Fred Fearnot's New Ranch Page 2

going backdown to Texas to look after their new ranch and to try to add anotherthousand head of cattle to their herd.

  "And you came up to tell us good-by, eh?"

  "Well, we came up to see you girls, but about that I'll tell you later."

  Neither of the boys went over into town during that day. They weresatisfied to remain with their sweethearts, and their sweethearts weremore than pleased to have them do so. Both the girls were highly pleasedwith the report they made as to their financial success in Wall Street.

  "Fred," said Evelyn, "why not defer your return to Texas until coldweather, when I would be glad to go down with you and brother and spendthe winter there, for I enjoyed myself splendidly last winter. Thepeople were kind and sociable."

  "Yes, indeed, we have found them so. When we left there, as I told youwhen we first came up, we were loaded down with loving messages for youfrom the best society people there at Crabtree, but I never saw WallStreet so dull in my life. I've had my revenge over the worst enemy Iever had there; but you know all about that, for you were down at theoffice at the time I changed front and got the best of Broker Bellamyand his syndicate."

  "Yes, and I actually felt sorry for the old rascal. I don't enjoy otherpeople's distress, Fred."

  "No I know that; but I tell you that sometimes revenge is sweet. Wedidn't make as much out of that deal as we expected to, but still wehave no right to complain. We have not only saved ourselves fromfinancial embarrassment, but have money enough left to add anotherthousand head of cattle to the ranch and to build any kind of a housethat would suit you."

  "Suit me!" said she. "Are you expecting to make that your future home,Fred?"

  "I'll leave that with you, dear. If you insist upon it we can liveelsewhere and do as we did on the Colorado ranch, leaving faithful mento manage it for us."

  "Fred, I could live contentedly anywhere in the world where you aresatisfied and can make money.

  "Mrs. Hamilton, however," she continued, "is horrified at the idea ofMary living so far from her. She has a great fear of the climate ofTexas, and she thinks the people, too, down there are nearly halfsavages."

  "Well, can't you tell her better than that?"

  "I have told her all about how I found the people down there atCrabtree, but she says I was there at a hotel where only people ofrefinement live, and that I know nothing about the people out in thecountry. I laughed at her and asked her if she knew anything about themherself, and she retorted that everybody who read newspapers knew whatsort of people lived down there."

  "Well, dear, Terry and I have come up to see if we could persuade youand Mary to go down there with us and spend the fall and winter."

  "Fred, I am perfectly willing to go anywhere that brother goes alongwith us, and I will do my best to get Mrs. Hamilton's consent for Maryto go, for she has never been down in that section of the country."

  "Well, you go, anyhow," suggested Fred. "I want you to see the newranch. I wouldn't think of making a home at the ranch we looked at whenwe went down to Crabtree. The one that we afterwards bought as aninvestment is the one I mean. I believe that we can, eventually, buildup a little place of resort about that big, bold mineral spring just amile from the railroad track, and I intend to have the water analyzed.The physicians claim down there that it has been partially analyzed andis said to be the finest water in the South, but I am going to send abottle of the water to a chemist in New York or Philadelphia who has anestablished reputation and have him analyze it.

  "I do hope, though," he added, "that you will plead with Mrs. Hamiltonfor her consent to let Mary go down and see the country."

  That evening the two boys spent with their sweethearts at theirrespective homes.

  Terry then told Mary what he wanted her to do, saying that Evelyn wasgoing down with him and Fred to see their Texas ranch, and he wanted herto go, too.

  "Mary," said he, "it is the richest ranch I ever saw in my life. Wethought the one in Colorado was a grand one, and so it was, but thegrass there was never so abundant or so nutritious as at our new ranch.It grows much taller, keeps fresh and green longer, and the soil itselfis several degrees richer than the Colorado ranch. You never so manyquail in your life as you can see there every day in the week all theyear round. There are prairie chickens, and there are ten jack-rabbitsthere to one in Colorado."

  "But, Terry, last winter you wrote me about some bad Mexican andAmerican cowboys who had made trouble for you."

