So it came about that on the following day Charley and Lew took the train back to Oakdale.  The entire Wireless Patrol accompanied them to the station, each boy carrying some part of the luggage.  Thus divided, the equipment did not seem large; but when it was all assembled, it appeared entirely adequate.  There was a good waterproof tent, a strong tick to be stuffed with leaves, blankets, a coil of rope, additional cooking utensils, and generous supplies of food.  Charley took a light, high-powered rifle and his revolver with plenty of ammunition.  Their comrades piled this luggage in a corner of the car, then hustled back to the station platform and gave the Camp Brady yell, in honor of their departing friends.  In a moment more the train was speeding toward Oakdale, where they found the forester in his office.

Mr. Marlin expressed his pleasure at the successful outcome of Charley’s effort to secure his release from high school.

“I don’t believe much in talk,” said the forester who himself was distinctly a man of deeds, “but I am going to say this to you, Charley:  the fact that you have worked your studies off ahead of your class makes you twice as valuable to me as another boy would be who was merely keeping abreast of his class.”

Charley looked his surprise.  “Why?” he asked.  “I don’t know any more than the others know or soon will know.”

“What you know has nothing to do with it, young man.  It’s what you do.  It’s your habits.  Habit is the strongest force in the world.  The mere fact that you are ahead of your class tells me that it is your habit to be forehanded, to be prepared.  It tells me that you will keep your tools and your records in their places and in good condition, and that you will be prepared for almost any emergency that will arise.”

“I don’t understand,” expostulated Charley, “how you can figure that out from the mere fact that I kept a little ahead of my class.”

“Of course you don’t,” smiled the forester.  “They teach you about the laws of gravity in school, but they don’t bother to teach you about the laws of life.  But life has its laws, and one of the strongest is the law of habit.  A good habit is worth a million good resolutions.  A man may possibly keep a good resolution, but he can hardly fail to keep a good habit.  Your good habits are worth just about fifteen dollars a month to you now; for I wouldn’t be paying you the top rate if you were a lad of bad habits.  Just bear that in mind and be careful of the habits you form in future.”

Charley was too much astonished for words.  He had never thought of his habits as having any bearing on his possible earning capacity.

But the forester gave him no opportunity to consider the matter just then.  “I want you to hurry back into the forest,” he went on.  “Get acquainted with as much of the forest as possible.”

He reached in a drawer and pulled out a map, which he gave to Charley.  “This is exactly like the big map on the wall,” he said, “excepting that it is on a smaller scale.  Here is where you had your camp.”