CHAPTER XXIV
FAREWELL TO THE RAINBOW RANCH
The coming of late September to the neighborhood of the ranch broughtwith it a storm and heavy downpour of rain.
"The very clouds themselves weep at the thought of our departure fromthe Rainbow Ranch," Jean exclaimed dramatically, pressing her piquantnose against the rain-splashed window of the living room in the Lodgeand gazing out over the mist-dimmed fields.
"Does anybody know where Ruth is?" Jack inquired from a big sofa nearthe fire, looking about their beloved sitting room with an expression ofunfailing affection. "She must be nearly worn out with packing andgetting us ready to start to New York to-morrow. I do wish she wouldrest for a few minutes these days."
"Ruth has gone for a ride in the rain alone, Jack," Olive explained,stooping over her friend and arranging her pillows. "She said shethought it would do her more good than anything, and she will stop bythe post box at the gate and bring us the last mail. Yes, Frieda, dear,I will help you in a minute, but please don't crowd any more treasuresinto that box or you will have everything smashed to bits."
For a moment Frieda ceased her occupation of jamming odd-shaped piecesof Indian pottery into a packing trunk filled with blankets, shawls,beadwork, dolls, Indian carvings, everything known to Indianmanufacture, and surveyed the older girls reproachfully. "Olive, Ithought you and Jean said that the one thing that would give youpleasure and keep us from just dying of homesickness would be to fix upan Indian sitting room at that horrid old boarding school we are goingto in New York," she protested.
Riches, like everything else in this world, brings its responsibilities.The ranch girls and Ruth Drew were to leave the Rainbow Ranch soon afterdaylight next morning for the long trip across the country which was toland them in New York City. Now that the gold supply of Rainbow Creekwas increasing day by day until no one could guess how vast the amountwould be, Jim Colter had decided it would be best for the girls toleave the ranch. Jack was to see a famous surgeon, hoping that he wouldbe able to restore her to health, for she had not improved to any extentand was still unable to walk or to sit up for any length of time. Theother girls were to be placed in a fashionable boarding school near avillage on the Hudson River, not far from New York City, and Jack was tojoin them when she got well. No one ever said "if" Jack got well; it wasalways "when," and she always talked of herself in this way, for hercourage was yet undaunted.
Frank Kent was to act as escort to the travelers, as he was returningsoon to his home in England, and Ralph Merrit was to be left as one ofthe engineers in charge of the Rainbow Mine. Jim Colter had not been atthe ranch except once and then only for a few days since the night ofhis ride with Ruth.
"Goodness, children, you do look comfortable," Ruth announced, coming inthe door at this minute, with her coat and hat heavy with rain. "Here,Jack, is a letter in Jim's handwriting. It is a pretty thick one, so Isuppose he has written to say why he is letting you girls go away fromhome without coming to say good-by to you."
Ruth looked older and a little worn, but her expression was cold andreserved. She could not understand why Jim had hardly seen or spoken toher since their last long talk; it had never been a part of her plan notto be friends with him.
Slowly Jack read the first of her letter, while Frieda and Jean fairlydanced with impatience and Olive stood with her arm about Carlos, whohad crept in softly behind Ruth. The boy was to stay behind at the ranchwith "The Big White Chief" he adored, yet he was solemn and desolate atthe thought of the departure of the girls.
"Jim is desperately sorry, but he can't get here in time to see us startto-morrow," Jack read slowly. "Don't cry, Frieda. He sends you a dozenkisses and says you are to buy the biggest doll in New York as soon asyou get there, as a present from him."
Frieda sniffed, her eyes brimming with tears. "Jim's silly; I'm too bigfor dolls," she answered, "and I just can't see why he don't come home!"She was about to break down and cry, but Jean knew this would mean thesignal for them all to weep, so she stamped her foot indignantly."Frieda Ralston, don't you dare shed a tear for Jim Colter or any otherman," she commanded. "If Jim does not love us enough to want to saygood-by to us then he can stay away. Come on, baby. I can smell hotgingerbread, so let's get some. Aunt Ellen thinks we are going to starveto death when we leave the Lodge. Perhaps we may have to eat solid goldfood like poor King Midas, now that Rainbow Creek has given us thegolden touch." Jean flitted from the room, holding Frieda's hand, andOlive and Carlos followed. When they had gone Ruth sat on the floor infront of the fire near Jack's couch, waiting while she finished herletter.
By and by Jack looked over at Ruth thoughtfully, and there was anexpression in her gray eyes that made Ruth suddenly shield her face withher hand.
