Latest / Ranch Girls at Rainbow Lodge / 17 - Ranch Girls at Rainbow Lodge by Margaret Vandercook
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- 0:01Speaker 1: The Ranch Girls at Rainbow Lodge by Margaret Vanderkook, chapter seventeen,
- 0:06Speaker 1: The round Up. Just after dawn, Olive stole softly into
- 0:11Speaker 1: Jack's in Jean's bedrooms, Jean was asleep, but Jack's place
- 0:16Speaker 1: was empty. On her pillow was a sheet of paper
- 0:19Speaker 1: addressed to Miss Ruth Drew. Olive, alone of the group
- 0:23Speaker 1: before the living room fire in the evening just past
- 0:27Speaker 1: had realized that Jack had no idea of giving up
- 0:29Speaker 1: her intention. Olive slipped quickly into her clothes, determined to
- 0:35Speaker 1: follow her friend. She was unusually timid, but she knew
- 0:39Speaker 1: that Jack must not go alone among the wild cattle
- 0:42Speaker 1: and the strange men who gathered at the autumn round up.
- 0:45Speaker 1: The girl had little knowledge of what a round up
- 0:48Speaker 1: was like, but knew that the Indians often went to
- 0:50Speaker 1: it and camped about on the outskirts of the plains
- 0:53Speaker 1: to enjoy the racing and sports that usually closed the
- 0:56Speaker 1: day's work. Jack must have had about a half hour's
- 1:00Speaker 1: start of Olive. She rode as fast as she could
- 1:03Speaker 1: tear for the first few miles of the way, knowing
- 1:06Speaker 1: that Jim had started several hours before. Their cowboys had
- 1:11Speaker 1: been off over the plains for two days, searching for
- 1:14Speaker 1: their stray cattle and herding them into the great open
- 1:17Speaker 1: fields selected for the round up. There was no one
- 1:20Speaker 1: to follow her, and Jack slowed down. Then her heart
- 1:24Speaker 1: began to fail her the least little bit, for she
- 1:27Speaker 1: supposed everybody at the ranch would be furious with her
- 1:30Speaker 1: for her disobedience. Jack heard another horse coming along the
- 1:35Speaker 1: trail behind her. Her repentance vanished, for she presumed Miss
- 1:39Speaker 1: Drew had sent some one to bring her ignominiously back home.
- 1:44Speaker 1: Jack jack Allah's gentle voice called, won't you please slow
- 1:49Speaker 1: down a little? Your horse is faster than mine, and
- 1:52Speaker 1: my poor beast is tired already. Jacqueline waited, but she
- 1:57Speaker 1: stared at Olive reproachfully. I did not think you had
- 2:00Speaker 1: come to try to make me go back home, Olive.
- 2:03Speaker 1: Jack exclaimed, I thought you knew that when I said
- 2:06Speaker 1: I intended to do a thing, I would do it
- 2:09Speaker 1: in spite of all the Miss Ruth Drews and mister
- 2:11Speaker 1: Jim Colter's in the world. Olive knew that Jack was
- 2:15Speaker 1: behaving abominably, but she could not help feeling the deepest
- 2:19Speaker 1: admiration for her to Olive Jack's courage and high spirit
- 2:23Speaker 1: were glorious. Olive was so shy and frightened. She had
- 2:27Speaker 1: borne so much ill treatment from the time she was
- 2:30Speaker 1: a little girl that her nature was almost crushed, and
- 2:33Speaker 1: she could only contend with people when she was driven
- 2:36Speaker 1: to the last limit of patience. But when Olive made
- 2:39Speaker 1: up her mind to a step, she had the Indian's
- 2:42Speaker 1: power of endurance. I only came to go along to
- 2:46Speaker 1: the round up with you, Jack, Olive replied quietly. Jack flushed.
- 2:52Speaker 1: She was fairly sure of being able to bear her
- 2:54Speaker 1: own burdens, but she did hate getting other people into trouble.
