"Bless your heart, Charley! I know you mean every word you say. But you
don't realize the difficulties you would encounter. Your chief job would
be in handling men, tough men some of them, too. You could never do it,
never. But I certainly wish you were old enough to attempt it. There's
nobody I'd trust sooner than you, Charley. You've got a good education,
and you think quickly and clearly. You've been equal to every emergency
you've faced yet."

"Then why isn't that a pretty good reason to trust me further?"

"Trust you, Charley? I trust you absolutely. But you are too young. You
could never do it."

Charley said no more. The hope that had sprung up in his heart died as
suddenly as it had been born. In his heart he believed that with all the
study and effort he was willing to put into it, he could do a ranger's
work all right. But he saw it was not to be.

"Anyway," he muttered to himself, "I'm going to be a ranger some day, and
I'll show the chief now that I'm the best fire patrol he ever had. That's
the best way to qualify for promotion."

He turned to his wireless, threw over his switch and flashed out the call
signal of the Wireless Patrol. In his delight at the power of his new
battery he almost forgot his disappointment. In a very short time he got
a reply from Henry.

"Don't say anything about that pasteboard," cautioned the chief.