The Ranch Girls and Their Great Adventure

by Margaret Vandercook

  CHAPTER XVI

  VIVE

  SO the days and weeks passed on at the Rainbow Ranch, seeming to beuneventful and yet filled with quantities of pleasures and interests.

  June came and the prairies were covered with wild flowers.

  No one stayed indoors, except to sleep and eat, and oftentimes not foreither of these things. Many nights Jack slept out on the Lodgeverandah, sometimes with Olive or Jean, more often alone.

  There were wonderful white nights such as only the west knows.

  Jack used to love to lie and listen to the sounds she had long known andloved. A pair of owls in one of the old cottonwood trees held nightlyconversations with each other, now and then screeching in such anirritated fashion that Jack laughed over their apparently humanqualities.

  Then far away from the house on the neighboring prairies she could hearthe coyotes call to one another with warnings of danger.

  These were excellent nights in which to think, for sometimes the moonmade it almost too light for sleep. And Jack had a great deal to occupyher mind. Twice a week she wrote Frank and he wrote her with the samefrequency, since at this time there were still two mail boats a week.But neither made any reference to their conversation on the evening whenJack had made her request to come home and given her reason.

  Things in England were not going so well at this period as Frank hadhoped, and he wrote chiefly of this. But he also said that he nowreceived frequent news from Captain MacDonnell, who was growing betterand now knew what fate had in store for him. He might be able to walk inthe future, but only with crutches.

  On several occasions Jack thought of deliberately asking her husband tocome to some kind of an agreement with her for the future. Yet shehardly dared open a subject that might lead to differences between them,when they were so far apart, but she was very often lonely for him andsometimes repented having left England at all.

  Jack, of course, was not always in this frame of mind. During thegreater part of the time she was very happy.

  A number of hours each day she spent on the horse Jim had given her,which she had named "Britain" in honor of her adopted country.

  Now and then Jean and Olive and Frieda would refuse to ride, preferringsome other amusement, but there was always Jim as a companion.

  Jim Colter was now a successful and fairly wealthy ranchman owning ahalf interest in the Rainbow Ranch and having the entire ownership ofthe one adjoining it. But he continued to follow much the same routineas when he was only the manager for the Ranch girls.

  That is, whenever it was possible, he rode over miles of the ranch land,watching the crops and his water supply, and carefully examining all hishorses and cattle, when they seemed to need his attention.

  Accompanying Jim on these excursions had been, not only one of Jack'schief amusements, but one of her serious occupations as a girl and itstill greatly interested her. Besides, she and Jim saw each other undermore favorable circumstances in this way than in any other, and hadmore real opportunities for conversation.

  But always Jack arranged to get back to the Lodge in time to see herchildren before they went to bed. They had an excellent nurse and ofcourse there was all the rest of the family to look after them, but Jackhad followed this custom at home, except under unusual circumstances andwould not have given it up for a great deal.

  Therefore she was worried one afternoon when Jim insisted upon stayingout later than usual. She would have returned alone, except that Jim hadfound a young colt which had injured itself and wished Jack's help andadvice in the care of it.

  Finally, when they did get started for home, Jack rode ahead like thewind, calling back to her companion not to try to follow her unless heliked, as she knew he had some other matters on the place to look after.

  By making unusual speed she hoped to reach home a few minutes beforesix, when Vive was put into bed and Jimmie ate his supper beforefollowing her.

  Olive was waiting on the porch when Jack came into sight and went out tomeet her before she had dismounted.

  "What is it, Olive?" Jack asked sharply, as soon as she saw her. "Whichone of the children is it? What has happened?" For it is a curious factthat a mother often feels this premonition of danger.

  "There is nothing to be seriously frightened about, Jack," Olive repliedquietly, "only little Vive isn't very well. Frieda and I had her with usfor a little while this afternoon and she seemed somewhat languid.Frieda thought she had a little fever, so Ruth saw her and we have sentfor the doctor. He will be here in another few moments."

  Jack made no comment except to go swiftly indoors, leaving Olive to findsome one to care for her horse.

  She knew, of course, that Olive was telling her as little as possible.

  Jimmie had been taken away to the other house, so Vive now occupiedalone the big room at the Lodge which had belonged to Jack and Friedawhen they were little girls.

  It was simply furnished with a few rugs and wicker chairs and brightpictures and three little white iron cots.

  In the smallest Vive lay apparently asleep on her pillow.

  But Jack saw at once she was not asleep. Her exquisite little face wasflushed a bright scarlet, her lids heavy and closed, and the strangestfact was that one of her little hands twitched unceasingly.

  Now and then she opened her golden brown eyes, but without seeing orknowing anyone.

  When the doctor arrived he made no effort to disguise the seriousness ofVive's condition. If she were to live it would be a fight and one of thehardest of all kinds, since they must simply wait and watch, with verylittle possible to do.

