17 - Ranch Girls at Home Again by Margaret Vandercook

In this closing volume of the Ranch Girls series, romance takes center stage as the four girls return to Rainbow Ranch. Familiar faces and new adventures lead to heartfelt conclusions.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Vok's recordings in the public domain Olive's remorse. Back at
the lodge, Olive undressed and lay down upon the bed
for a short rest. Afterwards, when she felt that Jack
must surely have received a message, she rose and put
on the lavender frock that was the other girl's special favorite.
Olive was by this time no longer tired, but in

(00:22):
better spirits, since she had been for several weeks. For
in less than an hour, perhaps things would be entirely
cleared up between herself and her best friend, dear old Jack.
Was there ever any one else in the world quite
so generous or so absurd? Did Jack really think that
she had the privilege of bestowing her lover upon her
friend simply because she was under the impression that the

(00:45):
friend desired him. What would Frank have had to say
in the matter, then, Olive blushed? Possibly, after all, she
had been more absurd and alarming herself, even for an
hour or a day, to think that she cared for
a man as far beyond her reach as the moon.
Let her be honest with herself, at least, had she

(01:05):
not actually shed tears in secret? And this when from
the very beginning of their acquaintance. Frank Kent had always
been her only loyal and devoted friend, and nothing else. Well,
matters would soon be sensibly adjusted. In the living room,
oliveh found Ruth and Jean's sewing, but in reality devoting
by far the greater portion of their time to admiring

(01:28):
the baby, who, from inside his crib was placidly surveying
the world with the dignity of a philosopher. Where is Jack, Olive,
Ruth inquired, at once, frowning and glancing toward an open window.
It is so hot. I am afraid we are going
to have a storm. And I have been reproaching myself
all day for letting you girls start out on such

(01:49):
a wild goose chase this morning. Why on earth did
Jack not send the man after the stock? Jean looked
up from her work. Oh, don't worry about Jack. She
has been doing this kind of thing ever since she
could walk or ride, and she began both at about
the same time. I believe Jack did send one of
the cowboys off in one direction, while she and Olive

(02:09):
and Carlos took the other. But you know, most of
the men have gone with Jim and Frank to a
round up a good many miles off. I wonder if
they will be back in time for dinner. During this speech,
the door of the living room had slowly opened in Frida,
in a white muslin frock with a big book under
her arm, had quietly entered. Her cheeks were flushed and

(02:31):
her expression so uncommonly serious that, remembering Jack's story of
her younger sister's devotion to the professor, Olive smiled. However,
Frida's first remark was an odd one. I am sorry
if you have left Jack and Carlos together, Olive. She
began puckering her white brow. I don't believe any one
in this family realizes how Carlos hates Jack. I think

(02:55):
if he could, he would like to do her an injury.
You see, she tries to boss him, and he perfectly
lowes having any one dare interfere with him. Then Carlos
is so lazy, and Jack is no use for any
one who is lazy except me. I wish she would
come home. If I had not promised mister Russell to
go on reading to him, I should go out and

(03:17):
look for her. Frida walked over to the front window,
and the next moment Ruth joined her. They both stood
staring ahead of them, hoping for a sight of the
familiar brown figure on horseback. For Jack usually rode up
to the house with such a splendid rush towards the
inn that even under ordinary circumstances, a vision of her
was worth while. Don't be tiresome, baby and frighten, Ruth Jane, expostulated.

(03:43):
Olive said nothing, but slipped out of the room and
haul into the garden. It would not be worth while
to trouble the others with the story of the difficulty
between Jack and Carlos that morning. Nevertheless, it was not
pleasant to recall the expression on the Indian boy's face
during their ride home, nor his long silence. Of course,
he rarely spoke to other persons, but ordinarily he engaged

(04:06):
in long confidences with her, talking of the birds, wild flowers,
any outside thing which he saw and loved. Surely, in
ten or fifteen minutes more, the two wayfarers must return.
In the meantime, Olive would not go back to join
the others, as it would not be wise to communicate
her own nervousness to them. So for the next quarter

(04:28):
of an hour she walked up and down outside the lodge,
making several trips to the stables to see if the
stableman had any suggestions to make, and to inquire what
they thought concerning the possibility of a storm, for there
was no use in trying to argue the truth away.
The atmospheric conditions were strange and depressing unless the wind changed,

(04:49):
driving the single black cloud in an offsete direction, something
out of the common wishure to occur, if only Frank
Kent or Jim Colter, or even the cowboys belong belonging
to the ranch word at home in order that they
might go out and look up the wonderers. Finally, Olive
sent the two men who took care of the private
stables to reconnoiter. Then, on her way back to the lodge,

