 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill. Pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. They say you can take the boy away from the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy. And it's a good thing this is true because there are times when the men under my command who are farm boys have to help out in different places for one reason or another. This time it was to do most of the harvesting of the wheat fields outside of Central City. The farmers in that area were stricken with a particularly violent type of influenza, and 90% of them were in bed or in the hospital. The wheat had to be harvested and ripe grain doesn't wait for anyone. Well, I think I've said enough. Now let's see. Suppose we call this story the White Fields. All right, let me have your attention, fellas. And we're faced with another serious problem in the farming country. As you well know by this time, I've been asked to send some more help as I've done before, and I've agreed to do it. However, the forest is pretty dry because of moisture shortage, so I can't send all the men I want to. To start off the Lone of Manpower, I'm sending Marty Nelson, Larry Fleming, and Morgan Connors to help harvest the wheat. You see any problems in this move? Yeah, boss, I got an objection. Okay, let's hear it, lefty. The rest of us that helped out two years ago are going to miss some powerful good grub, pork, and those farm women cook. Man, a lie! Well, I'm sorry to have to abuse your stomach so badly, lefty, but I just can't risk sending any more men. Okay, Bill, you're the doctor. I'll have to talk to my bread basket and explain how things are. Marty, Larry, Morgan, you fellas are better to start for Central City as soon as possible. Take a range of car and report to the county agricultural agent as you did before. The rest of you can head back to your post and starve to death. How's your water supply, Morgan? I've got plenty, Larry. Help yourself. I don't know what's the matter with me today. I'm like a thirsty sponge. We're not used to the heat and dust of the wheat fields, so Marty, he keeps going. Well, he eats it up, too. Yeah, whoops, almost spilled some of it. Maybe he ought to get back to the farm. You'll never change. Too solid. Too much of a family man. Yeah, and he likes the security of a government job. Well, thanks for the water, old bean. Don't mention it. You know, I'd say we really cover nakers with these combines. Not too. We eat lunch out here, from the time the dew dries off in the morning until almost dark. That's what we came for, combine grain. See you later. Sure enough. Okay, Marty, how about you? I finished a hundred acres. Good gone. I didn't quite make that much. What, three inches short of it or something like that, Morgan? I guess so. Well, let's eat and take a cat nap, huh? You said it, man. No time to waste, John. Right. Wheat's getting ripe for every day. It really dropped off. What time is it, Morg? Oh, just about. Where's Marty? Oh, beyond her peace. Didn't he take a snooze? No. He pretends to. And after we've dropped off, he gets up and wanders off the spell and just stands there looking out over the grain fields. What do you know about that? I wonder why. Maybe he's got something on his mind. He has. You can't tell it by his work. A man's a fiend for work. Well, I guess it's about time to get back to work, eh, fellas? Yeah, up and at him. Marty, what's bothering you? Let him alone, Larry. It's his business. Hey, Marty. What's the matter? That's what I'd like to know. You've kind of been in a fog since you came out here. Everything all right? Oh, yeah, sure. Everything's fine. We know it's none of our business, and you can tell us to mine our own if you like. We've been wondering if you need help. Oh, fellas, it's nothing like that. I've been sort of daydreaming. I know you like farming real well. Been dreaming about having one of your own? Well, not exactly. But yet it might be. Really, I'm thinking of leaving the Forest Service, are ya? Oh, no, I'm all right. Really, I am. Now, let's get back to cutting grain. The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Prey ye therefore the Lord of the harvest. They will send forth laborers into his harvest. St. Archie, there are yet four months, and then come at the harvest. Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are quite all ready to harvest. Betty, what is it? Daddy's coming up the trail. Wonderful. I'll call Danny, and we'll go meet him. Howie, Mommy, howie! I will, dear. Danny, come quickly! Yes, Mom, what is it? Daddy's coming up the trail. What dog? Hey, hey, hey, you two got it out. Take it easy, honey, your old dad. He's sore from riding tractors. Did the tractor kick, Daddy? No, but the bounce and lurch and jiggle. And Daddy's black and blue and sore all over. I know where you're sore, and it isn't all over. Daddy! How are you, dear? I'll fix the hot bath for you in your black and blue mark. Sounds wonderful. Oh, I'm sure glad to be home. Yes, dear? Can you buy me something, Daddy? Yeah, Dad, did you? Say, what kind of hijacking is this? Every time I go away, you youngsters expect me to come back loaded with stuff. No, but you said you might. You sure did. Well, now, if I were you, I'd take a look at my saddlebags, and you just might find something in there that you'd like to have. Come on, let's go! Hey, take it easy. There's a package there for your mother, and I don't want it ruined. How does it feel to be so popular? Oh, wonderful. Say, what happened to that hot soaking I was promised? Well, I have to heat the water, unless you want to sit on top of the stove. Oh, I'll get Jenny unsettled and my gear put away while the water's heating. All right, it won't take long. Oh, by the way, Irene... Yes? After the children are in bed this evening, I want to have a long talk with you about something very important. Good night, dear. It's good to be home. Same for me, too, Dad. Good night. Thanks, son. Good night. Good night, mommy. Good night, honey. Don't forget to say your prayers now, and have a nice rest. Come on, Danny. Last one to hit the hay is a doobie ball. Children! Yes, mother. No pillow fights. We won't. Good night. Come on. Oh, those two fireballs. Where do they get the pap? What are you putting there, fool, that you don't put in mine? I've wondered the same thing myself, dear. Where do they get their zip? The supply never seems to run out. I'll say it doesn't. I, um... suppose you're wondering what's on my mind. Yes. Well, I... dear, I believe the Lord's calling us to the mission field. I know this must come as a shock, dear, but I know definitely that he's called me... I wasn't silent because of shock, dear. It's simply that I was amazed at your remark because I felt the Lord talking to me about the mission field, too. You... you have? Yes. Very definitely. And especially since you left to help harvest the wheat. Oh, the Lord works in wonderful ways to accomplish His plans. You know, Irene, when I was out there, I'd look out over the white fields, and I didn't see heads of wave and grain, but I saw the faces of millions of people crying out for the news of salvation. John 435 kept running through my mind constantly. Say ye not, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already into harvest. Yes, and then there are the words spoken to Paul. Over into Macedonia and help us. Dear, I know now that the Lord has called us beyond any doubt. What do you mean? Weren't you sure before? Yes, and no. I was concerned about you. Marty, I'm surprised that you... Kevin, we always work together. Yes, that's very true, dear, but you married a ranger out of missionary. I pray that the Lord would speak to you about this and, well, I know now that he's answered my prayers, even as I was saying them. And I know now why the Lord was talking to me while you were gone. Yes, well, let's pray about it before we turn in. In the morning, I'm going in the headquarters and tell Bill about it. Oh, I wonder what he'll say. I don't know. But if the Lord prepared you for this, well, he can also prepare my boss. Hi, men. Hey, how are you, Marty? Just fine, Stumpy. How are you, fellas? Right, tolerable. Well, where's Bill? He and Grey Wolf are out on the North Range, checking fire lanes. And we're loafing. What's your course's plane to see? I don't envy anyone loafing a spell in this game because you're more than make up for it shortly afterward. When do you think Bill will be back? Well, it's hard to say, young fella. Possibly two days if everything goes all right. Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see him then. Why don't you sit a spell and spin yarns with us? Henry, see if there's any coffee and biscuits left. Sure. I think the coffee's still hot, too. Sure. Thanks, fellas. I don't mind if I do have some coffee in the roll. Then I'll have to be heading back up the trail. I've got a lot of work to catch up that piled up while I was gone. Good that does. I think I'll have some varnishes from over, too, sonny. Okay. Thanks. And Marty, Bill's mighty pleased with the job you're doing up at Straight Up Mountain. Has he been up there? You know, Bill, he's always moving around in these seas, but he doesn't look and he hears, but he doesn't listen. The two of us were by your station about a month ago and he sure was pleased with the way things are shaping up. Good men are hard to come by nowadays, you