I find a man who is so many different kinds of a fool as
you seem to be, it looks some like my moral duty to keep him out of an
asylum.' And that's the story I heard about Burleigh.

"But I interrupted you," the boy continued, "you were going to tell me
about Doctor Davis. Didn't you ever go back to the city?"

"Oh, yes," she replied. "The doctor had to take his hospital service,
and for three years he spent six months in the hospital in the city,
and six months out here in the mountains. But there were several good
surgeons in the city, and only one on the great wide Sierras, and, as
you know, he is strong enough for the hardest work. So,--I remember well
the night,--he came to me, and hesitatingly suggested that we should
live out here for always, but that he didn't wish to take me away from
my city friends. And I--oh, I had been wanting to come all the time. I
was just one out of so many in the city, paying little social calls, but
here I found so many people to be fond of. I think I know every one on
the mountains here, and they are all so kind to me. And," she added
proudly, "so appreciative of the doctor."

Wilbur laughed as she gathered up the things on the tray.

"Well," he said, "I don't believe the old hunter ever did a better thing
when he got Doctor Davis to come to the forest--unless, it was the day
'the little white lady' came with him. Haven't I had a broken head, and
am I not her patient? You bet!"

But Mrs. Davis only smiled as she passed from the room.

Wilbur spent the rest of the morning in the doctor's library, and was
more than delighted to learn that these books were there for borrowing,
on the sole condition that they should be returned. He learned, later,
that under the guise of a library to lend books, all sorts of little
plans were done for the cheering of the lives of those who lived in
isolated portions of the mountain range. The boy had not been
twenty-four hours under the doctor's roof, yet he was quite at home, and
sorry to go when the Supervisor rode up. He had been careful to groom
Kit very thoroughly, and she was standing saddled at the door, half an
hour before the time appointed. He was ready to swing into the saddle as
soon as Merritt appeared.

"Not so fast, Loyle," he said, "this is once that promptness is a bad
thing. I must have a word or two with Mrs. Davis; he'd be a pretty poor
stick who ever missed that chance."

So, while he went inside, Wilbur looked over the pack