The Ranch Girls and Their Heart's Desire

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER VII

  THE TEA PARTY

  "Jack, you will try to make yourself as agreeable as possible."Jacqueline Kent laughed: "Frieda dear, don't I always try? And is itfair of you to blame me when I am unsuccessful? But I know you want meto be as staid and well behaved this afternoon as if I were the DowagerLady Kent, in order to conquer the reputation I seem already to haveacquired in the neighorhood. Do they think me a kind of wild west show?Well, I will make my best effort."

  The motor in which Olive, Frieda and Jack were driving had by this timeentered the grounds of the summer home of Senator and Mrs. Marshall. Thehouse was a big frame building with a wide porch filled with attractiveporch furniture and shaded by striped awnings of brown and yellow. Theafternoon was a warm and lovely one and apparently the guests werepreferring to remain out of doors, as several of them were wanderingabout in the yard before the house and a number were seated upon theveranda.

  As the motor from the Rainbow ranch stopped, Senator Marshall himself,accompanied by Peter Stevens, came forward to greet the newcomers. Hespoke cordially of his pleasure in seeing them to Frieda and Olive, buthis attention was attracted by Jacqueline Ralston Kent, whom he hadknown as a young girl.

  Senator Marshall was a middle-aged man of distinguished appearance, oversix feet tall, with white hair, bright blue eyes and an aquiline nose.Ordinarily his expression was one of good-humored tolerance. Yet SenatorMarshall had the reputation for being a dangerous enemy and a man ofstrong will whom no one dared oppose upon a matter of importance.Notwithstanding the fact that his wife was feared by her neighbors as awoman whose authority no one was allowed to dispute, it was said that,although her husband gave way to her in all small issues, in larger onesshe was compelled to do as he wished.

  To-day Jack was wearing an afternoon dress of black tulle over blacksilk, and a large black hat, which made her skin appear exceptionallyclear and fair and her hair a deeper gold brown.

  "It was kind of you to come to see us the other afternoon, Mrs.Marshall, and I am sorry to have missed you," Jack said a little shyly afew moments later, when Senator Marshall had taken her to speak to hiswife, leaving Peter Stevens to follow with Frieda and Olive. It was amisfortune from which Jacqueline Ralston had suffered as a girl andwhich she never had entirely conquered, that she was apt to feel less atease with women than with men, as if they understood her less well andcriticized her more severely.

  Now as Mrs. Marshall returned her greeting, although perfectly politeand cordial, Jack had an instinctive impression that the older woman sawsomething in her which she did not like, or else had heard somethingpreviously which had prejudiced her.

  "I am glad to meet you at last, Mrs. Kent. Considering the fact that youhave been in the neighborhood so short a time I seem already to have_heard_ a great deal of you."

  If there was no double meaning in the words which were simple inthemselves, nevertheless Jack flushed slightly.

  "But I am not a stranger in this neighborhood, Mrs. Marshall. I knewyour husband a long time ago when my father was alive and I was a littlegirl trying to help manage our ranch. I don't think I forgave you formany years, Senator Marshall, because you were one of the lawyers on theother side when we had a difficulty over the boundary line of ourranch."

  "No, you were quite right not to forgive me, but remember you won thecase and I lost, so that should make it easier for you to forgive andforget. I am sure I shall never have the bad taste or the poor judgmentto take sides against you a second time upon any subject."

  Smiling, Jack glanced around her. Seated upon the porch were half adozen or more persons whose faces were dimly familiar, some of whom shehad not seen in a number of years, others fairly intimate friends, and afew complete strangers.

  Leading her about the circle, Mrs. Marshall introduced her to thepersons whom she had never met and Jack herself paused to shake handsand talk to the others.

  There was something in her manner which the older woman observed with asensation of envy, never having seen anyone before apparently sosincere and straightforward as Jacqueline Kent.

  An hour later Jack found herself at one end of the long verandasurrounded by a group of half a dozen persons including her host.

  "It is growing late, I am afraid we shall soon have to say farewell,"Jack suggested, looking about to discover Frieda and Olive. She had doneher best to make herself appear as agreeable as possible according toher sister's direction, but already she was a little tired and anxiousto be back at the ranch, seldom really enjoying conventional society asshe believed she should.

