 of the woodland. Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, showing rare courage in the face of disaster, in the air, on horseback, or in a screaming squad car. Ranger Bill, his mind alert, already smile, unswerving, loyal to his mission, and all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Ranger Bill Jefferson speaking, may I help you? Oh, hello, Central, what's up, Amy? There's a long distance, if he's anywhere nearby. Seems it's from his cousin Richard. Well, tell Richard we'll accept the call, Amy. Meantime, I'll get Henry to the phone. Henry, your cousin Richard's on the phone. Richard, hey, boy, good. Hello, Richard. Richard, hello? Hello? Don't get so excited, Henry. I've got to connect you first. Oh, hi, Rich. Hi, Henry. Hi, how are you? Oh, fine, fine. That's swell. All before I left for Naughty Pine. Well, yeah, what time will you get here? I should be in tomorrow morning. Can someone meet me? Oh, sure. Bill and Stumpy, Mary Lou and I, we'll all be waiting for you at the station, Rich. Great, great. Great to begin those flying lessons. Yeah, I'm excited too. So don't miss your train. Okay, Henry. Hey, I got to go now. They're letting the passengers through the gates. So long. I'll see you in Naughty Pine, okay? Okay, Rich. See you in the morning at the station. You know, boys and girls, today is an age of space flight. Navigating planes at high speed through the skies, exploring the heavens, flying miles up into the unknown stratosphere. And I suppose the dream of almost every youngster is to one day take a trip in a rocket ship. Of course, some old timers like Stumpy are happy to lead the adventurous exploring of the moon to you young people. Stumpy says the moon is only made of cheese anyway, and he doesn't like cheese. However, I must admit that I like it, flying that is. I've been doing it for many years. One of the many thrills that I always get when flying is to observe the wonders of the heavens which God created. I'm amazed when I see the unlimited power of God, how he's everywhere at once. Of course, many people don't understand this. In fact, Richard, one of Henry's cousins, couldn't realize how God is able to be everywhere at once. Oh, he learned, but it was through disobedience. Richard, like many other boys of 16, wanted to learn how to fly an airplane. I accepted the job and offered to give him Henry and Mary Lou Lessons. But little did I realize that some exciting, dangerous adventures were going to take place. It all began when Richard got off the train and not even... There she is, and people getting off the train, Henry. But I don't see Rich. He's on it, Stumpy. I know he is. Don't be impatient, old timer. The train just pulled in. Well, I don't know, Bill. If I were their train conductor, I'd have had all those suitcases unloaded. The people inside the train station, the engine turned around and headed back up the track. Do you see him yet, Henry? No, not yet anyway. But he'll be getting off soon. I know he wouldn't have missed this train. I'm sure he wouldn't have, Henry. Now, let's step aside now so that those who are coming to the gates here can find walking space. Oh, there isn't that, Rich. Walking tortoise. You want with the brown suit. You're right, Murray Lou. Hey, Richard. Rich, over here. Henry, Henry. Hi. Bill, Murray Lou. Stumpy. And what a delegation. Hi, honey. See, what's that? It's a dragon behind you. Dragon behind me. Probably my tie. I guess I didn't... I don't see anything. Stumpy. Don't pay any attention, and Richard has always done that. That's right, Richard. Stumpy is our clown in the very good range you do, eh, Stumpy? That's right, Bill. You don't know of anyone else that can swing as dull an axe as I can and get more tips at the same time. Here, Richard. Now, let Henry and I help you with your luggage. Thanks, Bill. That suitcase over there is the one with my flying gear in it. Boy, I sure am anxious to get started on those lessons. Well, you're no more anxious about it than I am, more Henry or Murray Lou. So, what are we standing here for? Let's go. Everyone inside? Okay, Doc. Good. We'll be on our way. Now, when are you going to learn to drive, Stumpy? Now that Richard, Henry, and Murray Lou are going to learn how to fly an airplane. Young fella! Why, a horse and monkey is fast enough for me to drive? I was only joking with you, old dimer. Although I don't know what makes you think you're so good with a horse and buggy, especially since that runaway yesterday. I think you'd better limber up on the kitty car in the playground. Well, good morning, Richard. Henry, have a good sleep. Boy, did I sleep last night. Must be this country air. I slept pretty good, too. Except when Richard pulled all the blankets on his side of bed. Say, what do I smell? Bacon and eggs? I'm not telling. It's just something that goes with biscuits. Murray Lou is a swell cook, young man. Bet you when you leave for home at the end of this summer you'll broaden down like a tree. All right, Murray Lou? Oh, Stumpy, I'm not that good. There, the table's all