The Ranch Girls' Pot of Gold

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER XVIII

  "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN"

  It was Frieda who first found words to speak.

  After several days more of travel and sight-seeing, the caravaners andtheir friends stood on a rocky balcony gazing at the Great Falls of theYellowstone as they dashed over rocks streaked with red, orange, purpleand gold into the gorge below.

  "It is the end of the rainbow, I know it is, Mr. Peter Drummond," Friedaremarked confidentially to her companion who had tight hold of her handso she should not go too close to the steep embankment. "Jean and Jackhave often told me wonderful stories of finding a pot of gold at the endof the rainbow. Now I know better, for this is really the place wherethe rainbow touched the earth and all her beautiful colors spilled outand ran into these rocks."

  Jack, who overheard her sister's speech, dropped down on one knee andrespectfully kissed her hand. "Never did I dream until this minute thatyou were a poet, Frieda Ralston," she exclaimed. "That is a perfectlylovely idea of yours about the rainbow, but you must not let Mr.Drummond think the rainbow ends anywhere except on our ranch, else whyshould we call it the Rainbow? He has promised to come some day to seefor himself."

  It was early morning, the sun had just risen and the dawn colors werenow slowly fading out of the sky. The tourists had arrived at the hotelnear the Canyon late the afternoon before, and had gone to bed as soonas possible so as to see the latest marvel by daylight. To-day was toend their sight-seeing expedition through the Yellowstone Park. Nextmorning they were to take the train back to their starting place at theLake; from there the Harmons were to leave for Rainbow Ranch, Mr.Drummond to continue his trip west and Jim to escort Ruth and the ranchgirls to a little village in the mountains near the Park, where theywere to spend the rest of the summer. Then he intended to make his wayhome to the ranch and get back to work as quickly as possible.

  In the course of their travels, Jim had found time to tell the girls ofMr. Harmon's proposal to buy their ranch, but they had laughed thesuggestion to scorn and he had written Mr. Harmon that they would notconsider selling. Also Jim had explained the matter more fully to Mrs.Harmon, asking her to make things clear to her husband on her return tothe Lodge--Rainbow Ranch was not in the market.

  "Peter is coming to the ranch on his way back to New York, perhaps,"Frieda said. In the last few days she had grown to be almost as intimatewith Mr. Drummond as her sister, and had also been allowed to ride hiswonderful horse. Jean and Olive had enjoyed their turns, but Jack hadreceived the lion's share of attention from their new acquaintance. Onceor twice Mr. Drummond had been almost persuaded to tell her of the girlin the East whom he intended to forget.

  "Misses Frieda and Jacqueline Ralston," Mr. Drummond said five minuteslater, "I am persuaded that these mighty Falls and this giant Canyon mayremain in the landscape for some years to come, but _I_ shall not livemuch longer unless we go back to our hotel for breakfast. I have noticedour party, and they are pale and silent from exhaustion. Never did Iapprove of before-breakfast excursions. Let us make a start for thehotel and see if they don't follow suit."

  The entire company was standing in little groups at some distance apart.Elizabeth had been taking Jack's advice and walking more in the last fewdays than she had dreamed possible; now she was leaning on Donald's arm,having come all the way from the hotel on foot. Jack, Frieda and Mr.Drummond turned to go down the hill, when Elizabeth caught sight ofthem. She was worn and tired, for her walk had been too much for her,irritable on account of her fatigue and in a general bad humor witheverybody.

  "I say, Jack, where are you going?" Elizabeth called out suspiciously ina high, clear voice. "You are always going off somewhere with Mr.Drummond. It is quite impossible to keep up with you."

  Jack and her companions stopped stock still, Ruth and Jim looked aroundin surprise, Mrs. Harmon blushed, and some strangers from the hotellaughed impertinently. Jack's temper got the best of her. Her heartpounded and the pupils of her eyelids darkened until they were almostblack; her mouth was opened to speak.

  "Steady, Miss Jack," Peter Drummond whispered quickly. "Remember,Elizabeth is ill and so tired she does not know what she is saying."

  "We are going to the hotel to breakfast, Beth," Jack answered quietly,instead of the speech she had intended to make. "Don't you want to comewith us? Let me help you." Jack turned back toward her friend and foundher eyes filled with tears of regret. Breaking away from Donald,Elizabeth grasped Jack's arm, but was hardly able to stand, even withher assistance.