  "But you must not think of leaving us, Mrs. Kent, until you have seen myson," Senator Marshall insisted. "He was forced to go to Laramie thisafternoon upon some business for me, but I promised to keep you untilhis return. I suppose you don't realize that the girls in theneighborhood are already beginning to be a little jealous of you, nowthat you have the reputation of being the best horsewoman in the state.I am glad you are not a young man instead of a young woman, or you mightbecome Stevens' or my political rival some day. Do I hear correctlythat you mean to resume your American nationality as soon as you can gothrough the necessary formalities?"

  Jack nodded.

  "Yes, Mr. Stevens has been helping me, telling me what I must do. Yet Ithink it is not gallant of you, Senator, to suggest a woman has nochance in politics in Wyoming, the first state in the Union to allowwomen the vote."

  Senator Marshall leaned back in his chair, eyeing Jack with a smile.

  "So you are thinking of playing Lady Nancy Astor in the United States?Who knows but the idea is a good one. If the British Parliament acceptedan American woman married to a British peer, I don't see why an Americanwoman married to an Englishman, resuming her former allegiance to herown country because she loves it best, would not make a first-classmember of Congress, perhaps defeat you, Stevens."

  "Why not you, Senator, if Mrs. Kent is elected to office from Wyoming?For that matter, I do not see why she should not have the highest honorin the gift of the state."

  As the two men were joking with one another, Jack rose and at the sameinstant saw a young man of about twenty-one coming hurriedly across theporch in their direction.

  She held out her hand at once, recognizing him as John Marshall, SenatorMarshall's son, although never having met him at any time.

  "I am so glad you have not run away, Mrs. Kent, I want to ask you agreat favor. I hear you can beat any ranchman in Wyoming swinging alasso. Try it with me some day, won't you? It is great sport, but I'veyet to see a girl outside the circus or a wild west show who is any goodat it."

  Absurd under the circumstances, yet Jack blushed furiously and thenlaughed:

  "Am I never, never to cease to hear of my ridiculous exploit? You see,Mr. Marshall, I thought I was safe from observation that day, or perhapsit is more than probable I did not think what I was doing at all. Andsince that ten minutes of simply having a good time and trying to findout if I had forgotten what I learned as a girl, I have heard of littleelse. But you are mistaken in thinking I have any great skill with alasso. I have forgotten the little skill I once possessed."

  "But you will let me see you attempt it again? It is the greatest sportin the world, beats tennis or baseball, or even polo. The girls in thispart of the country are either afraid or else insist lassoing isn'tladylike or proper, some funny nonsense! A good many of them say it wasshocking of you and that no well-bred girl would ever have been alonewith a lot of cowboys watching their contest, let alone taking part. ButI----"

  "See here, don't you think you have said enough, John?" Senator Marshallprotested.

  But Jack only laughed and held out her hand.

  "I deserve nearly anything that may be said of me, but I thought I hadcome home to live in the west where one did not have to be conventional.Apologize for me, won't you? Yes, I'll ride with you with pleasure ifyou don't mind my bringing Jimmie and several little girls along to actas our escort. You see, I ordinarily ride with them every afternoon. Ido
wish we could try the lassoing, but I am afraid I don't dare."

  "Still, you will some day. I've an idea you would dare anything that youthought the right thing to do," John Marshall added so enthusiasticallyand making so little effort to conceal his admiration for JacquelineKent, who was several years his senior, that the group of older peopleabout them laughed.

  A few moments later, thrusting his father and Peter Stevens aside, heinsisted upon seeing Jack to the motor and handed her in with amusingand most unnecessary gallantry, as she was more than able to look afterherself.

  Ten minutes later, leaning back in the car with her eyes closed, Jackdemanded:

  "Were you pleased with me this afternoon, Frieda Ralston Russell?Goodness knows, I am tired enough with the struggle to be agreeable! Iwonder why society wears me out and I can be outdoors and busy all daywithout fatigue."

