Fred Fearnot's New Ranch Page 11

and look over your stock."

  "Here is a printed list of all the music now before the public."

  "All right, I'll take that list to her," and he folded it up and put itin his pocket.

  Then he went to see the two young ladies whom Evelyn had told him tobring down with him if they would come.

  He found them, and, to his surprise, found them ready to go on an hour'snotice. He told them that he would drive around for them with acarriage, as no passenger train ever stopped at the ranch unless it wasflagged.

  They told him that it didn't make any difference so long as they didn'thave to walk.

  They had never been on a ranch in their lives, although they were ratherfamiliar with farm life around that locality. He went to the liverystable and hired the same team that had carried Evelyn out two daysbefore.

  Then he went to a well-known grocer and bought several cases ofpreserves and sweetmeats of various kinds to be sent down the next day,laid in a good stock of magazines, then drove around to the residence ofthe two young ladies, and when they were ready to go they started offfor the ranch. Their trunks were to come down in a wagon.

  The girls were delighted with everything they saw on the way.

  When they reached the ranch Evelyn and Fred and Jack were at the storeto greet them. While the two girls were hugging and kissing Evelyn, Fredand Terry threw their arms around each other and imitated them to thebest of their ability; but, instead of kissing each other, they smackedtheir mouths over each other's shoulders and uttered expressions of joyin imitation of them. The girls were greatly amused, and the storekeeperalmost went into convulsions of merriment.

  "Now, girls," said' Evelyn, "come over to the house with me and you'llsee how we are roughing it out here." So she led the way from the storeto the house which they called their home.

  When they entered the two beautifully furnished rooms the girls utteredexclamations of surprise.

  "Why, Evelyn," one of them exclaimed, "there isn't a prettier furnishedhouse in all Crabtree. I can't see for the life of me why you call itroughing."

  "Well, I call it roughing because we can do just as we please out here.There is nobody about to criticise us. I hope you brought some of yourold clothes with you that won't be hurt by roughing it!"

  "Yes, we brought some old dresses with us."

  "All right, just as soon as your trunks come in put on your roughestsuits and I'll show you how much fun we can have out here."

  She then led them into the kitchen and dining-room.

  One of the bedrooms had two beds in it, and all three of them wouldsleep in there, leaving Fred and Terry to have the other room.

  A half hour later the girls' trunks were brought into the house and theyproceeded at once to don what they called their home dresses.

  Then Evelyn led them out to the poultry yard, to the cow-sheds and thedairy-house, Then they went to the big lot in which lived the sows andpigs. After that they visited the big stables, where Evelyn pointed withgreat pride to two big grays which the boys had bought for her, andthere she told them the story of the grays she had owned before, how shehad trained them so that she could drive them without bridles anywhereand guide them entirely by her voice.

  One of the girls said that she couldn't train a Texas horse that way.

  "Oh, any horse is susceptible to kindness, dear. I will soon have themso trained that they will follow me wherever I go and I'll teach themhow to obey every command I give them. It takes time and patience,though."

  "Evelyn, where is the big spring that we have heard so much about?"

  "It is about a mile down that way," and she pointed southward."To-morrow we will ride down there, for we have a large surrey and twohorses for domestic use."

  About sunset Evelyn insisted on their going out to the cowpen and seeher milk. Up to that time they hadn't taken any stock in her claim thatshe could milk cows and make butter, and they regarded her as simply asociety girl who wouldn't do any work at all; but the dairyman told themthat she was the best milker he had ever seen.

  It was a pretty big job, but she milked the half dozen Jersey cows,actually doing a man's work. Neither of the girls had ever milked a cowin their lives, for their parents didn't keep any cows at their cityhome.

  That night they sat down to a game dinner of quail, jack-rabbits andprairie chickens.

  Evelyn insisted on their standing by her in the kitchen and seeing hercook everything. They were satisfied that she had not been boasting, andsuch biscuit they had never tasted in their lives, notwithstanding thefact that their mother had a well-trained colored cook.