  "Elizabeth isn't able to walk back to the hotel, Donald," Mrs. Harmonsaid at this moment. "Won't you go ahead and bring back her chair? And Iwill wait here with her, so no one else must stay on our account."

  Elizabeth shook her head, setting her white lips obstinately. "I canwalk perfectly well," she insisted. "Jack says it is much better for meto make the effort." Mrs. Harmon looked reproachfully at Jack, and theyoung girl blushed uncomfortably over having the responsibility thrustupon her.

  "I only meant for Beth to walk a little at a time. I didn't mean forher to overdo herself," she tried to explain.

  By this time Olive and Donald had gone on ahead. Ruth and Jim, withCarlos between them, had turned toward the hotel, the strangers haddeparted, and Mr. Drummond and Frieda were waiting, not too patiently, alittle distance off.

  Mrs. Harmon took her daughter's other arm and the three women startedonward, but it was soon plain, even to Elizabeth, that she could not goon. With a petulant sigh she dropped on the ground. "Go and leave me,please, everybody," she insisted. "I sha'n't mind waiting alone, and Idon't care for any breakfast."

  Mrs. Harmon signaled to Jack. "Run along, dear, and ask Don to hurry,"she murmured quietly, but Elizabeth reached up and caught hold of Jack'sskirt. "If anybody's to stay with me, let it be you, Jack," she pleaded."I have something I want so much to say to you alone. It's mostimportant, and you'll be awfully sorry if you don't listen."

  "What can you have to say to Miss Ralston, Elizabeth?" Mrs. Harmoninquired nervously.

  "Oh, it is a secret between father and me," Beth returned mysteriously."He wants me to ask Jack something and not to let anyone else know justyet. I had a long telegram from him last night, and now is a good timeto ask it."

  Reluctantly Jacqueline sat down near Beth, for she did not wish to heara secret at this hour of the morning, and she did feel faint and hungryfor her breakfast. Mrs. Harmon moved off, taking Mr. Drummond and Friedaalong with her. The Honorable Peter did not look any too pleased at whathe considered the sacrifice of Jack.

  As soon as they were out of hearing, Beth flung her arms about herfriend. "I am so sorry I said that about you and Mr. Drummond, Jack,dear," she apologized. "I didn't mean a thing by it, and mother says itmay be very useful to you ranch girls some day to have such a friend asMr. Drummond; he may be able to do a lot for you."

  "All right, Beth," Jack answered, not as affectionately as usual. "Butdon't talk about Mr. Drummond's being _useful_ to us. I should hate tohave a friend for any such horrid reason."

  Beth's delicate arm clung to Jack with such pathetic appeal that she wassoon softened. "What was it you wanted to tell me?" she asked a secondlater.

  "I want you to do the most wonderful and beautiful thing for me, Jack,"Elizabeth answered passionately, "and what you do will prove whether youare a friend of mine and want me near you, or whether you have beendeceiving me all this time. You know you promised me you would doanything I wished on this trip, if I would walk more and try not to becross, and I have tried to do as you said. Promise me, promise me, youwill grant my request, won't you? It will make me so happy!" Elizabeth'scheeks burned with the strength of her desire.

  "What in the world are you talking about?" Jack queried, feeling herheart beat uncomfortably.

  "Well, father wishes me to persuade you to sell him part of your ranch,"Elizabeth explained eagerly. "You see I wrote him that I never had areal girl friend in my life until now, but I believed you cared for me.He says if you do, you will let hi
m have some of your land, so that hecan build a little house for me. He wants just a special part of theranch; I don't understand just what part, but I know it would not makeany difference to you, for it is somewhere in the neighborhood of yourcreek. Then father wrote that if you would do this for me, I couldinvite you to visit me in New York next winter and he would pay all yourexpenses. Oh, wouldn't it be too heavenly!" Elizabeth had taken her armsfrom about Jack's neck and was clasping her hands together until theveins showed through her white skin. But Jack was as white as hercompanion, for she knew how difficult it would be to refuse Elizabeth'srequest and not bitterly wound her feelings, yet the answer must bemade.

