said he, gathering his reins.
"Guess I lay in some hair tonic so"s to have a good one ready for you,"
returned Welton, as Harding nodded his farewell.
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 low verandah of the sleeping quarters. Welton and Bob sat, chair-tilted, awaiting the supper gong.
"Thrice hail, n.o.ble chiefs!" cried Baker, cautiously stretching out first one st.u.r.dy leg, then the other. "Against which post can I lean my trusty charger?"
Baker was garbed to suit the role. His boots were very thick and very tall, and most bristly with hobnails; they laced with belt laces through forty-four calibre eyelets, and were strapped about the top with a broad piece of leather and two glittering buckles. Furthermore, his trousers were of khaki, his shirt of navy blue, his belt three inches broad, his neckerchief 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 the simple life--surveyor, hardy prospector, mountain climber, st.u.r.dy pedestrian? Ain"t I the real young cover design for the Out-of-door number?"
He accepted their congratulations with a lofty wave.
"That"s all right," said he; "but somebody take away this horse before I bite 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 robin redbreast. Leaves for yours."
"Pa.s.s 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-const.i.tuted robin redbreast.
"Babes in the Woods!"
Beyond this he would vouchsafe nothing until after supper when, cigars lighted, the three of them sprawled before the fireplace in quarters.
"Now," he began, "you fellows are up against it good and plenty. You can"t wish your lumber out, and that"s the only feasible method unless you 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 little birdies light on the wires, do you?"
"Does that d.a.m.n operator leak?" inquired Welton placidly but with a narrowing of the eyes.
"Not on your saccharine existence. If he did, he"d be out among the scenery 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 unless you can scare up better ones than that. Let"s get back to cases. How did you happen to make this break, anyway?"
"Why," explained Welton, "it was simply a case of build a road and a flume down a worthless mountain-side. Back with us a man builds his road where he needs it, and pays for the unavoidable damage. My head was full of all sorts of details. I went and asked Plant about it, and he said all right, go ahead. I supposed that settled it, and that he must certainly 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, is congressman 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 extra fire-fighters to protect my timber," he added ironically.
"Well?"
"Well!" the lumberman slapped his knee. "I won"t be held up in any such barefaced fashion!"
"And your congressman will pull you out. Now let me drop a few pearls of wisdom in the form of conundrums. Why does a fat man who can"t ride a horse 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 every mountain man, who grafts barefacedly, whose men are either loafers or discouraged, _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, and that 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"d better 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 timber against the ravages of the devouring element! Now look here," he resumed his sober tone and more considered speech; "what else can you do?"