The Ranch Girls at Home Again

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER XVIII

  JACK SURRENDERS AT LAST

  IT was almost dawn when Frank Kent believed that he heard a faint answerto his last shouting. He was several miles from the outskirts of theRainbow Ranch and in a neighborhood where he might least expect to findthe girl he sought. But every acre of the ranch had been thoroughly goneover during the night, and still the men under Jim Colter's leadershipwere continuing the search along the track swept by the storm, butwithout finding a trace of Jack or the Indian boy or of the two horseswhich they were known to have been riding.

  "THE STARS HAD DISAPPEARED AND BEYOND THE UNIVERSALGRAYNESS THERE WAS NOW A FAINT ROSE LIGHT"]

  So, independently of the others, Frank had recently decided to try a newneighborhood, not because he had any faith in its being the right one,but because he felt that he must work alone. It was unendurable tocontinue longer hearing the other men declare that there was littlechance of finding Jack or Carlos alive. For had they not been withinthe track of the sand storm they must certainly have returned homebefore this. Now Frank plunged on in the direction of the recent sound,although he had heard nothing a second time in reply to his continuedcalling.

  Deep in his heart he was devoutly grateful that the dawn was finallybreaking. The stars had disappeared, and beyond the universal graynessthere was now a faint rose light. A moment before a western lark hadrisen before his aching eyes, poising, fluttering and then sailingstraight overhead, singing its song of praise at the approach of thesun.

  So Frank in a measure could behold the objects ahead of him, thoughamong them he saw nothing to suggest Jacqueline Ralston. He was ridingover flat country with little before him but sand and low scrub plants.And there were no signs of a horse's hoofs having lately struggledthrough it. Finally, however, Frank got down off his own horse and,stooping low, examined some faint tracings in the sands. He had not beentrained to making observations of this sort and even with the best ofscouts it is difficult to find footprints, in so fine and shifting asoil. Nevertheless when Frank straightened up again his face was lesshaggard and discouraged. For he had found a suggestion of a girl'sriding boot printed in the sand and now and then in curious circlesthere were other such impressions.

  With her head resting on a sand dune as though it were nature's pillowFrank at length came upon the girl. And even when within a few feet ofJack it was impossible to tell whether she was asleep or had fainted--orwhether her silence and rigidity meant something worse. Yet the girl'sexpression was too worn and exhausted for the last great mystery; it hadnot the ineffable peace that comes after nature's final surrender. Evenbefore he could touch her Frank had recognized this.

  Quietly he began bathing her face with water poured upon hishandkerchief from the water flask which he had carried all night in hispocket. Jack's own little water jug told its own story, since it waslying empty at her side, drained to the last drop. Then, when the girl'sheavy lids fluttered slightly, Frank poured water between her scorchedlips. Her first sign of consciousness was when she put up her hands totry and cling to his flask that she might have more. Yet the man drew itaway, telling her to keep quiet and close her eyes for a few momentslonger. Afterwards he allowed her another drink of water and then a fewdrops of beef tea from a smaller bottle, which Ruth Colter had givenhim.

  Finally, with Frank's arm about her, Jack managed to sit up.

  "I am so glad it was you who found me, Frank," she said a moment later."All night I have thought you would come." She did not even try to walkor to explain what had happened, but let Frank lift her up on his horse,where she leaned against him in utter weakness and dependence, while thehorse started slowly toward home.

  The ride needs must be a long and fatiguing one even though aid reachthem before their arrival at the Lodge. And Jack's pulse was still toofaint to have her suffer further exhaustion. But after a while Frankleaned over, pressing his lips against the girl's heavy gold brown hairwhich had become unloosened from her long wandering and hung in twocurled braids down her back.

  "Are you glad I found you because you care for me, Jack?" he whispered,feeling that it was not altogether fair of him to ask such a question atsuch a time, and yet too impatient to wait.

  The girl answered, "Yes" quite simply. A little later she added like achild: "Besides I knew you wouldn't scold, Frank. And of course I havebeen foolish and headstrong. I don't seem to know how to grow up. You'llask Ruth and Jim not to make me explain to them until I have rested."

  Frank smiled, but felt a curious lump in his throat--this new humilityand dependence were so unlike Jack. Unconsciously the arm that had beenholding her up closed more firmly about the girl's figure.

  "Jack, Jack," he murmured, leaning low down until his lips were not farfrom her ear. "I have waited so long, I can wait no longer. You havejust said that you cared for me, and for the second time I have believedyou. Then you mean, you must mean that you are willing to be my wife."

  For just an instant the girl's body quivered as though with a weaknessbeyond her power of control. The next moment she was shaking her headquietly and firmly, and although her companion could not see her face heheard her whisper, "No," with a measure of her old decision.

  "Very well then," Frank returned just as firmly, "you shall never betroubled by my asking you that question again. As soon as possible Ishall go home to England."

