resume a favored pastime, watching people and thinking. He suddenly wondered, looking at the Municipal Building, how the Pikes were doing on their journey. He envied them taking out to parts that were unknown, except rumor had it they were headed for Virginia City Nevada, and it had been said that the trip was by way of Portland and San Francisco.
To Phin, Pronto Pike had been no more than a gunfighter wearing a badge, even though he liked him right off. The man had struck him as an odd companion to Marshal Guyer, who seemed the businessman and dedicated lawman, yet the two worked well together. Just like his marriage to Emeline from the Lickskillet Cafe. They seemed to be polar opposites, yet he courted her and they married.
The cafe was not the same either, the quality was the same, and Clara Lutz was a fine waitress as well as an excellent cook, it was just the change. He thought it funny how change affected folks, including himself. He would have to see if perhaps he could get a story out of the pair upon their return. It would make for good reading.
The town seemed to be changing, or was it on the verge of change? And how would that affect the residents? He couldn't put a finger on why he felt that way, but it was clear he did. Everything changes over time without folks even knowing it was, suddenly it was different than it had been. Was this rumored return of Shade Thornton that change? Or, was it something else?