- 2:59Speaker 1: You are off the sweet, Olive, dear, but do go
- 3:02Speaker 1: back home, Jack urged. Jim and cousin Ruth will both
- 3:06Speaker 1: be furiously angry with us, and there is no reason
- 3:09Speaker 1: why you should have any of the blame. You know
- 3:12Speaker 1: you will hate this old round up and be dreadfully frightened,
- 3:15Speaker 1: and that you are only coming on my account. Olah
- 3:19Speaker 1: shook her head. Never mind, Jack, she answered, I have
- 3:23Speaker 1: come with you now so I would have to get
- 3:25Speaker 1: my share of this scolding, and I am not going
- 3:28Speaker 1: to have you go to that place alone. Olive kept
- 3:31Speaker 1: her horse just behind Jack's and The two girls rode
- 3:34Speaker 1: for a short time in silence. By and by, Jack sighed,
- 3:40Speaker 1: what's the matter, Jack, Olive asked quickly, Jack laughed wickedly. Oh,
- 3:47Speaker 1: it is not that I have repented of my evil deed, Olive,
- 3:50Speaker 1: she returned, It is only that I am so dreadfully hungry.
- 3:54Speaker 1: I sneaked out this morning without a bit of food.
- 3:57Speaker 1: I know we can get some lunch at the mess wagon,
- 4:00Speaker 1: or perhaps we may find some one we know at
- 4:02Speaker 1: the round up. But the question with me is how
- 4:06Speaker 1: am I ever going to live? Until then, Olive silently
- 4:10Speaker 1: produced two rolls with slices of bacon between them. I
- 4:15Speaker 1: stole them on my way to the stable, she announced, happily.
- 4:18Speaker 1: I knew you hadn't eaten anything, and I didn't dare
- 4:21Speaker 1: to wait. The two girls ate their outdoor breakfast ravenously,
- 4:26Speaker 1: for both were enjoying their morning ride. It was cold,
- 4:30Speaker 1: but they wore heavy sweaters and corduroy riding skirts, and besides,
- 4:35Speaker 1: the swift ride had sent the warm blood tingling through them.
- 4:39Speaker 1: Jack was in brown and olive and green, the color
- 4:42Speaker 1: Jack liked best for her. The sun had just risen
- 4:46Speaker 1: and there was a faint rose glow over the bare prairies,
- 4:49Speaker 1: and in the distance, the girls spied a few coyotes
- 4:52Speaker 1: racing along over the hard ground in search of their breakfast,
- 4:56Speaker 1: but for miles and miles there was no sign of
- 4:59Speaker 1: human life. Finally, the girls rode up to a pair
- 5:02Speaker 1: of tents set up within no great distance of the
- 5:05Speaker 1: plain chosen for the round up. There was a fire
- 5:09Speaker 1: near one of them, but the girls saw no people
- 5:11Speaker 1: about and decided that they must have been used by
- 5:14Speaker 1: the cowboys for their sleeping quarters at night. Olive brought
- 5:18Speaker 1: her pony closer to Jack's Don't be nervous, Olive, said Jack, reassuringly.
- 5:25Speaker 1: I expect the round up is a pretty wild business,
- 5:28Speaker 1: but we won't go near enough to get into trouble,
- 5:31Speaker 1: and you must be sure to stay close to me.
- 5:34Speaker 1: I shall try to see some one to ask about
- 5:36Speaker 1: our cattle, and then we will start right back home.
- 5:40Speaker 1: We will be sure to be at Rainbow Lodge by night.
- 5:44Speaker 1: Away off in the distance, the girls soon saw a
- 5:47Speaker 1: great swirling cloud of gray dust rising over the yellow plain.
