The two men found Baker seated behind his flat-top desk. He grinned
cheerfully at them; and, to Bob's surprise, greeted him with great
joviality.
"All hail, great Chief!" he cried. "I've had my scalp nicely
smoke-tanned for you, so you won't have to bother taking it." He bowed
to Orde. "I'm glad to see you, sir," said he. "Know you by your picture.
Please be seated."
Bob brushed the levity aside.
"I've come," said he, "to get an explanation from you as to why, in the
first place, you had me kidnapped; and why, in the second place, you
tried to get me murdered."
Baker's mocking face became instantly grave; and, leaning forward, he
hit the desk a thump with his right fist.
"Orde," said he, "I want you to believe me in this: I never was more
sorry for anything in my life! I wouldn't have had that happen for
anything in the world! If I'd had the remotest idea that Oldham
contemplated something of that sort, I should have laid very positive
orders on him. He said he had something on you that would keep your
mouth shut, but I never dreamed he meant gun play."
"I don't suppose you dreamed he meant kidnapping either," observed Bob.
Baker threw himself back with a chuckle.
"Being kidnapped is fine for the health," said he. "Babies thrive on it.
No," he continued, again leaning forward gravely, "Oldham got away from
his instructions completely. Shooting or that kind of violence was
absurd in such a case. You mustn't lay that to me, but to his personal
grudge."
"What do you know of a personal grudge?" Bob flashed back.
"Ab-so-lute-ly nothing; but I suspected. It's part of my job to be a
nifty young suspector--and to use what I guess at. He just got away from
me. As for the rest of it, that's part of the game. This is no croquet
match; you must expect to get your head bumped if you play it. I play
the game."
"I play the game, too," returned Bob, "and I came here to tell you so.
I'll take care of myself, but I want to say that the moment you offer
any move against Welton, I shall bring in my testimony against both of
you on this bribery matter."
"Sapient youth!" said Baker, amused; "did that aspect of it just get to
you? But you misinterpreted the spirit of my greeting when you came in
the room. In words of one syllable, you've got us licked. We lie down
and roll over. We stick all four paws in the air. We bat our august
forehead against the floor. Is that clear?"
"Then you drop this prosecution against Welton?"
"Nary prosecution, as far as I am concerned."
"But the Modoc Land case----"
"Take back your lands," chaffed Baker dramatically. "Kind of bum lands,
anyway. No use skirmishing after the battle is over. Your father would
tell you that."
"Then you don't fight the suit?"
"That," said Baker, "is still a point for compromise. You've got us, I'm
willing to admit that. Also that you are a bright young man, and that I
underestimated you. You've lifted my property, legally acquired, and
you've done it by outplaying my bluff. I still maintain the points of
the law are with me--we won't get into that," he checked himself. "But
criminal prosecution is a different matter. I don't intend to stand for
that a minute. Your gang don't slow-step me to any bastiles now listed
in the prison records. Nothing doing that way. I'll fight her to a
fare-ye-well on that." His round face seemed to become square-set and
grim for an instant, but immediately reassumed its customary rather
careless good-nature. "No, we'll just call the whole business off."
"That is not for me to decide," said Bob.
"No; but you've got a lot to say about it--and I'll see to the little
details; don't fret. By the way," mentioned Baker, "just as a matter of
ordinary curiosity, _did_ Oldham have anything on you, or was he just a
strong-arm artist?" He threw back his head and laughed aloud at Bob's
face. At the thought of Pollock the young man could not prevent a
momentary expression of relief from crossing his countenance. "There's a
tail-holt on all of us," Baker observed.
He flipped open a desk drawer and produced a box of expensive-looking
cigars which he offered to his visitors. Orde lit one; but Bob, eyeing
the power-man coldly, refused. Baker laughed.
"You'll get over it," he observed--"youth, I mean. Don't mix your
business and your personal affairs. That came right out of the copy
book, page one, but it's true. I'm the one that ought to feel sore,
seems to me." He lit his own cigar, and puffed at it, swinging his bulky
form to the edge of the desk. "Look here," said he, shaking the butt at
the younger man. "You're making a great mistake. The future of this
country is with water, and don't you forget it. Fuel is scarce; water
power is the coming force. The country can produce like a garden under
irrigation; and it's only been scratched yet, and that just about the
big cities. We are getting control; and the future of the state is with
us. You're wasting yourself in all this toy work. You've got too much
ability to squander it in that sort of thing. Oldham made you an offer
from us, didn't he?"
"He tried to bribe me, if that's what you mean," said Bob.
"Well, have it your way; but you'll admit there's hardly much use of
bribing you now. I repeat the offer. Come in with us on those terms."
"Why?" demanded Bob.
"Well," said Baker quaintly, "because you seem to have licked me fair
and square; and I never want a man who can lick me to remain where he is
likely to do so."
At this point Orde, who had up to now remained quietly a spectator,
spoke up.
"Bob," said he, "is already fairly intimately connected with certain
interests, which, while not so large as water power, are enough to keep
him busy."
Baker turned to him joyously.
"List' to the voice of reason!" he cried. "I'm sorry he won't come with
us; but the next best thing is to put him where he won't fight us. I
didn't know he was going back to your timber--"
Bob opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again at a gesture from his
father.
Baker glanced at the clock.
"Well," he remarked cheerfully, "come over to the Club with me to lunch,
anyway."
Bob stared at him incredulously. Here was the man who had employed
against him every expedient from blackmail to physical violence; who had
but that instant been worsted in a bald attempt at larceny,
nevertheless, cheerfully inviting him out to lunch as though nothing had
happened! Furthermore, his father, against whose ambitions one of the
deadliest blows had been aimed, was quietly reaching for his hat. Baker
looked up and caught Bob's expression.
"Come, come!" said he; "forget it! You and I speak the language of the
same tribe, and you can't get away from it. I'm playing my game, you're
playing yours. Of course, we want to win. But what's the use of cutting
out lots of bully good people on that account?"
"You don't stick to the rules," insisted Bob stoutly.
"I think I do," said Baker. "Who's to decide? You believe one way, I
believe another. I know what you think of my methods in business; and
I'd hate to say what I think of you as the blue ribbon damn fool in
that respect. But I like you, and I'm willing to admit you've got stuff
in you; and I know damn well you and your father and I can have a fine
young lunch talking duck-shooting and football. And with all my faults
you love me still, and you know you do." He smiled winningly, and hooked
his arm through Bob's on one side and his father's on the other. "Come
on, you old deacon; play the game!" he cried.
Bob laughed, and gave in.