Fred Fearnot's New Ranch Read online

and play during the evening, but she told themthat he was preparing a house down on the ranch for her and a number oftheir friends there in Crabtree, whom they were calculating on beingable to persuade to go down and spend some time with them.

  Of course, quite a number of them were quite eager to go.

  All that night Evelyn was dreaming of feeding a big flock of littlechickens and little pigs, and looking after and petting the mild-eyedmilch-cows, and awoke fully convinced that she was going to have thehappiest time of her life with her brother and her sweetheart as herdaily companions.

  Many a time had she milked her mother's cows in Fredonia, and sheenjoyed the exercise as well as making butter.

  Butter-making was a passion with her, and she understood it toperfection.

  The next day she talked quite a while with several married ladies,particularly those who understood housekeeping and milking andbutter-making. The ladies seemed to be surprised at her enthusiasm, andasked her if she had ever milked a cow, or churned butter, and herreplies actually staggered some of them.

  She said that if she were worth a million dollars, that there was noamusement she would rather indulge in than to milk cows, feed chickens,gather eggs, and do all sorts of domestic work.

  The idea of a society girl indulging in such amusements seemedincredible to the ladies at the hotel.

  Three days passed, which Fred and Terry improved by cleaning up aroundthe house. When the carpets came down, with men to lay them, thefurniture was moved in, and shades and lace curtains put up, untilreally the plain little ranch house was more elegantly furnished thanmany of the homes of the richest citizens in Crabtree.

  Then, Terry went up to Crabtree after Evelyn. He went on a freight trainengine, and Evelyn wanted to come back on the same; but he insisted uponhiring a carriage at the livery stable and driving her through.

  CHAPTER V.

  EVELYN ON THE NEW RANCH.

  Two young ladies at Crabtree offered to go down to the ranch withEvelyn, but she suggested to them to wait until she first found outwhether the new home was one to which she would like to invite them.

  "If the place is such that I can offer you comfort, I will notify you,without delay," so they remained behind at the hotel.

  The driver then started off down the road at a clipping pace. Terry hadhired a splendid team, and the driver understood well how to manage thebeautiful horses.

  The dirt road ran all the way down in sight of the railroad. They passedmany beautiful suburban residences during the first three or four miles,after which they passed farmhouses and then the road stretched white andstraight over the wide prairies.

  Terry had directed that Evelyn's two trunks be sent down by freight.Evelyn enjoyed the ride very much.

  "Brother," said she, "the grass seems to be greener and richer downthrough this country than up in Colorado."

  "Yes, and so it is, else we wouldn't have bought down here. We have someadvantages here that we didn't have up there. There we had to drive ourcattle and receive our freight twenty miles away; but now the railroadruns right along beside us, and the depot is on our side of the track.Jack's ranch borders the road on the other side. The company has laidside tracks for each ranch, and built a good depot. I think, in thecourse of time, we'll have a far more beautiful home down here than wehad up in Colorado. Of course, though, Fred has told you all about themagnificent mineral spring a mile from the railroad and on the ranch."

  "Yes, both of you have told me all about it."

  "Well, Fred thinks it best to build a residence right down there nearthe spring in order that we may have the use of the water and some largeshade trees in the yard."

  "Terry, isn't there any building there now?"

  "No, the only buildings we have now are merely four-room frame buildingsfor the men on the place, and we have fixed up one of them for our homeuntil we build a larger and better house down near the spring. Thereisn't a particle of swamp about it; but there is plenty of good solidearth all around it. Of course, we can cut a splendid road from thedepot down to it. We will build stables and all the necessary out-housesdown there, too, and will fence it in, so that the cattle cannot annoythe residents of the place. There isn't a passenger depot built yet, andpassenger trains don't even stop there, unless they are flagged by thefreight agent."

  The road passed through several patches of timber and wide stretches ofprairie land presenting scenery that Evelyn loved and admired very much.The splendid team made the trip in a little over two hours, a distanceof twenty miles.

  "You see that big building going up out there?" said Terry, pointing toJack's new home.

  "Yes."

  "Well, that is the new house that Jack is building for his mother andhis wife. It has a dozen large rooms in it."

  "Well, what in the world does he want with such a big house away outhere?" Evelyn asked.

  "Well, it is the first house he ever owned, and he says he wants itroomy enough for his wife's and mother's friends to come down and stayas long as they please, as it will cost him nothing to board them. Iguess that Fred and I will build a house just as big as that."

  "Terry, you and Fred must not indulge in any such extravagance."

  "Sister, don't you know that comfort is not extravagance?" The driverhad never been out there before, so he turned and asked Terry where hemust stop.

  "Right in front of that house out there," and he pointed to the housewhich he and Fred had furnished for their home until a big house couldbe put up.

  Both Fred and Jack were on the lookout for them. Evelyn saw them wavingtheir hats and she waved her parasol in return. They reached the houseabout the time that the carriage did, and of course, as Fred lifted herout of the carriage he caught Evelyn in his arms and kissed her severaltimes. Jack seized her hand and kissed it, saying:

  "Heavens, Miss Evelyn, but I am glad to see you way down here."

  "Thank you, Jack," said Evelyn.

  Then she turned and glanced around at the wild prairies on either sideof the railroad track.

  "Evelyn," said Fred, "come in and see the little home we have fixed upfor you," and he led her up on the little piazza and into the two roomsthat had been furnished up for her.

  Of course, she recognized the carpet, because she had chosen it herselfup in Crabtree, and also every piece of furniture.

  "Oh, my, how beautiful!" she exclaimed. "But how out of place suchfurniture in a ranch house! I dare say there is not another sobeautifully furnished as this is in the State of Texas."

  "No," said Fred, "nor is there another house in all Texas with such abeautiful mistress to reign over it."

  She laughed and seemed pleased with the compliment.

  As soon as she could throw off her hat and light coat she said:

  "Now, Fred, let me see the kitchen and the dining-room."

  "All right. This leads into the dining-room," so she went in there andseemed equally pleased with its furnishings and then she looked into thechina closet and found two complete sets of china dishes.

  Then she went into the kitchen, where Fred and Terry had set up afirst-class range to take the place of the wide-open fireplace whichJack had been using. The carpenters had built a splendid closet for allthe cooking utensils. There were all the necessary tables and chairsthere in the kitchen. She went to the sink and, turning the faucet, sawa splendid flow of water.

  "Why, where in the world does this water come from?" she asked, verymuch surprised.

  "Oh, that is one of Jack's ideas," replied Fred. "While we were away hegot permission from the superintendent of the railroad to run a pipefrom the railroad company's tank, some three hundred yards away, andthus provided for a supply of water for household purposes as well as abathroom. Those are New York ideas which he brought out here with him,and people who have visited the premises wondered what the Yankee boywas up to. Of course the water isn't for drinking purposes, for he has adriven well out in the yard, and the water is very good; but still it isnot like that down at the spring."
r />   She turned around and patting Jack on the shoulder said:

  "Jack, were you thinking of your mother or of Katy when you were fixingup all these comforts?"

  "Of both, Miss Evelyn," he answered, "for mother is as fond of comfortsas any other woman. She does her own cooking, and I am having waterpipes run from the same source into our house."

  "By and by," he continued, "I'm going to see if I can't find artesianwater somewhere on the premises, and have it running through the houseall the time."

  "Good boy! Good boy!" laughed Evelyn. "Now, brother tells me that youhave pigs and chickens and milch-cows on the place, and I want to seethem at once."

  Terry and Fred and Jack went out with her. They first went to the bigstable, saw the saddle and carriage