ourse, you can verify them; but
you'll find them accurate."

He handed them to Bob, who took them, completely puzzled. Oldham's next
speech enlightened him.

"You'll find there," said the older man, tapping the papers in Bob's
hand, "the documents in full relating to the Wolverine Company's land
holdings, and how they were acquired. After looking them over, we shall
expect you to bring suit. If you do not do so, we will take steps to
force you to do so--or, failing this, to resign!"

With these words, Oldham turned square on his heel and marched to where
Saleratus Bill was stationed with the horses. Bob stared after him, the
bundle of papers in his hand. When Oldham had mounted, Bob looked down
on these papers.

"The second line of defence!" said he.

XIX

Bob's first interest was naturally to examine these documents. He found
them, as Oldham had said, copies whose accuracy was attested by the
copyist before a notary. They divided themselves into two classes. The
first traced the titles by which many small holdings had come into the
hands of the corporation known as the Wolverine Company. The second
seemed to be some sort of finding by an investigating commission. This
latter was in the way of explanation of the title records, so that by
referring from one to the other, Bob was able to trace out the process
by which the land had been acquired. This had been by "colonizing," as
it was called. According to Federal law, one man could take up but one
hundred and sixty acres of government land. It had, therefore, been the
practice to furnish citizens with the necessary capital so to do; after
which these citizens transferred their land to the parent company. This
was, of course, a direct evasion of the law; as direct an evasion as
Baker's use of the mineral lands act.

For a time Bob was unable to collect his reasoning powers adequately to
confront this new fact. His thoughts were in a whirl. The only thing
that stood out clearly was the difference in the two cases. He knew
perfectly that after Baker's effort to lift bodily from the public
domain a large block of its wealth every decent citizen should cry,
"Stop thief!" Instinctively he felt, though as yet he could not analyze
the reasons for so feeling, that to deprive the Wolverine Company of its
holdings would work a crying injustice. Yet, to all intents and
purposes, apparently, the cases were on all fours. Both Welton and
Baker had taken advantage of a