OLD FRIENDS AND SOMETHING MORE
JEAN did not recognize the newcomer at once. Then she held out her hand,
trying to speak naturally.
"Mr. Parker, I am so glad to see you. I was afraid you were not coming
back at all. Princess, Mr. Parker built our new house. Mr. Parker, this
is our friend and guest, the Princess Colonna."
The tall man bowed politely. "I was told to bring you and the Princess
Colonna back to the ball room if you would consent to come," he
returned.
From out of the shadow the slender, blond woman rose quietly, taking a
few steps forward. "I shall be most happy to go back with you, Mr.
Parker," she replied. And then standing within a few feet of her new
acquaintance she stared at him curiously.
"Theodore Parker, it isn't fair of you after all these years to have me
recognize you when you have forgotten me. It makes me think that I must
look a great deal the older!"
But with a laugh the woman held out both hands, and now standing in the
light that fell from a yellow shaded lantern the Princess' face and
figure were in plain view.
"Beatrice, the Princess Colonna! Why of course I have known your name
always. How stupid of me not to have thought! But I could never have
dreamed of meeting you out here in Wyoming. The Prince, your husband?"
"He is dead," the woman answered. And then turning to Jean: "It is odd,
dear, but Mr. Parker and I have known each other a very long time. It
gives me great happiness to see him again and makes me think of that
girl I have been telling you about. Won't you come back to Mrs. Colter
with us?"
But Jean shook her head and the man and woman moved away, leaving her
alone.
It was in this same place that Ralph Merrit, also trying to steal away
from the guests, found her ten minutes later.
Left to herself, Jean had been crying softly, although she could not
exactly have explained the cause. Life was such a jumble--one wanted so
much and had so little! Then often the very thing that had seemed fair
and desirable turned to bitterness and regret! Well, to one thing she
had at least made up her mind--she would not marry Giovanni. Yet she had
promised to give him an answer within the hour.
Hearing Ralph's step she started nervously. And then with the
familiarity of old acquaintance she frowned upon him.
"I thought you were the Prince Colonna," she began crossly.
Ralph stiffened. "I am sorry that I am not. I had no idea of disturbing
you. But I'll go and find your Prince if you like."
"He is not my Prince; don't be stupid, Ralph, and do please sit down. I
don't see why you feel it so necessary to avoid me recently."
"Don't you?" Ralph answered. Then for several moments he said nothing
more. However, though he did not appear to be looking, he had a clear
enough vision of Jean's face, her dark eyes swimming in unshed tears,
her heavy lids and the pallor of her cheeks.
"Jean," Ralph swung himself around swiftly and Jean saw the firmness of
his lips, the decisive outline of his jaw and his high, almost noble
forehead, "if there is any one in this world, I don't care who or what
he is, who has done anything or said anything to make you unhappy, why
if I can, won't you let me help to straighten things out. You said just
now that the Prince Colonna was not your Prince. Perhaps you were only
angry at my tactless way of expressing things, but if there is any
trouble between you--" the young man hesitated.
"But there isn't--not the slightest," Jean replied with the familiar
shrug of her shoulders and that demure expression about the corners of
her mouth and in her brown eyes that her old friend remembered so well.
"The truth is, Ralph, that I am tired of your and of other people's
pretending that you believe the Prince Colonna and I are engaged to each
other. Because we are not, and never will be." This was as unreasonable
and inconsistent a speech as any girl could well manage to make.
"Thank the Lord!" Ralph replied, so unconsciously and so sincerely that,
as he was not looking toward her at the moment, the girl allowed herself
to smile.
"I don't see why you should be so glad, Ralph?" she murmured.
"Oh, don't you?" Ralph answered between his teeth. "Then to the best of
my ability I'll tell you, Jean Bruce. I love you, I always have loved
you from the hour I saw you drying your hair by that brook in the
wilderness, say a thousand years ago! So now if you are not going to
marry this Italian youth, why it gives me a longer chance to keep on
working and working until I have something to offer you that you wish,
money, position."
Swiftly the girl rose, laying her fingers gently against the young man's
lips.
"Don't say those last words to me again, Ralph. I feel tonight that I
never, never wish to hear them again. You have the thing already I want
most in the world if you are willing to give it to me. Why haven't you
understood in these last few months? I couldn't exactly propose to you,
could I, dear?" Jean questioned demurely.
Ten minutes afterwards Jean, with a rose-colored shawl wrapped about her
shoulders, arm in arm with Ralph, was walking about outdoors, forgetful
of the autumn coldness, of the guests who were asking for her, of
everything in the whole world except her own happiness. Finally she was
surprised by seeing two other figures approaching them who were equally
oblivious.
With a low laugh Jean drew herself and her companion into the shadow.
"Jack and Frank!" she whispered. Then, as the other girl and man were
nearly opposite them, "I thought you both promised Jim not to do this
sort of thing, at least not tonight, Jack Ralston," Jean began
unexpectedly. "Yet I am glad to have found you alone, because I want to
tell you first that I am very happy. I don't want other people to know
it just yet, but I too am going to be married."
There was a note in Jacqueline Ralston's voice as she replied that to
save her life she could not conceal.
