HOW FRED AND TERRY FIXED UP EVELYN'S HOME ON THE RANCH
The next morning, after their arrival at Crabtree, Fred, Terry and
Evelyn were kept busy shaking hands with their friends. As the news
spread through the city fully a score of young ladies called at the
hotel to see Evelyn, for she had the happy faculty of making and
retaining friends wherever she went.
Fred and Terry, though, at noon, took leave of her and told her to enjoy
herself until they came back, as they were going down to the ranch and
begin at once to fix up things so that she could he comfortable.
Jack happened to be at the water tank when the engine of the freight
train stopped there to take a drink, and he gave a regular Indian
war-whoop when he saw the boys alight. He hugged both of them as they
climbed down from the engine, and fairly danced a jig in his delight at
seeing them.
Terry looked around for the big house that Jack had been building for
his mother and sweetheart. When he saw it, he exclaimed:
"Great Scott, Jack! What is that you are building out there? A hotel?"
"Well, I call it my bachelor quarters, for the present," he replied;
"but when mother comes it will be our home."
"Well, what in thunder do you want with such a big house? It's big
enough for all the cowboys on both ranches to live in."
"Well, there is no hotel down here, you know, and there is not likely to
be one for several years to come; so, when any friends come down to
visit us, we'll have a place to take care of them."
"Jack," said Terry, "Evelyn came down with us."
"Great Scott! Ain't I glad! But why didn't you bring your girl with
you?"
"She wouldn't come, Jack; but sister came down with us, as she wanted to
help us build up a home out here. So, until your mother and Katy
comedown, we'll let her be boss."
"Yes, and what a boss she will be. I've been telling these fellows
around here that she is the most beautiful young lady in the whole
country. But when is she coming down?"
"Just as soon as we can fix up one of the four-room houses for her, for
we will live there until we can build a larger house."
"What do you want to build a house for when my house is large enough for
forty people?"
"Oh we want to get into our own home. We want to build a residence down
at the mineral spring."
"Oh, that's a mile off."
"Yes, so it is. The depot here, though, is a general resort for every
rough character who comes along; but we'll have some of our lady friends
down here both from Crabtree and from the North. We'll fence in the
spring to keep the cattle from crowding around it, make beautiful flower
gardens, raise all sorts of vegetables and fruits, and try to make our
home here as lovely as our home up at New Era was."
Jack and Terry led the way up to the house in which Jack had been
living, each carrying a valise.
Before they reached there, at least half a dozen cowboys rushed up and
wanted to carry the valises for them, and made every demonstration of
pleasure at the return of the "Bosses."
When the boys reached the house they found that one of bed-rooms
furnished and still another which had not been furnished up.
"Jack, my boy," said Fred, "I see you have been keeping quite
comfortable since we left."
"Yes, and at the same time quite busy."
"Well, have you had any trouble with the cowboys?"
"No, only in one instance, when one of the men got drunk and I promptly
discharged him. He was one of your men, too. He refused to be
discharged, and wouldn't leave, but went on working with the others. I
then told him that I wouldn't pay him a cent at the end of the month for
his work, as he was doing it of his own accord, and needn't expect any
pay for it. After a week he signed the pledge, came around to see me,
and said that he wished to apologize, and that he would never touch
another drop of whisky. I told him that on those conditions he could
keep his place, but that I would keep his written pledge to show to you,
so that if he ever broke it you would know what to do."
"That's right, my boy, that's right. It don't pay to be too harsh.
Always give a man a chance. You were fortunate in not having any more
trouble than that."
"Well, I did have several other little difficulties which did not
amount to much of anything; but at least a score of big, rough fellows
are waiting for you two to return home in order to get a chance to enter
your employ."
"Well, we'll need a few more men, Jack, for we are going to buy another
thousand head of cattle and rush them down to the ranch as soon as
possible. How has the store been getting along?"
"It's been doing fine. I've done a good business, and the trade is
growing fast."
"Any cattle thieves been getting in their work?"
"Well, I haven't heard of any, and I have had the cattle rounded up
three or four times and counted them; but I haven't much faith in the
accuracy of the count. I am beginning to suspect that both ranches have
lost a few, for I fear that the cowboys haven't kept as strict a watch
as they should have done. One day three big, rough follows came into the
store and wanted to raise a rough house, and I requested one of my
cowboys to go in there with me and help me to preserve the peace. Do you
remember that fellow whose name was Nick Henderson?"
"Yes, I know him," said Terry. "Did he stand by you all right?"
"You can bet he did. I wouldn't swap him for any of the cowboys I've
seen since I landed here. He doesn't understand the science of boxing,
but he does know how to use his muscles and no mistake, for he fanned
out two of those fellows with bare fists. One of them wanted to use his
gun, but I drew mine, and said that I would shoot first; so Nick just
cleaned out both of them, and I believe he is like you and Mr.
