the time set for the meeting of the maynard girls and anne stewart at the denver terminal station came and passed with no sign of the chicago travelers. then mrs. stewart was seen hurrying down the platform waving a yellow envelope to attract her daughter's attention.
anne was patiently seated on the edge of a truck looking keenly at every one in sight, so she soon saw her mother. the oak creek local, that left denver daily at noon, was getting up enough steam to enable it to make a regular start. whether it would arrive was a question!
anne hastily tore the telegram open and read it aloud. "missed train. don't wait for us. go on and send machine to meet us to-morrow, same train, at oak creek. explain to brewsters. bob."
anne looked at her mother and laughed. "if that isn't bob all over!
guess her hair wasn't dressed."
"do they think the brewsters run a limousine, or do they mean a sewing-machine?" asked mrs. stewart, guilelessly.
anne laughed again at her mother's innocent expression, but mrs. stewart added: "i told you no good would come of transplanting hot-house flowers to an old-fashioned roundel."
"i can picture bob maynard hiking from oak creek station to pebbly pit—most likely she will wear french heeled shoes!" said anne, and she laughed so merrily that waiting passengers in the dingy cars glanced from the tiny windows and felt better for the contagious laughter.
"oh, my dear! you won't think of making those city girls start training with such a hard lesson, will you?" cried mrs. stewart, who understood the reason mr. maynard had for this outing.
"bless your dear heart, no! i'll send the wagon for them, but i wondered what would happen in case they had to walk!"
"well, i'm thankful i'm not in mr. maynard's shoes when those girls find out what they will have to do without all summer."
"nolla will be in her glory—" began anne, when the conductor hurried over to the two women.
"going by this train, ladies?"
"good-by, mother. i'll write all about the reception," laughed anne, hurriedly kissing her mother and giving her a hug.
"all aboard!" shouted the brakeman, as the tardy passenger mounted the steep steps and waved her hand at mrs. stewart.
it was a ride of about seventy miles and anne thoroughly enjoyed reviewing every landmark as she passed it by. jeb stood waiting at the little station of oak creek, his mouth and eyes wide open as he watched the train pull in—always an exciting time for the farmhand.
the cumbersome ranch-wagon, with its high spring-seat, was drawn up beside a telegraph pole to which the skittish young horses had been securely tied. anne went over to meet jeb, and said, with a smile:
"were you waiting for some ladies for the brewsters? i am anne stewart, the teacher who used to be at bear forks school."
"ya-as'm! how-dee! hain't you-all got unny more comin'?"
"not to-day. they missed their train and expect to be here on to-morrow's noon-train. what is your name, may i ask?"
"jeb," laconically replied the man, looking about as if he still missed a necessary item for the return trip.
"oh! i guess you want my baggage. it's that small trunk over by the box-car," explained anne, and jeb grinned with relief.
as he carried the trunk lightly as if it were a stick, anne remarked:
"it's too bad to make you take this trip again to-morrow."
"not so-es you-all kin notice it! to-morrer is pay-day fer the miners, en oak crick is a lively town, them times," explained jeb, winking an eye to show what fun he expected to have next day.
"then it's a lucky thing for you, jeb, that my friends missed the train to-day."
"jes' so!" chuckled jeb, as he gathered up the reins and snacked the whip over his horses' heads.
conversation lagged after the start, for the bumping and rumbling of the heavy wagon as it went over rocks and ruts in the rough trail, forced all the breath from the passenger's lungs.
the wagon drew up beside the porch of the ranch-house and anne found the family waiting to receive them. she jumped from her perch and greeted polly, then smiled at mr. and mrs. brewster as the girl introduced her. even sary felt flattered at the kindly greeting accorded her by this pretty school-teacher.
"wh-hy—you are all alone!" gasped polly.
then anne explained about the telegram just as her train was about to leave denver. the looks of blank surprise changed to relief as the family heard the cause of the other two girls' non-appearance. they all entered the house together, delighted with each other. mrs. brewster felt that she was going to like this girl.
anne was delighted with the place and everything in connection with it. even the intense coloring of the sofa or the pea-green shades failed to disturb her peace and repose that night.
after the supper dishes had been cleared away, mrs. brewster led the way to the wide terrace that stretched from the porch to the descent of the crater. here the group watched the sunset, and became better acquainted. by bedtime, mrs. brewster was of the opinion that any man excepting john, who got anne stewart for a wife was very fortunate, indeed! john was still a superior being.
the next morning, at breakfast, mr. brewster said to jeb: "ah have to look after some business in oak creek, to-day, jeb, so you need not drive over for the girls. ah will stop at the station and look them up."
"mebbe you-all'd better take me to hist the trunks, es ah am young and hearty," ventured jeb, anxiously.
