The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-11-22
California was at it's

and beauty, OF memories Of the glory
0f earth and sea and air, and we never
tired of telling our exploits. Mother
was always eager to hear us tell of
the golden glories Of the beautiful
West but father persistently refused
to be impressed until one evening we
spoke of the Bailey ranch, and that
struck him. I think we had been at
home about five months when one
night, very near to bed time we were
telling as we had SO often told before,
Of our visit to Uncle Dick and his little
bit of wheat ranch on the Stanislaus
river. We were telling of some of his
quaint ways and curious sayings, and
[ remember mother laughed until she
dropped half the stitches from her left
hand needle and Jack was trying to
pick them up for her, when said:
"The funniest thing Uncle Dick ever
did, though, was to conceive the idea
Of father buying the Bailey ranch"
The Bailey ranch" said mother,
"what is that?
Why" said I, sit is the most
miserable, desolate, dreary, wind
blown old horse ranch just a few miles
up the river from Uncle Dicks. Old
Mr.. Bailey was quite an extensive
stock raiser, and died year or two ago,
leaving this place to distant relatives
N tho r. ct hoon DHo 1
for sale ever since. Uncle Dick, who
had known the ranch in its
palmy days and who was we'll
aware of the quantities of money
Mr.. Bailey had coined from it's
rich pastures, was never tired of ex-
patiating upon its virtues. He came
in from the orchard one day, his hands
full of fruit as usual, and, giving me
nice large peach and half dozen or
so fresh almonds, said:
{" I tell you, wish the Judge would
come out here and buy the Bailey
ranch
Buy the Bailey ranch?' echoed
in astonishment. What would father
do with the Bailey ranch''
DO with it? DO with it?' Uncle
Dick fairly shouted. why, make
money with it, and lots Of it, too.
There's mo better pasture ranch in
Stanislaus county. Old Bailey raised
as good stock as you can find this side
of the Rocky Mountains, and if the
Judge would come out here and go to
raising horses and keeping pasture it
wouldn't be long before he'd be rich
man, tell you.
Clancy grandpa as ranchero,"
broke In Jack. "Grandpa, can you
throw a lasso?'
But father did not reply. He had put
away his paper some time before, and
now sat. gazing intently in the fire.
He turned to me suddenly. saying:
"How much do they ask for it?''
To our surprise for days father could
talk of nothing but the Bailey ranch.
1t got to be quite a joke with us, his
enthusiasm on the subject, bat it as
tonished ne very much when he came
to me one morning, as sat copying
brief for him and said:
when ycu have done that write to-
Dick and ask him to tell me all about
the Bailey ranch. If 1 can sell here:
we might 1aove out there; it would
not be bad plan to make new start;
I think it w@sld be best for us all.'
Uncle Dicls5 was not long in replying
to the letter.: The Bailey ranch. was,
still unsold; held for $500
TOO muclpn father said and, left
the room.
The subjects of the Bailey ranch. was,
dropped for some time; only in, the
moments of our EXTREMIST gayety
would we hold up to each other. the.
prospect of migration to its desolate
regions. Finally, as Jack expressed
it, father ''broke out again. He
wrote to Uncle Dick again and again.
and really seemed determined upon
the move 1t we could sell here and
make suitable terms there. Gradually
we got accustomed to the idea and it
marked turning point in our. lives.
We enjoyed with a keener relish the
pleasure We felt. We were soon to
leave and strove as best we could to
picture other joys that would come
into our lives. Only Jack aud I to.
getLer. alone in my little. studio,
would condole with each other over
the college course he must give up and
the art study abroad which I must
forego, and he would take my brushes
from my hand and turn my poor daub
of a painting to the wall and sit on a
stool beside me and tell me of the
mighty things we would achieve in