The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-09-12
Selected Story.
BETTY'S NARRATIVE.
BY ELLEN MACKUBIN.

SS$SSSSSS~SSS~S>%S >NS~S~S~S~S~SNS~>SS~S
HHE dainty dresses of half-a doz-
i en- young women who were
grouped on veranda, repeated in
pink and white and blue and yellow
the many colored flowers as the ter
raced garden. Golf had temporarily
engrossed the men of this "house
party" and rather slumberous 81
lence, born of the freshness of the
country air, sank presently upon the
deserted feminine assembly.
"We shall be asleep in another mo-
ment unless some effort is made to
keep us awake" a girl declared with
sudden energy. ''It would be too
notifying to confess to those fellows
when they return, that nap proved
our only resource in their absence.
Tell us story, Betty"
Three or four voices joined the sup
plant, until Betty Wharton implored
a pause to collect her thoughts.
They were all of them curious
about this old comrade who had left
them on her wedding-day three years
since to go to Texas ranch, whittier
her husband had been ordered by a
council of doctors as the sole remedy
for serious threatening of consump-
ton. Betty's letters were brief and
infrequent, but there was mention of
rough journeys and hard work, of
long illness and swift danger.
When the Whartons at length came
for their first visit, these friends, the
gay tenor of whose lives had run
smoothly through familiar channels,
expected to find many changes in the
wanderers. Yet they had found few!
Rex, indeed, showed regained health
by every glance and movement, and
the stories he told were as pictur-
esque as the adventures of sojour
ner in the wilderness should be. But
Betty seemed quite the same Betty
who had gone away. Was she, who
dressed and chartered SO blithely, the
woman who had worked and hoped
and dared SO dauntlessly as her hus
band declared?
"you remember Rex and | were
married in January" Betty began.
"We went Immediately to Southern
Texas, where he intended to buy part
of cattle ranch after trying the eli
mate for a time. Our journey was
tedious, the ranch rougher than we
had imagined, but, as long as cool
weather lasted, Rex improved, and
was able to be on his horse most of
the day."
did you ride with him?"
Betty laughed.
"When | had learned to manage
an animal | could never have mount
ed here. The education of Texas
housekeeper includes varied lessons,
and knowledge of horsehesh and
the use of firearms is considered as
important as the arts of washing and
cooking. We made gay bivouac of
our hardships while Rex remained
we'll. But with March the hot wealth
er began. To say that it began gives
no idea of its suddenness. 1t fell
upon us like an avalanche, and
crushed Rex. He ceased to eat or
sleep, and would return to me ex-
hausted by an hour in the saddle.
Early in April he had hemorrhage.
God knows how long it was before
they brought us doctor. 1t seemed
eternity. Then he rallied somewhat.
His pluck is limitless, and he insisted
upon riding again in the freshness of
the mornings. One day he dropped
into my arms as he dismounted, and
there was another hemorrhage. l had
learned what to do for him, and he
was better when the doctor arrived,
but could bear suspense no more. l
drew the doctor outside the cabin and
desired him to tell me what hope
there might be for us, and what pos
sibility of strengthening that hope.
We bought light wagon and pair
OF tolerably well broken horses, and
equipped with the merest necessaries
in clothing and provisions, we started
on the morning succeeding the doc
tors verdict. At the last he was very
near going with us, but there was