The Ranch Girls at Home Again

  CHAPTER III

  THE ENGINEER OF THE RAINBOW MINE

  READERS of the Ranch Girls' Series probably remember that the firstmeeting between the members of the Rainbow Ranch family and Ralph Merritoccurred several years before, while they were making a caravan journeyto the Yellowstone Park.

  And Jean Bruce had been Ralph's original acquaintance. How many timessince had they not laughed at the vision of the girl idly washing herhair in an outdoor stream with no thought of a stranger in many miles.Then there was the story of their first luncheon together with onlyFrieda as chaperon and Ruth and Olive's return, the storm, and Jim andJack's disaster by the deserted mine. Within less than a week RalphMerrit had appeared like an old and tried friend. And from the hour ofhis arrival to advise and assist Jim Colter in regard to the RainbowMine he had seemed almost like one of the family. Only twice had he lefthis work for any length of time--once to visit his mother and sister inChicago, and the second time to say farewell to the Ranch girls whenthey sailed for Europe. His friends understood that a large part of hisgenerous salary went each month to the support of his people, and thatin his present position Ralph was not making his fortune so quickly inthe West as he had hoped. But was that the reason why he had been takingso many short trips away from the ranch in the past few months and whyhe had recently changed so decidedly in his appearance and manner?

  Though Jean may have had her own special reasons for observing thesechanges most, no one else was wholly blind. Could it be possible thatRalph Merrit's difficulties were graver than they suspected?

  There is a possibility that Jack Ralston's and even Jim's faith mighthave been shaken had they been able to follow the young man'sproceedings on the afternoon of their conversation about him.

  He and the neighbor, who had simply been a visitor at the ranch forafternoon tea, walked along without much conversation until they came towithin the neighborhood of Rainbow Creek--that portion of the creekwhere important mining machinery had been set up and near which a shafthad been sunk, forming a narrow entrance into the Rainbow Mine.

  As the hour for work had passed some time before, the place was nowdeserted and Ralph Merrit showed no interest in lingering in itsvicinity. Yet the discovery of the surprising wealth contained in theRainbow Mine had never ceased being a subject of interest, ofspeculation and oftentimes of acute envy to many of the ranch owners inthat end of Wyoming, and the young man, Hugo Manning, who was Ralph'spresent companion, had only recently purchased a cattle ranch about tenmiles away. He had come from the western part of New York State and thiswas his first sight of a gold mine.

  Plainly Ralph was at first simply bored by the stupid questions that hisneighbor asked of him. Then unexpectedly the young engineer's expressionchanged and his face flushed angrily.

  "I hear that your famous Rainbow gold mine is panning out," the youngman had remarked carelessly. "They tell me around here that you havealready taken out all the gold that lies near enough to the surface tobe of value. They insist that it is going to cost you more to buy newmachinery and try out new methods of mining than the gold is worth.Better advise your friends to sell out while selling is good and beforetheir mine loses its reputation."

  Ralph made a queer noise in his throat that was half anger, and yet hedid not positively deny the suggestion. "Oh, they say that, do they?" heexclaimed. "It's funny how much sooner strangers find out about youraffairs than you do yourself! I don't believe Mr. Colter or Miss Ralstonhave yet had to complain of any lack of money. When that time comes thenwe shall decide what is best to do."

  And Ralph started to move along, but his companion waited, hesitatingfor half a moment. "I say, Merrit," he continued, "if the Rainbow Mineowners should make up their minds that they want to get out, I wish youwould let me hear the news first. Isn't it possible that they might bewilling to take a lump sum down and not run the risk of losing what theyhave already got by investing in new machinery? I believe it mostlybelongs just to the two Ralston girls. But a company of men, say in NewYork City, might look at the proposition differently. They could affordto sink a few hundred thousands easier."

  Ralph nodded dryly and this time walked on so resolutely that hiscompanion was obliged to hurry in order to keep alongside and to hearthe answer to his request.

  All the reply he received was: "Thank you; it is kind of surprising tomeet a fellow who knows people who are willing to lose money."

  But when at the edge of the ranch the two men finally separated, RalphMerrit went on alone to the nearest railroad station. It was severalmiles away and few persons from the Rainbow Ranch ever attempted walkingso great a distance. But Ralph had not ordered a horse for one reasonbecause he did not wish to have a boy accompany him to bring the animalhome again and also because he preferred not having any one know justwhere he was going. That there was discussion and ill feeling concerninghim among the men at work on the Rainbow Mine he understood, althoughRalph was not yet aware how unkind the criticism was, nor just what wasbeing said.