  "You got on pretty well, Jack, only I was not with you all of the timeand don't know everything you said. I do hope you said nothingindiscreet; but I am afraid Senator Marshall and his son liked youbetter than Mrs. Marshall did, and that is a pity."

  Jack yawned.

  "Olive, was there ever so much worldly wisdom possessed by any oneperson as by Mrs. Henry Tilford Russell? I am sorry if you think Mrs.Marshall did not like me, but she cannot be blamed for the fact andneither can I. As for the son, John Marshall, he is a nice boy, nicerthan his father. I don't know why, but I never altogether trust SenatorMarshall. However, I am talking nonsense; one talks so much nonsense ata tea party it is hard to stop immediately after. I hope Ralph is safelyat home by this time. I was sorry Jean was not with us. It is sowonderful for the four Rainbow Ranch girls to be living together at theold ranch after all these years and all our experiences that I don'tlike our being parted except when it is unavoidable."

  "Don't talk as if we were patriarchs, Jack, and as if John Marshall werea small boy and you were old enough to be his mother," Frieda protested."You are only a few years older than he is, after all! But it is nice tobe together and I trust Ralph's arrival will cheer Jean up. She hastried not to show it, but Jean and I always have understood each otherand I have seen lately that she is more worried over something than shewants anyone to know."

  "Well, please give my love to Ralph if he has returned and say I shalllook forward to seeing him in the morning. No, I won't come to thehouse. Jimmie and I want to have dinner together and an evening alone,"Jack answered.

  About ten o'clock she was sitting out on the porch of the Rainbow lodgefeasting her eyes on the golden glory of the October moon floating in aheaven of the deepest blue, when she heard some one walking toward thehouse.

  Jack was rarely afraid of the conventional things which most women fear,yet the steps seemed furtive and uncertain, so that she got up hastily.

  A moment later the figure of a young fellow appeared wearing the costumeof a cowboy. The moonlight shone full upon his face, yet Jack did not atonce recognize him.

  "'Pears as if ye didn't know me, yet I ain't surprised," he drawled. "Iain't seen you but the once when we rid over to the lassoing from theranch house. My name's Billy Preston, come from the Kentucky mountains.The boys sent me up here to make you a little present. I was going toleave it on your front porch and sneak away again, expectin' to find youindoors or mebbe not at home."

  "Why a present for me? What is it? No one ever gives me a present anymore, and who is it from?" Jack demanded as eagerly as a little girl.

  The young mountaineer thrust something toward her, rather a large bundleit appeared in the moonlight.

  "It's a new lasso, made of the finest horsehair in the market and sentyou by the fellers who saw you ride that time. They say with a littlemore practice you'll learn what you set out to do. Anyhow, the fellerswant me to say they are with you in anything you may be thinkin' aboutundertakin' out in these here parts. And say, you needn't be afraid, nomatter what happens. We are all your friends; we like a woman who don'tput on side and who kin ride straight and think straight and actstraight. You know, I was brought up in the Kentucky mountains, andbesides I fit two years in France. So I kin shoot, as we used to saydown south, I kin shoot a fly off a telegraph pole, so if ever youshould need any one to look after you, why, count on me."

  "Good gracious, thank you and thank everybody!" Jack murmured. "I amdelighted to own the new lasso, although I'm afraid I shall never learnto use it properly. But if the Rainbow ranchmen wish me to know theyare glad I am at home again, I don't know how to thank them enough.Please say I love every inch of this old ranch in the greatest countryin the world. But I'm not thinking of any special undertaking except tolive here and help a little with the care of the ranch as I once did asa girl. Just the same, I am deeply grateful for the honor you have paidme and the protection I feel sure every one of you would offer me if Ishould ever need it. I don't know what I should say to express mygratitude, but you'll see that the men understand."

  Billy Preston nodded.

  "Don't you worry, Miss--Mam," he added quickly. Yet he must be forgivenhis mistake for Jack looked so like a young girl standing there on theold porch in her soft black dress in the yellow radiance of the moon."I'll see they know you're pleased, but you ain't to disremember therest of what I said. One ain't ever able to guess how things may turnout in this world or what troubles folks may git into."