But he was obliged
to go to Joe Keats, as Joe made a speciality of cartridges. In
Hanbridge, people who wanted cartridges went as a matter of course to
Joe's. So Alderman Keats strolled with grand casualness into Joe's, and
said:
"I say, Joe, I want some cartridges."
"What for?" the thin Joe asked.
"A barker," the alderman replied, pleased with this word, and producing
the revolver.
"Well," said Joe, "you don't mean to say you're going about with that
thing in your pocket, you?"
"Why not?"
"Oh! No reason why not! But you ought to be preceded by a chap with a
red flag, you know, same as a steam-roller."
And the alderman, ignoring this, remarked with curt haughtiness:
"Every man ought to have a revolver."
Then he went to his tailor and had a right-hand hip-pocket put into all
his breeches.
Soon afterwards, walking down Slippery Lane, near the Big Pits,
notoriously a haunt of mischief, he had an encounter with a collier who
was drunk enough to be insulting and sober enough to be dangerous. In
relating the affair afterwards Alderman Keats said:
"Fortunately I had my revolver. And I soon whipped it out, I can tell
you.
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