The Ranch Girls' Pot of Gold

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER VI

  A CURIOUS RESEMBLANCE

  "I'll be--I beg your pardon," Donald Harmon apologized hurriedly."Sister, I didn't know your visitors had come." He held out his hand toJack, who was nearest him. "I ought to have known who you were when Imet you an hour ago, but I was a little confused over something," hesaid.

  Elizabeth Harmon introduced her brother to the girls, whose names shehad now learned. When Donald spoke to Olive he tried in vain to hide hispuzzled expression, and again she dropped her gaze before his as thoughshe did not wish him to see her face. Olive was always shy, but to-dayshe seemed more so than usual, and she had a peculiar fashion, like someflowers, of folding herself about with little leaves and tendrils ofreserve to hide her real self from the outside world.

  Donald Harmon sat down next Jack and immediately across from Olive, butJack made no effort to open a conversation with him, for she did notlike him and did object to the odd way in which he gazed at Olive.

  "What is your friend's name?" Donald inquired immediately.

  "Olive," Jack returned in a non-committal fashion.

  "But Olive what? I have a special reason for wishing to know," the youngfellow protested impatiently. Olive and Jean were talking with Elizabethand were not observing Jack and her companion.

  For the fleeting part of a moment Jack hesitated, "Olive--why, OliveRalston," she replied quietly. "I thought you knew our name wasRalston."

  "I did," Donald answered. "Please don't think I am mad, but I thoughtfor a second she might have another name. Have you ever heard the theorythat we all have a double somewhere in the world? I want you to lookclosely at my mother when she comes in. Your sister is enough like herto be her own child, though of course there is a difference in theircoloring and expressions and perhaps other details that I have notnoticed, but when I saw your sister on the street to-day I was overcomeby their likeness." At this moment Donald Harmon, hearing his mother'svoice in the hall, quickly turned on the electric lights.

  Jacqueline Ralston caught her breath before the strange vista ofpossibilities that Donald Harmon's suggestion opened to her imagination.Never had she ceased to wonder at the mystery of Olive's birth. "Hasyour mother ever been out west before?" Jack asked hastily. And Donaldonly had time to answer, "Never in her life," when Mrs. Harmon enteredthe sitting room.

  Jack's first emotion was one of intense and selfish relief. Mrs. Harmonand Olive did not look in the least alike--the son's idea had beenabsurd. Mrs. Harmon's eyes were blue and Olive's black, her complexionwas fair and Olive's dark. It was true Mrs. Harmon did have black hair,though it was now slightly tinged with gray, and it grew in a point likeOlive's in the center of her low, broad forehead, but there was nothingremarkable in this little point of resemblance. Jack thought Mrs. Harmonbeautiful and the first real society woman she had ever seen. Her mannerwas gracious and friendly, yet Jack knew instinctively that few peoplewere ever allowed to fathom her real feelings.

  "Surely you see the likeness," Donald whispered boyishly. "It isn't thattheir features are so alike, it is something I can hardly explain to youif you don't see it yourself. I have always thought my mother the mostbeautiful person in the world, but your sister is nearly as pretty."

  Jack frowned, for she did not care to have Donald Harmon discuss Olivein this outspoken fashion.

  Mrs. Harmon was sitting between Jean and Olive, listening to Jean'sapology for the broken teacups. Like most older people, she wasattracted by her piquant manner and appearance. So far she had paid noparticular attention to Olive, hereby including her with the other in ageneral greeting.

  Donald strode over to his sister's chair and murmured something underhis breath. Elizabeth flushed, stared across the room and shook her headpettishly. It was one of the trials of her life that, though she bore noresemblance to her beautiful mother, her brother was supposed to looklike her.

  Olive and Mrs. Harmon had their heads close together. "I say, mother,"Don broke out impetuously, "for the life of me I can't see why no oneelse speaks of it. Miss Olive Ralston looks ten times more like youthan either Elizabeth or I do."

  Mrs. Harmon turned to face Olive. "I wish I thought so, Don," sheanswered girlishly: "Miss Ralston is so pretty." She took one of Olive'shands, but Olive was so embarrassed at being the center of all eyes thatshe blushed furiously and gazed steadfastly down at her lap.

  "I am sorry not to agree with you, Don, dear," Mrs. Harmon answered amoment later. "This Miss Ralston looks like a foreign girl, an Italianor Spaniard, and I am a thorough New Yorker. Were your father and motherwestern people?" she asked Olive.

  Olive's face paled and her lips quivered. Would she have courage toannounce before these strangers that she had no idea who her mother andfather were nor from whence they had come? Before she could find hervoice Jack rushed blindly to the rescue. "Olive is our adopted sister,Mrs. Harmon," she explained briefly; "but we do not like people to knowit, so we rarely speak of her past. You must forgive her if she does notanswer you."

  With perfect good taste Mrs. Harmon immediately changed the conversationto another subject, but Jack, who was watching her closely, saw thatevery now and then she gazed intently at Olive. If any odd fancy crossedher mind or any half-forgotten memory, she gave no sign of it. Once sheleaned back wearily after Elizabeth had contradicted her, and Jack hadan uncomfortable moment. Perhaps Mrs. Harmon did suggest Olive when hereyes were down and her face was in repose, but she banished the idea asa ridiculous one. Donald, however, clung obstinately to his firstimpression and devoted the rest of his time to trying to make Olivetalk.

