"We did, but they are all full now," said Dale. The young lumbermen walked to the hotel with the merchant, while Mrs. Wilbur left the party to do a little shopping. The merchant occupied a fine apartment on the second floor front. "I am tremendously glad to meet you," he said. "My wife has told me the particulars of how you rescued my son and daughter from the forest fire. It was a brave and noble thing to do." "We didn't do so very much--at least, no more than others would have done," said Dale, who felt bound to say something, since Owen kept silent. "Oh, yes, you did, young man. You did much better than the man I left in charge up there." "You mean Jasper Nown?" "Yes. At the first intimation of danger he was scared to death, and he was of no particular use to anybody. I had to discharge him." "Well, the combined fire and heavy storm were enough to scare anybody," put in Owen. "The lightning laid low more than one big tree around there." "So I was told. It was a bad combination, although the fire, if left alone, might have been worse. My preserve is about half ruined, and my wife says she doubts if she will care to go back there another season." There was a pause, and Jefferson Wilbur looked at both Dale and Owen hesitatingly. "I--er--I feel that I ought to do something for both of you," he went on. "I don't know exactly how you feel about it, but----" "We don't expect anything," came from both of the young lumbermen. "I don't suppose you do--you are not that kind; I can tell that by your looks." "You've given us more than was coming to us already," added Dale. "But I want to do something, I tell you. My children are very dear to me, and if they had been burnt up----" Mr. Wilbur could not finish. There was an awkward pause, neither Dale nor Owen knowing what to say. If the truth must be told, each wished he was out on the street again, so he might get away from the gentleman, who seemed bound to reward them for their services. "You're out of work, you say," went on Jefferson Wilbur. "As you know, I own an interest in a lumber company operating in Oregon. How would you like to go out there?" "To Oregon!" repeated the pair. "Yes. I think I could give you steady situations at good wages, if you cared to go. Of course it is a long distance from here, but the openings are better, I think, than they are here." "I might go, if Owen would go too," came from Dale. "But we have just sent a letter to his uncle in Michigan, saying we might come out there to work for him." "Then your uncle is a lumber dealer?" said Jefferson Wilbur, turning to Owen. "Yes. He owns several tracts of land in Michigan, and has an interest in the Gamoine Lumber Company." "I have heard of that concern. Well, in that event you wouldn't care to go to Oregon." Jefferson Wilbur looked disappointed. "But we might go later," put in Dale.