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Updated: June 2, 2025
"Yes," answered Wilbur, "Bob-Cat Bob told me all about the death of his father during the sheep and cattle war. He told me when we were riding up to the ranch, from the station at Sumber." "I have thought," said Rifle-Eye, "that perhaps it ain't quite the right thing to keep Ben here, up in the woods. But I tried sendin' him to school. It wasn't no manner of use.
"I had intended," said the Supervisor, "to go with you this morning and show you the part of the range you are to look after. But I want to get at Peavey Jo, lest he should decide to leave suddenly, and Rifle-Eye will show you the way instead. I had the tent pitched three or four days ago, when you ought to have been here.
The old Ranger called the "guide" by name. "Miguel," he said, "the fireworks are wanted to-night. Bring 'em to me." The professor protested, but a glance at the sinewy frame of the mountaineer decided Miguel, and he brought several packages. In order to please the little girl, Rifle-Eye lent her his huge pocket-knife and let her open the packages, sharing the surprises with her.
"Which you'd make tar an' feathers look sick for stickin' to a thing." Then, reading a grudging assent from Rifle-Eye, he continued: "Yep, I'll go an' saddle," and sauntered into the corral. In a few minutes he came back, leading the sorrel. He was saddled and Bob-Cat had shortened up the stirrups. Wilbur jumped forward eagerly, put his foot in the stirrup, and was up like a flash.
The Ranger thought a minute. "An' under which of these departments," he said, "would you put breakin' into this young fellow's corral, and havin' your eight horses eatin' up feed which will hardly be enough for his two when the dry weather comes?" "That's another matter entirely," replied the professor, becoming angry as soon as he was criticised. "Yes, it's another matter," said Rifle-Eye.
Wilbur put forward his chin obstinately, then, thinking of the kindness he had received from the Ranger all the way through, and realizing that he was in the right, said: "All right, Rifle-Eye, I'll turn in." About half an hour later, just as the old woodsman stretched himself on his pile of boughs outside the tent, he heard the boy mutter: "I hope I'll never have to live anywhere but here."
He was down at the corral quite a long time, and when he came back Rifle-Eye asked him where he had been. The boy flushed a little. "I hadn't seen Kit all day," he said, "so I went down and had a little talk to her." The Ranger smiled and said nothing but looked well pleased. In the meantime he had quickly prepared supper, and Wilbur started in and ate as though he would never stop.
Raging through the resinous pine branches the blaze had swept fiercely around the side of the hill. As the boy looked up he could see it suddenly break into greater vigor as the up-draft on the hill fanned it to a wilder fury and made a furnace of the place where he had been standing with Merritt and Rifle-Eye scarcely more than an hour before.
"They'll make five or six fine trees some day, won't they?" queried the old woodsman. "Yes, Rifle-Eye, they will," answered the boy, flushing at his lack of thoughtfulness. "I'd better take only one, and that a little bigger, hadn't I?" "An' one that's crooked. Always take a tree that isn't goin' to make good timber when you're not cuttin' for timber."
"But where does Rifle-Eye come in?" "This way. Just before round-up, Rifle-Eye comes along, showin' he has the whole story salted down, though where he larned it gits me, and proposes that sence it was the sheepmen that injured the lad, it's up to them to look after him.
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