  Quite naturally the group of people had separated themselves into pairs.Jack, who was so strong and independent, who showed vigor and joy ofliving in every movement of her body, was deeply touched by ElizabethHarmon's weakness. She recognized that the girl was spoiled and that shemight be subject to impossible moods, but she was so sorry for her thatshe didn't care about her faults. Indeed, she said to herself that ifever she had the same misfortune to endure she would be far moredifficult than Elizabeth.

  "I wish my father would come," Elizabeth said to Jack for the third timein the last ten minutes. "You see, he and I are chums, and mother andDon rather hit it off better together. Mother is awfully good to me andlets me do whatever I please, but she has never been able to forgive mynot being good-looking like Don."

  Before Jack could show Elizabeth how her speech had shocked her, Mr.Harmon's entrance brought a new atmosphere into the room. He was atypical Wall Street broker, well dressed, with a heavy-set figure,reddish hair that was turning white, and a curt, businesslike manner. Hespoke politely to his wife and her guests, but it was plain toeverybody present that he thought only of his daughter. Jack believedshe would have disliked him except for his devotion to Elizabeth. Henever seemed unconscious of her for a moment and his expression softenedeach time he spoke to her. Otherwise he appeared as a shrewd, hard manwho would get the best of a bargain whenever he had the chance. Standingat the back of his daughter's chair, he at once asked Jack a dozenquestions about Rainbow Lodge--what vegetables were raised in theirgarden, whether they were included in the rent of the Lodge, what thewater supply was for the house. It was evident that he meant to get asmuch as possible for his money, and Jack wondered if the richest peoplewere not often those who tried to drive the hardest bargains.

  Only once did Mr. Harmon's manner change. This was when Elizabeth puther hand on his sleeve and begged him to ask Jack if there was a pony onthe ranch that she could have to drive.

  "I'm not a rich man--far from it," Mr. Harmon remarked quickly; "but ifyou will let my daughter have one of your horses for the summer, I willpay you anything in reason. There is nothing in the world I care for sodeeply as her health and happiness."

  Jack shook her head. From her position near the sick girl she could seehow Elizabeth's eyes glistened at the prospect of being allowed to driveherself. "I'm so sorry," Jack answered. "If any one of us had a ponythat would be of any pleasure to Elizabeth, of course w
e would lend itto her with pleasure, but you see we only ride horseback at the ranchand have never owned any kind of cart. The ponies are not broken fordriving."

  As soon as her speech was over Jack realized that Elizabeth Harmonresented her mention of their horseback riding, because it was apleasure impossible for her, and that Mr. Harmon was in such closesympathy with his daughter that he also was displeased. But Jack, inspite of her hot temper, was not offended. "I tell you what we might do,Miss Harmon: suppose you get your father to send a governess' cart, orwhatever you wish to use, to the Rainbow Ranch right away. Then when wego back I will make one of our cowboys begin to accustom one of ourponies to driving. Your brother can see that it is all right, andperhaps we may possibly have a chance to go over the ranch together. Iwould like to show you the places we love best, before we start on ourtrip. I am sure ranch life and the bracing western air will do yourdaughter a great deal of good, Mr. Harmon," Jack said, rising to giveJean and Olive the signal for saying farewell.

  "I wish you weren't going away, Miss Ralston--Jack," Elizabeth Harmonburst out impulsively. "If you would stay at home with me I would besure to get well."

  Jack laughed. "You are awfully good, but if we stayed at home therewould be no room for you. But I feel ever so much happier about rentingour home since I have met you. I love the ranch so dearly I am afraidthat anyone who sees it will begin to care for it as I do and try toget possession of it as soon as we are out of sight."

  Mr. Harmon shook hands with Jack with more cordiality than he showed tomost people. "Don't worry about your cattle ranch, Miss Ralston," heprotested. "I am about as much interested in raising cattle as I am inthe North Pole, but if you find any odd gold mines on your way to theYellowstone, I'm the man for you. I make a specialty of gold miningstock on Wall Street."

  Having safely arrived once more at Mrs. Peterson's boarding house, thethree ranch girls retired to their bedrooms as soon as dinner was over.After several hours of animated discussion, the decision was reachedthat on the whole the Harmons had not made an agreeable impression. Jackliked Elizabeth, and Jean and Olive thought Mrs. Harmon very attractiveand the son fairly so. But their new acquaintances did not strike thegirls as a happy or united family. Certainly there were gravedifferences of opinion between them and they seemed to be divided amongthemselves.

  Among them, Jack, Olive and Jean managed to eat three pounds of candybefore they went to sleep. Jack wondered next morning if it were thecandy or the experiences of the day that made her sleep such a queerjumble of dreams. She dreamed that the Harmons were trying to get Oliveaway from her and that she was holding to her skirts with all her might.Then Frank Kent appeared, but instead of helping her save Olive heseemed to be on the Harmons' side. Jack felt herself slipping down, downinto a great, dark abyss. She awakened finally to find the tears runningdown her cheeks, Jean punching her in the ribs to bring her back to hersenses and Olive imploring her to tell them what was the trouble.

  "Come out of that nightmare, for heaven's sake, Jack Ralston," Jeaninsisted. "You were weeping as though some terrible thing had happened.As I was dreaming sweetly of our caravan trip I thought you were somewild animal wailing, away off in the wilderness."