  "Evelyn," the elder of the sisters asked, "you seem to know all abouthousework, but tell me how you manage to keep your hands so soft andwhite if you have been doing this sort of work before."

  "Oh, I don't do it regularly, only when I take a notion to do so athome; but I think it is every woman's duty to learn such things, so thatif she gets hold of an incompetent servant she can teach her."

  The two girls were actually ashamed of their ignorance of domestic life.

  During the evening Fred produced his violin and flute.

  "Oh, my, brother!" exclaimed Evelyn, "that is a beautiful violin. Whatdid you buy such an expensive one for?"

  "Why, you know me, sister," he replied; "a harsh note grates on me worsethan a crosscut saw going through a knotty log."

  Evelyn seized the bow, resined it herself, tuned the violin and beganplaying like an expert. Fred took up the flute and accompanied her,making the most delightful music.

  There were some cowboys in the store smoking and talking, but when theyheard the violin and flute they all rushed out and stood at the gate,about forty feet away from the door, and listened, and there they stood,quiet and silent, for upwards of an hour.

  Then Terry took the flute and the girls saw that he could play equallyas well as Fred. Evelyn soon took up the guitar and accompanied him onthat instrument.

  Then she handed the guitar to Fred and took the flute from Terry.

  The girls soon saw that she was perfectly at home with any musicalinstrument, and that the boys were, too.

  Evelyn had the girls up with the sun the next morning. They were not inthe habit of starting the day so early, but she laughed at them and toldthem they didn't know how to live.

  She soon had them in the kitchen, where Jack had started a fire in therange, and began giving them culinary lessons.

  It was great fun for her, and also for Fred and Terry.

  Some two or three days later Fred left the ranch, going up by thepassenger train, which was flagged for him to board it, and at Crabtreehe took a train for points a hundred miles east, where he hired a teamand driver to take him around among the ranches all through thatsection. He spent a week inspecting cattle, buying them and having themshipped down to the ranch.

  Finally, in order to make up the order that he wanted, he had to driveback to the railroad and go further eastward; so he was gone about tendays. He paid for the cattle with checks on the bank at Crabtree, but insome instances the cattlemen rode down to Crabtree to see whether or notthe checks were good before they would ship the cattle.

  When Fred returned to the ranch he found the two girl visitors stillwith Evelyn, and learned from them that they were willing to stay outthere just as long as Evelyn wished them to.

  "You haven't gotten tired of the ranch yet?" he asked.

  "No, indeed. We never enjoyed ourselves better away from home in ourlives. Mr. Olcott and Evelyn are undoubtedly the finest musicians weever heard. That piano is a grand instrument, and every evening, whenthe weather is fine, the cowboys dance in the yard to their playing;and, Mr. Fearnot, I really believe that every horse and cow and pig andchicken on the ranch is in love with Evelyn Olcott, while she has suchinfluence over the cowboys that I believe she could make them do murderat her command."

  Fred laughed and said:

  "Yes, she has that same influence over me, too."

  The girls looked at Evelyn and laughed, and she
remarked:

  "Didn't I tell you that every sort of animal is susceptible tokindness?"

  "Why, do you mean to call Mr. Fearnot an animal?"

  "Certainly. Every man and woman is just as much an animal as a horse orcow is."

  Both the girls opened their eyes wide and Evelyn and Fred and Terrylaughed heartily at them.

  "Why, didn't you know that man is an animal?" Fred inquired.

  "No, indeed. Never heard of such a thing before in my life," and thenboth Fred and Terry fell to explaining the matter to them. The youngerof the two sisters said they made her feel "cheap" by proving to herthat she was a mere animal.

  "Oh, be careful with your words. Neither of us have said that you were amere animal," said Terry. "Man belongs to the animal kingdom just as anyfour-footed beast does.