"I am very glad for your sake, Jean darling," Jack answered. "You know
how much I shall hope for your and Giovanni's happiness."
"Giovanni's?" Jean's manner now suggested unutterable reproach. Ralph
Merrit stepped forward and stood close beside Jean.
"Hasn't any member of my beloved family sense enough to guess that I
have always cared for Ralph, or at least I have always cared for him in
the past six months," Jean protested. "It is only that I have had to do
desperate deeds to make him care for me."
But the girl's next words were smothered in Jack's embrace, while Frank
was giving Ralph's hand such a squeeze that though it was considerably
hardened from labor, it was difficult for him not to wince.
Then the four young people were so interested in one another that they
paid no attention to two other persons who were seen coming toward them,
until they finally discovered one of them to be Frieda. She was looking
more ethereal than ever in a long pale blue silk coat with a chiffon
scarf about her blond head, and was accompanied by the Professor.
"Whatever are you doing out here? It seems very rude to our guests,"
Frieda murmured reproachfully. "I am sure Jim and Ruth will think it
very rude of you."
"But, Frieda, baby," Jack protested, "aren't you and Professor Russell
also out here, as you call it? I can't see that we are much more to
blame than you."
Frieda gazed upward at the serious young man, who returned her glance
with such solemn gravity that Jack felt a shiver of apprehension, while
Jean stared at the new-comers closely, as if trying to solve a puzzle.
"Oh, no, it is not the same with us," Frieda answered serenely. "You see
Ralph and Jean are not engaged at all, and you and Frank have been
engaged such a long time, Jack, so you ought to be used to it by now.
But Henry and I, why we just become engaged half an hour ago, so of
course we like to be out in the moonlight together," Frieda ended
conclusively.
* * * * *
Five years have passed away and Jacqueline Ralston is now "Lady Kent"
with a small son of her own to inherit the title, while Frank is a
well-known Liberal member of Parliament. But they still make frequent
trips back to the old Rainbow Ranch, which Jack, in spite of her
affection for her new home, has never ceased to love better than any
other place on earth.
And these home-comings of Lord and Lady Kent and the small "James Colter
Kent" are usually the signal for a foregathering of all the four Ranch
girls with their husbands and families under the great sheltering roof
of "Rainbow Castle."
For no one of the girls now lives continuously at the Ranch, which is
still left to Jim's devoted management. As much as possible of their
time Jean and Ralph and their small daughter, Jacqueline, spend with
them--partly in order that Ralph may continue to supervise the working
of the Rainbow Mine which has not yet failed in its output of gold.
Ralph Merrit has recently become one of the best known mining experts in
the United States, so that his advice is constantly being asked both in
this country and abroad. And wherever he travels Jean and her little
girl accompany him, for Jean has become one of the most devoted and
absorbed of wives.
After the entirely surprising announcement of Frieda Ralston's
engagement to Professor Russell on the night of their ball at the ranch,
Jack, Ruth and Jim Colter seriously opposed her marriage. In the first
place, Frieda was too young to know her own mind; Professor Russell was
more than ten years her senior and they had not a single taste in
common. So by and by Frieda was brought to consent to having her
engagement postponed. Afterwards she spent one whole year in England
with Jack, seeing as much of society and young men as her sister could
arrange for her. Nevertheless, to everybody's surprise, Frieda stuck to
her original choice and two years after her engagement became Mrs.
Russell. She is exceedingly happy.
So far Frieda has no children, but lives with her husband's parents, and
as he is an only child, they continue to spoil and adore her. Also the
grave young professor, who has never outgrown his first impression of
Frieda as a glorified doll, still treats her as if the least harshness
would utterly destroy her.
Olive Van Mater is unmarried and already insists upon calling herself an
old maid. She is not devoting her life to teaching the Indians, although
she has partly fulfilled her old dream. At the close of the year, when
her grandmother's final will was read, to the immense surprise of every
one, Olive inherited one-half her large fortune, the other half being
divided among the Harmon family. For the will announced that if any girl
was able to show such self-will and such disregard of wealth as Olive
had shown, should she fail in the interim to marry Donald, that
therefore she alone deserved her grandmother's inheritance. As this
money was far more than Olive wanted or needed, she was thus enabled to
found an agricultural school among the Indians, which was to teach them
to combine their old knowledge with the new discoveries of science and
so to make life happier, if possible, for a misunderstood race.
Yet Olive was to marry in the end an artist whom she finally met while
visiting Jack and Frank at Kent House. The young man was poor and
unknown then, but his first success was won with a painting of the head
of his beautiful wife and daughter.
Possibly Jim and Ruth might have been lonely now and then at the old
ranch, except for the fact that in the course of time they had four
daughters of their own besides Jimmikins and each one bore the name of
one of the former Ranch girls.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 26, "contenance" changed to "countenance" (and gentle countenance)
Page 31, "one" added to text (no one else was)
Page 73, "frienship" changed to "friendship" (old friendship was)
Page 80, "you'r" changed to "you're" (way you're running)
Page 82, "he" added to text (he had recently)
Page 106, "to day" changed to "today" (today hunting for)
Page 166, "dreadully" changed to "dreadfully" (you so dreadfully)
Page 181, "petulence" changed to "petulance" (and of petulance)