  Once more the girl's shoulders trembled as if she had been struck anunexpected blow, but she made no reply. Frank realized that he was notplaying fair and that she should not be troubled further.

  For five or ten minutes more they rode on in complete silence, whileJack felt herself growing weaker and weaker. She was ashamed to be sucha burden and yet only her own will power and Frank's arm were sustainingher.

  A little later and Jack had again to be put down on the ground in a halffainting condition. By this time they had passed beyond the stretches ofsandy desert and were in one of the outlying meadows of the RainbowRanch, not far from a branch of their creek. As Jack was almostunconscious Frank was able to bathe her face more comfortably, pushingback the tangled hair out of her eyes, that she might look more like thegirl he loved. Then he shut his lips close together and his chin becamesquarer and his jaw firmer than ever Jacqueline's had been in her mostobstinate days.

  "I have just told a lie," he said to himself and yet rather grimly."For of course I shall go on asking Jack to marry me until she finallyconsents. If she did not care for me that would be another matter and Ishould be a cad to annoy her. But there can't be any other barrier realor fancied that is big enough to come between us permanently."

  Then, as Jack opened her eyes for the second time, and sat straight upas though vexed with her own weakness, Frank had a sudden recollectionof Olive's strange message to him when he had first started on hissearch.

  "Tell her it has all been a dreadful mistake and that there is nothingin the whole world that will make me so happy as her engagement to you."

  "What could Olive's words mean? Who had made a mistake? Had Jack beenunder some cruelly false impression?" Frank was utterly mystified. Yethe held out his hand. "Come, dear, we will walk for a few minutes," hesaid gently, "and I will lead the horse. You will feel less stiff andtired with a little exercise. See, the daylight has come. How beautifuland fragrant the world is!"

  Some change in Frank's voice, or in his manner--the girl did not know orcare to think what the change might mean--made her take the hand heldout so quietly toward her and hold it close in her own cold fingers. Howexquisitely she could always be at peace with Frank, how perfectly heunderstood things without having them explained to him! After all, hewas not going to be angry with her because of her unreasonable andunkind behavior. She had felt his anger a little more than she waswilling to endure in her present state of exhaustion.

  So Jack looked overhead with more of her accustomed sparkle andanimation than she had yet showed. The sky was a radiant rose color, sodeeply pink that it cast its reflection on the ground at her feet. Theywere near a g
roup of trees and the birds were beginning to waken oneanother with mild reproaches and then sudden bursts of eloquent song.

  "Frank," Jack began pensively enough, "I never saw a more wonderfuldawn. But do you happen to have anything in your pocket more substantialthan beef tea? I have not had anything to eat since yesterday at noonand I think perhaps I am dying of hunger."

  With a laugh her companion let go her hand, drawing a package from hispocket. "Ruth gave me this at midnight along with the beef tea, but Ihave not been interested enough to see what was in it," he explained.

  Greedily Jack tore open the bundle and had devoured a large chickensandwich before good manners even suggested her sharing the luncheonwith its owner. Afterwards Frank also confessed to being hungry, and sothey walked on toward the Lodge like happy, runaway children, almostsafe at home again.

  Yet while he talked and laughed and ate Frank Kent was not forgettingOlive's words nor her final injunction to him. "Please tell her what Isay when you first find her. Don't wait too long," she had begged.

  "Jack, dear," Frank began casually in the midst of something else theyhad been discussing, "there is something I want to ask your forgivenessfor before another five minutes have passed. Because I don't think I canhold out much longer. Back there on horseback when you were nearly deadwith fatigue I was angry with you and told you that I never meant to askyou to marry me again. That was the most untruthful speech a man evermade! Because if you are too tired to listen I may have to wait untilyou have rested a little while, but not any longer. You know you carefor me, dear. You are not the kind of a girl who would deceive a man byyour words or your manner after all these years of friendship! There issome mystery that is keeping you from showing me your real feelings. Ican't guess what it is. Yet Olive must think so too, for she told me totell you that you had been making a dreadful mistake about something orother, heaven only knows what! And that our engagement would make herhappier than anything in the world."

  Jacqueline Ralston stood ankle deep in the rose-touched meadow grasswith her straight-forward, honest gray eyes looking into the blue eyesof her companion.

  "Did Olive tell you to say that to me? Did she really and truly seem tomean it?" she asked wonderingly.

  Frank Kent nodded, not trusting himself to speak, nor wishing to lose aninstant's vision of the girl's face, or an inflection of her voice.

  Jack had been pale before; but now her face had flushed with such a lookof exquisite gentleness and surrender, that in spite of all she hadrecently endured she had never been so beautiful.

  Then it was like her to say with self-evident sincerity: "Of course youare right, Frank dear, I could not hide how much I cared for you eventhough I have done my best. It will be hard for me to leave the ranchand the people I love, but it would be harder to stay on here--withoutyou!"