The Ranch Girls and Their Great Adventure, Page 2

  CHAPTER II

  FRIEDA'S RIFT

  "DID Frieda say on what ship she would sail? It is odd she does notcable."

  The two friends were coming down from the third floor of Kent Housewhere the babies' nurseries were. Jack and Frank had two children--theoldest a small boy, something over three years old, and called Jimmie,in honor of Jim Colter, the Ranch Girls' guardian and the one-timeoverseer and now part owner of the Rainbow Ranch. The baby, who was onlya year old, had been named for Olive Van Mater, who had never seen heruntil her present visit. But there would be no confusion of names, foralmost immediately the small brother had rechristened his tiny sisterwith the charming little name "Vive," which was used for her always. Andsince Vive was the gayest and liveliest of babies, this name with itstranslated meaning, "Life" was supposed to be particularly appropriate.

  "No, Frieda did not say," Olive Van Mater returned. "But I presume shewill cable in a day or so. Frieda will expect you to be in London tomeet her. I am sure she will feel much aggrieved if you do not, but Ithink I won't come along, Jack, if I may stay with the babies."

  Lady Kent opened the door of a room.

  "Just as you like, Olive, only I hope Frieda will let me know in time.Frank is in London most of the week while Parliament is in session, andI'll have to ask him to make arrangements for us. The season is over, ofcourse, but the hotels are filled with tourists. It has been a wonderfulEnglish summer. I don't think there were ever more travelers. Well,Frieda's rooms are at least ready for her. I hope she may enjoy havingthe same ones she had when she came over to visit the first year afterFrank and I were married. I wonder if she ever thinks these days of howhard I tried to persuade her to believe she was too much of a baby tothink of marrying so soon? We should never have allowed her to marry thefirst person who ever seriously asked her. Oh, I know Frieda thought shehad already had a great deal of experience with her college boyadmirers, particularly the one we used to call 'The Chocolate DropBoy.'"

  In the meantime the two women had entered the apartment which was beingreserved for the expected visitor. The two rooms--a sitting room and abed room--were furnished in heavy, old fashioned English furnitureupholstered in delicately faded blue damask. The walls were also of thesame blue, while the panelings of the rooms were of English oak.

  Olive walked at once to a window in Frieda's sitting room.

  "I don't see how she can well help liking these rooms, besides thiswindow offers one of the most perfect views in the entire house."

  Olive could see across the slope of the park down to a stream, whichtwisted its way along the base of the hill. Beyond were the tall towersof Granchester church and not far away the roofs of the houses whichmade up the village.

  Then, to the left, one could acquire a charming view of the beginning ofthe Kent gardens--the low, carefully trimmed borders and the masses ofblooms, with a sun dial at the end of the center path.

  "Let us go into the garden for awhile, Jack," Olive suggested. "I thinkI enjoy it more in the morning than at any other time. Besides, I havebeen intending to ask if you suppose Frieda and her husband haveinformed each other that they are both sailing for England? It will beodd to have them meet each other here unless they do know."

  Jack shook her head. "I haven't any ideas on the subject, but Frank willhave to see that Professor Russell stays in London until we find outfrom Frieda. Sorry, but I can't go outdoors with you till thisafternoon. I've hundreds of things to do and have promised Frank towrite some letters which I have been putting off."

  In return Olive said nothing, although, as she was walking aboutoutdoors alone, she rather marveled at the change in her friend's life.As a girl Jacqueline Ralston's life had been entirely unordered; she haddone each day, after the sun rose over her beloved prairies, whateverthe day called her to do. Now, each of Jack's days seemed to follow anestablished routine. In the morning immediately after breakfast she sawher housekeeper; then she spent two hours with her babies, afterwardsanswering an immense amount of correspondence--and Jack had always hatedletter writing more than any other task. In the afternoon she wassupposed to be free for a few hours, and then there were guests to tea,or else Lady Kent was supposed to drive or motor over to make calls onher country neighbors.

  Of course such an existence with money and a high position might beregarded as ideal by most women. But Olive was puzzled, because thatkind of a life did not appear suited to the girl she remembered.However, as Jack seemed happy, Olive concluded that she must havechanged, as most girls do after marriage.

  This afternoon a number of friends had been asked to tea at Kent Housein order to meet Olive. When they went down into the garden together,where tea was to be served, Olive felt that her decision of the morninghad really been nearer the truth than she had then appreciated. Jacklooked like one of the fairest types of society women. She was dressedin white--an exquisite embroidered material--and had on a big soft whitegarden hat, trimmed with deep toned pink roses. The soft, damp Englishair had kept her color as vivid as ever and given her yellow brown hairan even finer gloss.

  On their way to the tea table in the garden, Jack stopped to pick forher companion a bouquet of lavender primroses and anemones and stars ofthe mist--flowers ranging from violet to pure white--for Olive waswearing a pale grey chiffon, which blended perfectly with her pronouncedoriental coloring.

  To the right of the garden, and a few yards from the flower beds, was aclump of trees. Because this July was warmer than is usual in England,Lady Kent had arranged to have tea here. There were small tables andchairs scattered about over the lawn, which was green as only an Englishlawn can be, but the tea table itself stood under the trees.

  Jack and Olive had hoped to have a talk before their guests arrived. Butthey had not been outdoors more than a few moments before their guestsappeared, the Rector and his wife, a Mr. and Mrs. Illington, and theirtwo daughters,--charming, tall, blonde English girls. Afterwards, itseemed to Olive that Jack was constantly introducing her to peoplearriving every few minutes during the next hour, in spite of the factthat she had also to preside over the serving of the tea.

