The Ranch Girls at Home Again

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER XII

  TWO CONVERSATIONS

  "JACK, you have not played fair with me; what is it that has happened?"Frank Kent asked quietly.

  It was an hour since dinner time at the Lodge and Frank had so insistedupon Jack's taking a walk with him that without rudeness she had notbeen able to refuse. It was an enchanting June night, warmer than usualin that part of the western country, and with a moon that shines perhapsnowhere on this earth with exactly the same wide radiance.

  Jack and Frank had walked down the tall aisles of cottonwood trees nearthe house and were now standing a few yards on the farther side of themin a clear and revealing light. At Frank's words the girl flinched as hehad known that she would. For just that reason he had chosen them, sincenothing could hurt Jacqueline so much or make her come so immediately toher own defence as any suggestion that she had not played fair. Othergirls might not suffer so greatly from this accusation; but honesty,candor and a kind of straightforwardness, which some persons are pleasedto think as masculine traits, had always been Jack's leadingcharacteristics. Now, however, though her companion waited impatientlyfor her reproach or her denial, for a moment he heard neither.

  "I am so sorry, Frank, that you feel in that way about me," Jack beganfinally. Then, almost in a whisper: "I have not intended to be unfair toyou. I--I had not promised you anything."

  Jack was not looking into Frank's face as she spoke, but at the silverywhiteness of the ground beneath her feet.

  "But nothing has happened, if you mean that I have become either angryor disappointed in you," she added timidly.

  Difficult as the girl had anticipated this conversation might be, it wasmore trying than she had expected.

  What could she say? How could she truthfully present the situation toFrank, as it appeared to her, without putting Olive in an impossibleposition? Because in spite of Olive's denial through the message to Jeanat the close of the last Ranch Girls' book, Jacqueline was still firmlyconvinced that her friend felt so great an affection for Frank Kent thatit was influencing her whole life. Did it not explain why she absolutelyrefused to consider Donald Harmon's proposal of marriage, in spite ofDon's devotion and her grandmother's expressed desire? Moreover, even ifOlive did not like Donald sufficiently well to consider marrying him,why should she insist that she intended devoting her future to teachingthe Indian children?

  To Jack Ralston such a career suggested pure martyrdom. Olive might doanything else in the world that she liked, even if her grandmother lefther no inheritance. For there was Miss Winthrop, who regarded Olivealmost as a daughter and who would do everything possible for her. Shemight have almost any happiness and yet Olive actually talked as if shemeant to do what she had so long said she intended as soon as she was afew years older and the proper arrangements could be made.

  Jack bit her lips until they positively hurt. Actually she felt a shiverof repugnance at the idea of going away with Frank to every happiness ifher going involved leaving her dearest friend to such a fate. Could sheever really be happy with this thought in the back of her mind?

  No, Jack decided once again that she was far stronger than Olive andbetter able to look after herself and to bear, if need be, both loss andloneliness. Besides, had she not had many joys in the past and Olive formany years so few? Surely if Olive still cared for Frank, as shebelieved, in a little while there need be no further doubt of it. Inthat event it must be her duty to tell Frank that she did not love himand would never consent to leave the ranch for his sake. After thatFrank would undoubtedly turn at once to Olive, who had always been hisfriend and upon whose sympathy he could surely count. Olive, too, was somuch prettier, her nature so much gentler and sweeter, she would make afar better wife. Frank might be angry with her at first, Jackacknowledged to herself at this moment, but he would be more thangrateful in the end.

  Jack laid her hand pleadingly on the young man's coat sleeve.

  "Frank," she asked more wistfully than she herself realized, "won't youpromise not to talk about your feeling for me for a time? Won't you juststay on here with us at the Rainbow Ranch as you used to do and let ushave a happy time together? I am worried about such a number of things.Perhaps the money in Rainbow Mine is going to give out and we may haveno further income from it. Then there is this strike of our miners. Jimand I don't say a great deal about it to the others, but we are soafraid the old men may resort to violence when we try to get things torunning smoothly again and that Ralph or some one else may be seriouslyhurt. Don't you see that I just can't think about anything else now?"

  "No, Jack dear, I can't honestly see why your having all these worriesand annoyances can affect your knowing whether or not you return mylove. It is not as though I had never spoken of it--you have had a wholeyear to decide. But if you wish me to wait longer, of course I shall doas you ask. Only please don't let it be too long."

  Then before the girl could reply she and her companion had both started,and instinctively Jack clutched at the young man's arm.

  The next moment she gave a relieved laugh.

  "I don't see why I should jump in that fashion just because we heard aslight noise behind us," she apologized. "I suppose other people havejust the same right that we have to be outdoors enjoying the moonlight."

  Jack then turned around, looking back into the grove of cottonwoodtrees. "Jean, Olive, Frieda," she called lightly, but when no oneresponded, thinking no more of the incident she moved on a few steps.

  "Come on, Frank, let us have a real walk, it is too lovely to go back tothe Lodge so soon. I want to ask you such a lot of questions and aboutyour mother and father and Kent Place," she pleaded.

