the usual
tricks and defending the men whom the people think he is vigorously
prosecuting. But--"

"But?" said I encouragingly.

"Is this on the level? If I undertake these prosecutions, shall I be
allowed to push them _honestly_? Or will there be a private settlement
as soon as Roebuck and his crowd see their danger?"

"No matter what happens," I replied, "you shall prosecute at least the
civil suits to the end. I give you my word for that."

He thanked me warmly, for he appreciated that I was bestowing upon him
an enormous opportunity for national fame.

"And you?" said I. "If you succeed in this prosecution, will you remain
in the public service or will you accept the offers the interests will
make, and remove to New York and become a rich corporation lawyer?"

He reflected before answering. "That depends," said he. "If _you_ are
going to stay on in control in this state, I shall stick to public life,
for I believe you will let me have what I call a career. But, if you are
going to get out and leave me at the mercy of those fellows, I certainly
shan't stay where they can fool the people into turning on me."

"I shall stay on," said I; "and after me, there will be
Woodruff--unless, of course, there's some sort of cataclysm."

"A man must take chances," he answered. "I'll take that chance."

We called Woodruff into the consultation. Although he was not a lawyer,
he had a talent for taking a situation by the head and tail and
stretching it out and holding it so that every crease and wrinkle in it
could be seen. And this made him valuable at any conference.

In January we had our big battery loaded, aimed and primed. We unmasked
it, and Ferguson fired. I had expected the other side to act stupidly,
but I had not hoped for such stupidity as they exhibited. Burbank's year
of bathing in presidential flatteries and of fawning on and cringing to
the multi-millionaires and their agents hedging him around, had so
wrought upon him that he had wholly lost his point of view. And he let
his Attorney General pooh-pooh the proceedings,--this in face of the
great popular excitement and enthusiasm. It was not until Roebuck's
lawyers got far enough into the case against him to see his danger that
the administration stopped flying in the teeth of the cyclone of public
sentiment and began to pretend enthusiasm, while secretly plotting the
mistrial of Ferguson's cases. And not until the United States Attorney
General--a vain Goo