Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-20

4
prove of these rather outre proceedingsr
Lucille Granger, you make me tired You
would be an uncommonly companionable crea-
/ ture II one could only crack the conventional
shell you are eternnlly done up in. But then,
/ spite Of the fact that you won't let your soul
I grow, love YOU" Dickie Was almost angry
when she began. but she couldn't keep it up.
a summer such we have Just spent would
| give You a lot Of new ideas Of life. II girl
can't go with her own father to her own house
and spend few weeks unchaperoned this old
world is coming to pretty pass. l was born
on that ranch in that sod house, and I'm proud
| of it II I'd lived more years there and fewer
In the city would be a better girl today, il not
so accomplished. Mamma and 1 have our
rooms at the ranch ready for us at any hour.
The housekeeper is a dear old lady, An aunt by
marriage. The foreman Is a gentleman BY birth
and education and my fathers partner. Al for
the cow punchers. whom you seem to think be-
long to a new species Of the mammal man,
there some Of them ignorant and brutal,
but they are not found around the Sunhower
ranch; barring the education and society
veneer i doubt if they are much worse morally
than many Of the men whose arms encircle
your waist and mine every night during the
dancing season.
1t was long speech for Dickie and she was
very much in earnest. Lucille was over
whelmed.
You must admit that they have very un-
conventional manners" she began, apologetic-
ally, "and such odd names. Do you say Mr..
Foreman and that other-'Kissimee' some
body?"
The girls fairly shrieked at Lucile's uncon-
scious sally.
THAT isn't his real name, or at least it isn't
the HANDLE" Dickie managed to explain
finally. 'IIe is known in art and musical cir
cles in Boston, where he has played one Of the
biggest pipe organs for years. as Mr. James Ber-
trand Kissime6 His health failed, and the
position of second boss on a comfortable
ranch offered quicker returns in wealth and
health than months Of ideness. Dan Dare is a
kind of cousin, who found himself graduate
OF Harvard at twenty-five with bankrupt
pocket book. Papa offered him q chance to
begin life and regain his health, almost wrecked
by hard study, and he sensible enough to
take advantage of it. One Of the real cow
boys-I mean one who actually herded cattle
was young divinity SUDDEN. and q splendid
fellow. Don Jose was a bad lot. but his family
is among the best in New Mexico
And he was SO handsome" murmured
Mamie. ecstatically.
But what did You do when these-people
were not about? They had to work, sup
pose"
Lucille had lost her tone of hauteur and was
really seeking light
There must be hollow where your bump
of imagination should be located, Lucille" said
Mamie teasingly. at isn't absolutely essential
to even your happiness that man should be at
a.,
the wayl Do you remember the perfectly d.
vine manner in which that foreign attache res
cued your card case from mud puddle at the
foot Of the Capitol steps one day last winter?
Well. he can't hold a tallow dip to our divinity
student for grace. One day when he was going
to help brand bunch Of steers he said might
go along. He told me they were just up from
the Pan Handle and pretty wild and that If any
thing happened was to stick to my horse and
dash for the ranch. Well, the something hap
pened. The branding pen gave way somewhere
and let all the cattle out. I made the DASH
pulled my horse too short and the lunge threw
me OF. The divinity student came sweeping
down on me, and just as though he meant to
ride over me; he stopped and caught me by the
belt as gracefully as the foreign attache caught
your card case, tucked me under his arm and
without drawing rein held me till we reached
the ranch veranda. suppose matters would
have been complicated if my old tennis belt had
given away. but you see when they worked we
were quite often along with them"
I'VE had plenty of amusement" said Ger
trude; there were our books and music. and
We hunted. fished, rode horseback in the moon
was no lack Of entertaining employment"
"Just you four girls?''
'Good gracious, no." groaned Dickie. "do
You suppose the ranch is in the middle Of
Sahara? There are lots of nice girls on the
adjoining FARMS
asked Mamie, irrelevantly.
I'VE entertained few friends at lunch. and
in the evening attended a delightfully."- selected
lawn party at the Elms."
''We had a lawn party, too, laughed the ire
pressible Mamie. my, but wouldn't it have
NEE Jim arranged il. It was a fancy dress rid
ing party. Dickie was the Goddess Of Liberty
in a habit Of red. white and blue, and the fore
man was Uncle Sam. There were just enough
other girls for the thirteen original states. l
was 'Knickerbocker Gretchen Cert was
Priscilla.
winnie was little Penn Quaker. Don Jose
represented a dashing Spanish cavalier to per-
lection. and the divinity student made q superb
prince barring the fact that his hair was trife
too short. We had splendid horses and pre-
sented quite patriotic appearance as We gal
loped over the prairies in our giddy trappings.
Aunt Hannah and Dutch Pete had preceded us
with The grub and nose paint as Pete per-
sisted IN styling our lunch and ingredients for
punch. The grove was hung with flags and
nice floor was laid for dancing. while convenient
tree stumps and boxes were covered with fur
rugs for seats. violinist from neighborinR
ranch had been rounded up for the occasion,
and in the superlative Of country society editors
when evening fell all der arted to their homes
feeling that pleasanter time was never had ="
''fou forgot about the singing in the gloam-
ing to the music Of Don Jose's guitar" said de-
nlure Winnie reproachfully.
And the ride home under the calm-eyed
stars" added Gertrude, with romantic enthu-
siasm- Eve had the hounds with us and every
little while they would scare up rabbit or ante
lope and go yelping of over the hills, and the
whole party pell neil after them until q
barbed wire fence or hedge row stopped US
then we had u regular time finding the trail
again II is 30 easy to get lost on the prairies
even in broad daylight, if there are no land
marks visible"
"Gert is authority on the lost child bust
ness" said Dickie, tauntingly. .'She went
skurrying down a deep ravine after the dogs,
and her horse threw her and ran off home. He
passed us ut some distance. but in the dark we
could not tell that she wasn't on him, and never
knew until We got home fifteen minutes later
and found the Terry in his stall that Gerry was
lost on the prairie"
"How perfectly terrible" said Lucille, horror
stricken. ''What did YOU do?"
81 sat down and cried" replied Gertrude
candidly. Il was nearly frightened to death.
They couldn't hear me call, knew, for they
were making more noise than the dogs. had
had little uDpleasantness with D, Mr.. Dare,
and he had ridden ahead, so was quite alone,
and rs we were not very far from the ranch
they thought when the horse dashed past
them that was just irving to get ahead Of
them finally climbed up the bank Of the
ravine and while stood there wondering what
on earth to dc. for il had been in the moon
couldn't have been more bewildered, heard
horses hoofs and soon saw the outline Of o
rider. i called and Mr.. Dare rode up. OF