The stenographer glanced toward her employer. The latter nodded, whereupon she gathered a few stray leaves of paper and departed. Bob looked after her until the door had closed behind her. Then, quite deliberately, he made a tour of the office, trying doors, peering behind curtains and portieres. He ended at the desk, to find Baker"s eye fixed on him with sardonic humour. "Melodramatic, useless--and ridiculous," he said briefly.
"If I have any evidence to give, it will be in court, not in a private office," replied Bob composedly.
"What do you want?" demanded Baker.
"I have come this far solely and simply to get a piece of information at first hand. I was told you had threatened to become a blackmailer, and I wanted to find out if it is true?"
"In a world of contrary definitions, it is necessary to come down to facts. What do you mean by blackmailer?"
"It has been told me that you intend to aid criminal proceedings against Mr. Welton in regard to the right-of-way trouble and the "sugaring" of Plant."
"Well?"
"And that in order to evade your own criminal responsibility in the matter you intended to turn state"s evidence."
"Well?" repeated Baker.
"It seemed inconceivable to me that a man of your social and business standing would not only confess himself a petty criminal, but one who shelters himself by betrayal of his confederate."
"I do not relish any such process," stated Baker formally, "and would avoid it if possible. Nevertheless, if the situation comes squarely up to me, I shall meet it."
"I suppose you have thought what decent men----"
Baker held up one hand. This was the first physical movement he had made.
"Pardon me," he interrupted. "Let us understand, once and for all, that I intend to defend myself when attacked. Personally I do not think that either Mr. Welton or myself are legally answerable for what we have done. I regret to observe that you, among others, think differently. If the whole matter were to be dropped at this point, I should rest quite content. But if the matter is not dropped"--at last he let his uplifted hand fall, "if the matter is not dropped," he repeated, "my sense of justice is strong enough to feel that every one should stand on the same footing. If I am to be dragged into court, so must others."
Bob stood thoughtful for a moment.
"I guess that"s all," said he, and walked out.
As the door closed behind him, Baker reached forward to touch one of several b.u.t.tons. To the uniformed messenger who appeared he snapped out the one word, "Oldham!" A moment later the land agent stood before the wide mahogany desk.
"Orde has just been here," stated Baker crisply. "He wanted to know if I intended to jail Welton on that old bribery charge. I told him I did."
"How did he take it?"
"As near as I can tell he is getting obstinate. You claimed very confidently you could head off his testimony. Up to date you haven"t accomplished much. Make good."
"I"ll head him off," stated Oldham grimly, "or put him where he belongs.
I"ve saved a little persuasion until all the rest had failed."
"How?"
"That I"ll tell you in time, but not now. But I don"t mind telling you that I"ve no reason to love this Orde--or any other Orde--and I intend to get even with him on my own account. It"s a personal and private matter, but I have a club that will keep him."
"Why the secrecy?"
"It"s an affair of my own," insisted Oldham, "but I have it on him. If he attempts to testify as to the Basin lands, I"ll have him in the penitentiary in ten days."
"And if he agrees?"
"Then," said Oldham quietly, "I"ll have him in the pen a little later--after the Basin matter is settled once and for all."
Baker considered this a little.
"My judgment might be worth something as to handling this," he suggested.
"The matter is mine," said Oldham firmly, "and I must choose my own time and place."
"Very well," Baker acquiesced; "but I"d advise you to tackle Orde at once. Time is short. Try out your club to see if it will work."
"It will work!" stated Oldham confidently.
"Of course," remarked Baker, relaxing abruptly his att.i.tude, physical and mental, and lighting a cigar, "of course, it is all very well to yank the temples down around the merry Philistines, but it doesn"t do your Uncle Samson much good. We can raise h.e.l.l with Welton and Orde and a half-dozen others, and we will, if they push us too hard--but that don"t keep us the Basin if this crazy reformer testifies and pulls in Welton to corroborate him. I"d rather keep the Basin. If we could stop Orde----"
"I"ll stop him," said Oldham.
"I hope," said Baker impressively, "that you have more than one string to your bow. I am not inquiring into your methods, you understand"--his pause was so significantly long at this point, that Oldham nodded--"_but your sole job is to keep Orde out of court_."
Baker looked his agent squarely in the eye for fifteen seconds. Then abruptly he dropped his gaze.
"That"s all," said he, and reached for some papers.
XXIV
Oldham obeyed his princ.i.p.al"s orders by joining Bob on the train back to the city. He dropped down by the young man"s side, produced a cigar which he rolled between his lips, but did not light, and at once opened up the subject of his negotiations.
"I wish to point out to you, with your permission," he began, "just where you stand in this matter. In the confusion and haste of a busy time you may not have cast up your accounts. First," he checked off the point on his long, slender forefinger, "in injuring Mr. Baker in this ill-advised fashion you are injuring your old-time employer and friend, Mr. Welton, and this in two ways: you are jeopardizing his whole business, and you are rendering practically certain his conviction on a criminal charge. Mr. Welton is an old man, a simple man, and a kindly man; this thing is likely to kill him." Oldham glanced keenly at the young man"s sombre face, and went on. "Second"--he folded back his middle finger--"you are injuring your own father, also in two ways: you are bringing his lawful property into danger, and you are giving his political enemies the most effective sort of a weapon to swing in his coming campaign. And do not flatter yourself they will not make the best of it. It happens that your father has stood strongly with the Conservation members in the late fight in Congress. This would be a pretty scandal. Third," said Oldham, touching his ring finger, "you are injuring yourself. You are throwing away an opportunity to get in on the ground floor with the biggest man in the West; you are making for yourself a powerful enemy; and you are indubitably preparing the way for your removal from office--if removal from such an office can conceivably mean anything to any one." He removed the cigar from his mouth, gazed at the wetted end, waited a moment for the young man to comment, then replaced it, and resumed. "And fourth," he remarked closing his fist so that all fingers were concealed. There he stopped until Bob was fairly compelled to start him on again.
"And fourth----" he suggested, therefore.
"Fourth," rapped out Oldham, briskly, "you injure George Pollock."
"George Pollock!" echoed Bob, trying vainly to throw a tone of ingenuous surprise into his voice.
"Certainly; George Pollock," repeated Oldham. "I arrived in Sycamore Flats at the moment when Pollock murdered Plant. I know positively that you were an eye-witness to the deed. If you testify in one case, I shall certainly call upon you to testify in the other. Furthermore," he turned his gray eyes on Bob, and for the second time the young man was permitted to see an implacable hostility, "although not on the scene itself, I can myself testify, and will, that you held the murderer"s horse during the deed, and a.s.sisted Pollock to escape. Furthermore, I can testify, and can bring a competent witness, that while supposed to be estimating Government timber in the Basin, you were in communication with Pollock."
"Saleratus Bill!" cried Bob, enlightened as to the trailer"s recent activities in the Basin.
"It will be easy to establish not only Pollock"s guilt, but your own as accessory. That will put you hard and fast behind the bars--where you belong."
In this last speech Oldham made his one serious mistake of the interview. So long as he had appealed to Bob"s feelings for, and sense of duty toward, other men, he had succeeded well in still further confusing the young man"s decision. But at the direct personal threat, Bob"s combative spirit flared. Suddenly his troubled mind was clarified, as though Oldham"s menace had acted as a chemical reagent to precipitate all his doubts. Whatever the incidental hardships, right must prevail. And, as always, in the uprooting of evil, some unlucky innocent must suffer. It is the hardship of life, inevitable, not to be blinked at if a man is to be a man, and do a man"s part. He leaned forward with so swift a movement that Oldham involuntarily dodged back.