 Hello there. This is the family doctor. Well, the patient. Well, I wasn't expecting anybody. Well, hello, Jess Rankin. Come on in. Hello, Doc. Thanks. Well, you've got quite a cold, haven't you? Yes, I caught it traipsing up to Griff Miller's place in the rain last week. Well, that's too bad. Can I sit down? Take that big chair. Ah, feels good to sit down. Been walking quite a distance? Yep, quite a distance. All in one spot. What do you mean? Doc, give me something to settle my stomach, will you? Settle your... Well, what have you been doing to get it upset? What have you been eating? That's the trouble. I haven't eaten a thing for two days. Yeah, let me see your tongue. Well, that's all right. Let me tie your pulse. Oh, it ain't that, Doc. It's something a lot worse than all that. Let me see you now. Good medical man, you know, always wants to get to the cause in order to effect the cure. Yes, yes, I know. I don't know why it is, Doc, but people in Cederton always seem to run to you no matter what their trouble is. And if it ain't a physical ailment, they try to make out it is just to get to see you and tell you their trouble. That's my case, too, right now. I ain't sick. Not really sick, I mean. It's something a lot worse than that. I've got to talk to somebody and I guess it'll have to be you, Doc. All right, Jess, go right ahead. What's on your mind? Doc Adams, how long have you known me? Oh, about ten years, I guess. Ever since you bought out over Diahib's widow, took over the hardware store. Yeah. Have you ever known me to do a dishonest thing in all the years you've known me? No, of course I haven't. You've never questioned that I was a good, honest, upright citizen, a credit to Cederton, have you? No, Jess, never have. I've taken it at your face value. That's the way everybody in Cederton can look at people. Not quite everybody, Doc. What do you mean, Jess? There's one man who hasn't taken me at face value. He probably wouldn't take you nor anybody else in town at face value if he could get anything on him. What are you driving at? I mean Amos Day, the very honorable editor of the Cederton Post Bugle. Amos Day? What's he done? Doc, I'm going to tell you something that nobody else in Cederton knows, except Amos Day. Are you sure you want to, Jess? I've got to. I've got to talk to somebody. Get it off my chest or else I might do something I don't want to do. Jess, well, this sounds serious. Serious? You don't think so after I tell you. Doc, I used to be a crook. What? Oh, that's right, Doc. I was a crook once, a bad egg. I got started wrong when I was a kid. Got in with a rotten crowd and finally, well, I ended up in the pen. You wouldn't think it to see my fine, big, successful hardware store. You wouldn't think it to look at Jess Rankin, one of the town's leading merchants today. But I served a three-year term in estate penitentiary. I won't say which one because that don't matter. But well, after I got out, the old gang had split up and I happened to go straight. It wasn't easy at first, but after I'd worked for a while, made an honest living for four or five years, it was easier. A lot easier than the old life. Sure. I met Sylvia. We got married, came here to Cederton. I'd saved my money and was able to make a deal on the hardware store. Well, about two years ago, Amos Day came around to the store. He waited till there wasn't any customers there and then he told me. He told me, he'd found out about me, that I'd better watch my step. Oh, but I don't think Amos would do anything to hurt you, Jess. Oh, wouldn't he? Well, he's threatening to publish the whole rotten story in his sheet. Is that so? Well, why? Oh, it seems so small. It seems like something that we could get straightened out pretty easy. He'd only talk it over. But he won't. He won't even see me. Oh, what is it? Oh, well, a fellow came around last week and told me I was foolish to pay the high rates and the post-Dougal for advertising. He sold me a job of printing to be done over at Dunlap. For some of those handbills most of the city stores are using now. And he even agreed to organize the boys to deliver them. Well, I agreed to try it for one week. And when I didn't put any advertising in Amos Day's paper, when he saw my handbills, well, that's what made him sore. And now, he says he's going to ruin me. He's going to run me out of town. And, Doc, he'll do it too. Sure as you're set in there. Oh, well, yes, maybe he won't. Maybe he'll get over this