RANGER YOUNG WILD, ON THE FIRE LINE 

 OR LARIAT LAURA'S FATAL FORM 



By E. T. ALLEN 



EDITORIAL NOTE The human interest features in the life of the Forest Ranger on the 

 National Forests have been presented at various times in AMERICAN FORESTRY, but always 

 in serious vein. The men who guard the nation's forest resources, however, lighten their 

 responsibilities at times with a humor appropriate to their duties and environment. It is in 

 order to present this spirit of burlesque that this fanciful story written six years ago is 

 published. It does not apply now if it ever did, but represents the general conception of 

 government bureau requirements of paper reports, which fortunately in the Forest Service 

 are now less important than results. 



IT was night, black night, in the for- his peerless Perjured Bride, the famous 



est. Not a leaf stirred. Not a pinto filly whose pink nostrils had nuz- 



couger howled. No sound broke zled the posts of every saloon in his dis- 



the stillness but the regular breath- trict, for a large traction engine, 



ing of Young Wild, the Forest Ranger, The report he had just heard was the 



who lay beside the dead embers of the engine blowing up. 



fire over which he had cooked his fru- Only for a moment did Young Wild 



gal evening meal of chili and beans. hesitate. In a bound, or less, he reached 



Suddenly the telephone bell rang! the telephone and in secret code called 



Young Wild always carried a port- up the mountain lair of Lariat Laura, 

 able wireless telephone and, before the Dare Devil Queen of the Sierras, 

 turning in on this historic evening, had Our dashing young hero and this beau- 

 fixed the coherer to the top-bud of a tiful girl had been great chums along 

 noble sugar pine some eight hundred the Sausalito water front (read "Bleed- 

 and fifty feet high, under which he had ing Hearts and Order Twelve, or How 

 pitched his simple camp. Lariat Laura Br^ke the Gin Famine," 



"Hello! Is this the Ranger, District 10 cents at all newsstands) and always 



Ten?" stood together. 



"I am here, fear not," replied Wild. "Is that you, Laura?" he inquired 



"Death and destruction are advanc- breathlessly. 



ing northward up the canyon of the "No, I'm asleep," the crafty girl re- 



Mokelumne in the shape of a wall of plied. She did not recognize him with- 



flame three miles wide," said the voice out his breath and feared some diaboli- 



in the receiver. cal trap. 



"Leave all to me," said Young Wild. Wild made a noise like an alarm 



For Wild was a noble Ranger. He had clock. Laura woke up. 



read his Use Book and passed a search- "Hasten to my assistance !" Wild 



ing examination along thoroughly prac- cried. "I am about to be devoured 



tical lines. What had he to fear? by * * *." 



Just then a loud report was heard. At that instant the line melted in two. 



Wild ran for his horse. Wild entered this fact in nineteen 



It was gone ! card records and signed six duplicates 



"Black Heart, the Nester !" cried of each for transmission to the Office of 



Wild. "I expected no less from such a Operation, 



miscreant." But this delay saved his life. 



He had no other horse. Only yester- Lariat lost no time, 



day he had weighed the latest consign- Knowing the intrepid character of 



ment of blank forms received from her dashing young lover, she was cer- 



Washington for his daily reports and, tain no ordinary danger could have 



finding them to weigh eleven hundred caused him to appeal to a tender young 



and one (1,101) pounds, he had traded female for protection. She immediate- 



496 



