ors to
investigate the charges against the local officials. The first of these
inspectors, a rather precise and formal youth fresh from Eastern
training, was easily handled by the versatile Erbe. His report,
voluminous as a tariff speech, and couched in very official language,
exonerated Thorne and Orde of dishonesty, of course, but it emphasized
their "lack of tact and business ability," and condemned strongly their
attitude in the Durham matter. This report would ordinarily have gone no
farther than the district office, where it might have been acted on by
the officers in charge to the great detriment of the Service. At that
time the evil of sending out as inspectors men admirably trained in
theory but woefully lacking in practice and the knowledge of Western
humankind was one of the great menaces to effective personnel.
Fortunately this particular report came into the hands of the Chief, who
happened to be touring in the West. A fuller investigation exposed to
the sapient experience of that able man the gullibility of the
inspector. From the district a brief statement was issued upholding the
local administration.

The agitation, thus deprived of its chief hope, might very well have
been expected to simmer down, to die away slowly. As a matter of fact,
it collapsed. The newspaper attacks ceased; the public meetings were
discontinued; the saloons and other storm centres applied their powers
to a discussion of the Gans-Nelson fight. Samuels was very briefly
declared a trespasser by the courts. Erbe disappeared from the case.
The United States Marshal, riding up with a posse into a supposedly
hostile country, found no opposition to his enforcement of the court's
decree. Only old Samuels himself offered an undaunted defence, but was
soon dislodged and led away by men who half-pitied, half-ridiculed his
violence. The sign "Property of the U.S." resumed its place. Thorne made
of the ancient homestead a ranger's post.

"It's incomprehensible as a genuine popular movement," said he on one of
Bob's periodical returns to headquarters. The young man now held a
commission, and lived with the Thornes when at home. "The opposition up
there was so rabid and it wilted too suddenly."

"'The mutable many,'" quoted Amy.

But Thorne shook his head.

"It's as though they'd pricked a balloon," said he. "They don't love us
up there, yet; but it's no worse now than it used to be here. Last week
it was actually unsafe on the streets. I