As there was nothing to do until the owner of the place could be heard from, Dale and Owen took the next day off to visit the Wilbur lodge, and return the horses that had been loaned to them. They found the buildings had not been touched by the fire, but the flames had eaten well into the forest of the preserve, and the beautiful driveway that Jefferson Wilbur had had made at considerable expense was littered with fallen trees and half-burnt shrubbery. "We were badly frightened when the storm came on," said Mrs. Wilbur. "It blew so hard and lightened so repeatedly we did not know what to make of it." "Jasper had a fit," put in little Bertie. "He was so scared he fell in a heap." "Bertie!" said his mother reprovingly, but she had to smile, for the little fellow had told the exact truth. "It's going to make a big difference up here among the loggers," said Owen. "There won't be nearly so much cut next season as last." "That will be hard on you, won't it?" questioned the lady. "We don't know yet--we've got to wait until the foreman hears from Mr. Paxton." The pair were invited by Mrs. Wilbur to dine at the lodge, but declined, for neither felt that his dress was suitable for the occasion. She noticed their embarrassment and did not press them, but insisted on their coming again when Mr. Wilbur was there. "He will wish to thank you, as I have done, for saving the children," said she. On the return to the Paxton camp, the two walked through the woods to take note of what portion had been touched by the fire. They reported their findings to Gilroy, and the foreman afterward told Mr. Paxton. When the owner arrived he considered the situation for several days, and held a consultation with several other timber-land owners. The result of this conference was that the building of the road to the lake was abandoned; and all work in the camp came, for the time being, to an end. "Now we are out of employment again," said Dale to Owen, after they had been paid off. "This job didn't last near as long as we had expected." "Well, Mr. Paxton isn't responsible for the forest fire, Dale, so we can't blame him. The question is, what shall we do next?" "Guess we had better strike down the river and look for work--unless you can think of something better." "I've half a notion to go out West. It seems to me that there are more chances out there than here." "Out West! Do you mean away out to Oregon or Washington?" "Not quite as far as that--at first. We might go from here to Buffalo, and try to get a job on one of the lumber boats to some place in Michigan or Wisconsin, and then try it there for a while. If that didn't suit, we could push on further." "Providing our money didn't give out. It costs money to travel." "Oh, I thought we could work our way for the most part. I wasn't going to touch our bank account, or very much of our other savings."