- 5:52Speaker 1: They could distinguish an enormous mass of moving objects and
- 5:55Speaker 1: hear a far hollow roaring and bellowing of men and
- 5:58Speaker 1: animals to the last. Across a diagonal trail, Jack saw
- 6:03Speaker 1: a dark line of wagons at some distance from the
- 6:06Speaker 1: round up. She knew they were the mess wagons and
- 6:09Speaker 1: carriages of the ranchmen who came over to superintend the
- 6:13Speaker 1: branding of their cattle. If the ranchmen happened to live
- 6:17Speaker 1: near the scene of the round up, their wives and
- 6:20Speaker 1: families sometimes drove over to spend a few hours, but
- 6:23Speaker 1: the women were careful not to go near the frightened animals,
- 6:26Speaker 1: and returned home before night. The two girls moved slowly
- 6:31Speaker 1: along this trail. Jack's eyes were dancing and her cheeks
- 6:36Speaker 1: were glowing with excitement. She dearly loved this typical Western scene,
- 6:40Speaker 1: and its noise and savagery did not frighten her. It
- 6:44Speaker 1: was a part of the business of the cattleman to
- 6:46Speaker 1: which she had always been accustomed. She was sorry, of course,
- 6:50Speaker 1: that the poor animals had to be burned with the
- 6:52Speaker 1: brands of their owners. But since the cattle ranged together
- 6:56Speaker 1: through vast tracts of land, she knew of no other
- 6:59Speaker 1: way by which one ranchman could distinguish his cattle from another's.
- 7:04Speaker 1: Jack had been careful never to witness the branding but
- 7:07Speaker 1: she had often seen the cowboys driving their herds across
- 7:10Speaker 1: the plains. But Olive did not feel so cheerful. The
- 7:15Speaker 1: distant noise and the surgeon crowd alarmed her. She wished
- 7:19Speaker 1: that she and Jack were safe at home. Coming at
- 7:23Speaker 1: full speed down the trail toward them, the two girls
- 7:26Speaker 1: spied two cowboys wearing the full cowboy rogelia another suits
- 7:30Speaker 1: with fringed trousers and immense sombrero hats tied under their chins.
- 7:37Speaker 1: Great Scott cried a familiar voice. Here come Jack Ralston
- 7:41Speaker 1: and her Indian girl. What a place for a couple
- 7:43Speaker 1: of girls to be alone. Jack's ears burned. She recognized
- 7:50Speaker 1: Dan's tones, but was not so much abashed by meeting
- 7:53Speaker 1: him as she was by Frank Kens's astonished face. The
- 7:57Speaker 1: young English fellow's surprise was unmistakable. May I stay with
- 8:02Speaker 1: you until your escort joined you, Miss Ralston, Frank asked immediately.
- 8:07Speaker 1: The men about here are pretty rough, and if you
- 8:10Speaker 1: should happen to get too near the cattle, it might
- 8:12Speaker 1: be dangerous. I am told they sometimes break out and
- 8:16Speaker 1: start a stampede. Jack kept her face turned away while
- 8:20Speaker 1: Frank was speaking. She was actually ashamed to return his
- 8:24Speaker 1: friendly gaze. Frank had entirely separated himself from Dan Norton,
- 8:29Speaker 1: who was grinning scornfully at Olive and Jack. Please don't
- 8:33Speaker 1: worry about us, mister Kent, Jack said quietly, we won't
- 8:37Speaker 1: get into danger. I don't exactly like to tell you,
- 8:41Speaker 1: but we rode over to the rounda by ourselves. You
- 8:44Speaker 1: understand that we didn't mean to go near the men
- 8:46Speaker 1: or the cattle, but I thought we might find some
- 8:49Speaker 1: one we knew near the mess wagons. Come on, Frank Kent,
- 8:53Speaker 1: Dan Norton yelled impatiently. Do you think I've got time
- 8:56Speaker 1: to waste while you talked to Jack Ralston all day?
- 9:00Speaker 1: I told Laura we would be back with her in
- 9:01Speaker 1: half an hour. Hustle. Frank Kent's face was no longer
- 9:07Speaker 1: pale as it had been when Jack had her first
- 9:10Speaker 1: meeting with him on the Ralston ranch. It had been
- 9:13Speaker 1: tanned and reddened by his weeks in the sun and
- 9:15Speaker 1: air of Wyoming, but that did not account for the
- 9:18Speaker 1: sudden color that flamed in it. Be quiet, Dan, you cad,
- 9:23Speaker 1: he ordered, sharply go when you like. I shall stay
- 9:27Speaker 1: with Miss Ralston and her friend. I say, Miss Ralston
- 9:32Speaker 1: Frank suggested suddenly, mister and Missus Simpson are not very
- 9:36Speaker 1: far away. They came over in their automobile because Missus
- 9:41Speaker 1: Simpson thought that maybe her sister and niece would like
- 9:45Speaker 1: to see the cowboys from the different ranches right up
- 9:47Speaker 1: to their work. Gee, they are stunning looking fellows, aren't they.
