Bob was interested in this view of the matter.
“Do you think that will help, sir?” he asked.
“I sure do. It’s disgraceful that we ain’t gone in there a’ready. The Greasers are killing our people and doing everything they can to raise trouble. Why I’d do almost anything myself to get things started down there. I own a bunch of land there that I was planning to use when that dam you’re a-buildin’ runs me out o’ here, but, shucks, it ain’t worth a jitney to me now, an’ won’t be onless Uncle Sam gets a move on pretty quick.”
“I think you’re right,” put in Jerry. “There ought to be nothing but the United States between Canada and the Panama Canal. But I don’t think we’ll go into Mexico unless the Mexicans raid our territory and kill somebody.”
“If they did that,” exploded the rancher, “there’d be nothing to it. We would be obliged to go in. I could come mighty nigh wishing somebody a hurt if ’twould bring it about.”
Then before the conversation went further the foreman came out the door. Bob noticed for the first time how powerful was the man’s build. He was tall and rangy, yet he seemed to radiate power.
“Come on in, folks,” he said. “Sing Lee’s done himself proud.”
During the meal the conversation was without any special interest, but afterwards, when Mr. Holman had retired for his siesta, Link O’Day joined the boys on the porch. The talk drifted from cattle to farming and from farming to forestry. On this topic the man spoke not only with knowledge but with enthusiasm.
“It’s great stuff,” he stated. “Formerly the lumberman would go into a forest and cut his lumber without any regard for the future. What he did not use he would ruin. It was not until most of the harm was done that the Government woke up to the fact that in a few years more there would be no more timber worthy of the name.”
“Now it’s against the law to cut trees under a certain diameter, isn’t it?” put in Jerry King. Bob saw the great interest that Jerry showed in the subject and all during the conversation he felt that a close attachment was being formed between Link O’Day and the boy. Probably one of the chief attractions the ranch had held for Jerry before he had become mixed up in the Mexican tangle was the relationship with this man. While Bob was thinking these things O’Day had answered Jerry’s question in the affirmative and had proceeded: