The Ranch Girls at Home Again

  CHAPTER I

  THE RACE

  AN hour before sunset a number of persons were standing in a small groupfacing the western horizon. But although the prairie was covered with acrop of young grass, a pale green mirror to reflect the colors of thesun, they were not looking at the landscape but toward two figures onhorseback, a girl and a boy who were riding across country as rapidly astheir horses could carry them.

  "Will Jack Ralston ever learn to be less reckless about her riding,Jim?" Ruth Colter inquired. "Since we returned from Europe it seems tome that she has grown more attached to the Rainbow ranch than everbefore. Yet at about the time we were married, dear, do you know I had afancy that Jack and Frank Kent were going to care for each otherseriously. Of course, I was mistaken since he has never been to see herin almost a year."

  Then with both hands held out invitingly, Ruth received a small pink andwhite bundle which Jim deposited in them with infinite care. For thebundle consisted of an absurdly tiny person measuring its earlyexistence by weeks instead of months or years. And its face, though asdelicately shell pink as the blanket enveloping it, yet bore aridiculous resemblance to the tall man's in whose arms it had latelybeen borne.

  A moment later and Jim Colter strode forward with a blond girl at hisside. For by this time the two riders were almost within hailingdistance, the girl's horse scarcely a neck in advance of hercompanion's.

  "Carlos don't like Jack," Frieda Ralston remarked unexpectedly to herguardian, "so I do wish that she would not keep on doing things toirritate him. He perfectly hates to think that a girl can beat him atany outdoor sport and yet he rarely gets ahead of Jack. Indians are sostrange and silent that sometimes I feel afraid he may try and revengehimself upon her for some fancied wrong. See, he is furious now at herhaving won their race!"

  "Well, I expect Miss Ralston will be able to manage him;" Jim returned."Nevertheless, the boy has not turned out as I had hoped; he is lazy andproud and extremely ungrateful. Sometimes I have half an idea of turninghim off the ranch, and I came very near doing it the other day, onlyJack pleaded for him. Because he is Olive's friend she seems sentimentalabout keeping him on here, at least, until Olive joins us. Bravo, Jack!Be careful, you hoyden, don't you know you are a grown woman!" he cried.

  And with his tone divided between admiration and anger, Jim caught atthe flying figure of a girl as she landed lightly on the ground at hisfeet. She had jumped from her pony while it was still going at fullspeed and then run along beside it until she was able to stop withoutlosing her balance.

  "I wish you would not behave like a circus rider, Jack," Frieda scolded.For at eighteen Frieda Ralston had become a far more dignified andreposeful character than her older sister, who was now past twenty.

  Nevertheless Jack only made a slight grimace, calling back over hershoulder carelessly, "Carlos, see to my horse, will you, when it gets tothe stable?" And then in a kinder tone, "Oh, never mind, I hadforgotten; some one else can look after him. Of course you will beinterested to hear the news from Olive--Miss Van Mater," she correctedherself. "I am going to tell the family at once." Then she walked onbetween Jim and Frieda, with an arm laid lightly across her sister'sshoulder. And without replying Carlos followed the little party.

  He was a beautiful slender Indian boy of about fifteen or sixteen, withskin the color of bronze, with straight dark hair and moody, unsatisfiedblack eyes--the same Indian boy who had formerly helped Olive to returnto the ranch after her enforced capture by old Laska, and had afterwardssought refuge there himself. As a small lad, in spite of his pride anddifficult disposition, the Ranch girls and Ruth had been fond of him,but since their return from Europe they had found Carlos a problem. Hewas unwilling to work like the other men, either on the ranch or at themine, and was equally determined not to go to school except when forcedinto it. Indeed, so far as possible, the boy had insisted upon living inthe midst of civilization like one of his chieftain ancestors.Oftentimes he chose to sit idly in the sun doing nothing, save perhapsto clean his gun or else gaze for hours at the sky overhead. Then againhe might without warning disappear on a hunting expedition, taking anyhorse from the stables that he wished for his purpose, and usuallyreturning with game or furs, which he sometimes bestowed on Jean orFrieda or Ruth, but never on Jack.

  At the present moment his manner was absurdly dignified and haughty,since he particularly objected to being treated at any time as though hewere a servant, and considered Jack's request in that light. However, asno one was paying the slightest attention to him, it was self-evidentthat he was longing to hear Jacqueline Ralston's news.

  "Have you heaps of letters, Jack? Do please hurry and give them to us."Jean Bruce called out, walking away from the two young men with whom shehad been recently talking. One of them was Ralph Merritt, the engineerin charge of the Rainbow mine, and the other a visitor from one of theneighboring ranches. For as Jack had always insisted, wherever Jean wasto be found there also was a masculine admirer, even in a wilderness.

  Over her shoulder Jack carried a small leather mail bag, which she nowopened; but before drawing forth her letters she leaned over and glancedanxiously into the face of the small baby snuggled in Ruth's arms.

  "Nothing has happened to Jimmikins since I have been away? He has notcut a tooth or anything, has he, Ruth?" she queried. And as the otherslaughed, the baby being at the present hour only about seven weeks old,Jack drew forth more than a dozen letters and began passing them aroundto the different members of her family.

  "Here, Jean, of course there are more for you than for any of the restof us, and in so many handwritings that it looks as if you kept acorrespondence school for young men. And, Frieda, I am sorry I had todiscover this was from Tom. But the youth does send you so many boxes ofcandy, I can't help recognizing the address. Ruth, won't you askeverybody please to wait here a moment for I have something reallyimportant to tell you." Then Jack's radiant face grew graver.