set. Now breakfast is ready. Okay, let's sit down. Now, Richard, you sit there next to Henry. Stumpy, you'll sit in your usual spot. And Murray Lou, you sit opposite Henry and Richard. Okay. Now let's give thanks to God. Our Heavenly Father, as always, we thank Thee for our many blessings. Bless this, our first meal of a new day. Help us to realize how grateful to Thee we should be for thy many wise and good gifts. Amen. Well, anything exciting happen on the train trip, Richard? Yeah, it was an exciting trip. Several things happened. Not real unusual, I guess, but they were kind of exciting to me. Oh, like what, Richard? I'm anxious to know how much money Jesse James stole from the passengers. He tried, but Richard told him he knew a ranger named Stumpy, and Mr. James got right off the train. Well, across the aisle from me, there were three Air Force pilots. There was a chaplain seated there with them, too. They were talking about some of the latest missiles, planes and satellites. I thought that was real interesting. Yeah, sounds interesting. What did they say about their planes? They said they have planes that can fly almost a thousand miles an hour and climb miles up into the stratosphere. Why? That sure sounds exciting. Yeah, but get this. They think it'll be possible to put a human being into orbit or even go to the moon before too many months. Yeah, ordinarily, I don't like to admit that I'm getting on in years, but in this case, I'm kind of glad I am. I'm not sure it wouldn't want to be the first human being to take a trip like that. I don't know, Stumpy. Sounds adventurous to me. Yeah, me, too. Can I have some more bacon, please? Sure. You know, they sure got into quite a discussion about the planets, science and that stuff. Who's they, Rich? The pilots and the chaplain. What'd they say? Well, it seems that this one pilot believed that the answer to the world's problems was in planes and missiles and rockets and like that. One of the other flyers seemed to think that the world ought to live and let live. He said that it wasn't anyone's business what the other fellow did. Now, the other man, he felt that maybe there was an answer to everything, but he didn't know just what it was. What did the chaplain have to say for himself? Well, he said something like, if the people in the world had to ever live in peace, they'd have to give themselves to God through Jesus Christ. Think he's right, Rich? Yeah, I don't know. I guess I believe in God all right. But with all that talk about God being in the heavens and on earth and even here in Naughty Pine at the same time, well, I don't know. It seems hard to explain. I've read all the facts and listened to a lot of sermons, gone to Sunday school classes. Maybe time will help me understand. What you must realize, Richard, is that God is a spirit. But more of that another time, right now, a plane is at the airport waiting for a pilot. What do you say we go and begin the flying lessons now that everyone has finished eating? I'm set, Bill. I'll eat the dishes till we get back. Am I going to be the first one to try my hand at flying, Bill? Since you're our guest, I don't see why not. Great. I just happened to remember a little work that needs my personal attention, young fella. That is, if you'll excuse me from your flying party. Besides, I believe birds were the only ones meant to fly. The flying lessons were going along smoothly with all three students learning the basic fundamentals very quickly. But I was being confronted with a problem. I felt that God was depending on me to show Richard that God was able to be everywhere at once. I had the answer, but how was I to get it across to Richard? This young man had to realize a need of God, a cause to turn to God. But how could this be brought about? Well, we continued on with the flying lessons. Well, I tried to think of a situation that would cause Richard to understand and trust in the spiritual being of God. I got it started. Climb in, Rich. Henry, you and Mary Lou wait here by the hangar. Okay, Bill. Good luck, Rich. I'll meet it, Henry. See you when we land again. All set, Richard. Roger. Okay. Here we go. Well, what do you say we do a barrel roll? Roger. I'm with you. Hold on, then. Here we go. Now, not now. Maybe our next trip up. I'll cruise around for another few minutes, and we'll take her in. You take over the controls now. That's it. Okay, just relax. Now you've got it, Richard. Look out there at those clouds, the beautiful colors around them. Doesn't this give you a feeling of closeness to God? Always does me. When I'm way up here, without the earth under my feet, I always feel the presence of God. Just look above us. Miles and miles of stratosphere. Am I looking at a masked face? Yeah, it's not really masked, since God is up there, too. How does it affect you, Richard? It doesn't really do too much to me, sir. I don't know. I know that we have the airplane, and that any minute we'll be back with Henry and Mary Lou. I hope. I believe there's a God, but somehow I can't seem to understand or realize that