IX
Matters stood thus dependent on the efforts of Jack Orde, at Washington,when, one evening, Baker rode in to camp and dismounted before the lowverandah of the sleeping quarters. Welton and Bob sat, chair-tilted,awaiting the supper gong.
"Thrice hail, noble chiefs!" cried Baker, cautiously stretching outfirst one sturdy leg, then the other. "Against which post can I lean mytrusty charger?"
Baker was garbed to suit the role. His boots were very thick and verytall, and most bristly with hobnails; they laced with belt laces throughforty-four calibre eyelets, and were strapped about the top with a broadpiece of leather and two glittering buckles. Furthermore, his trouserswere of khaki, his shirt of navy blue, his belt three inches broad, hisneckerchief of red, and his hat both wide and high.
In response to enthusiastic greetings, he struck a pose.
"How do you like it?" he inquired. "Isn't this the candy make-up for thesimple life--surveyor, hardy prospector, mountain climber, sturdypedestrian? Ain't I the real young cover design for the Out-of-doornumber?"
He accepted their congratulations with a lofty wave.
"That's all right," said he; "but somebody take away this horse before Ibite him. I'm sore on that horse. Joke! Snicker!"
Bob delivered over the animal to the stableman who was approaching.
"Come up to see the tall buildings?" he quoted Baker himself.
"Not so," denied that young man. "My errand is philanthropic. I'm robinredbreast. Leaves for yours."
"Pass that again," urged Bob; "I didn't get it."
"I hear you people have locked horns with Henry Plant," said Baker.
"Well, Plant's a little on the peck," amended Welton.
"Leaves for yours," repeated the self-constituted robin redbreast."Babes in the Woods!"
Beyond this he would vouchsafe nothing until after supper when, cigarslighted, the three of them sprawled before the fireplace in quarters.
"Now," he began, "you fellows are up against it good and plenty. Youcan't wish your lumber out, and that's the only feasible method unlessyou get a permit. Why in blazes did you make this break, anyway?"
"What break?" asked Welton.
Baker looked at him and smiled slowly.
"You don't think I own a telephone line without knowing what littlebirdies light on the wires, do you?"
"Does that damn operator leak?" inquired Welton placidly but with anarrowing of the eyes.
"Not on your saccharine existence. If he did, he'd be out among thescenery in two jumps. But I'm different. That's my _business_."
"Mighty poor business," put in Bob quietly.
Baker turned full toward him.
"Think so? You'll never get any cigars in the guessing contest unlessyou can scare up better ones than that. Let's get back to cases. How didyou happen to make this break, anyway?"
"Why," explained Welton, "it was simply a case of build a road and aflume down a worthless mountain-side. Back with us a man builds his roadwhere he needs it, and pays for the unavoidable damage. My head was fullof all sorts of details. I went and asked Plant about it, and he saidall right, go ahead. I supposed that settled it, and that he mustcertainly have authority on his own job."
Baker nodded several times.
"Sure. I see the point. Just the same, he has you."
"For the time being," amended Welton. "Bob's father, here, iscongressman from our district in Michigan, and he'll fix the matter."
Baker turned his face to the ceiling, blew a cloud of smoke toward it,and whistled. Then he looked down at Welton.
"I suppose you know the real difficulty?" he asked.
"One thousand dollars," replied Welton promptly--"to hire extrafire-fighters to protect my timber," he added ironically.
"Well?"
"Well!" the lumberman slapped his knee. "I won't be held up in any suchbarefaced fashion!"
"And your congressman will pull you out. Now let me drop a few pearls ofwisdom in the form of conundrums. Why does a fat man who can't ride ahorse hold a job as Forest Supervisor in a mountain country?"
"He's got a pull somewhere," replied Welton.
"Bright boy! Go to the head. Why does a fat man who is hated by everymountain man, who grafts barefacedly, whose men are either loafers ordiscouraged, _hold_ his job?"
"Same answer."
Baker leaned forward, and his mocking face became grave.
"That pull comes from the fact that old Gay is his first cousin, andthat he seems to have some special drag with him."
"The Republican chairman!" cried Welton.
Baker leaned back.
"About how much chance do you think Mr. Orde has of getting a hearing?Especially as all they have to do is to stand pat on the record. You'dbetter buy your extra fire-fighters."
"That would be plain bribery," put in Bob from the bed.
"Fie, fie! Naughty!" chided Baker. "Bribery! to protect one's timberagainst the ravages of the devouring element! Now look here," he resumedhis sober tone and more considered speech; "what else can you do?"
"Fight it," said Bob.