  "Yes, but didn't we have the same trouble out in Colorado? Didn't Ipoint out to you several times in Colorado the graves of horse thievesand cattle thieves whom our cowboys had shot to prevent them fromplundering our ranch? Are not murders committed right here in New YorkCity often, and don't you read of them in the papers? Why, there is noplace in the country where bad men don't live, and bad women, too, forthat matter; and by this time those cowboys have found out that Fred andI, as well as Jack, are deadshots and not afraid to pull a trigger on abad character, so you can't say anything against that locality any morethan you can any other in the West."

  "Terry, is Evelyn going back with you?" she asked.

  "Yes she has said that she would, but she wants you to go, too."

  "Terry, I'm afraid that mother will never consent."

  "By George, Mary, she must consent," said Terry. "I'm not going to lether destroy my happiness."

  "Well, Terry, you will have to talk with her yourself."

  "That's just what Fred and I came up to do, dear. Of course, we couldn'ttake you against her consent until after you and I are married, and ifshe won't consent to your accompanying Evelyn down there, why I'll hurryback as soon as I can get the home ready for you, marry you and awaywe'll go to just where we darn please!"

  The next day Fred and Terry made a combined attack on Mrs. Hamiltontrying to gain her consent for Mary to go down and spend the fall andwinter in Texas with Evelyn, but she was firm in her refusal, sayingthat Mary had spent "nearly half her time for several years away fromhome, and that she was opposed to her going so far south, anyway."

  Both Fred and Terry had to finally give it up in despair. Evelyn saidthat she would go down with them, as she had never enjoyed herself more,even up at New Era, than she had at Crabtree.

  She said, too, that she had never met up with more refined people thanshe had there. Mary, of course, cried herself sick and begged piteouslyfor permission to accompany Evelyn. Mrs. Hamilton, though, put up allsorts of excuses. When she mentioned the matter of expense Evelyn saidthat Mary could go as her guest, and that she need not spend one nickelfor anything.

  "Besides, mother," pleaded Mary, "I have money of my own, you know, andsurely, as I am of age, I should be permitted to spend some of it justas I please."

  CHAPTER II.

  TERRY OLCOTT ON DECK.

  Finding all their pleadings with Mrs. Hamilton in vain, Fred and Terrybegan making preparations for the long trip down to Texas, accompaniedonly by Evelyn.

  While regretting to see her leave, her mother never objected to hergoing anywhere with her brother; so, after a few days' preparations,they were all ready to start.

  Mary accompanied them down to New York City, where she was to spend aweek with Mrs. Middleton.

  They finally decided to take a steamer from New York to New Orleans, andquite a party of friends accompanied them down to the wharf. The verybest staterooms in the steamer had been reserved for them. Evelyn'scabin was a bank of flowers, which loving friends and admirers had sentdown for her.

  Evelyn was a pretty good sailor, and had once crossed the Atlanticwithout the least bit of seasickness. Among the passengers was a familyof New Orleans people, a father and mother and two beautiful daughters.The father was a rich New Orleans merchant whom Fred and Terry knew wellby reputation, and, of course, the merchant and his family knew them inthe same way Evelyn made their acquaintance before the vessel hadactually passed through the Narrows. The two sisters fell in love withher at once. The elder sister was about twenty years of age and ofexquisite Creole
beauty. She was very much surprised when she found outthat Evelyn could speak French as fluently as she could.

  "Oh," said Evelyn, "I spent a most agreeable time in Paris once. Mybrother and Mr. Fearnot are both quite good linguists, Mr. Fearnotparticularly. He can learn a foreign language more easily and rapidlythan any one I ever knew. Brother can learn it easily, too; but not asmuch so as Mr. Fearnot."

  Just as the steamer was passing out of the Narrows both Fred and Terrycame up to where Evelyn was talking with the two French girls, and sheintroduced them to the boys.

  Both the New Orleans girls looked at them as though somewhat surprised."Why, Mr. Fearnot," said one of them, "I've heard a