Fearnot--not afraid of anything. He is now said to be the best man on
either ranch, and he feels proud of the name."
Jack pointed out the house which he assigned to the carpenters, saying
that they had built bunks, brought down their own blankets and cooking
utensils, and that they were all satisfied with their work and their way
of living.
"I furnish them meat and bread," he said, "and they do their own
cooking, and I've been cooking my own meals, too."
"What sort of a cook are you, Jack."
"Well, I guess I weigh at least ten pounds more than I did when you left
here. Whether it is good cooking or not, I don't know; but it is good,
wholesome fare. I made coffee just as you taught me. I'm not good at
making biscuit, but I can make a good hoe-cake."
They went into Jack's kitchen, and looking at his utensils, saw that he
had a place for everything, and everything in its place.
"Jack; how did you learn to cook so well?" Terry asked.
"Why, I used to help mother a good deal, and I have the timber brought
up and cut and piled away, so it is easy to build a fire. I had a well
driven down in the yard out there, and a pump attached to it. It is not
as good water as that down at the spring, but it is better than the
average well around through this State, and I didn't have to drive down
but thirty feet, either."
"Good! If you were wrecked on a lone island, you would get along all
right, my boy. What is the bill of fare at your hotel now?
"Just anything you want that the market affords. When I want fish I go
but to the lake and get it. When I want quail or prairie chicken they
come right up to the house to be shot."
"All right, Jack. We'll help you cook, and if anything more is needed
than the market here affords, we will get it from Crabtree."
On further inspection they found that he didn't have a carpet in the
house, but that he had good sheets and blankets and pillows and
first-class mattresses.
"Fred," said Terry, "we'll have to live in this house until Jack gets
his home finished. We'll measure the size of those two rooms back there,
and one of us must go back to town to-morrow, buy carpets, have them
made, and lay in all other necessaries for Evelyn's comfort, and let her
invite some of the ladies up there to come down and rough it with us as
long as they are willing to do so. Evelyn, of course, will go with us
and assist us in making the purchases."
They went out into the stable lot, saw the horses kept there. Then they
visited the cow lot and their barns, and saw that the milch-cows were
looking well, and, of course, fat and yielding an abundant supply of
milk, which Jack sent up to Crabtree every day, besides having plenty of
butter and milk for all the cowboys in their employ.
Jack, too, had a good flock of chickens in his barn-yard, so he had
plenty of eggs; but he stated that he had not killed a single chicken
since Fred and Terry had gone North, as he preferred quail and prairie
chicken. He also stated that he had been compelled to clip their wings
very close, as his cowboys told him that if they got out they would find
such abundant feed in grass seed and other products of the plain that
they wouldn't come back home again.
"Don't you believe that, Jack. If a hen raises a flock of chickens and
she and they are fed regularly, they will never leave the place; but
chickens who are allowed to run everywhere, as most ranchmen let their
chickens, will, of course, become wild like any other fowl."
There were about a score of little pigs on the lot that were as fat as
butter and gentle as kittens.
"By George, Terry," said Fred, "won't Evelyn be delighted with these
little fellows? But we will have to have ducks and turkeys."
"Yes, wye can keep the ducks in bounds all right; but it will be a
little difficult to keep the turkeys in, unless we have a wire fence
enclosure reaching up about fifteen feet high."
"Oh, we can do that. Turkeys are very fond of wandering over a wide
range; but I think we can keep them in bounds."
That night, they had a good supper of broiled beefsteak, good hoe-cake,
milk and butter, and coffee in abundance. The two boys praised Jack
highly for his skill in managing things, and, of course, he felt very
proud.
They told him that Broker Middleton had used some money belonging to his
mother, and had made about twenty thousand dollars for her, which she
had sent by them in a draft which she had purchased in the bank.
Jack fairly whooped with joy.
"It's just in time," said he, "for I haven't been able to sell any
cattle at this season of the year."
"Jack," said Terry, "don't you worry about the future. You just take
good care of that money and don't use it except for necessities. How are
the cattle on your place?"
"Mr. Olcott, they are the finest cattle I ever saw in my life. You would
he astounded to see how they have picked up flesh. The ranchman that we
bought them from must have had very poor ranges for them to feed on."
"Oh, well, the grass out here has never been fed on before, except by
stray cattle, so I don't wonder at their being fat. When cold weather
comes we'll have many thousands of pounds more than the ranches above
here."
After supper some of the cowboys from both ranches came in to have a
talk with their employers. Every one of them was smoking a pipe, as they
could always buy tobacco at the store. The stock in the little store had
about doubled since Fred and Terry went north, showing that a good
business had been done.
"Jack, does the storekeeper keep his accounts straight?"