God is everywhere. I know that's what all the books and the Sunday school teachers tell me, but it just isn't getting through to me. We'll keep on praying, Richard. And God will make himself clear to you before very much longer. Be kind? What do you say about taking the plane back home? Richard, let's go. Once again, Richard couldn't understand my testimony of God being in all places at all times. He just wasn't thinking clearly. God had given me quite a job of leading Richard to him. Meantime, he was developing into quite a pilot. I wanted to make sure, though, that he didn't get too anxious to fly by himself. He'd been asking me for a chance to solo right after his third or fourth lesson. This was good. And yet he was all so bad. I knew that an inexperienced pilot might do many things wrong. It would be very easy for him to misjudge his altitude and his direction. These are two danger points when piloting a plane. Nevertheless, Richard was aggressive, and this was a good sign. My job was to hold him somewhat in check. Morning, boys. What'll it be today? Soda or malt? Morning, Mr. Weaver. Oh, your drug store always has such a good smell. Guess I'll have a soda for myself. Rich, what do you want? I'll take a malt, Henry. Strawberry, please. One soda and one malt. Coming right up. Well, Rich, this summer's almost over. Yeah, and so are our flying lessons, too. But in a way, I'm glad. I'm anxious to fly on my own. That solo flight will really be something. Well, I'll say, I can hardly wait. You know, I actually believe I could solo right now without any difficulties. Oh, I don't know, Rich. I still feel a little shaky and nervous when I think of myself being up in that plane alone. With Bill alone, I feel better, though. Ah, come on, Henry. There's nothing to it. You just gotta keep a level head. That's all. I don't know, Rich. Flying, real flying, I mean, comes only with lots of experience, like Bill has. Come on, Henry. Well, I'll bet you that I could pilot that single engine plane much, much higher than Ranger Bill has ever had. I wouldn't even try anything like that, Rich. Never. At least, I wouldn't until I had logged a lot more hours of flying time behind my name. Hey, here comes our soda and malt. Here you are, boys. Dig in on that. Looks delicious. Well, taste good. True. Thanks, Henry. But don't try to flatter me into giving you a free soda. 25 cents, please. Okay. Thanks. Of course, I was only teasing you, Henry. You're my very best customer here, Naughty Pine. Say, I hear the two of you are becoming expert pilots, that right? Yes, sir, Mr. Weaver. Ranger Bill's teaching Henry and me, Mary Lou, too. What do you think about when you're up there zooming along with the birds in the clouds? Sort of scary, ain't it? To me, it is. I guess Rich feels differently about it. Yeah, how about it, Rich? Doesn't bother me. No, sir, just give me a plane, and that's all I need. Nothing else. You fellas ever stopped to think about all the wonders of the heavens, the sun, the stars, gravity itself? In fact, the whole universe, the miraculous way in which this old world of ours is held together, makes you sort of think, don't it? Bill said that the scientists and astronomers tell us that our solar system is only one of many such systems in the great galaxy called the Milky Way. He's right, Henry. I'd unconsiderable reason about this very subject, especially lately. What were the satellites being put into orbit and the like? What have you read, Mr. Weaver? Well, like Bill told you, our galaxy is only one of the many galaxies which form just a part of the vast limitless expanse of the universe. I never thought that you knew so much about science. Just a secret until now, Henry. I guess I always wanted to be a pilot or something, but the drug business, well, it's been pretty good down through the years. That's some mighty nice people here at this soda fountain. Some nasty ones, too. Well, tell us some more about the universe, Mr. Weaver. Sure is interesting. Well, like I was saying, our planet, the astronomers tell us, is merely a third-rate planet, a second-rate solar system, lost in the expanse of what seems to be limitless space. Mr. Weaver, how did some scientists say our world began? Well, a star because of gravity detached from the sun, great mass is a flaming gas. These orphan masses from the sun gradually cooled and crystallized to become, well, nuclei of planets. Well, these continued to revolve around the parent sun, held in their orbits by the gravitational pull of the sun. Oh, hey, here's Bill. Hi, Bill. Hello, gentlemen. Having a big conference over your drinks? You said it. You're just the fellow we wanted to join in our discussion. Have a seat. Okay. Well, now, what's the topic for today? Airplanes? Being that we've got more flight instructions coming up in a couple of hours? Well, airplanes started the conversation, but that's not what we're talking about now. Mr. Weaver was explaining how our universe came into existence. Yeah, Bill. Mr. Weaver sure knows a lot about science. Yeah, I'll say. Do