know. I didn't know that. Yep, that's the truth. Bill, stop by and tell you what a good job you're doing, but I thought it might help jack up your morale to hear it sooner. Thanks, old timer. I appreciate you're telling me. Sort of put some new light on things. What do you mean by that, Marty? Nothing really, just thinking out loud. Well, thanks for the eats. I've got to be running along. Okay, glad to start by. So am I, Henry. Enjoy the visit. Marty! Yes, old timer. What is it? Are you sure everything's all right? Of course. Why shouldn't it be? Well, I don't know. That's why I'm asking. That's about Daddy. Yeah, Dad. What's crooked? Well, you see, your mother and I are thinking seriously of going to the mission field to preach and teach the gospel to those who've never heard it. Aren't you going to take us with you? Of course we are, dear. But we wanted you to know what we planned to do. We wanted to know how you feel about it. Will we go on a boat? I'd like that. How about you, Danny? Sure. Can I tell the boys and girls about Jesus? Oh, I'm sure you'll be able to after a while. Well, why can't I do it right away when we get there? We'll have to learn their language first. Well, that's okay by me. Wherever you and Mom go, that's okay with me. I'm glad you feel that way about it. Can we be excused? Yes, dear. Come on, Danny. Help me fix my doll, buddy. Okay, come on. I'll raise that chair. You seem rather glum since you came home, Marty. Did Bill take the news badly? No. It was worse than that. What do you mean? What did he say? Nothing. He's out on the trail with Grey Wolf, and he won't be back for two days. Stumpy was telling me how pleased Bill is with my work and how nicely things are shaping up out there since I took over the station. What's the truth? Do you have worked hard? I don't see why a pat on the back should make you glum. It's going to make telling him that much harder. Bill's a good boss. He's not only that, but he's a good friend. Don't make it any easier for me to tell him. That's for sure. I know it won't, but it's one of the many problems you're going to have to overcome. I know that, but you don't understand. We're going to have to leave before the end of summer because we're going to have to go to school for a while, and that's going to put Bill in an awful spot. And I don't like putting him in a spot. You know, Bill's a different kind of a guy than the usual, you know what I mean? Yes, I do. The way you've worked out here and applied yourself mentally and physically told me you were happy with your work, and that meant you had a wonderful boss. I know it won't be easy for you. No, but, well, I guess we'll have bigger problems than this. And the Lord's promise to give us strength to overcome them. I will pray about it, and I think I'll go in town late tomorrow afternoon and talk with the pastor. I think that's a fine idea. I'm sure Bill will be all for us 100%. Oh, sure he will. I'm just letting old Satan get me down. I'll finish writing those letters to the mission boards and see what they have to say. Yes, Mrs. Jones? I'm sure it will, Mrs. Jones. Uh-huh. Well, thank you for calling. Goodbye. You need a telephone secretary, Pastor. You're not joking, Marty. Hazel, will you take any phone calls for a while? I'd like to talk to Marty without interruption. Thank you. Marty, a good wife is a priceless possession. I know what you mean. Now let's see. Where were we? Oh, yes. So you feel the Lord's called you through the mission field? I not only feel it, I know it, just as sure as I'm sitting here talking to you. I'm glad to hear you say that. Knowing the Lord's will is a problem for a lot of Christians. I think it's because they once sit still long enough so the Lord can talk to them. He wants undivided attention when he's speaking, just like any of the rest of us. You know, I never thought of it that way. But it's true. I'll try and remember that for future use. Fine. Remember one thing, Marty. Don't let Satan weigh you down and sap your spiritual strength with discouragement. He uses that weapon very effectively, even on strong Christians. The Lord is your strength and on him you must rely. And then you can say as Paul did, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Put your hand to the plow and never look back. Never. I appreciate your words more than you know because I've already had problems since our decision to go to the mission field. Problems, yes. You'll have lots of them. The Lord never promised us a bit of roses. But He did promise to give us the grace we need from day to day. And remember, Marty, He'll never fail you. God bless you, Marty, and your family. I'm honored to have you in my congregation. Oh, thank