"you! why, jeb, ah can turn you over with my small finger," laughed mr.
brewster, comparing his tall muscular frame with that of small slim
jeb's.
so jeb slouched away to look after his master's farm work as well as his own, and as he worked he grumbled and thought of the fun and frolics the "fellers" in oak creek were having on their pay-day.
at the denver station, two girls dressed in the latest modes, walked along the platform toward a line of railway coaches.
"what dirty-looking cars. can these be right?" said barbara maynard.
and the younger girl, eleanor, replied: "i suppose they burn soft coal."
"well, they shouldn't! everything we have on will be covered with soot before we reach the town."
"that will mean more business for the dry-cleaners at oak creek," laughed eleanor. had she known that the place could not boast of any kind of a cleaning establishment, she would have laughed louder and longer at the novelty.
"i suppose this oak creek is the shopping center for all the smaller villages that are within motoring distance of it," surmised barbara.
"i suppose so," agreed eleanor, as she watched a man oil the wheels under the engine.
the man finished the work and straightened up. his face and hands were black from grease and oil and soot, but he smiled a friendly smile at the young ladies who were obviously waiting to board his train.
"she's all made up, leddies, ef you-all wants to git in."
"mercy! does he have to grin as if he were an old friend when he announces the fact?" complained barbara, daintily picking her way between boxes and bags of freight.
"he's a genuine western type," laughed eleanor, following her sister into the coach.
"goodness gracious! are we expected to sit on these old dusty plush seats?" cried barbara, whipping the upholstery with her tiny handkerchief before she seated herself.
again eleanor laughed but she was not as merry as when she jumped from the pullman that morning.
quite different were the sensations of the two city girls, to those of anne stewart, as they passed over the same route and saw the same country. perhaps it was the difference in training more than the ideals of the three girls.
"nolla, can all the houses be as horrid as those we have passed by?" asked barbara, nodding at a group of log-houses.
"i don't know, but they certainly are smaller than the homes in chicago, aren't they?" rejoined eleanor, gazing in open curiosity at the scenery and buildings so different from that of the city.
"smaller! why, they are simply poverty-stricken in looks!" exclaimed
barbara in disgust.
the nearer the train came to oak creek, the smaller and rougher the houses seemed, until the guard called out:
"oak crick! here's your station!"
the girls gazed at each other in consternation, for the place was little more than a rough mining settlement, or ranch-town.
the brakeman caught up the leather bags and jumped from the slowing train. he planked them down regardless of contents, and ran off to the station. it was an old discarded box-car shoved on a siding to do duty as ticket-office and freight station.
the girls hurried out to the car platform and barbara asked: "nolla, why don't you call the porter?"
"they never had one on this line!" then stepping down side-ways from the high narrow steps of the train, eleanor cried:
"gracious! do catch me if i fall!"
barbara stared about as a frozen horror slowly crept into her soul and was expressed in her eyes. "was this the lovely mountain resort for which she had planned such conquests?"
eleanor spied the precious bags too close to the tracks to insure their safety, so she rushed over to save them from disaster—for who could tell whether that shaky old train would hold together much longer!
but the local looked worse than it really was. it was as reliable a set of old cars as could be found, even if the paint and polish had vanished with age. just as the bags were recovered, the whistle tooted, the wheels grated in turning, and the train that on its return trip to denver, might have carried these girls back to their kind of civilization, slowly pulled out of sight.
eleanor struggled with the two well-filled bags of toilet accessories, and deposited them before her sister. "bet you everything is broken, and our house-dresses ruined with perfume!"
as barbara made no reply, eleanor followed the direction of her stare. a group of dreadful looking miners and a crowd of wild-looking cow-punchers were using seven expensive wardrobe trunks for their pleasure.
evidently the men had indulged in too many tests of oak creek whiskey, called "pizen" by the natives. the cow-boys were picturesque enough in their wide sombreros, woolly chaps, gay shirts, and a swagger that matched their trick of shooting. the miners were swarthy, bearded foreigners, who wore long boots, loose shirts, and belts from which ugly-looking six-shooters protruded.
as eleanor decided to go over to the circle surrounding the trunks, and demand an explanation she heard a hardened miner shout: "it's my deal next!"
then the sisters saw that their largest trunk had been turned over on its side to make a convenient card-table. the others accommodated the players and loungers whose spurred heels beat a tattoo upon the polished grain-leather covers.
"humph! at least we can display original etchings on our trunks when we get them back home," remarked eleanor, with a gleam of amusement at the affair.
"everything will simply be ruined! just see that trunk holding my evening-dresses—right by that horse-trough. do make those awful creatures go away, won't you, nolla?" begged barbara.
