he man started on, then turned back. "If you came here to fish," he said
slowly, "you're up against it. But I can tell you where to go to get all
the trout you want. Go on up to the top of this knob. Face exactly east
and you will see a gap in the second range of mountains. Make your way
through that gap and you'll find as fine a trout-stream as God ever made.
This is state forest and the Forestry Department wants everybody to use
and enjoy the forests. We are always glad to help campers."

"Are you connected with the State Forest Service?" asked Charley, all
interest.

"Of course," smiled the stranger. "I'm a forest-ranger," and he threw back
his coat, exhibiting a keystone shaped badge on his breast.

"And it's your duty to protect the forest from fire?" asked Charley.

"Yes; and do a lot more besides. A forest-ranger has to look after the
forest just as a gardener has to tend a garden. And that means we must
care for everything in the forest--birds and animals and fish as well as
trees, though, of course, the game wardens have particular charge of the
animals."

"And how do you take care of the animals and the trees?" demanded Charley
eagerly.

"Young man," he said, "it would take me all day to answer your question.
We do whatever is necessary to the welfare of the forest and its
inhabitants. We take out wolf trees, make improvement cuttings, plant
little trees, keep our telephone-line in shape, and do a million other
things, as we find them necessary. If I had time just now, I'd go down
this run and pile some stones in the pools for the trout to hide under. I
was through here the other day and I noticed that the coons are playing
hob with the fish."

"And does the state pay you for doing this work?"

"Certainly. Pays me well, too."

"Tell me how I could-----" began Charley.

But the ranger interrupted him. "I can't tell you another thing now," he
said. "I must be moving. You never can tell when some careless fisherman
will set the forest on fire. The fact is I ought to be at headquarters
with the other rangers. The chief keeps us pretty close to the office
during the fire season, so as to have a fire crew at hand to respond
instantly to an alarm. But we have had such difficulty in securing fire
patrols this spring that some of us rangers have to do patrol duty. This
piece of timber you are in is the most valuable part of this entire
forest. It is virgin pine. It would cut close to 100,000 feet to the acre