  Frank's attention was not to be so easily diverted. For several momentshe continued staring at the spot where undoubtedly he had heard thenoise of light footsteps only a few seconds before. The sound had comefrom the neighborhood of the trees nearest them; but why did no figureemerge into the light or move off again in the opposite direction? Thenight was so bright and the air so clear that no one could have escapedwithout being either seen or heard. But Frank was too interested in theprospect of a longer time in the moonlight alone with Jacqueline towaste a great deal more thought upon a possible intruder. Once again heglanced back, but as no one was in sight, he and Jack were soon deep inan intimate and happy conversation.

  Notwithstanding, neither the girl nor the man were mistaken in theiroriginal impression that some one had been in their neighborhood duringat least a part of their conversation. For when they were both safelyout of sight a slender figure stole from behind one of the largestcottonwood trees and ran off with the fleetness and noiselessness of awild creature. There was an ugly expression on the face--one ofresentment and suspicion and yet of so great unhappiness that the otheremotions might have been forgiven.

  For the Indian boy, Carlos, fifteen minutes before had just concluded aconversation with the only person in the world for whom he felt any realaffection. And foolish and mistaken as his dream had been, it hurt noless to find it shattered.

  A few minutes after dinner, when all the family were together on theveranda at Rainbow Lodge, Olive had several times noticed Carloshovering about in their vicinity, now on a pretence of bringing amessage to Jim Colter which might as easily have waited until morning,then asking some perfectly unnecessary question of her. And finally withthe persistence and stoicism of his race he had planted himself like aslender and upright column against a side of the house, deliberately towait until he could have his way.

  There was not the slightest use of pretending that Olive did notunderstand what his intention was. Carlos wished to talk with her,wished to have an immediate answer to the letter which he had latelywritten her. Moreover, she feared that unless she gave in to him hemight show some trace of his feeling before the assembled company.

  Quietly Olive slipped over to Ruth Colter.

  "Ruth," she whispered, when no one was paying any especial attention toeither of them, "I have something rather important that I must say toCarlos
. He is here now waiting. Do you think it would make anydifference if I go and talk to him for a few moments? We won't go anydistance from the house, just to some place where no one may bedisturbed by us."

  And Ruth agreed to the girl's request without considering it seriously.To the older woman Carlos was only a child, sometimes rather a difficultone it was true, but at any rate only an idle, mischievous boy, whom theRanch girls in their usual impulsive generosity had befriended and in ameasure adopted. But that Carlos should think of himself as a man andactually have the impertinence to consider himself in love with Olive,Ruth simply could not have believed had she been told the truth at thismoment.

  So Olive, pretending to go to her own room for a scarf, had afterwardsstolen out of a side door and come close up to where the Indian boy wasstanding.

  "Carlos," she said kindly, "I would rather you did not linger about theveranda because you wish to speak to me. If you will come away with mefor a little distance we can talk. I received your letter and you wantto know what I think of it?"

  Without a word the boy nodded, but he followed the girl for a few yardsuntil they were standing ankle deep in the shimmering green foliage ofFrieda's violet beds which were not far from the Lodge. And although inthe path a few feet away there was a small bench where the girls oftenrested after their work among the flowers, Olive would not consent tositting down.

  Slowly and patiently as she could, she explained to Carlos the utterimpossibility of his feeling for her. In the first place, he was a boywhile she was a number of years his senior. Then he was completelymistaken in his idea that because she had been raised among Indianpeople she cared for their life or habits. Not for anything on earthwould she return to their simple and primitive existence. Because Olivewas essentially gentle and because her sympathy and understanding of theIndian boy's nature was a matter of experience as well as kindness ofheart, she did try to take the sting away from the present situation sofar as she could; yet she felt obliged to be firm, for there must be norepetition of Carlos' foolish letter to her. He must appreciate that shewas fond of him because he had once befriended her in a difficulty, andthat she was grateful and would always be interested in his welfare. Butto care for him in any other fashion was absolutely out of the question.Never again must he even dare to refer to the subject.

  Notwithstanding her resolute attitude and the arguments which she hadused so forcibly, at the end of their conversation Olive did not feelsure that Carlos was as entirely convinced of the absurdity of hisdesire as he should have been. For she had spared him the one courseopen to her that might have brought him to his senses--sheer ridicule.Therefore when Olive was back in her own room alone and undressing forthe night, since she had not felt in the mood for rejoining her friends,she wondered if she had been altogether wise. Certainly she had notliked Carlos' manner, and two remarks of his near the conclusion oftheir talk had left her very angry.

  "It is Miss Ralston who has turned you against me," he had mutteredsullenly. "She don't like me, she don't understand. She thinks I am nomore than a servant about her place. If it had not been for her youmight have stayed always in the wilderness with me when both of us werechildren. Then you would never have known of your people nor learned tolove the stupid white man's world. Miss Ralston is my enemy; therefore Ihate her." And with these words Carlos had drawn up his lean, boyishframe with the majesty of a deposed king.

  Olive's sudden wrath had humbled him for the moment at least; yet justbefore she turned to go he had said again with equal passion, althoughhis manner was quieter and more subdued.

  "Then if it is not Miss Ralston who has come between us, there is someone you care for. I wonder if it can be the far-away guest and friend,who arrived this afternoon by the iron trail of the prairies?"

  When Olive did not answer but walked quietly back to the Lodge, Carlosstood for a time like a bronze statue, silent and unmoving; then swiftas a shadow he threaded his way between the cottonwood trees, actuallyobserving Jack and Frank from the beginning to the end of theirconversation, although hearing little of what they said.