“The wood from the far West all gone!” cried Charley.  “Surely that can never be.  Why, the forests there are enormous.  I’ve read all about them.”

“The forests here were enormous, too, young man.  Forty years ago Pennsylvania supplied a large part of the nation with its lumber.  And to-day we don’t grow more than one-tenth of the wood we use.  Yes, sir; within twenty-five years or so after we have finished up the wood in the South, there won’t be any left in the far West, either.”

“What in the world are we going to do?” asked Lew.

“God knows,” said the stranger solemnly.  “But there is one thing we’ve got to do right now.  Get these mountains to growing timber again.  We must take care of what has already started to grow and plant trees where there are none.  Most important of all, we must be careful with fire.  I came down here just to warn you boys to be careful with your fire.”

“It wasn’t necessary,” said Lew.  “We fought a forest fire once, and nobody but an idiot would ever be careless with fire if he had seen what we have seen this morning.”

“Well, I must be moving, boys.  There are lots of other fishermen that are not as careful as you are.  Good-bye.”

The 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.”