ny other matter."

"In other words, you have received orders to proceed?"

"I would hardly be acting without them, would I?"

"Of course; I see. Mr. Baker is sometimes hasty. Assuming that you cared
to do so, is there no way you could avoid this necessity?"

"None that I can discover. I must obey orders as long as I'm a
government officer."

"Exactly," said Oldham. "Now we reach the main issue. What if you were
not a government officer?"

"But I am."

"Assume that you were not."

"Naturally my successor would carry out the same orders."

"But," suggested Oldham, "it might very well be that another man would
not be--well, quite so qualified to carry out the case--"

"You mean I'm the only one who heard Baker say he was going to cheat the
Government," put in Bob bluntly.

"You and Mr. Welton and Mr. Baker were the only ones present at a
certain interview," he amended. "Now, in the event that you were not
personally in charge of the case would you feel it necessary to
volunteer testimony unsuspected by anybody but you three?"

"If I were to resign, I should volunteer nothing," stated Bob.

Oldham's frosty eyes gleamed with satisfaction behind their glasses.

"That's good!" he cried.

"But I have no intention of resigning," Bob concluded.

"That is a matter open to discussion," Oldham took him up. "There are a
great many reasons that you have not yet considered."

"I'm ready to hear them," said Bob.

"Look at the case as it stands. In the first place, you cannot but admit
that Mr. Baker and the men associated with him have done great things
for this country. When they came into it, it was an undeveloped
wilderness, supplying nothing of value to civilization, and supporting
only a scattered and pastoral people. The valley towns went about their
business on horse cars; they either paid practically a prohibitive price
for electricity and gas, or used oil and candles; they drank well water
and river water. The surrounding country was either a desert given over
to sage brush and jack rabbits, or raised crops only according to the
amount of rain that fell. You can have no conception, Mr. Orde, of the
condition of the country in some of these regions before irrigation. In
place of this the valley people now enjoy rapid transportation, not only
through the streets of their towns, but also by trolley lines far out in
all directions. They have cheap and abundant electric light and power.
They possess pure drinki