Aczy scratched his head. This was a doozy of a day - first poor ol' Jenkins dies in church, of all places, then some boy rides in from Hell and dies on the spot.
"These people are surely in need of some guidance," he thought,
"and that cantankerous Reverend isn't going to do much about it - he'll probably use this as a sign to repent or some religious bullcrap."
Ace kicked at the swirling sand beneath him, attempting to conjure up a plan of action without success. Amy - his faithful barmaid - brushed his shoulder and whispered something into his ear. He didn't catch what she'd said but it sounded like a question, so he replied with a feeble yes. His mind wandered back to the dead boy. Ace had never seen an Indian in all his life, or even known about the homocidal, scalpin' kind.
"I'm gonna do something," he said to himself, "I'm gonna do something about this for my own safety, but more importantly, the safety and well-being of Hope Falls... and my Bar. Even if it means we take drastic measures." Without hesitation Aczy Schuyler stood high on a rickety fence, above the crowd of people. He cleared his throat. Nobody listened. He cleared his throat again, this time louder. A few heads turned. Then, he took a deep breath, and yelled at the top of his lungs, '
Shaddup!"
Everyone turned - including the Reverend and the Sheriff, much to Ace's surprise - to look at the man who was wobbling back and forth on the wooden fence, trying to maintain his balance and his dignity. He began to speak.
"You all heard the boy. Someone - whoever it is, Indians or otherwise - could attack our small town of Hope Falls at any time. And I mean
could. Who knows, maybe nobody will attack our peaceful settlement in the next one thousand years! Either way, we need to be prepared for attack - because we just
don't know. We've already seen the effects of two deaths here - imagine if we were attacked by some force so sinister; if we were unprepared, most of us, if not all of us, would be dead. Our town would be wiped off the map! Do you want Hope Falls to disappear from the great history of the United States of America? I don't think so."
A question came forth from the crowd. "So whatd'ya suggest we do then, Barkeep?"
"We put safety first, even if for a few weeks. I propose a lockdown at eight o' clock sharp every night - that means no going outside, no loud music, and no tomfoolery. Raiders could use spies, or attack at night - we can't be too careful, you realise. For this, we'll need some kind of town guard to keep everyone safe at night. I'll be willing to do this, but I need volunteers. But know this - you must be out every night for at least ten hours. And no, you can't bring any booze - I'm looking at you, Buck!"
The crowd laughed - much to the displeasure of Jimmy - and half roared with approval. The other half however, stayed deathly quiet, only muttering and shaking their heads before disappearing into the town. Apparently, Aczy had won the approval of some, but divided the town in two. The Priest seemed to oppose his views, unsurprisingly.
"We'll all meet tomorrow morning at the Bar (where drinks are 50% off on Mondays!) for a town meeting and a vote. Please keep in mind, it's your choice Hope Falls - safety, or chaos."
Content with his rousing speech, Ace walked back into the Bar, then upstairs into his study, comforting himself with sweetened water and a book. He gladly awaited tomorrow, excited at the opportunity to win support for his eccentric and controversial ideas.
(PS: Sorry if that was a bit drawn out, I wasn't sure how to fit a "rousing speech" in a paragraph. And if anyone wants any part of what I wrote changed, feel free to PM me.

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