- 9:52Speaker 1: I wish I were an artist. I would like to
- 9:54Speaker 1: paint them. Won't you come over to Missus Simpson with me?
- 9:59Speaker 1: They are well out of any danger, and I know
- 10:01Speaker 1: Missus Simpson would want you and miss Olive to join her.
- 10:06Speaker 1: An unregenerate twinkle returned to Jack's eyes to tell you
- 10:10Speaker 1: the truth, mister Kent, I would like awfully to go
- 10:13Speaker 1: over and stay with Aunt Sally. Olive and I feel
- 10:16Speaker 1: very strange here alone. But the fact is I deliberately
- 10:20Speaker 1: ran away from home to come to the round up,
- 10:22Speaker 1: and Olive rode along to protect me. I am ashamed
- 10:26Speaker 1: to confess my sin to Missus Simpson. Nevertheless, you had
- 10:30Speaker 1: better come, Frank urged, and for once Jack yielded to
- 10:34Speaker 1: another will. It might have been wiser to have turned
- 10:38Speaker 1: back home than to have faced Aunt Sally and her
- 10:41Speaker 1: eastern relatives. But Jack and Olive could not have ridden
- 10:44Speaker 1: to Rainbow Lodge without having something more to eat. Olive
- 10:48Speaker 1: already seemed exhausted. She was quite pale and scarcely lifted
- 10:53Speaker 1: her eyes. Jack knew that Olive hated to meet the
- 10:56Speaker 1: members of the house party, whom she had not seen
- 10:59Speaker 1: since the time when she was rescued from being Miss
- 11:01Speaker 1: Laura postmade Jack Ralston. The most unlikely place in the
- 11:06Speaker 1: world is the most likely place to find you, Missus
- 11:09Speaker 1: Simpson exclaimed laughingly, as Frank and the two newcomers rode
- 11:13Speaker 1: up to her big touring car. What in the world
- 11:16Speaker 1: are you girls doing here? Shall I tell the whole
- 11:19Speaker 1: truth and nothing but the truth? Aunt Sally, Jack demanded,
- 11:23Speaker 1: smiling at Missus Simpson and bowing to Missus Post Laura
- 11:27Speaker 1: and mister Simpson. Missus Post put up her lorgnettes as
- 11:32Speaker 1: though she were in a box at the opera, to
- 11:34Speaker 1: gaze at these extraordinary girls. Their clothes were dusty and
- 11:39Speaker 1: their hair showed the effects of their long morning ride.
- 11:42Speaker 1: But turning, Missus Post beheld her beloved Laura, swathed in
- 11:46Speaker 1: a pale pink motor veil and a long fur code,
- 11:49Speaker 1: and breathed a sigh of admiration and relief. Surely her
- 11:53Speaker 1: Laura was not in the least like these Western tomboys.
- 11:58Speaker 1: Missus Simpson shrugged her heads and shoulders. Well, you usually
- 12:02Speaker 1: tell the truth whatever else you do and don't do Jack,
- 12:07Speaker 1: Missus Simpson avowed, I know you have run off, so
- 12:10Speaker 1: just stay here and have lunch with me. Missus Simpson
- 12:15Speaker 1: was talking to Jack, but she was really interested in Olive.
