useful? Yet as he
listened to his friend his eyes began to sparkle. Finally he dared to
agree to make application for the position.

During the winter months the forester spent many evenings with his
friend, coaching him in some of the lore of the forests, giving him
books to read, and showing him what his specific duties would be, and
how to perform them.

In the spring the situation was secured, and when the season of forest
fires came the young man bravely climbed the steep trail over the snow
to his lonely cabin. An able-bodied man is able to make the climb from
the end of the wagon road in much less than an hour; the cripple
required more than five hours to reach the top. Then he took up his
residence there, cooking his own food, making his observations from
morning until night, receiving his mother and his brothers when from
time to time they came to see how he was getting on and to help him in
some of the rougher tasks about the cabin. They thought they would need
to speak words of cheer to a lonely, discouraged man, but they soon
learned their error; not only did he have cheer enough for himself, but
he was able to send his visitors away happier than when they came
because of their contact with the man for whom life had been made over
by the acts of a thoughtful friend, a friend whose own courage had been
increased by his efforts to encourage a friend.

II

CONQUERING HAPPINESS

In a volume of short stories published some years ago there is included
the vivid narrative of two humble citizens of an Irish village, a
husband and wife, upon whom hard times have come. The husband is too
feeble to make his living as of old at his trade as a road-mender. Their
only hope is a son in America, and not a word comes from him, so they
are compelled to go to the poor house.

Friends condole with them, and they are sad enough to suit the notions
of those who feel that an awful ending is coming to their lives. One of
the saddest of their friends is their physician who dreads going to see
the unhappy old people in their new home. At last, however, he drives to
the entrance to the poor farm. There he has his first surprise. Instead
of seeing the disreputable place he had been accustomed to, he notices
that the gate is on its hinges, the weeds by the side of the driveway
are no longer in evidence, and an attempt has been made to give the
house itself a more presentable appearance. About the doors are no
discontented-loo