"Oh, yes. I watch him very closely. I think he is an honest man too, and
he doesn't sell anything on a credit except to the cowboys on your ranch
and mine. Other cowboys come in and want credit, but I told him not to
credit anybody off of our two ranches, as we can then always know how
much they owe before paying them off. The storekeeper says that cowboys
are generally careless about paying debts, except in bar-rooms."
Before going to bed, Fred and Terry measured the size of the two rooms
that they wanted to fit up for Evelyn, and Fred boarded the first
freight train engine that went up the next morning and so reached
Crabtree before Evelyn had finished her breakfast. She was very much
surprised at seeing him.
"Fred," said she, "where is brother?"
"He is down at the ranch, just the happiest boy you ever saw in your
life. He had milked two of the cows by sunrise this morning."
"I never knew brother to do such a thing before in his life," she
laughed. "How many cows are there?'
"Oh, about a dozen, and their milk is as rich as butter, and as yellow
as gold. It would tickle you to death to see Jack feed the little pigs
buttermilk. Each little pig tries to get more of it than his neighbor,
and then just to think, too, we have a good flock of chickens, those we
bought before we went up North; and Jack has never killed one. On the
contrary, he has bought upwards of a dozen hens, and the barn lot is
just overrun with little ones."
"Why, hasn't he killed any of them. Fred? Doesn't he like chicken?"
"Yes, he is very fond of them; but the quails and prairie chickens
actually come up and beg to be shot, and he has never had a chance at an
unlimited supply of game before in his life."
"Oh, Fred, when are you going back down there?"
"I'm going to-night."
"Well, can I go back with you?"
"Not just yet. I want you to go with me, though, and help me select two
carpets, which will be on the floor of your home."
So she ran upstairs and got her hat and gloves, and went out with him.
She wanted to select coarse ingrain carpets, saying that fine carpets
were not needed on a ranch.
"Evelyn, you must select the very best velvet carpets that can be found
in this city."
"Fred, that is reckless extravagance."
"No, it isn't. A good velvet carpet will last just twice as long as an
ingrain one. I'm not going to buy anything cheap. The best is always the
cheapest. I want sofas, chairs, rockers, and tables, and then such other
dainties as your good taste may suggest. It is to be the home of my
sweetheart and Terry's sister, and we expect you to have quite a number
of young ladies from Crabtree to go down there and spend as long a time
as they choose, to be company for you. Then I'll buy a bookcase and have
plenty of books and magazines; for both Terry and you, as well as I, are
fond of good reading. Then we must have some good strong oilcloth to put
on the kitchen and dining room floors," and she followed Fred's
instructions, and made her choice of the carpets, and Fred, in paying
for them, offered them to the dealer to have them made up at once. Then
they selected chairs, tables, bureaus, a bookcase, and everything else
that was conductive to comfort.
Evelyn was a little bit surprised when she saw what the total amount
came to, but Fred told her that she must not put in any objections,
whatever. He said that if she wanted to rough it she could go out of
doors into the barn lot, the cow lot, and the lot in which the pigs and
chickens were kept and amuse herself to her heart's content.
The greater part of the day was taken up in making their purchases.
Then, about sunset, Fred returned to the ranch on the engine of a
freight, leaving Evelyn in the hotel.
The lady guests of the house were quite disappointed, as they thought
they would hear him sing and play during the evening, but she told them
that he was preparing a house down on the ranch for her and a number of
their friends there in Crabtree, whom they were calculating on being
able to persuade to go down and spend some time with them.
Of course, quite a number of them were quite eager to go.
All that night Evelyn was dreaming of feeding a big flock of little
chickens and little pigs, and looking after and petting the mild-eyed
milch-cows, and awoke fully convinced that she was going to have the
happiest time of her life with her brother and her sweetheart as her
daily companions.
Many a time had she milked her mother's cows in Fredonia, and she
enjoyed the exercise as well as making butter.
Butter-making was a passion with her, and she understood it to
perfection.
The next day she talked quite a while with several married ladies,
particularly those who understood housekeeping and milking and
butter-making. The ladies seemed to be surprised at her enthusiasm, and
asked her if she had ever milked a cow, or churned butter, and her
replies actually staggered some of them.
She said that if she were worth a million dollars, that there was no
amusement she would rather indulge in than to milk cows, feed chickens,
gather eggs, and do all sorts of domestic work.
The idea of a society girl indulging in such amusements seemed
incredible to the ladies at the hotel.
Three days passed, which Fred and Terry improved by cleaning up around
the house. When the carpets came down, with men to lay them, the
furniture was moved in, and shades and lace curtains put up, until
really the plain little ranch house was more elegantly furnished than
many of the homes of the richest citizens in Crabtree.
Then, Terry went up to Crabtree after Evelyn. He went on a freight train
engine, and Evelyn wanted to come back on the same; but he insisted upon
hiring a carriage at the livery stable and driving her through.