- 12:19Speaker 1: How the girl had changed in the few weeks since
- 12:21Speaker 1: she had seen her. She had always been pretty, but
- 12:25Speaker 1: she had lost her look of fear. Her grace and
- 12:28Speaker 1: quiet manner showed beyond a doubt that from some source
- 12:32Speaker 1: she had a heritage of gentle blood. Mister and Missus
- 12:35Speaker 1: Simpson shook hands with Olive very kindly, but Missus post
- 12:39Speaker 1: and Laura utterly ignored her. Olive showed no resentment, but
- 12:44Speaker 1: Jack was exceedingly provoked. The girls dismounted and climbed into
- 12:49Speaker 1: the automobile. Now and then groups of cowboys would pass
- 12:52Speaker 1: by them, jingling their spurs and joking with one another.
- 12:57Speaker 1: Olive recognized a number of Indian boys who had lived
- 13:00Speaker 1: in the Indian village where she had been brought up.
- 13:04Speaker 1: Among them, she thought she saw Olaska's son and her
- 13:07Speaker 1: supposed brother, Joseph. Missus Simpson was worried over Dan's return
- 13:13Speaker 1: to their party. She and mister Simpson, and indeed all
- 13:17Speaker 1: the ranchmen of the neighborhood now knew of mister Daniel
- 13:21Speaker 1: Norton's claim to the ownership of Rainbow Ranch and his
- 13:24Speaker 1: efforts to get it away from the Ranch girls. Most
- 13:28Speaker 1: of the neighbors deeply sympathized with the Ralston girls. Missus
- 13:32Speaker 1: Simpson dreaded a meeting between Jack and Dan. She knew
- 13:36Speaker 1: they were open enemies and hated each other very sincerely,
- 13:41Speaker 1: but when Dan joined them, Jack showed no trace of
- 13:44Speaker 1: ill feeling. She had thought matters over and decided that
- 13:48Speaker 1: good manners compelled her to behave as naturally as possible.
- 13:53Speaker 1: She had no right to continue a quarrel when she
- 13:55Speaker 1: and Dan were both guests. Dan Norton was in no
- 14:00Speaker 1: such humor. He was furious with Frank for having brought
- 14:03Speaker 1: Jack and Olive to Missus Simpson, and he was determined
- 14:07Speaker 1: to get even with Jack if he possibly could, for
- 14:10Speaker 1: Jim's treatment of him. At their last meeting, Missus Simpson
- 14:15Speaker 1: had an early lunch, since they meant to return to
- 14:18Speaker 1: their ranch in a short time. The table cloth was
- 14:21Speaker 1: spread out on the ground, and unconsciously she placed Laura
- 14:25Speaker 1: and Dan next Olive, who made no effort to speak
- 14:28Speaker 1: to them, but Dan whispered something to Laura. Immediately they
- 14:33Speaker 1: got up and, marching to the other end of the
- 14:35Speaker 1: line of guests, sat down directly opposite Jack and Frank.
- 14:41Speaker 1: Nobody had much to say to save her life. Jack
- 14:44Speaker 1: could not talk naturally with Dan's steering face across from her.
- 14:49Speaker 1: Mister and Missus Simpson did their best, but the luncheon
- 14:52Speaker 1: party was a failure. Dan was awaiting his opportunity. Jack.
- 14:59Speaker 1: Mister Simpson innocently. Jim Colter tells me that you have
- 15:03Speaker 1: recently been losing some of your cattle and young coves.
- 15:06Speaker 1: He says that they disappear from me ranch, and when
- 15:09Speaker 1: they are seen again, they have the brand of another
- 15:11Speaker 1: owner on them. That is a pretty bad business. Have
- 15:15Speaker 1: you any idea who is responsible for the trouble? Jack
- 15:20Speaker 1: shook her head desperately. She was determined to say nothing
- 15:23Speaker 1: that could make any trouble. No, mister Simpson, we don't
- 15:27Speaker 1: know that is it don't make any difference. Perhaps we
- 15:31Speaker 1: are mistaken. She answered lamely. Mister Simpson was puzzled by
- 15:37Speaker 1: Jack's manner. There was an awkward silence. Dan leaned over
- 15:42Speaker 1: and whispered de Laura in a tone that could be
- 15:45Speaker 1: distinctly heard not only by Jack and Frank, but by
- 15:49Speaker 1: every member of the small company. I shouldn't think Jack
- 15:52Speaker 1: Ralston would worry about losing a few of her old cattle.
