The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-03-05
TRIAL BY FIRE.

VI The major. WIS one Of the many we'll
d born Englishmen who come to Califor-
mn with younger sons portion and
ny small monthly allowance, and hope
ITO make fortune on vineyard or a
wheat ranch. The plan always looks
u feasible in England, and the agent as
&ures his victim that the $1,000 will
buy tcn-acre plot, plant vines, build
W. 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
stE 1,O00 legacy was gone, and the month.
Sly allowance of eco (Which, viewed
from distance. seemed large) always
grew painfully small Us it neared Cali
B fornia and the debts it was supposed
to cover. The majors little mountain
Is ineyard had been destroyed by phyl-
1oxera, and he was living on the uncer-
tain promise of number of green
shoots. called respectfully. 1.-THE olive
4 orchard" But the major was not un-
happy. When he was not tilling the
soil. he sat on his little vcranda, with
/ his briarwood pipe between his teeth.
and studied the long. narrow, pictu-
esque Napa valley far below.
a It 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 a man to act as
valet to himself and incidentally cook
the meals for both. The major was
q solitary bachelor then. The gods
alone know in what unpropitious mo-
ment he picked up Pete, to hang about
bis neck, milestone OF ineftciency..
Pete's poverty must have been'his rec
ommendation and the ajor ssPoverty'
the excuse for keeping him. Pete had
about as much knowledge OF laying OUT
and caring for q mans wardrobe a.
the major had of running ranch. The
consequence was that the major often
presented himself at his friends
houses in the most surprising garb,
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-
ics of the ancicnts to his clouded intel:
lect. Considering the diet of sour bread
and timed meats which Pete provided,
IT. issonly less than marvellous that his
.5enefactor was still alive.
. When the major married Ellie Smith.
q pretty San Francisco girl, Pete was
promoted to be manager Of the ranch,
and expended his grooming talents on
the pet mule. .Fhe majors wife was
4'artistic." She had studied sketching.
and did some really clever bits. Her
admiring husband was sure thatFshe
possessed the divine aflatus, and con-
aequently much time, was devoted to
art and little: time to ranching.
"a. 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
~ tried on that occasion, for he had
taken up his tool with the honest inten-
ton of wedding the primitive vegeta-
BILE 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.
He began to wrestle with the weeds
and pretended not to see her. His edu~
cation, however, had not included a
sight of Millet's picture, or he would
have fled down the mountain side in
utter despair.
""stop, stop, Pete, right there. Don't
move IN inch," called the sweet voice
that drove him to madness. "Kcn-
Meth" Ellie called to her husband.
"Look. Isn't it wonderful? The lights,
the pose. the very landscape like:
&, ""The Man with the Hoe shouted
the major, gleefully. I'LL get your
paints, Ellie. Hold on, Pete" and be-
fore that honest son of toll had time
to collect his scattered senses he found
himself posing in a very uncomfortable
attitude, with the Napa valley lying
at his feet and the majors familiar
phrases ringing in his ears-'Fine pose
Jolly good subject-delicious color
ing"
Il After Pete posed for hundred or
more Indifferent works of art without
names, he began to think of DESERVING
his master and leaving him to just
and awful fate. But this stupendous
blow was averted by the arrival Of
Brompton Edwards, another English
man, who had come to learn practical
ranching under the direction of his
fathers old friend. the major.
SS After week had been been gi7e'l
up to driving his protege about the
valley and introducing him to the Eng
fish colony, the major returned to his
daily routine of pruning olive trees aud
8digging out worm-eaten grape vines.
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