  As Olive had never entirely recovered from her girlhood shyness, she wasdelighted to see how perfectly at ease Jack was. She appeared to be ableto discuss church matters with the Rector, and the latest bill up inParliament with an old gentleman who was the Earl of Granchester and asa Conservative was much opposed to the Liberal party of which Frank Kentwas a representative.

  Half an hour later, Olive wandered off with several of the guests towatch a game of tennis which was being started by the two Illingtongirls and two of their male friends who had come over to play.

  When Olive returned, she discovered that most of the other guests hadeither scattered or gone home. In any case Jack was alone, except for ayoung army officer, who must have just arrived, since Olive did notrecall having previously seen him. He was a splendid looking fellow,about twenty-five, with dark hair and eyes, and a skin which must havebeen tanned by other than the English sun.

  As Olive approached them she thought he made a particularly handsomecontrast to Jack's fairness. They were both laughing at the moment, butalmost immediately Jack jumped up from the chair where she had beensitting and waved to Olive.

  "Olive, dear, come meet the nicest kind of an Englishman--one who ishalf Scotch and the other half Irish," she called out. "Olive VanMater, this is Captain Bryan MacDonnell--an old school friend of Frank'sand sometimes a friend of mine."

  Captain MacDonnell bowed gravely, making no effort to return Jack'schallenge.

  "Bryan is just back from shooting 'big game' somewhere--make him tellyou about it, Olive, while I get rid of the last of these tiresomepeople." Jack made a grimace and shrugged her shoulders, her manner morelike her old self than Olive had noticed before.

  For about fifteen minutes she and Captain MacDonnell must have talkedtogether, but Olive decided that Jack's description of him had been verynearly true, whether she had meant it or not. Then, observing thatev
erybody else had gone and Jack was alone, they returned to her.

  "I'm sorry you can't dine with us tonight, Bryan," Lady Kent remarked onparting. "Olive and I are to be alone. Frank only visits his family nowand then, because he is so busy in town. No; I did not go up to Londonthis year for the season. I only went for a few days at a time, as I wasnot willing to leave the babies. Besides, you know I don't care as muchfor society as I should anyway."

  Then Captain MacDonnell said something which Olive did not hear.However, she did hear Jack's answer.

  "Ride with you tomorrow? I should think I will just as hard and as fastas possible and jump all the fences and ditches in this part of thecountry. I'm awfully glad you are back, Bryan, to help me get rid ofsome of my surplus American energy."

  That same evening, after a late dinner, Jack and Olive went into thelibrary together. As is often the case in English homes of distinction,the library at Kent House was the pleasantest room in the entire house.The books were on low shelves encircling the four walls, except for theopening left for a huge fireplace. Above the mantel was the head of astag. On one side hung a shield and on the other the Kent Coat of Armswith the motto "Semper Paratus" meaning "always prepared."

  Above the book shelves were portraits of Frank's ancestors, who had beencountry people in Kent county for a number of years, although the titlewas not an old one.

  In the places of honor were Frank's grandfather and grandmother--one ofthem a young man of about twenty in Court costume; the other a lovelygirl with fair hair and dark eyes and a particularly bright expression.

  "Frank likes to think Vive, the baby, looks like his grandmother," Jackdeclared as she stretched herself on a big leather lounge not far from apair of French windows, which opened on the veranda at the side of thehouse.

  "I hope you won't feel dull, Olive! As soon as Parliament closes, if youand Frieda like, we will have some people come to stay with us. I don'tlike the responsibility of visitors if Frank is not here. I have neverlearned to take guests so simply and easily as an English hostess does.It is one of the ways in which I am a social failure."

  "Nonsense," Olive announced, without paying much attention to what Jackhad said. She had picked up a magazine and was reading.

  An hour passed and Olive believed that Jack had almost fallen asleep.Now and then she would close her eyes, although the greater part of thetime she seemed in a reverie.

  As a matter of fact Jack was really thinking of the old ranch and thepeople at home, whom Olive's coming had brought to mind more vividlythan usual.

  "I'm glad Jean and Ralph are at the ranch this year with Ruth and Jim,"she said finally. "What a pleasure it must be to Jean that Ralph is sucha successful engineer--one of the biggest in the United States, Jimwrites. But Jim always liked Ralph better than any of the husbands. Henever could altogether forgive Frank for being an Englishman."

  "Oh Ralph has not been at the ranch much," Olive added, looking up fromher book. "He has been working out on the coast and at Panama, but Ithink Jean is glad to have a rest because she has traveled with him somuch."

  In the ensuing silence Jack must actually have dozed, and certainlyOlive found a more absorbing article in her magazine. But Jack must alsohave dreamed, for she woke thinking she heard a voice calling her fromoutdoors, "Jack! Jack!"

  This was, of course, out of the question except in a dream. Kent Housewas a mile from any place other than its own Lodge. Besides no one whomshe could possibly imagine would call out "Jack!" in such a fashion andat such an hour of the night.

  Nevertheless Olive looked surprised, so she too must have heard somekind of a noise.

  The second time the sound was heard, Jack started up.

  "Please ring the bell for the servants, Olive. I am sure I hear a voicecalling me. It sounds absurd and yet I must find out who it is. Even ifthe servants insist this house is haunted, no one has ever yet suggestedthat the lawn is also haunted."

  Then, in characteristic fashion, and without putting a wrap over herwhite dress or waiting for any one to accompany her, Jack ran throughthe library and out into the broad hall. There was no one near, so shepulled open the heavy front door.

  Leading up to Kent House was a winding avenue of trees. At some littledistance down the avenue, Lady Kent thought she could see a dark objectapparently standing still in the center of the road. Without pausingeven long enough for Olive to join her, she ran through the darknesstoward it.

  "Jack! Jack! be careful!" she heard the voice call, and this time sherecognized whose voice it was.