Red Prophet: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume II Read Online Free

since. So Hooch was a little surprised that this Jackson was big enough now to have business that would take him clear from Tennizy up to Carthage City.
    But that was nothing to his surprise when Jackson stepped through the door, ramrod straight with eyes like fire. He strode across the room and offered his hand to Governor Harrison. Called him
Mr
. Harrison, though. Which meant he was either a fool, or he didn’t figure he needed Harrison as much as Harrison needed
him
.
    “You got too many Reds around here,” said Jackson. “That one-eyed drunk by the door is enough to make a body puke.”
    “Well,” said Harrison, “I think of him as kind of a pet. My own pet Red.”
    “Lolla-Wossiky,” said Hooch helpfully. Well, not really helpfully. He just didn’t like how Jackson hadn’t noticed him, and Harrison hadn’t bothered to introduce him.
    Jackson turned to look at him. “What did you say?”
    “Lolla-Wossiky,” said Hooch.
    “The one-eyed Red’s name,” said Harrison.
    Jackson eyed Hooch coldly. “The only time I need to know the name of a horse,” he said, “is when I plan to ride it.”
    “My name’s Hooch Palmer,” said Hooch. He offered his hand.
    Jackson didn’t take it. “Your name is Ulysses Brock,” said Jackson, “and you owe more than ten pounds in unpaid debts back in Nashville. Now that Appalacheehas adopted U.S. currency, that means you owe two hundred and twenty dollars in gold. I bought those debts and it happens that I have the papers with me, since I heard you were trading whisky up in these parts, and so I think I’ll place you under arrest.”
    It never occurred to Hooch that Jackson would have that kind of memory, or be such a skunk as to buy a man’s paper, especially seven-year-old paper, which by now should be pretty much forgot. But sure enough, Jackson took a warrant out of his coat pocket and laid it on Governor Harrison’s desk.
    “Since I appreciate your already having this man in custody when I arrived,” said Jackson, “I am glad to tell you that under Appalachee law the apprehending officer is entitled to ten percent of the funds collected.”
    Harrison leaned back in his chair and grinned at Hooch. “Well, Hooch, maybe you better set down and let’s all get better acquainted. Or I guess maybe we don’t have to, since Mr. Jackson here seems to know you better than I did.”
    “Oh, I know Ulysses Brock all right,” said Jackson. “He’s just the sort of skunk we had to get rid of in Tennizy before we could lay claim to being civilized. And I expect you’ll be rid of his sort soon enough here, too, as you get the Wobbish country ready to apply for admission to the United States.”
    “You take a lot for granted,” said Harrison. “We might try to go it alone out here, you know.”
    “If Appalachee couldn’t make a go of it alone, with Tom Jefferson as President, you won’t do any better here, I reckon.”
    “Well maybe,” said Harrison, “just maybe we’ve got to do something that Tom Jefferson didn’t have the guts to do. And maybe we’ve got a need for men like Hooch here.”
    “What you have need for is soldiers,” said Jackson. “Not rummers.”
    Harrison shook his head. “You’re a man who forces me to come to the point, Mr. Jackson, and I can calculate right enough why the folks in Tennizy sent you on up here to meet with me. So I’ll come to the point. We’ve got thesame trouble up here that you’ve got down there, and that trouble can be summed up in one word: Reds.”
    “Which is why I’m perplexed that you let drunken Reds sit around here in your own headquarters. They all belong west of the Mizzipy, and that’s as plain as day. We won’t have peace and we won’t have civilization until that’s done. And since Appalachee and the U.S. alike are convinced that Reds can be treated like human beings, we’ve got to solve our Red problem
before
we join the Union. It’s as simple as that.”
    “Well, you see?” said