box of cigars at Oscar and surveyed him with his wistful
smile. There were dark circles round Jim's eyes that in his childhood
had told of nerve strain. Jim at that moment wondered what Iron Skull
would have made of the present situation. He was silent so long that
Oscar spoke a little impatiently:

"If you ain't going to talk, Mr. Manning, Jane is waiting for me and I
got to see Mr. Sardox yet."

Jim pulled himself together, and, a little diffidently, handed Ames the
Secretary's letter with the copy of his own.

"Tell me what you think of these," said Jim.

Oscar read the two letters carefully, then said: "I'd think more of 'em
if I had any idea what either of you was driving at."

"It means just this," said Jim, "that unless the engineers and the
farmers work together, the Reclamation Service will get what the water
power trust is trying to give it, and that is, oblivion."

"Aha," said Oscar, "that's why you've been so decent to me today?"

"Yes," replied Jim simply.

Oscar's look of suspicion returned. Jim went on slowly and carefully.
"It will be bad business if the Service fails. It will retard the
government control of water power greatly, and there is enough possible
water power in this country, Oscar, to turn every wheel in it and to
heat and light every home in the land. If the Service fails it will
show just one thing; that the farmers and engineers on the Projects are
too selfish to get together for the country's good, that the farmer is a
stupid cat's paw for the money interests and the engineer a spineless
fool who won't fight."

"Look here, Manning," cried Oscar, "don't you think I'm justified in
thinking about nothing but my own ranch, considering what it's cost me?"

"Don't you think," Jim returned, "that I'm justified in thinking about
nothing but my dam and in letting the water power trust eat it and you
up, considering how hard I work on the building itself?"

Oscar stared and chewed his cigar and Jim smoked in silence for a
moment.

"Ames," he said finally, "I wonder if you will get this idea as quickly
as you did the sand-cement one. America isn't like England or Germany or
France. Over there the citizens of each country are practically of one
race. Fundamentally, they think about the same way and want the same
things. If one man or many neglect public duties it makes no permanent
difference. Someone else will take up the duty some time, and in just
about the same way that the neglige