  By midnight he had finally arrived at his destination, Laramie, thelargest city in Wyoming. He had then gone directly to a small,out-of-the-way hotel. But after his arrival, instead of gettingimmediately into bed as any tired, healthy fellow should, the young mandropped into a chair before his open window, sitting there most of thenight. Now and then he dozed a few moments from sheer exhaustion, butthe greater part of the time he stared out into the lighted streetsbelow him, moody and restless and totally unlike the Ralph Merrit offormer days.

  If one trait of character had previously distinguished Ralph from theRanch girls' other young men friends, it had been his practical commonsense. Unlike Frank Kent and Donald Harmon, Ralph Merrit was a self-madeboy, who had earned his own way through college and had afterwardssuffered many disappointments and disillusions on coming West to seekhis fortune. Upon taking charge of the Rainbow Mine and making thesuccess of it, which he certainly had, for a time Ralph felt happy andsatisfied. He was doing work which many an older man might have enviedhim. Then why had he recently become so disheartened and dissatisfied?It was true that the Rainbow Mine was not yielding so much gold as itformerly had and that he was beginning to feel fearful that the veinsnear the surface, which had held valuable ore, were now nearly workedout. Yet Ralph did not even try to pretend to himself that hisnervousness and discontent were due to conditions at Rainbow Mine. No,his anxiety and despondency were entirely personal.

  For in the past six months Ralph had been overtaken by an ambition thatmakes for more unhappiness and destroys the careers of more young menthan almost any other vice. He had developed an overpowering desire tomake a large fortune quickly, not by hard work or economy or any of theordinary, slow methods for gaining wealth, but by some single, brilliantstroke of good luck that should make him a rich man at once.

  Yet this represented such a curious change in Ralph Merrit's formernature, in his good sense and sound judgment, that surely some outsideinfluence must have been at work to render him so unlike himself. Whatthat influence really was Ralph Merrit alone knew perfectly well.

  Now it is idle to deny that while under most circumstances a refinedgirl is an ennobling influence in a young fellow's life, now and thenthere may be exceptions to this fact as to all others. At the verybeginning of their acquaintance Ralph Merrit had understood that he wasfalling hopelessly in love with Jean Bruce. But in the two years of herabsence at school and in Europe he had fought the matter out withhimself and decided that he had mastered his impossible fancy. Duringher short visits at the ranch they had remained especial friends as atthe start, but nothing more. Now, however, since Jean's return to liveat the Rainbow Lodge, Ralph had not only felt a return of his firstaffection, but an emotion that was very much stronger and more serious.

  And he felt this in spite of recognizing that Jean herself had greatlychanged. No longer was she the fascinating unspoiled girl of his earlyacquaintance; she was a far more worldly-minded and ambitious Jean thanhe could have imagined. She was also far prettier
and more alluring fromher experiences and opportunities, and there was no doubt but that shewas constantly yearning for the companionship of distinguished people,for more society, broader social opportunities of every kind. Duringthe past year at the ranch she had not been altogether contented. Theirformer life now seemed too simple and uneventful to her, she no longerhad Jack's intense interest in outdoor amusements. Yet to Ruth's and hercousin's suggestions that she make a visit in the east to her friends,Margaret and Cecil Belknap, Jean would not listen. Of course she washappy at home, and whatever her family might say to the contrary theywould be absurdly lonely without her. Moreover, did they believe thatshe would miss Olive's home-coming? But any other influence that mayhave been at work in the back of the girl's heart or mind she did notmention. And assuredly Ralph Merrit did not dream that his presence onthe ranch could be in any possible sense an added influence.

  For whatever Ralph's present weaknesses, he did not put the blame upon awoman. Jean had given him no false encouragement, had shown him nospecial favor. The fault was his, that moved by what he believed herattitude toward wealth, he had used the wrong method for obtaining it.He had not even given Jean the chance to say that his struggle wasunwise or unnecessary, since he had been paying her far less attentionrecently.

  At ten o'clock the next morning Ralph learned from his stock broker thatinstead of being nearer the fortune he so much desired, he was severalthousand dollars farther away. And this loss represented almost the lastdollar he had in the world.