you. Well, I must be going. Oh, there's just one thing that puzzles me about what you said. Yes, what's that? Well, you haven't really said whether you thought our going to the mission field was a good idea or not. Or whether you agree with our decision. Marty, the Lord has spoken to you, and He'll speak again and again. In your case, there's nothing for me to say. Who might or add to or take away from the Lord's decisions? If God has called you, you'd better go. Marty, Irene. Hello, Mr. Reed. Hello there. How are you, Betty, Danny? Fine, thanks. I mean well. The pastor told me about your decision to answer the Lord's call to the mission field. And I want you to know that I'm thrilled. My prayers for you will never cease. Thank you, Mr. Reed. I'll bring this up before the church board at the next meeting. I wish you wouldn't, just yet, Mr. Reed. Well, why not, Marty? It's definite, isn't it? You probably don't know yet just what field, but it's definite that you're going, as I understand it. Oh, that's true, but well, I haven't told Bill yet, and he's my boss. Well, tell him then. Bill's not a hard head. In fact, he's one of the finest Christian gentlemen I've ever met. Oh, I know. That's the whole trouble. Good morning. How are you? Fine. Thank you. Say, the county agent says you fellas did a bang-up job getting the weed in. Thanks very much for putting you back to the wheel. Oh, don't mention it. I was glad to do it. I've got some good news for you, young fellow. You have? Yes, sir. Colonel Landers has asked me to recommend one of my men to be a foreman of the tree farm, and I've picked you. It'll be a good promotion for you. You'll have 50 men under you and a raise and pay, and Irene won't have to live out in no man's land 10 months of the year. Well, what do you say? What's the matter, Marty? Don't you want the job? Sure. I mean, I might... I might not... Marty, what's wrong with you? Are you in trouble? Oh, no. Well, I really don't know yet. Look, do you mind if I give you my answer in a couple of days? No, I don't mind. Take all the time you need. There's no big rush. Thanks much. I'll be going now. What do they say? Oh, they're sorry, but they feel I'm too close to the maximum age. In other words, too old. Oh, there are more letters. Let's see here. They feel that I've got too much experience in my present field, and they don't have a field where they can send me to use my experience in education in forestry and related fields to maximum capacity. What does all this gibberish mean? They could be right, you know. Yeah, maybe. I suppose this one is more of the same. Read it, Marty. I can't. You read it. All right. They haven't any openings at the present time, and they feel it would take too much training to do you over. Yeah, I'm beginning to think so, too. What are you thinking of? I'm thinking of going back into town in the morning to accept the job at the pre-farm. No, no, Marty, you can't do that. You can't fail the Lord. I won't fail him. We can be missionaries here at home. But what about the white field? I don't know. I really don't know. Well, they are quite all ready to harvest. Please, Lord, speak to me now in this time of indecision and weakness. Show me thy will in Jesus' name. Amen. Marty, it's Irene. I don't know if anything's wrong. In fact, she's sound like she got some good news for you. Oh, thanks. Hello, dear. You don't say. Oh, that's wonderful. Yes, I'll be home in a little while. Bye. Good news? I'll say. By the glow on your face, I'd say it's very good news. Yes, it is. Bill, I've got something to tell you. Okay, shoot. I hate to say this to you, but the Lord's called Irene and me to the mission field. And she just called to tell me that a mission board accepted this and were to leave later in the summer for school. Like I say. I'm glad you decided to accept, Marty. May the Lord's richest blessing go with both of you. You're not angry with me for leaving you in a spot? No, why should I be? We all must be in the center of the Lord's will or we won't be happy Christians. I wondered how long it would take you to tell me. You knew all along? Sure, I did. How? I have a very good friend on that mission board who asked me for a reference. And you didn't block? Of course not. You see, Marty, I've seen the white fields, too. Only I've seen them from a different view than you have. Go out there and begin the harvest, young fella. The Lord does indeed work in strange ways to complete His plans, but He gets the job done. You think about our story today and see if it fits you anywhere along the line. Profit by it. By all means, talk to the Lord and make sure you're in His will. Well, see you next week for more adventure with...