  "I am so sorry, dear," Jack replied, "but I can't sell your father anypart of our ranch. The ranch does not belong to me alone and, as I amnot of age, Jim Colter is our guardian; and he would never consent toour giving up a part of our place. Don't you see, we need it all toraise our cattle, and the creek is particularly valuable. I can'tunderstand why your father is so anxious to buy the Rainbow Ranch. Hehas written to Jim and made him an offer for the whole place, yet he canbuy other land near us without any trouble, for Wyoming is rich inland." Jack was talking as fast as possible, trying not to see thestorm of tears pouring down Elizabeth's cheeks.

  "Then you positively _won't_ sell the land, Jack?" Elizabethinterrupted. "I might have known you didn't really care for me andwouldn't wish me to live near you for even a part of the year," sheprotested bitterly. "And please don't preach anymore, for I can see veryplainly now that you are not the kind of a girl who can be relied on tokeep her word. I would rather you would not stay here with me. I canmanage in some way to get down the hill. I certainly shall not let youtouch me."

  The two girls were seated near the edge of a rocky embankment whichdropped down into terraced ledges of stone twenty, then thirty, thenforty feet below. On the other side, toward the right, the hill slopedfar more gradually and a road had been cut leading to the hotel.

  Elizabeth was so angry that she got on her feet before Jack fullyrealized what she was doing. Then, as Jack made a detaining clutch ather, she lurched away toward the left near the jagged precipice. Allabout the neighborhood of the Falls, where the ground was uncertain,signs were set up bearing the word "dangerous." Jack saw in a moment ofhorror that Elizabeth was tottering toward one of these places. Whethershe screamed or not she did not know. But Elizabeth was crying and couldnot see the sign, and if she heard, she was not strong enough to stopher course instantly. As Jack ran toward her the loose earth crumbledbeneath Elizabeth's feet and she slid half over the precipice. But sinceself-preservation is strong in all of us, she caught with desperatehands at some low shrubs above her head and hung with only half her bodyover the cliff. "Jack!" she called just once, and was silent, puttingall her strength in her clinging hands.

  It is said that the drowning have a vision of all that has happened intheir past, as the water closes over them for the last time, butJacqueline Ralston had a vision of all the peril ahead of her as she sawher friend's danger, and realized what she must do to try to save her.Also she knew in this moment that this was her supreme chance to proveshe would do anything in her power for a friend.

  Jack understood that she could not walk out on the ledge of loose earth,which had already failed to support Elizabeth's light weight, and sopull the girl back to safety. By some method she must reach up to herfrom below. Down on her hands and knees, testing cautiously every footof the way, Jack crawled on until she found a side of the cliff that shewas able to climb down. Then, almost like a cat, she crept along, herfeet on incredibly small protuberances in the rocks and her handsclutching at anything she could find for support. Finally she reached asmall platform in the rocks not more than a foot square, but directlybelow Elizabeth and within reach of her.

  "Be quiet, Beth, and as I push, pull upward with all your might," wasall she trusted herself to say, and Elizabeth was beyond answering.

  Now Jacqueline Ralston was to prove how a lifetime spent out of doorsmay give one a cool head, a gallant courage and muscles of steel. Takingfirm hold of Elizabeth just below the girl's knees, she pushed her up,up, inch by inch; Elizabeth stretching out one hand at a time to graspthe shrubs growing in the more solid ground. At last, with Jack's stronghands below her feet and one more shove, Elizabeth dragged herself outof danger and lay half fainting on the solid earth.

  Then came Jack's peril. All this time while every thought and effortwere directed toward her friend's rescue, she had not looked down at thewicked precipice beneath the narrow ledge of rock where she held herfooting. But the instant she let go of Elizabeth's body and lost theslight support it had given her, she also lost the steadying influencethat she must fight to save another weaker than herself, and glanceddownward. Then whether she grew dizzy and lost her balance or whethershe slipped back in an effort to climb, it was impossible to know, butbackward she fell past a straight cliff, landing in a crumpled mass on aledge of the rainbow colored stones twenty feet below. There was nomovement and no sound, not even a noise when her body struck.

  "Jack!" Elizabeth called faintly a moment later, "Jack!" But no oneanswered, and the silence was more awful than any sound. Only a greatgolden eagle swooped over the open gorge as though trying to fathom thetragedy beneath.