Free Witches' Bane by Susan Wittig Albert Page B

dignity. “There’s nothing wrong with you teaching that class, Ruby. It’s your timing that’s off. While the City Square site visit team is here, it is vital—absolutely vital —that we put our best foot forward. This week has been ... well, we can’t exactly call it our best foot.” She looked disgusted. “Dead goats, dead chickens, burning crosses, pickets in the streets—”
    “Well, I’m glad to hear that you feel strongly about the subject,” Ruby said smoothly. “You can be the one to tell Harbuck to call off his dogs.”
    Pauline licked her lipstick. “What I hoped,” she said, “was that you would cancel the class. Then I could approach Reverend Harbuck and ask him to—”
    Ruby folded her arms. “Absolutely not.”
    “Good for you, Ruby,” I said.
    Pauline’s tone became cajoling. “But think what it would mean. A favorable report from the site visit team almost guarantees that we’ll get the grant. And I’ve just found out how absolutely critical the money is. City Hall has termites!” At the looks on our faces, she added, “They’re all around the baseboards in the city council chambers, and there’s not a penny in the budget for spraying. The building’s a historic structure, so the grant would—”
    “Free speech,” Ruby said, pulling herself up to her full height and then some, “is more important than spraying City Hall.”
    “But it’s just a class,” the mayor pleaded. “You can always reschedule.”
    “It’s not the class, it’s the principle.” Ruby pulled her gingery eyebrows together. “I am really disappointed in you, Pauline. I know you’re counting on this City Square business to win the election for you. But I never thought you’d go to the extent of suppressing legitimate self-expression, just to get a few votes.”
    “But I—”
    “I personally believe that Billy Lee Harbuck is more dangerous than termites. But he’s got the same constitutional right to picket my store—as long as he doesn’t harass my customers—as I have to teach my class. And you can’t make either of us give up that right just to fool the site team into believing that everybody in Pecan Springs is one cozy, happy family.” She lifted her chin. ‘“Tain’t so, Magee.”
    I gave Ruby a respectful glance. She had hit the heart of the matter. And she had zinged the mayor in a very tender spot.
    “I am not suppressing self-expression.” Pauline shifted her weight. “I’m just trying to ... to smooth things over. To effect a compromise. But if you can’t find it in your heart to cooperate, perhaps Reverend Harbuck will.”
    “I’ll compromise,” Ruby said. “I won’t advertise my class. How’s that?”
    Pauline beamed. “That’s the spirit!”
    I looked at Ruby, shaking my head. She hadn’t advertised in the first place. The newspaper had turned her down. But I wasn’t about to blow it for her. I turned to Pauline. “You’d better have more than that up your sleeve before you talk to Harbuck,” I said. “He says God’s on his side, and you’re going to need some pretty powerful leverage.”
    Pauline looked coy. “I wouldn’t call it leverage, exactly. But it does so happen that my husband has a major interest in KPST-FM. That’s the station that carries Reverend Harbuck’s gospel message every Sunday morning.”
    “That’s what I call leverage,” Ruby said, admiringly.
    I wanted to plug my ears. Talk about the First Amendment!
    Pauline was all business. “Would you come with me, Chief Harris? It’s time we had a talk with Reverend Harbuck.”
    Pauline and Bubba went out on the sidewalk, while Ruby and I watched through the window.
    “I can’t believe she’s using the radio station like that,” I said. Pauline took the Reverend off to one side, where his choir couldn’t hear what went on.
    “I can,” Ruby said. “How’d you think she got to be mayor?”
    From the look on the Reverend’s face, Pauline’had him in a tight place. In the end