thing. Maybe, well, you know how Amos Day is. He's got a pretty hot temper, but he gradually gets over it. Well, I don't know. Anyway, Doc, thanks for letting me talk about it. It helped a lot to get it out of my system. Did you... did you say you could give me something to sort of quiet my nerves? Oh, sure, Jess. Yeah, let's see. What time is it? Four o'clock. What? Did you drop in about an hour? I'll have Pete Mays send it up here. You would have to have a prescription for it to get it yourself. Thanks, Doc. You're awful white. I'll drop back in an hour. In the meantime, I'll... I'll probably be taking quite a walk out in the country. Oh, well. Well, hello. Well, let's connect me up with Pete Mays' drugstore, will you? Thanks. Hello, Pete. Dr. Adams. Oh, pretty good, thanks, Pete. Got a little cold. Say, send me up a tube of air and all five grains, will you? Yeah. Have Johnny bring it up right away. Oh, it's for a patient out in the country. Yeah, thanks, Pete. Oh, Alice, connect me up with the post-vugal office now, will you? Yeah, thanks. Oh, hello, Amos. Grant Adams calling. Say, you haven't been around to collect for my professional card in your paper for about a month. Oh, anytime. Well, why don't you drop around here in about half an hour? Well, I'll have a check waiting for you. All right. Well, goodbye, Amos. Amos, I haven't seen you for a long time. How do you expect to show a profit when you don't collect from your customers? I'm doing all right, thanks. Yes, I guess so. Say, how are your subscriptions, Amos? Circulation of the post-vugal staying up to normal? Huh? Why do you ask? Oh, well, I just thought I might drop out for a while. I haven't seen anything very exciting in your paper, and I thought... Nothing exciting. Well, you're needing to worry about that, Grant Adams. I've got something exciting enough in the next issue, all right? Yes, sir. I've got a story this time. I'll blast this town wide open. What's that? You can read it in the paper. Oh, yes, yes, I suppose I can. But maybe I won't put my card in anyway. It wouldn't be dangerous for me not to advertise in your paper, would it? What do you mean? Has just Rankin been up here? Yes, he has, Amos. In fact, yes, I think he's in the reception room right now. Come on in. Why are you meddling all? Hello, Amos. It won't do you no good to talk to me, Rankin. I won't have anything to do with a crook. Crook? It's a pretty harsh word, Amos. Oh, sure, no, that's what he is, a crook. And there's no place in Cedarsden for the likes of him. Why, this man that we thought was such a model citizen, he's an ex-convict. He served a term in the penitentiary. Yes, I know, so just told me. Are you aiming to publish that in the post-bughal, Amos? I certainly am. The sooner Cedarsden gets rid of him, the better for the town, the better for the citizens who are trying to lead honest, upright lives. Amos, you'd better read up on your libel laws. What? What do you mean? I mean that if you print that in your paper, Jess Rankin here could sue you for a pretty penny for libel. Ah, rubbish. My paper prints the truth, and that is the truth. It doesn't make any difference, Amos. Even though it might be true, if Jess can prove that you've damaged his character, his business and his home, which you will do if you print that story, he can sue you for a lot of money. I could put you out of business. What? Well, that's the case. So, so, Grand Adams, you're protecting a crook, are you? Oh, no, Amos Day. I'm protecting a man who made a mistake once and who's led a good sound honest life ever since he's learned his lesson. Well, so that's it, is it? Very well. I shan't print the story. Mark my words, Grand Adams, you're making a mistake. You'll live to regret this. I might get myself into a lot of trouble if I did print it, but, well, you'll live to regret this day. Ah, Amos. Well? Didn't you forget something? What do you mean? Oh, give me that check. Ah, such a town, an honest up-right editor, trying to do good. I wonder if he could be comfortable in a glass house. Thanks, Doc. Oh, that's all right, Jess. Here are some pills for you. Take them dissolved in a little milk twice a day. I don't think I'll need them now. Thanks, Doc. No, maybe you won't need them. Say, Doc, is that the truth? What? That I could have sued Amos Day for libel if he'd have printed that story? Oh, gosh, that's right, Jess. I don't know. This is the family doctor. I'll be in to see you again right soon. Goodbye.