The Redwood gazette., 1910-08-10

Ss9oINd TOeaET MARInLA A PIANO, HEAR"
ing deep into the hard packed loana,
each of us reposed against an eim
pillar OF the structure and smoked Ell
Toro tobacco. while we wrangled ami-
cably concerning the affairs of the rest
of the world.
AS for conveying adequate concep-
ton of the engaging charm of that
prairie evening, despair waits upon It.
1t is a bold chronicler who will under
take the description of a Texas night
In the early spring. An inventory
must suffice.
The ranch rested upon the summit Of
a lenieHt slope. The ambient prairie.
diversified by arroyOs and murky
patches of brush and pear, lay around
us like odarkened bowl at the bottom
of which we reposed as dregs. Like
a turquoise cover the sky pinned us
there. The miraculous air. heady with
ozone and made memorably sweet by
leagues of wild fIowerets, gave tang
and saver to the breath.
Mr. Kinney's wife, a young and
capable woman, we had left in the
house. She remained to busy herself
with the domestic round of duties, In
which had observed that she seemed
to take buoyant and coGtented pride.
In one room we had supped. Pres
entity from the other as Kinney and
sat without there burst a volume Of
sudden and brilliant music. If | could
Justly estimate the art OF piano play
ing, the construer Of that rollicking
fantasia had creditably mastered the
secrets of the keyboard. A piano, and
one so well played, seemed to me to be
an unusual thing to find in that small
and unpromising ranch house. | must
have looked my surprise at Rush Kin
ney, for he laughed in his soft south
ern way and nodded at me through the
moonlit haze Of our cigarettes
''You don't often hear as agreeable
a noise as that on sheep ranch" he
remarked. "But l never see any rea-
son for not playing up to the arts and
graces just because we happen to live
out In the brush. It's a lonesome life
for woman, and If little music can
make it any better why not have it?
That's the way look at it."
"a wise and generous theory"
assented. "And Mrs. Kinney plays
well. / am not learned In the science
of music, but should call her an un-
commonly good performer. She has
technic and more than ordinary pow
err"
The moon was very bright, you will
understand, and saw upon Kinney's
face a sort of amused and pregnant
expression, as though there were things
behind it that might be expounded.
''You came up the trail from the
Double Elm fork" said Kinney prom
isingly. "As you crossed it you must
have seen an old deserted jacal to
your left under comma mott"
81 did" said /. There was drove
OF javalis roofing around it. | could
see by the broken corrals that no one
lived there"
That's where this music proposi-
tion started" said Kinney. II don't
mind telling you about it while we
smoke. That's where old Cal Adams
lived. He had about 800 graded Meri-
nos and daughter that was solid silk
and as handsome as new stake rope
on a thirty dollar pony. And ! don't
mind telling you that was guilty In
the second degree Of hanging around
old Caps ranch all the time could
spare away from lambing and Shear
ing. Miss Marllla was her name. and
/ had figured It out by the rule Or two
that she was destined to become the
chatelaine and lady superior Of Ran-