"Jim has written me everything, Ruth," Jack said. "Please don't beangry. He and I have been such pals since I was a little girl, and hedidn't want me to go away thinking he had neglected me when I was ill.As though I would! Foolish old Jim! He has written me too about somewicked thing he did years and years ago. Now he thinks maybe he ought tohave told me before, because I might not have wished him to run theranch and to take care of our money if I had known." Jack was smiling,though the tears were running down her cheeks. "And the last thing hewrites is--that he won't be hurt if I get a man to superintend his workand to look over his accounts. Of course Jim is willing to continue towork for us almost for nothing; but now that we are going to be so richhe thinks we might like a guardian with a different history." Jackchoked in her effort to pretend indignation. "As though anything JimColter ever did in the past keeps him from being the most splendid andunselfish person in the whole world now!" she ended loyally with a lookof utter bewilderment at her companion.
Ruth leaned so near the fire that her cheeks flushed and her eyes shonefrom the heat of the glowing ashes. "Do you really feel that way aboutJim, dear?" she questioned wonderingly. "I can't understand it."
"I can't understand feeling any other way, Ruth," Jack answered. "But Iknow people look at things differently. And Jim said I was never tospeak of this to you or to try to influence you in any way--so pleaseforgive me; I never will again."
Ruth made no reply and was unchanged in her determination, although herheart was heavy with the thought of turning her back on the RainbowRanch and all the wonderful things it had meant to her. They were toreturn she knew not when. Silently she slipped away, and Jack Ralstonwas left alone in the firelight. Her eyes were soon closed, and in alittle while she must have been dreaming, for some one touched her and afamiliar voice said with a slow drawl: "How you feeling, boss?"
Jack pulled herself up by catching at Jim's strong hands and laughed herold gay, teasing laugh. "You couldn't stay away, could you, pard? My,what a bluff you are! I suppose you guessed how furiously angry we werewith you for not coming home to say good-by."
Jim laughed a little huskily. "You're right, as usual, Miss Ralston. Icouldn't let my girls go away off to New York without making thempromise to behave themselves. You must not let money and rich peoplefool and spoil you until you forget all about the dear old ranch." Jimpatted Jack's hand softly. "I wasn't going to play the coward either,Jack, now it's come to the point. I am going to tell Ruth good-by andwish her good luck."
"Remember a motto I once said I was going to take for the Rainbow Ranch,Jim?" Jack asked gravely. "It was 'never say die,' and if you won'tforget it, pard, I won't." And the man and girl shook hands like friendsbetween whom no other words were necessary.
Frieda, coming back to her sister, heard Jim's voice and raised thealarm. In the midst of the group of laughing and enthusiastic girls Ruthwas able to greet Jim as she would have done many months before.
The rain ceased and just before an early tea Jim lifted Jack and carriedher out on the great porch in front of Rainbow Lodge. A giant rainbowspanned the heavens, and they wished to take a farewell of their belovedranch with the arch of promise above them.
"See, Frieda, dear," Jack called gayly, "the rainbow does dip int
o thecreek where we found our pot of gold. I told you it ended on our place,and that's why father gave it the name of 'The Rainbow Ranch.'"
Frieda shook her head, not being gifted with a vivid imagination. "Ican't see it, sister," she argued seriously. "The rainbow just slips offin the sky somewhere. But I know a verse of poetry that Ruth taught me.Would you like me to say it?"
Everybody nodded with their eyes resting lovingly on the beautifulrain-washed fields of the ranch, shining now with a new, colorful beautyfrom the reflected glory in the heavens.
Frieda walked out in the yard facing her audience, her long blondpigtails quivering with the importance of her position, and herturquoise eyes shining with interest. Quite unconscious of her smallself, with her gaze fastened on Jack, she raised one dimpled arm,reciting proudly:
"O beautiful rainbow, all woven of light! There's not in thy tissue one shadow of night; Heaven surely is open when thou dost appear, And bending above thee, the angels draw near And sing: 'The Rainbow! The Rainbow! The smile of God is here.'"
The next book in this series devoted to the histories of the ranch girlswill find them living in a totally new environment. How they are toenjoy the life of a fashionable boarding school; how theirunconventional ideas will influence their school mates; what effecttheir sudden possession of great wealth will have upon them, and whetherJack will find her health, Olive her parentage, and what will developfor Ruth, must be told in a third volume to be entitled: "The RanchGirls at Boarding School."
The Ranch Girls Series
The first volume of this series is entitled "The Ranch Girls at RainbowLodge." "The Ranch Girls' Pot of Gold" is the second volume of theseries. The story of the four "Ranch Girls" continues along lines ofconstantly increasing interest, and the change of scene accomplished inthe third volume of the series, "The Ranch Girls at Boarding School,"shows them in a new and strange environment. How they bring the idealsand standards of the big open West to the solution of many of theirproblems in this new field creates a story even more absorbinglyinteresting than either of its predecessors.
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Transcriber's note:
Punctuation has been corrected without note.
The following changes have been made to the original publication:
Page 131
red ballon and collapsed _changed to_ red balloon and collapsed
Page 132
in graceiously _changed to_ in graciously
Page 209
dosen't mind our foolish _changed to_ doesn't mind our foolish
Page 268
tramps and ne'er-do-weels _changed to_ tramps and ne'er-do-wells
The Ranch Girls' Pot of Gold Page 26