n was called to the fact, he refused to do
anything. No reason why not, except that 'he'd always lived there and
always would.' You know the kind."

"Ought to--put in two years in the Michigan woods," said Bob.

"Well, as a matter of fact, he gave up the claim to all intents and
purposes, but now that the Yellow Pine people are cutting up toward him,
he's suddenly come to the notion that the place is worth while. So he's
patched up his cabin, and moved in his whole family. We've got to get a
relinquishment out of him."

"If he has no right there, why not put him off?" asked Bob.

"Well, in the first place, this Samuels is a hard old citizen with a
shotgun; in the second place, he has some shadow of right on which he
could make a fight; in the third place, the country up that way doesn't
care much for us anyway, and we want to minimize opposition."

"I see," said Bob.

"You'll have to go up and look the ground over, that's all. Do what you
think best. Here are all the papers in the matter. You can look them
over at your leisure."

Bob tucked the bundle of papers in his _cantinas_, or pommel bags, and
left the office. Amy was rattling the stove in her open-air kitchen,
shaking down the ashes preparatory to the fire. Bob stopped to look
across at her trim, full figure in its starched blue, immaculate as
always.

"Hullo, Colonel!" he called. "How are the legions of darkness and
ignorance standing the cannonading these days? Funny paper any new
jokes?"

This last was in reference to Amy's habit of reading the Congressional
Record in search of speeches or legislation affecting the forests. Bob
stoutly maintained, and nobody but Amy disputed him, that she was the
only living woman, in or out of captivity, known to read that series of
documents.

Amy shook her head, without looking up.

"What's the matter?" asked Bob solicitously. "Nothing wrong with the
Hero, nor any of the Assistant Heroes?"

Thus in their banter were designated the President, and such senators as
stood behind his policies of conservation.

"Then the villains must have been saying a few triumphant ha! has!"
pursued Bob, referring to Fulton, Clark, Heyburn and the rest of the
senatorial representatives of the anti-conservationists. "Or is it
merely the stove? Let me help."

Amy stood upright, and thrust back her hair.

"Please don't," said she. "I don't feel like joking to-day."

"It _is_ something!" cried Bob. "I do beg your pardon; I did