you know how our Earth could be millions and millions of years old? I had to give away my little secret, Bill. I had to tell that I'd always wanted to be a pilot and had studied science for several years. Man, science is really a mystery, isn't it? To a certain extent. But with God being the creator of the world, that makes it much less of a mystery. Well, that's just not clear to me, Bill. If I could only understand it. There it was again. If I could only understand. Richard wanted to understand, but in reading and hearing about all the scientific matters and developments, he wasn't clear on how God could be everywhere at once. He wanted to know, but the puzzle was still incomplete. Henry and Bill are ready to go up on their flight, Richard. You're next, Mary Lou. I know, we solo tomorrow. Yeah, and I'm glad, but I bet you I could do it right now. We'll fly too. Oh, Richard, all an experienced pilot goes up to high altitudes. Oh, there they go. At last, the flying lessons were completed. The following day, Henry and Mary Lou and Richard were to take their solo flights. That was to be the big day for them. They had worked very hard to qualify for this event. I was somewhat concerned with Richard as he seemed a bit overconfident. This trait will sometimes get a person into a serious trouble of one sort or another. I was hoping that something like this wouldn't develop. But this seemed to be a characteristic with him. This attitude seemed to be the barrier that was keeping him away from a closeness and trust of God. Well, I must admit that I hadn't yet discovered a way to show Richard how God could be everywhere at once. But I surely prayed that God would reveal himself to my special guest and student. You set to go to the airport, Mary Lou? Yes, I'm ready, Henry. Are you? Just say the word. I see you two are all ready for your solo flight. Hey, where's Rich? Well, isn't Rich with you, Bill? Well, I know I thought he'd be in here for the final briefing. Boy, that's fine. I wonder where he is. Seems I heard him say something about going down to Weaver's drugstore. You don't know for what? Weaver's drugstore? Now what would he be doing down there at a time like this? Oh, well, let's go down and see. Hey, Bill, what can I do for you? Have you seen Richard, Mr. Weaver? Well, yeah, he was in here not too long ago. Don't recollect the exact time. Did he say where he was going? Well, yeah. Yeah, yeah, he did. Said something about going out to the airport. Why, is something wrong? I don't know for sure, but I have an idea there might be. Well, we're almost there, Bill. Yeah, just beyond this next curve. I only hope we're not too late to stop Richard from doing something crazy. Here we are. And there goes the plane with Richard at the controls. Henry, help me with this radio. Okay. I'll get it tuned in. Gotta hurry up. Richard. Richard, come in. Can you hear me, Richard? Hello, Bill. Yes, I can hear you. How am I doing? You're doing fine. Keep those wings level now. Better come down just a little on your altitude. Come down on my altitude. I like it up here. scenery's fine. Watch this bit of flying, Bill, and see how well I've learned. That crazy kid. Look, he's doing the loops and barrel rolls. I can't look anymore. Why doesn't he stop it? Richard. Richard. Can you hear me, Richard? Richard, answer me. He won't answer. Richard. Richard, answer me. Do you hear me? Look, he's climbing to a higher altitude, Bill. Now the radio is gone dead. He's gonna be hurt. The plane's out of control. Go, go, go, go. I'm afraid if he doesn't stop it. Oh, no. I'm out of it. He's coming out of it. Out of it. Goodness. That a boy, Richard. Keep up the good work. Look, what happened, Richard? I think I panicked or blacked out. Anyway, what's important is I lost control. Next thing I knew, I was in a nose dive. Boy, it was I ever scared. I admit it. I think we all were, Richard. Richard, what were you thinking about while all this is going on up there? Believe it or not, Mary Lou, for the first time in my life, I realized God was there with me. And as strange as it may seem, I thought to myself, God is here with me. And he's also down there on the ground with them. Is that right? Yeah. And you know what else? I realized that I'd been looking at God as a person, like you and me. But he's more than that. He's a spirit with love and concern for every human being. At least he must have been concerned for me. Because I said, God, please help me. And he did. You know, he's more than God of the universe. He's a personal God, too. As for flying, well, I still love it. But I'm never going up that high. At least why is not till I get a little more experience. Well, there it was. It finally happened. A need had to be realized for God. And that need was help, self-preservation of life. As for flying at high altitudes, well, I believe Richard learned his lesson very thoroughly. Stumpy, however, is even more firmly convinced that the horse and buggy is still the best way to travel. Well, see you next week, boys and girls, for more adventure with...