The Forrest City times., 1896-02-28
TRIAL BY FIRE,


born Englishmen who come to Califor-
ma with younger sons portion and
a small monthly allowance, and hope
to make fortune on a vineyard or a
wheat ranch. The plan always looks
feasible in England, and the agent as
sures his victim that the 1000 will
buy ten-acre plot, plant vines, build
a decent bungalow and tide the owner
over until the vines shall bear and
bring him harvest of good American
gold.
The major was going the way OF
many of his English friends. The
l,000legacy was gone, and the month.
ly allowance of eco (Which, viewed
from a distance, seemed large) always
grew painfully small as it neared Cali
tornia and the debts it was supposed
TO cover. The majors little mountain
vineyard had been destroyed by phyl-
loXera, and he was living on the uncer-
tain promise of number of green
shoots, called, respectfully, "the olive
orchard" But the major was not un-
happy. When he was not tilling the
Bull, oil OI hio littiC WIN
his briarwood pipe between his teeth,
and studied the long, narrow, pictu-
esque Napa valley far below.
1t may be that the majors failure to
succeed in the grape business was not
the fault of the country, but that his
genial, impractical nature was the true
obstacle to success. The major was, in
fact, the most helpless Englishman
who ever came to California to take
care of himself. The poor fellow be-
came so convinced of this after a short
trial that he engaged man to act as
valet to himself and incidentally cook
the meals for both. The major was
n solitary bachelor then. The gods
alone know in what unpropitious mo-
ment he picked up Pete, to hang about
his neck, a milestone of inefficiency.
Pete's poverty must have been his rec
cmmendation and the majors poverty
the excuse for keeping him. Pete had
about as much knowledge of laying OUT
and caring for mans wardrobe as
the major had of running a ranch. The
consequence was that the major often
presented himself at his friends
houses in the most surprising garb, u
combination of white duck trousers,
black frock coat and russct hunting
boots being one of Pete's masterpieces.
In his capacity as cook Pete was not
one whit more efficient, and often suf-
fered mental agony over the ponderous
directions of the majors French COOK
book, which were like the hieroglyph-
les of the ancients to his clouded intel
lect. Considering the diet of sour bread
and timed meats which Pete provided,
il is only less than marvellous that his
Ienefactor was still alive.
When the major married Ellie Smith,
a pretty San Francisco girl, Pete was
promoted to be manager of the ranch,
and expended his grooming talents on
the pet mule. The majors wife was
artistic" She had studied sketching,
and did some really clever bits. Her
admiring husband was sure that she
possessed the divine afflatus, and con
seouently much time was devoted to
art and little time to ranching.
But this was not without protest
from one individual. Not that he was
disturbed by lack of work, but poor
Pete was oftener than not the unwill
ing model for Ellie's clever studies.
One day Pete posed for ''The Man With
the Hoe" His temper was particular
ly tried on that occasion, for he had
taken up his tool with the honest inten-
ton of wedding the primitive vegeta-
ble garden. Though he had scudded
through the back yard and climbed the
rear fence, he had not counted on meet
ing his young mistress in the barnyard.