Jeff 's home is in the mountain country of the West. An only child, he is separated by long distances from his schoolmates, and his life on his parents' ranch is often solitary. Chores around the ranch, rides in the mountains on his horse, and his various interests usually keep Jeff occupied and seldom leave him feeling lonely. One of his classmates invites him to come to his house for a roundup, but it's forty miles away and someone will have to drive him there. Jeff 's mother is willing to let him go, but his father says that he can't spare the time to take the boy, and that Jeff will just have to content himself with being on his own. Jeff begins to feel sorry for himself as he rides off alone. He stops at a neighbor's cabin, and the older man who lives on the place hears him out and then talks sympathetically about being alone, giving Jeff reassurance that solitude does provide its own pleasures.
