The Clay City times. [volume] (Clay City, Ky.) 1901-current, 1915-01-07
CHAPTER VII.
NV Arrival at the Ranch.


up in front of the ranch house where
my brother Jack stood to receive me.
With a mighty shout of welcome, he
drew me into his arms and told me
the ranch was mine and to do with II
as / willed. Chip helped to take in
my baggage. And then the other boys
came up, sheepishly, trying to make 1t
appear that they had not seen me be.
fore at all, but we're beholding me for
the first time. They were so selfcon.
scious. however, that the humor of II
got the best of me and | laughed-but
! laughed in my sleeve, as it were,
and they never knew that had sensed
the trick they had so unsuccessfully
tried to play to brighten me-by max
ing me think that, in the first hour OF
my introduction TO the West country,
the hanging committee had secured
victim.
Jack introduced all these boys
Shorty and Slim and Weary and al the
rest of them. And then come Patsy,
his hands all white with -four, and a
dirty apron and a face that made him
look more fit for coal heav.ns than
for preparing food fit for huma.. con.
sumption.
Patsy" l said, you shall be my
first victim. I'm going to reform you"
Patsy made an effort to wipe his
hands in order to take my proifered
hand, but ! seized his hand, -four and
ell That at once made a friend OF
Patsy for DR.. Della Whitmore.
And then, I'm sure it was in order
to get the boys hep" to me that Chip
now displayed with pride the coyote
and told how / had shot it.
Jimmy Christmas!" cried Weary,
What do you think of a city skirt put.
ting one over like that the first crack
out of the box!"
And the other boys looked me over
with admiration and friendliness. The
"old maid" was now hep" so far as
the boys were concerned.
The next day, / turned my attention,
rs promised, to Patsy. / went to him
in his kitchen and inspected it. OF all
the pigsties that kitchen was the
worst There were probably hundreds
of empty cans-empty tins that had
contained tomatoes and corn and all
the canned goods that flesh is heir to
on a remote ranch in Montana. And
the pots and pans looked as though
they never had been washed since first
bought; and the floor had not been
scrubbed in 40 years.
you must clean up this kitchen,
Patsy" | said. Until you clean it up,
III not eat thing. So unless you
want a starving old maid on your
hands. get busy, get busy, Besides,
after you've cleaned up, I'll help you
I'll show you how to make certain
dishes that will tickle the palate of my
brother and the boys and make them
your friend till death do you part"
The result of this palaver was that
Patsy set to work in dead earnest to
clean that kitchen. or all the clean
ing tasks you ever saw performed with
alacrity and thoroughness, that was
the most successful. Out through the
door Patsy swept the tin cans-hun-
dreds of them-and out to the four
winds Patsy sent the debris OF the
kitchen flying. And then down upon
his knees he went to work at scrub
bling the floor with soft soap. And my
Brother Jack happened in, and went
sprawling and cursing on the soft soap.
And Patsy said 1t served the boss
right. as the boss had no business in
terrupting a cook when he was clean
ing his kitchen for the first time In
four whole years for the sake OF the
doggonedest finest old maid that ever
camped on a ranch in the northwest OF
these United States.
A few days later there appeared.
suddenly. at the ranch a large man
with an aggressive suit Of clothes and
a forward manner. He acted as If he
owned the whole country. He went TO
the barn and began giving orders to
change everything and sundry forth
with, as nothing was right ON that
ranch and everything was all wrong.
Chip appeared at the barn at the
moment when the stranger was storm
ing at the boys, ordering them In no
soft speech TO clean up the place and
build extra stalls and do a lot OF
things no one had ever thought of do