"Fight what? Prefer charges against Plant? That's been done a dozentimes. Such things never get beyond the clerks. There's a man inWashington now who has direct evidence of some of the worst frauds andbiggest land steals ever perpetrated in the West. He's been there nowfour months, and he hasn't even _succeeded in getting a hearing_ yet. Itried bucking Plant, and it cost me first and last, in time, delay andmoney, nearly fifty thousand dollars. I'm offering you that expensiveexperience free, gratis, for nothing."
"Make a plain statement of the facts public," said Bob. "Publish them.Arouse public sentiment."
Baker looked cynical.
"Such attacks are ascribed to soreheads," said he, "and public sentiment_isn't interested_. The average citizen wonders what all the fuss isabout and why you don't get along with the officials, anyway, as long asthey are fairly reasonable." He turned to Welton: "How much more of adelay can you stand without closing down?"
"A month."
"How soon must your deliveries begin?"
"July first."
"If you default this contract you can't meet your notes."
"What notes?"
"Don't do the baby blue-eyes. You can't start a show like this withoutborrowing. Furthermore, if you default this contract, you'll never getanother, even if you do weather the storm."
"That's true," said Welton.
"Furthermore," insisted Baker, "Marshall and Harding will beconsiderably embarrassed to fill their contracts down below; and thebuilding operations will go bump for lack of material, if they fail tomake good. You can't stand or fall alone in this kind of a game."
Welton said nothing, but puffed strongly on his cigar.
"You're still doing the Sister Anne toward Washington," said Baker,pleasantly. "This came over the 'phone. I wired Mr. Orde in your name,asking what prospects there were for a speedy settlement. There's whathe says!" He flipped a piece of scratch paper over to Welton.
"Deadlock," read the latter slowly. "No immediate prospect. Will hastenmatters through regular channels. Signed, Orde."
"Mr. Orde is familiar with the whole situation?" asked Baker.
"He is."
"Well, there's what he thinks about it even there. You'd better see tothat fire protection. It's going to be a dry year."
"What's all your interest in this, anyway?" asked Bob.
Baker did not answer, but looked inquiringly toward Welton.
"Our interests are obviously his," said Welton. "We're the only twobusiness propositions in this country. And if one of those two fail,how's the other to scratch along?"
"Correct, as far as you go," said Baker, who had listened attentively."Now, I'm no tight wad, and I'll give you another, gratis. It's strictlyunder your hats, though. If you fellows bust, how do you think I couldraise money to do business up here at all? It would hoodoo the country."
Silence fell on the three, while the fire leaped and fell and crac
kled.Welton's face showed still a trace of stubbornness. Suddenly Bakerleaned forward, all his customary fresh spirits shining in his face.
"Don't like to take his na'ty medicine?" said he. "Well, now, I'll tellyou. I know Plant mighty well. He eats out of my hand. He just loves meas a father. If I should go to him and say; 'Plant, my agile sylph,these people are my friends. Give them their nice little permit and letthem run away and play,' why, he'd do it in a minute." Baker rolled hiseyes drolly at Welton. "Can this be the shadow of doubt! You disbelievemy power?" He leaned forward and tapped Welton's knee. His voice becamegrave: "I'll tell you what I'll do. _I'll bet you a thousand dollars Ican get your permit for you!"_
The two men looked steadily into each other's eyes.
At last Welton drew a deep sigh.
"I'll go you," said he.
Baker laughed gleefully.
"It's a cinch," said he. "Now, honest, don't you think so? Do you giveup? Will you give me a check now?"
"I'll give you a check, and you can hunt up a good stakeholder," saidWelton. "Shall I make it out to Plant?" he inquired sarcastically.
"Make the check out to me," said Baker. "I'll just let Plant hold thestakes and decide the bet."
He rose.
"Bring out the fiery, untamed steed!" he cried. "I must away!"
"Not to-night?" cried Bob in astonishment.
"Plant's in his upper camp," said Baker, "and it's only five miles bytrail. There's still a moon."
"But why this haste?"
"Well," said Baker, spreading his sturdy legs apart and surveying firstone and then the other. "To tell you the truth, our old friend Plant isgetting hostile about these prods from Washington, and he intimated he'dbetter hear from me before midnight to-day."
"You've already seen him!" cried Bob.
But Baker merely grinned.
As he stood by his horse preparing to mount, he remarked casually.
"Just picked up a new man for my land business--name Oldham."
"Never heard of him," said Welton.
"He isn't the _Lucky Lands_ Oldham, is he?" asked Bob.
"Same chicken," replied Baker; then, as Bob laughed, "Think he's phoney?Maybe he'll take watching--and maybe he won't. I'm a good littlewatcher. But I do know he's got 'em all running up the street with theirhats in their hands when it comes to getting results."