"with those nasty guns sticking from their belts—not me! but i'll go to the office and complain to the baggage-master."
so eleanor courageously turned her back on the fascinating sight of all those revolvers, and barbara followed closely at her sister's heels; both of them hurried to the old car that displayed a sign saying it was the baggage-room. no one was there, so the girls stood at the door, whence the road leading to the railway could be seen.
"if only we knew when the chauffeur would come!" sighed barbara, but now eleanor had misgivings about an automobile.
meantime the men had seen the two strangers hovering about but they were not aware that the trunks belonged to the new-comers. when the girls entered the "station" one old rascal leaned over and said:
"them are tenderfeet an' we-all oughter welcome 'em in th' good old-fashioned custom."
"sure thing!" cried the others, and they quickly planned.
eleanor decided it was time to dispossess these ruffians from her property, so she assumed an air of courage and started for the group, while barbara held firmly to her sister's sleeve. but an unexpected denouement halted the two girls.
"ah say you cheated that deal!" howled a miner, at the same time he slapped his leather gauntlet across a cow-boy's face.
instantly every revolver was whipped forth and a terrible fight ensued, every man taking part in the general melee. the girls, trembling with fear as shots and curses rang out profusely, clung to each other helplessly, but failed to note that the guns were aimed skyward.
"hey, boys—what the deuce do you-all mean?" shouted a fine-looking man coming upon the scene unannounced.
the crowd of men looked sheepish and hurriedly explained the joke, looking over in the direction of the two strangers. as their welcome was considered a huge joke the men laughed loudly. mr. brewster (for it was the rancher) frowned when he saw the pale girls almost fainting from fear. then he turned to the ringleader in the plot:
"say, bill! was that pesky train from denver on time—or too soon, for a change?" asked mr. brewster, consulting his watch.
"it war ten minits too airly, 'cause hank janssen, th' ingineer, 's got a christenin' down to his home to-night," explained bill.
"then those two girls are my company," groaned the rancher, causing a scramble at his words. the cow-punchers whipped off their hats to salute and the miners shuffled behind the daring cow-boys, the better to hide their faces from the "boss."
mr. brewster hurried over to reassure the girls that the whole fight had been staged to entertain them. he explained the cause of his not being on hand to meet them, and waving his hand for the cow-boys, he called:
"get busy, boys! shake those trunks into the wagon."
while the men eagerly lent shoulders and muscles to the task expected of them, the three principals in this group made personal notes of each other, albeit not a word was said.
"ah never did see such ridiculous styles as this!" thought sam
brewster, looking the girls over from top to toe.
"this rough man mr. brewster! why, he's a common farmer!" thought
barbara, disdainfully.
"i bet polly's father's a heap of fun!" thought eleanor.
when mr. brewster realized there were seven great trunks belonging to two girls, he groaned within himself, wondering what in the world could be found to fill so many!
the men were handed cigars, and as they doffed their hats to say "thank you-all" they backed away to permit the boss to help the girls up the high wagon-side.
barbara looked at the rough stained hands and said insultingly: "no, thank you!"
"here—let me jump up and pull you in," laughed eleanor, uncomfortably, seeing that her sister had offended their host.
sam brewster turned to give his horses a pail of water while the two girls attempted to climb up. but the small steel foot-rest was too high to be reached without a boost from below, so they had to climb, hand over hand, up the great wheel with its spokes clogged with the heavy mud from the trails.
when they were finally seated, both girls looked at each other. fresh natty traveling suits were streaked by the mud, and their gloves—soft chamois-skins—could now be thrown away. even their faces had been smeared with mud when they slipped and had to clutch at any possible rescue. naturally, they were not in too amiable a frame of mind for what awaited them at the end of the trip.
the high spring-seat was the only one, so barbara had to sit there. "i simply cannot hold on to this sky-scraper!" complained she testily.
"it's the only one, bob, so you will have to!" replied eleanor.
in another moment, mr. brewster climbed up easily and sat beside the strangers. he churked to the horses and drove away in a manner that threatened to hurl the city girls from their earthly perch into kingdom come.
"oh, this is terrible!" groaned barbara, at an unusually hard bump of the wagon over a rutty road.
"maybe we can sit down on the floor of the wagon where the trunks are?" ventured eleanor, looking at mr. brewster.
