you know," replied Lew. "But we've had hard luck. We
intended to fish in the valley back of us. It used to be a fine place for
trout. But it's been burned over and there are no trout left."

"I know," said the man. "I've seen it. Be careful with your fires, boys.
We don't want any more of this fine timber burned."

"Are you a forest-ranger, too?" asked Charley eagerly.

"No; I'm the forester. I have charge of this forest."

"Why, I thought you were at headquarters with your fire crew," cried
Charley, hardly realizing what he was saying.

The man looked at him sharply. "I ought to be and I wish I were," he said.
"I don't like this a bit. But I was ordered by the Commissioner to send in
an immediate estimate on the amount of timber in this stand. There's a
big sale on and they have to know how much there is to sell." He paused
and then added: "How in the world did you know I was supposed to be at
headquarters with the fire crew?"

"A ranger told us so. We met him over in the other valley. He said he
wished he was with you."

"Oh! That would be Morton," said the forester. "I sent him out on patrol
because we were short of fire patrols."

"Could you use me as a fire patrol?" said Charley quickly.

The forester looked at him searchingly. "Why do you want to be a fire
patrol?" he asked.

"I've got to go to work at something," said Charley, "and I'd love to help
care for the forest. You see, I'm almost through high school and I've got
to go to work and help Dad the minute I've graduated. He wants me to go
into the factory with him. I hate factories. But I love the woods. You'd
never be sorry, if you hired me, sir."

"Are you sure it isn't work rather than the factory you dislike?" demanded
the forester bluntly.

"No, no!" protested Charley. "I'd work day and night gladly if I could do
what I want to do. And there's nothing I can think of I'd rather do than
help take care of the forest."

"Very good," said the forester, "but I need patrols now, not after school
closes in June."

"Maybe I could get excused for the rest of the term," pleaded Charley.

"And throw away your chance to graduate? I don't think I want that kind
of a boy for a fire patrol," said the forester with a frown. "You might
decide to quit this job, too, about the time we stacked up against a hot
fire."

Lew spoke up. "You don't understand what Charley means, sir," he
explained. "Charley is away ahead of most of us in his school work. He's
do