  "I have at last had a long letter from Olive," she explained. "And aweek after her grandmother's death the will was read." The girl glancedabout her. Ralph Merrit and their visitor had walked off several yards,so that only the few persons interested were standing near.

  "Of course old Madame Van Mater has made the curious will that we mighthave expected. For it seems that she has given Olive one more year tomake up her mind whether or not she will marry Donald Harmon. If shedoes, of course they will then inherit the greater portion of the estatewith only a few legacies to be paid outside. But if she does not decideto marry him--and here is the strange thing--at the end of the yearanother will is to be read, which will divide the property differently.And no one knows just how, for this second will is sealed and in thepossession of her executors. So Olive may finally be left penniless orshe may receive everything, or else Donald may suffer the same fate. Itis a queer and interesting state of things, isn't it?" Jack concluded.

  "Yes, and pretty well calculated to make everybody that had anything todo with the old lady uncomfortable for another twelve months longeranyhow," Jim Colter replied frowning. "Funny how the old woman arrangedto make her relatives and friends as miserable after her death as shehad before it. It is pretty hard on both Olive and Donald. In the end Ihave an idea that the money will go to some charity."

  In reply Jean slowly shook her head, turning over the envelopes in herhand with pretended interest, but with her thoughts plainly not centeredupon them.

  "Olive is very foolish," she remarked at length. "Really I can't see whyshe does not make up her mind to do as her grandmother wished. Don is acharming fellow and it is ridiculous not to appreciate the value of somuch money. Why the longer I live the more important it seems to me!"

  Too displeased with Jean's unexpected burst of worldliness to discussthe question with her, Jim marched a few steps away. Ruth wasdistressed, but being a woman she was not so unmindful of what laybehind the girl's apparently careless speech, while Frieda becameimmediately influenced by her cousin's point of view, just as shealways had been since
they were small girls. So it was Jack who was theone person in the group to take Jean's statement lightly, for she merelylaughed, saying:

  "Oh, of course we know that Jean is the really worldly person in ourfamily, so we must watch and see how she lives up to her sentiments!Still you have not yet heard my most important piece of news. Olive hasalso written that she is completely worn out with all the business andworry of these last weeks and so she is coming to us at once. She asksif she may bring Miss Winthrop along with her for a visit?" Jack pausedfor a moment, looking inquiringly about at the faces of the others. "Ofcourse she may," she ended. "It will be a pleasure to have MissWinthrop, and besides I don't see how we possibly could refuse."

  Frieda held up two white hands protestingly. She was not an industriousperson and so devoted a great deal of her valuable time to her toiletinstead of to more serious labors. "Oh, dear," she began, "it will bejust like going back to Primrose Hall again to have Miss Winthropstaying in our house. Goodness, how she will disapprove of me forhaving no ambition to improve myself as Olive does. I shall have to leada changed life!"

  "Thank Providence, then. Do ask Miss Winthrop to come on the nexttrain," Jim chuckled, returning at this instant, while Ruth shook herhead thoughtfully.

  "Naturally it will be an opportunity for all of us to have a woman likeMiss Winthrop for our guest," she declared, in a slightly worried tone."But has it ever occurred to any one of you where we are to put her? Thepoor old Lodge is so crowded now with babies and girls and Jim Colterthat we have not a single spare room. Oh, of course Olive can be tuckedin anywhere, but----"

  "Jim, do take your son and let us walk over and look at our new house,"Jack at once suggested. "Surely there will be enough bedrooms finishedby the time Olive and Miss Winthrop arrive, for some of the family, sothat we may give ours to our guests. Funny how we cling to the dear oldRainbow Lodge in spite of our new grandeur."

  Then Jack moved on ahead, leading the way through the grove ofcottonwood trees almost up to the old house. She turned to the left andabout an eighth of a mile farther along came to a slight elevation,recently planted with shrubs and evergreens. There, facing the littleparty, was a splendid pile of stone and wood that was evidently growinginto an old-time colonial house.

  For of course now that the girls were older and wealthier, and Jim andRuth married, Rainbow Lodge was no longer suited to their needs. And asthe Rainbow Mine still continued to yield a handsome income, the newhouse had occupied a great deal of the family's time and attention sincetheir return from Europe. For it had been both Jim's and Jack's desireto build a wonderful colonial mansion here in their own beautifulWestern country, where in times past men and women had been content withrude cabins. Since a colonial house meant to Jim Colter the beauty anddignity of the old Virginia homes that he remembered in his boyhood andsince Jacqueline had long cherished a photograph of the place owned byher Southern grandfather who had been killed in the Confederate army,the new house was to be as nearly as possible a replica of the latter.

  In the interest of discussing what the workmen had accomplished sincetheir last visit to the new building, no one noticed that the Indianboy, Carlos, who had followed the others up to this time, listeningintently to every word of their conversation, had stalked silently awayas soon as Olive's name ceased to be mentioned. His face wore a morepleasing expression, and unlike his usual habit he afterwards joined oldAunt Ellen in the kitchen, who was still the ranch girls' cook anddevoted friend. To her he at once imparted the information concerningthe expected visitors; then he retired to his own tent in the yard. ForCarlos had absolutely refused to live in the ranch house with the otheremployees about the estate and had erected for himself an Indian tepeeat some distance.