THE MARRIAGE OF CHARLES HERNE.
Two miles from the Herne ranch, toward Roseland, lived the Holbrooke
family.
On the afternoon of the day which was of such importance in the lives of
two of our characters, Mr. Holbrooke returned from a survey of his
orchard, to be met by his wife with a face full of mysterious
importance.
"I've got some news, James," she said. "Now guess what it is--
"Sophia has heard from one of her old beaux," said her husband
immediately.
"Get a pail of water and throw it over your dad, Sophia," said Mrs.
Holbrooke. "He's always joking you about your beaux. Well," she added,
"I see I'll have to tell you, you'll never guess. Charles Herne has just
gone by here with a bran-new suit of clothes, a bran-new matched team, a
bran-new harness, a bran-new buggy, and a bran-new wife. There! What do
you think of that?"
"Why," said her husband, "I think you may see them go by here some day
with a brand-new baby."
"The idea of your talking that way before Sophia; that's the way with
you men, your mind is always run on such things."
"Well," said her husband, "I don't think such a subject is very foreign
to your mind or Sophia's either."
"Sophy, let's you and I take your dad and throw him. We can do it," said
Mrs. Holbrooke.
Since the newly-married couple that caused so much interest in the
Holbrooke family had gone by, Sophia had laid down her novel, "The
Banker's Daughter," and was gazing dreamily out of the window. The young
lady being of a rather romantic turn of mind, had just been saying to
herself, "What a perfect day to be married. Will everything be as
beautiful on my wedding day, I wonder?"
"Well," said Mrs. Holbrooke, "whoever the lady may be, she has got a
good man and a lovely home."
"Yes," said her husband, "a good job was done when Charles Herne came
into the world."
"Don't talk so rough, James. I never saw a man like you in all my life,"
said his wife.
"The old man Herne had a long head on him when he sent Charles out into
the world to cut his own fodder," added Holbrooke, reflectively.
"Yes," said his wife, "those hired men of his wouldn't be acting like
gentlemen the way they are now if Charles had not gone out and rustled."
"Two years ago," he continued, "he devoted the entire proceeds from his
orchard for one year, after paying expenses, to fixing up the cottage
for his men. He had it painted and papered; had good carpets laid down
on the floors; large mirrors and pictures on the walls; put in two large
bathrooms with hot and cold water; a billiard table, lots of small
games, all the leading papers and magazines. Bought them a fine piano,
also an organ, and a lot of music, sacred and sentimental. He also
bought a fine matched team with a two-seated buggy, and said: 'Boys, I
want you to keep this team for your own riding out evenings, Saturday
afternoons and Sundays. Take care of it among yourselves, and I hope you
all may have many pleasant rides. There isn't a team in the country gets
more grooming than those colts, and not a man has been known to
overdrive them. I never see anything like it, those hired men at Herne's
live and act as if they were members of some gentlemen's club. They
always wash their hands in warm water in the winter, and are particular
about keeping their finger-nails clean. On Sundays to see those men
dressed up, you would think they had never seen dirt. You don't see
Herne's men on a Sunday morning spending their time in washing overalls,
shirts, and socks. Herne keeps a Chinaman to do that in the week day.
Why, if I was to go and offer one of those men a steady job at ten
dollars a month more than Herne pays, he would turn his nose up at me.
You can't get a man to leave; they stick to him closer than a brother.
He has ten standing applicants to fill the next vacancy he may have. And
did you ever see a place where men worked so orderly, harmoniously, and
thoroughly as they do on the Herne ranch? You don't see any of the trees
in his orchard barked through having careless, mad teamsters while
harrowing and cultivating. Herne's horses, harness, and machinery look
better and last more than twice as long, because the men take great
interest in caring for them. It's not all go out of pocket with Herne in
what he does for his men. Some pretty big returns come back."
"Yes," said Mrs. Holbrooke, "Lena Herne told me that her brother and
herself were sitting on the porch one evening, and she was talking to
Charles about the men and what he had done for them, when he said,
'Lena, I would not give up the love and respect which these men have for
me, and I for them, and the quiet, peaceful understanding that exists
between us, for all the ranches in the county.' She said that she and
her brother very often spent their evenings with the men in games,
singing and a general social time, and there are lots of young people in
the neighborhood that call on them to play croquet and lawn-tennis of a
Saturday afternoon or to spend a pleasant evening. Just think,"
continued Mrs. Holbrooke, "those men at Herne's only work five and a
half days in the week, and those days are short ones. I tell you,
Holbrooke, those men have a far better time than you do, though you own
a ranch and they don't; you are a slave compared to them."
"Some of the men say that Herne don't talk Christianity to them, but he
puts some mighty big Christian principles in practice," said her
husband.
It was as Sophia had mentally said, "A perfect day to be married on."
The newly married couple, as they journeyed from Roseland to Treelawn,
found the sun just warm enough to be pleasant, for it was in the early
part of March. The road was in fine condition, for there was neither mud
nor dust. A gentle breeze wafted the sweet scented odors from the
flower-decked fields, with their carpets of green. All nature seemed
smiling, for was it not its mating season? What was all the chattering
going on in the trees and the songs in the bushes, but the feathery
tribe making love to each other. It seemed as if on this day all Nature
was singing one grand anthem with a hallelujah chorus.
As the happy pair looked at the scene, they forgot for the moment their
own happiness in the contemplation of Nature's grandeur.
Before them rose the variegated hills of the Sierras, the sun bringing
out the brilliant coloring of the rocks; higher behind these the
glittering snow-covered peaks, and above all the matchless blue of the
heavens.
To them the world seemed indeed all joy and beauty, and a home together,
a paradise. And so they entered upon the new life.