(05:13):
she found Jane hurrying in the direction of the ranch house.
I want to find Ralph Merritt and ask his advice
as soon as possible, Jane explained, it is so late
now he is sure to have quit work at the mine.
Ruth is convinced that we are going to have a
cyclone and is nearly frantic over Jack and Jim and
Frank all away from home. Yet I hate having Ralph

(05:35):
start out alone. He does not understand what the weather
out her means so well as the rest of us,
even if he has been here a good many years now.
But I must confess I wish that Frida had not
made that uncomfortable speech about Carlos's disliking Jack so much.
I am afraid it is true, Oh Olive, what a

(05:56):
pity it is that you happen to leave them. This
was the only one word of reproach that any member
of the Rainbow Ranch family made to Oli Van made
her during all the excitement and distress that came afterwards,
And of course Jean did not mean her words to
carry a sting. They were only an obvious exclamation. Nevertheless,

(06:17):
Olive did not require outside censure to make her suffer
as keen remorse as was possible to her sensitive and
devoted nature, for she knew herself to be far more
responsible for the day's catastrophe than any one would ever dream.
Only the edge of the sandstorm swept the neighborhood of
the Rainbow Lodge half a mile from the house. It

(06:37):
veered in its unaccountable way, carrying its destructive force straight
across the adjoining ranch, wrecking half a dozen valuable buildings
and killing a large number of cattle. Yet it came
sufficiently near the lodge for everybody inside the house to
understand what was happening, even if Jim called her, and
Frank Kent and a dozen of the cowboys had not

(06:58):
ridden home furiously only five or ten minutes before, having
raised the wind storm across the prairies and come off victorious.
Both looked fairly worn out as they came clanking into
the living room, still in their writing clothes and boots
and covered with a fine coating of yellow sand. Gee
hosts a fat But it is good to be indoors,

(07:20):
Jim exclaimed at once, putting his arm about his wife
and gazing round him. It is a good thing. Frank
isn't a tenderfood, even if he is an Englishman. For
if that sand storm had struck us, well, I'm not
going to put on airs. I have been a ranchman
now for a good many years, but I never feel
very hopeful that anybody such a gale hits is going

(07:42):
to come out alive. Then, perhaps, in answer to the
thought in the mind of every person in the room,
Jim ended abruptly, where's Jack. Hasn't she manners enough to
say howdy to the two fellows who have nearly ridden
themselves to death. Following his speech, Jim was not immediately
aware of the peculiar, strained silence in the room, although

(08:03):
Frank knew instantly that something had occurred in which Jack
had a part. Under the western tan of the past
few weeks, his face whitened, but he set his teeth
and straightened his broad shoulders, for his was a strength
of will and of character worthy to match with Jack,
incapable of longer endurance. For a moment, no one seemed

(08:24):
to dare to answer Jim's question, And then it was
not Ruth or any one of the three ranch girls
who replied, but Henry Russell, who had hoppled into the
living room on his crutches, forgetting his terror and dislike
of girls in his effort to offer his friendly sympathy,
and incidentally, though he himself was not aware of it,

(08:44):
to keep the lovely blond doll of his first acquaintance
from making herself more miserable than necessary. Aye, I am
afraid missus calder And and the others are feeling a
little uneasy about Miss Ralston, he murmured. She went out
this morning with the Indian boy Carlos, to ride over
the ranch, and she has not come in just yet.

(09:07):
I have told them that she certainly must have taken
refuge with a neighbor or else, that the storm has
not come within her vicinity. They tell me that these
western Sorochos are very freakish. But neither Jim, Colter nor
Frank had heard anything except the first part of their
visitor's speech. Afterwards, Jim paid no attention to any one

(09:27):
in the room except Alena over and kiss Ruth. We
will find her in a little while. Don't worry. Jack
is always getting into scrapes, and being grown up seems
to make little difference, he remarked grimly as he marched off,
But Olive clung desperately to Frankkin's arm as he tried
to follow him. Please let me speak to you a
minute alone before you go, she pleaded. Then, when they

(09:51):
were out in the yard and away from the others,
she put her hand on Frank's arm and looked at
him with an earnestness which he did not in the
least understand. When you find Jack, will you please give
her this message from me, she asked, tell her that
she has been making a dreadful mistake all along, and
that there is nothing in the world that will make
me so happy as to hear of her engagement to you.

(10:14):
Please tell her this when you first find her, don't
wait until you are at home again. With a rather
unusual show of emotion, Frank pressed both of Olive's hands
in his You believe that Jack really cares for me,
he demanded, and then, as Olive bowed her head without replying,
he mounted a fresh horse, riding away in the direction

(10:35):
that Olive had indicated. End of Chapter seventeen. Read by
Nancy Cochrane, Gergen Gilbert Arizona, March fourteenth, two thousand, twenty three.