- 15:56Speaker 1: She is going to lose something else pretty soon. That
- 15:59Speaker 1: is a good deal more more important. Laura snickered nervously.
- 16:04Speaker 1: She caught sight of Jack's face. Missus Simpson frowned and
- 16:08Speaker 1: glanced hastily at Jack. Mister Simpson's eyes flashed, and he
- 16:12Speaker 1: too watched his young girl guest. Jack was distinctly conscious
- 16:17Speaker 1: that everybody in the party stared straight at her. When
- 16:20Speaker 1: Dan ended his insulting speech, Jack felt herself turn cold
- 16:25Speaker 1: all over. Only her face was scorching hot. Half a
- 16:30Speaker 1: dozen angry retorts trembled on her lips. She started to speak,
- 16:34Speaker 1: but then she turned to Frank and said, quietly, won't
- 16:38Speaker 1: you tell me something more about your home in England?
- 16:41Speaker 1: I am awfully interested. Missus Simpson breathed a sigh of relief.
- 16:47Speaker 1: Only Laura seemed disappointed. There was nothing she loved half
- 16:51Speaker 1: so well as a scene, and she fondly believed Dan
- 16:54Speaker 1: and Jack meant to treat her to one. Ten minutes later,
- 16:59Speaker 1: Jack went over to missus Simpson, Aunt Sally, I think
- 17:03Speaker 1: Olive and I had better start back to the ranch now.
- 17:06Speaker 1: You were offully good to give us our luncheon, but
- 17:09Speaker 1: we ought to be at home by dark. Missus Simpson
- 17:13Speaker 1: caught Jack's hand. You were a trunk, Jack, dear, she whispered,
- 17:18Speaker 1: I would like to shake that red headed boy if
- 17:20Speaker 1: I had a chance at him, but I believe somebody
- 17:22Speaker 1: else will when you go. Jack smiled, though her voice
- 17:27Speaker 1: trembled a little. I don't think Dan and I ought
- 17:30Speaker 1: to carry on our quarrels at your table, Aunt Sally,
- 17:33Speaker 1: she answered, But you know if he says anything like
- 17:36Speaker 1: that to me again, I should die if I didn't
- 17:39Speaker 1: answer him back. So good bye. Jacqueline bowed her farewells,
- 17:45Speaker 1: and she and I have started toward their ponies. Frank
- 17:48Speaker 1: Kent had a moment alone with Dan. Dan Norton, you
- 17:53Speaker 1: have got to settle with me for that speech, you cub,
- 17:56Speaker 1: he insisted, in a white passion of anger that starr
- 18:00Speaker 1: his host, Dan thought Frank too much of a gentleman
- 18:04Speaker 1: to be willing to fight, all right, he rejoined, calmly,
- 18:08Speaker 1: choose your own time. Half Way over to their horses,
- 18:13Speaker 1: Frank joined Olive and Jack, I am going to ride
- 18:17Speaker 1: back to your ranch with you, miss Rolston, Frank announced quietly.
- 18:21Speaker 1: Olive looked relieved, but Jack shook her head firmly. You
- 18:27Speaker 1: are awfully good, mister Kent. Jack protested, but really, Olive
- 18:31Speaker 1: and I can go home perfectly well alone. We would
- 18:34Speaker 1: rather not trouble you. Frank assisted Olive on a bronco
- 18:39Speaker 1: and then climbed into his own saddle. Jack, being already mounted.
- 18:44Speaker 1: Mister Simpson, thinks I had better go home with you,
- 18:47Speaker 1: Frank repeated carelessly. And I think you might let me
- 18:50Speaker 1: act as an honorary escort, because in case you don't,
- 18:54Speaker 1: I shall simply ride along behind you. End of Chapter seventeen,
- 19:00Speaker 1: Read by Nancy Cochrane, Gargan Gilbert, Arizona, November five, two
- 19:05Speaker 1: thousand twenty one,