Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-01-12
CHAPTER l.
An Aunt Grant.


Never had life seemed more fair and
smiling than at the moment when
Aunt James letter descended upon me
like a bolt from the blue. The fact
is, / was taking a vacation from Aunt
Jane. Being an orphan, | was sup
posed to be under Aunt James wing,
but this was the merest polite fiction,
and / am sure that no hen with one
chicken worries about IL more than
/ did about Aunt june. had spent
the last three years. since Aunt Susan
died and left Aunt Jane with all the
money and no one to look after but
me, In snatching her from the brink
of disaster. Her most recent and mar
row escape was from "a velvet
tongued person of half her years who
She had her handbag packed for the
eiopement when confronted her with
this unpleasant fact. When she came
TO she was bitter instead of grateful.
and went about for weeks presenting
q spectacle Of blighted affections
which was too much for the most self
approving conscience. So 1t ended
with my packing her off to- New York,
where wrote to her frequently and
kindly. urging her not TO mind me but
to stay as long as she liked.
Meanwhile | came up to the ranch
for a long holiday with Bess and the
baby, a holiday which had already
stretched itself out to Thanksgiving,
and threatened to last until Christ
mas.
AS to Aunt Jane. my state Of mind
was fatuously calm. She was stay
ing with cousins, who live In a suburb
and are frightfully respectable. /
was sure they numbered 10 convicts
among their acquaintance. or indeed
any one from whom Aunt Jane was
likely TO require rescuing. And II It
came to a retired missionary / was
perfectly willing.
But the cousins and their respect
ability are of the passive order. where
as to manage Aunt Jane demands ag-
gressive and continuous action. Hence
the bolt from the blue above alluded
to.
i was swinging TRANQUILITY In the
hammock, I remember, when Bess
brought my letters and then hurried
away because the baby had fallen
downstairs. Unwarned by the slight
est ~premonltory thrill, / kept Aunt
James letter till the last and skinned
through ali the others.
AT last / came to Aunt Jane. l
ripped open the envelope and drew
out the letter-a fat one. but then
Aunt James letters are always fat.
Nevertheless, as / spread out the
close-filled pages felt a mild wonder.
Writing so large. so black, so stag
gering, so madly underlined. must In
dictate something above even Aunt
James usual emotional level. .Per=
haps In sober truth there was a mis-
sionary-
Twenty minutes later I staggered
into Bess' room.
"Hush !" she said. "Don't wake the
bnbyi"
Baby Oh M baby" / whispered saw
agely. s'Ive got to have a timetable.
i leave for the city tonight TO catch
the first steamer for Panama I"
Later. while the baby slumbered
and | packed, / explained. This was
difficult; not that Bess is as a gem
eraI thing obtuse. but because the pic
ture of Aunt Jane embarkIng for
come wild, lone isfe OF the Pacific as
the head Of a treasure-seeking expe.
dltIou was enough to shake the strong
est intellect. And yet, amid the well |
ter of Ink and e~loquence which filled
those Hateful pages. there was the cold
hard fac confronting you. Aunt Jane
was going to look for buried treasure.
IN company with one Violet Hlggiesby.
Browne. whom she sprung on. O
without the slightest explanation. as
Though alludinx 70 the queen Of Sheba
= the Sismes< twins By beginning