Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25
Written for The Evening Star.

Il Know he ii be charmed with you
and. oh. Adele, you never in your life met
perfectly delightful a mani"
Adele nodded, with dark eyes like stars
"Tou think you've been having a good
time here with me- her sister-in-law con-
tinued. because you've got half the boys
in Oldham C, unity for beaux, but let me tell
you there isn't any five of them put to-
gcthcr that have as much brains as Phil
lips Adams. And then he's not like these
cowboy sort Of fellows He's never let
down and gotten careless, as so many east
ern people do here in the west. He's a
descendant of the Adams family, a gradII-
ate of Harvard, and he never forgets
either
Adele looked bit doubtful. Il shouldn't
think he'd fancy me at ALL she objected.
She was far too amable to say that she
could not help particularly detesting the
glacial. tiresomely perfect sort of man her
sister-in-law had pictured
He must. Adele, he mustr' cried Olive
Maynard. almost with tears. Forgive me.
dear. for saying it. but you mustn't-you
lLustnt-get into any of your queer scrapes.
or propose any wild plans. My heart will
be broken if You and Phillips don't just
adore each other
Il don't happen to things, you know
demonstrated Adele gently Il can't help
1t If things happen to ME. can I?'
NO. replied Olive. laughing little. Il
begin to think you're a magnet which at
tracts the !ightnings of calamity. Burt
says Sc, and being your brother he ought to
know He says that safe fords turn DOGGY
when you ride into them; dry arroyos pour
down d wall of water and swamp YOU if
you try to cross them. He AYERS that any
team. however old and staid, will cut and
run Ike newly-roped broncos when you re
behind them. told him that if you did get
INTO dlfnculties, you We're clever about man.
aging 10 get of them. bIIt no no
there never was any one SO fertile in sug-
sestions of the maddest sort and that Your
eXpedients always worked the utmost nos
sible disaster"
Adele sighed little. Burt always talks
that way she assented and oh Olive
90 get 50 tired of it, 1 will try to do lust
IKE other people all the time were at the
Browns-to please You. if not your Won
derful Mr.. Adams"
Olive reflected with satisfaction that there
was scarcely anything unusual which could
haplen TO them at a Christmas dinner
such as the one to which the Browns had
invited them They were to drive over
christians eve If they could, to spend the
iisht win the Brown girls, and on Christ
mas DAY about all the available bachelor
Eoot of OldE@m county, including Phi;Iins
Atalls, Was hidden TO Christmas dinner
'iNe was too optimistic to borrow trouble
go zen II became necessary for Burt to
x" HltE miles TO look at some horses the
DAY before Christmas. Il hate to leave
ytu Sirls to drive over alone" ne said
but We got TO go and look at the bunch
whether buy or not. I'll try TO get IN the
Flying VI iE time for dinrer. When I think
OF Dele L experience no uncertainty-J inst
expect the worst
Adele exclaimed Olive s,anchly. why.
shes lived a ranch all her life Sha's
a regular frCntierswoman"
Burt laughed. You'll find out ahout
Adele he warned. If | find the ranch
mere wren / get hack-the ground. l mean
not the improvemcnts-I'I be glad. AS for
yourself this is d solemn. last farewell"
ana Kissing her, he mounted his pony and
rode away, still laughing
re had Sc trcely been gone an hour when
d MESSENGER arrived from the Browns IN
say that Mr.. Browns half sister in Tascosa
was SICK. and the Christmas dinner given
her Poi
ohve almost wept. TITS too late to in
flte any one here" she moaned. when
cur nearest neishb0r is twenty miles off
ANA anyhow couldn't get Phillips Adams.
that cared to co. ~
Adele would not say that the fact that
she was not to be exhibited to the parapon
was, TO her. a relief We can have a
peasant Christmas at home alone" she
conniorted- We folks here in Texas on
ranches. can't expect to keep Christmas
IKE you did back east We just take our
fun wherever We can get it, and if il hits
OF n hO!day. why. so much the better"
Yet. on Christmas morning when Adele
returned from the big gate where she ha6
gone 10 watch for some one passing by
whom 10 send letter to town, she was
very much elated over the message she
bore.
We're to go after aIl,' she shouted. as
she came IN sight of the ranch house. She
pulled OFF her Tam O'Shanter and flung 1t
up. -
Christmas on a remote ranch, with two
young girls alone. and rather afraid, had,
after all. been q somewhat dreary prospect
oh. Olive, do you hear? The girls are
back. and were 10 get over as soon as pos
sible."
When Olive anxious to be convinced. vet
doubtful of the Information, inquired fur
ther, Bright Selwin came past with his
outfit, she announced land he said that
Pate Eccles told him Let's hurry. Wen
be in time for dinner if we hurry
Are you sure?" doubted Olive adele
when did he say he saw Pate? Maybe this
is the old invitation, sent before they gave
up the dinner"
oh no., insisted Adele. this is all right
Come on Pedro says the horses are all
out. and he'll just have to catch up what he
can get. But there's nothing-nothing-
nothing can stop US now.' and she danced
away. looking so happy and exquistely
pretty that Olives objections evaporated
and she went to hunt up the old Mexican
who served as man-of-al-work about the
place, TO see II some sort of team could be
found for them. all fear that this was only
the first chapter in what Burt called "one
or AdeleS Cycles of Calamity. " quite lost
In the thought that she would meet Phil
instantaneously fall in love, and that She
Olive, would have her sister-in-law for d
next neighbor. She had gotten them al
most TO the altar, when Pedro came up
with the horses.
II got you the best / can do" he said. as
he brought up blackboard, to which he
had harnessed Redeye and Fiddler. These
here team is pretty bad horse" And so
they were, for Fiddler was as wild and
senseless as possible, and Redeye unques-
tonably vicious.
AS they climbed into the vehicle, and
Olive took the lines, Adele exclaimed Let
'em go, Pedro. Oh, were not afraid
If her brother could have known what
was happening at this moment, he GER
tainly would. as he had said he should do,
have apprehended the very worst.
The horses gave one or two amless
plunges, the two pulling in opposite drec-
tions; and finally. jerking the blackboard
along as though il were merely an Incl
dental part of the performance. reached the
big road, and settled down to fairly steady
travelling.
But Adele jumped every time Fiddler did
which alone was quite enough to wear her
out, for the horse had gotten his name
from his nervous, hdgeting manner of trav-