  For some unknown reason, perhaps because there had been too muchexcitement from the trip, too much notice taken of her by too manypeople, Vive had meningitis.

  But Jack was never a coward and it is scarcely worth saying that amother's courage, so long as she thinks it can help her child, is thepurest courage of all.

  As soon as she heard the verdict, Jack went quickly to her own room andput on a white cotton dress. Afterwards, until Vive was better or worse,she would never leave her side for a moment.

  But it is one thing to be brave when a shock comes and one has healthand strength to meet it. It is another to keep up that courage hourafter hour, day after day, when the strength is gone and the body andmind unconsciously sick with weariness.

  There was a trained nurse, of course, and any member of her family wouldhave done anything that was humanly possible to relieve Jack's vigil.But she would not be persuaded or argued into going out of her baby'sroom, and slept there in the hours when she did sleep, half awake andhalf dreaming, on a small cot by Vive's.

  And most of the time Frieda stayed with her.

  In a way it seems strange that it should have been Frieda. Olive, onewould have supposed to be more sympathetic, Jean and Ruth had childrenof their own.

  But some change had been taking place in Frieda for a good many monthsand she adored little Vive. Whenever any of the others disputed Frieda'sright, she always said quietly that after all, she was Jack's onlysister, and that if anything happened she must be the one to be by her.

  If Jack's husband had been with her, why then it would have beendifferent. So Frieda even waved away her devoted Professor, who fearedshe might be ill, by telling him there would be time enough to think ofher later on.

  Although she and Jack sat side by side for many hours with their eyes onthe baby, they but rarely spoke to each other.

  Yet it was too pitiful to continue always to watch the movement ofVive's baby hands and her heavy breathing.

  "If Vive dies do you think Frank will ever forgive me," Jack asked onenight.

  And true to herself Frieda tossed her yellow head.

  "I don't see what Frank has to forgive? The point is will he everforgive himself for having you go through all this alone?"

  "But I ought not to have brought Vive away. Still I wouldn't mindanything if only Frank were with me."

  A little later when the doctor arrived he said that the crisis w
ouldcome within the hour and he would remain.

  Olive and Jean waited in the Lodge living room, Jim had disappearedsomewhere an hour before. Ruth Colter came into the nursery and stayedby Jack.

  Half an hour passed. Then suddenly there was a strange, almost anunearthly silence in the room, and it was as if one could see thelittle white soul rise and float softly away like a bird.

  The little figure in the cradle was still.

  The doctor rose up.

  "It is over," he said pitifully.

  Frieda covered up her face, but Jack went over and looked down at Vivefor a moment and then turned to the others.

  "Please do not let anyone come with me," she asked. "I must go outdoorsalone."

  Then Jack went out past the living room, through the long avenue of talltrees, on farther and farther, not knowing where she was going.

  The Rainbow Ranch, which she had loved better than any place in theworld, had taken from her the human being, whom at this moment shebelieved she loved most.

  Over Rainbow creek there hung a tiny yellow, crescent moon. It seemed toJack that this, too, made her think of her baby, it was just as cold,just as perfect and as far away.

  She stayed there a long time, then getting up she wandered on. She didnot think whether her family would be uneasy, she did not care.

  It seemed to her she never wished to go back again to the Lodge.

  But finally a little clearer judgment came to her and she turned back.

  It was almost dawn.

  There, standing on the porch of the Rainbow Lodge, was a man's figure.Jack supposed it was Jim.

  He started toward her and the next moment Jack was in his arms.

  "Do you know, Frank?" Jack queried.

  Frank drew her closer to him.

  A little later she allowed Frank to lead her into the house, where sheundressed and went to bed, with him sitting beside her.

  She had made no inquiry about how he had arrived at such a moment. Jackhad but one thought at this time, no others could enter her mind.

  The facts were that Frank had left England ten days before bringingCaptain MacDonnell with him. He had a mission from his Government so asto make the trip possible. But more than anything else he felt he mustsee his wife.

  He had tried to write Jack, to tell her that he believed he had beenunfair, that his obstinacy should never make an issue between themagain. But it had all been so difficult to write and it must be so longbefore he could receive Jack's answer.

  Moreover, Frank wanted to bring Captain MacDonnell to the ranch to stayduring his convalescence. Soon after Jack's departure he had gone overto France, as an act of expiation both to his wife and friend. There hehad found Captain MacDonnell recovering, but infinitely depressed withthe thought that he could no longer serve his country, but must be onlya burden.

  On the arrival of his steamer in New York Lord Kent had wired JimColter, but Jim had thought it best not to speak to Jack until Frank wasable to reach her.

  He had therefore sent him a wire telling of Vive's illness, and Frankhad hurried west, leaving Captain MacDonnell with friends in New Yorkcity.