“Those cases you asked me to get up against the Western Timber and Mineral Company?” said Desbrough with a curious change of voice. “Wait,” said Helm. “My wife wants the baby.” Desbrough waited. Helm disappeared with the carriage at the half-basement door; Mrs. Helm disappeared from the window. Affairs of state had to wait full ten minutes. Then Helm rejoined his friend with an expression of intense, if somewhat guilty, pleasure that gave the shrewd Attorney-General a clue to what had occurred within. Said Helm, with renewed vigor: “What about those cases, Bill? You lazy pup! I’ve had to nag at you ever since we got in.” “Haven’t I done all you asked?” laughed Desbrough. “Yes--and done it well, Bill. But--how I have had to nag!” “It’d ’a’ been better for you, if I hadn’t done so much. You’ve tried to set the world straight, George, in one term as governor.” “You’re wrong there, old man,” replied Helm. “I’ve simply settled each question as it came up. It had to be settled one way or the other. I haven’t had time to do anything but just the things that were squarely put up to me to do.” Desbrough’s shrug was admission that George had spoken exactly. “I don’t blame you, George,” said he. “But you see how it is. Didn’t I warn you?” “That I was playing bad politics? Oh, yes. And I knew it. I knew how to get in, Bill. I knew how to stay in. But when it came to a show-down I couldn’t do a dozen rotten things in order to get through one that was half way decent.” “Well--you’ll go out, and somebody that’s altogether rotten’ll come in.” “How about those cases?” “I’ll take them up in a few days.” Desbrough was trying to hide his nervousness from his keen-eyed friend. “Give me another week, George.” Helm laid a heavy hand on Desbrough’s shoulder. “What’s the matter?” he demanded. Desbrough saw he could not evade. “This Western Timber and Mineral Company--the T. and M., as they call it--it’s a queer sort of holding corporation.” “It’s the worst thief in this part of the world--a waster and a stealer and a starver.” “But it’s a clever villain--the cleverest. It’s got safety hooks and lines out in every direction. If you attack it you’ll get a return volley from pretty near everything that has a voice in this state--newspapers, preachers, charity societies of every kind, doctors, lawyers, retailers. It’s wound round everything and everybody.” “It’s the big waster, the big stealer, the big starver--and the big corruption. Now, it has defied the government of this state--the people.” “The people doesn’t exist,” Desbrough reminded him. “It’s got to go.” “First crack out of the box--as soon as I begin to attack--it will close a lot of plants and throw fifty thousand workers--men, women and children--out of employment.” “Is that as bad as what it’s doing?” “No,” admitted Desbrough. “Not one hundredth part as bad. But it’ll _look_ worse. Everybody will think and say it’s worse.”