"shore—if you-all want to. the senseless trunks make better company than a rough old farmer," replied mr. brewster, without the least suspicion of malice in the words.
the exchange was made and the girls felt protected by the trunks, so they could take a livelier interest in the ride. as they left the road leading from oak creek, the sight of imposing mountains towering in the distance thrilled them in spite of their determination to dislike everything they saw. and the gorgeous hues and beauty of the strange wild-flowers caused exclamations from eleanor, while barbara gasped at the vast herds of cattle, grazing, as they roamed over the plains.
finally mr. brewster guided the horses away from the wide trail, into the bear forks trail that wound in and out, now on the brink of the river's chasm, or again between jagged cliffs. anon the awed girls gazed down into fearful depths as the wagon skirted the dangerous brink, or craned their necks to look at the wonderful vines and foliage hanging from the tops of massive rocks. by the time they reached the ridge of foot-hills where the trail led off to the cliffs at the devil's grave, both sisters were silenced by the impressive scenery, so that petty problems of puny mortals faded into a misty back-ground.
suddenly the trail turned around a group of great rocks and the first glimpse of rainbow cliffs could be seen. as the wagon drew nigh the gorge running through the cliffs, anne stewart and polly were found waiting for the visitors.
anne introduced polly, and eleanor acknowledged the courtesy, but barbara rudely failed to notice it as she was so obsessed with the desire to complain about the railroad, the natives of oak creek, the trails to pebbly pit, and everything connected with the coming.
polly felt dreadfully shy with such unusual-looking girls. not that their hats had feathers or fine flowers, nor their suits had any expensive trimmings on them, to suggest wealth, but the way they looked in their clothes! what made the difference, she wondered. had anne told her the actual cost of those hats and suits, poor polly would have fainted from shock.
barbara was holding forth on her wrongs. "i can't see for the life of me, anne, why you selected such an outlandish spot as this, for us, in which to waste a precious summer. why, it is simply unbearable—nothing but mountains and trails in sight! and no one but just farmers to associate with! oh, oh!" the accent on "farmers" made polly wince and eleanor frown, at the speaker. anne hastened to change the subject for she feared mr. brewster might turn his horses and take them all back to oak creek station.
it was a duel of dialogue between anne and barbara after that, each one trying to keep up a conversation they wished to down the other with. thus the wagon reached the porch.
polly sprang out and ran indoors unnoticed by any one. eleanor was deeply interested in gazing out at the great crater bowl that formed the pasture and farm-lands of pebbly pit. anne was anxious to have her charges make a good impression on mrs. brewster and so she jumped out and held a hand to assist barbara.
the lady of the house stood waiting to welcome the girls, when sary ran out from the kitchen, hurriedly drying her wet hands on an apron. she fully expected to shake hands with the fine ladies, when her turn came to be introduced. she stood directly back of her mistress peering eagerly at the new-comers in their simple straw hats, severe cloth suits, and shoes, gloves, and veils of the finest.
before anne stewart could open her lips to introduce the girls, barbara sent a scornful glance over the group and then at the ranch-house, and said: "what a barracks! it's nothing more than a log cabin on a gigantic scale."
"oh, i think it is great! just like the wonderful cabins we read about in the adirondacks, or other large camp-sites," quickly added eleanor.
"but this is not a camp, my poor little sister! and we haven't the same set either, as we would have had at a fashionable camp," sneered barbara.
"you needn't 'poor me,' bob! i'm just crazy over the farm and—and everything. hurry up, anne, and introduce me so i can get acquainted," cried eleanor, nudging the teacher to remind her of her duty.
mr. brewster had driven the team to a post a little farther up the road, and was not present when the introductions took place. mrs. brewster summoned a pleasant smile for barbara, and a motherly pat on the shoulder for eleanor. then sary stepped forward to be introduced, as it was customary for her to be treated as a member of the family.
"glad t' know you-all!" simpered sary, bowing stiffly and offering her reddened hand to shake the gloved ones of the girls.
barbara completely ignored the par-boiled digits and slightly lifted one eyebrow at sary. eleanor felt so humiliated at her sister's actions that she came forward to make amends but sary would have none of it.
when barbara gave her a frozen look, sary examined her hands for a moment, then humped her shoulders and stamped back to the kitchen-range where she had been boiling soap-fat and straining out the scum before the arrival of the city misses.
"anne, would your friends like to refresh themselves in the bedroom?" asked mrs. brewster to break the embarrassed silence.
"oh, yes, of course!" replied anne, anxiously turning to barbara.
eleanor took the initiative of going toward the door. "i never saw such a darling bungalow! i just love everything spread out on the ground floor. no stairs and no elevators—oh, how nice!"
"it is a change from your brown-stone mansions, isn't it?" replied mrs.
brewster, smiling at the concerned face.
"to me it is the most awful place! i don't suppose you have baths, or electric light, or telephone service?" said barbara.
"now you see here, barbara maynard! you've got to stop this whimpering or i'll wire daddy to make you go home! i just won't have my whole summer spoiled by your complaints!" cried eleanor, angrily, and stamping her foot to emphasize her words.
"i hope you didn't expect me to stay here, did you?" demanded barbara.
"i hope you won't—that's all i've got to say! come on, anne, and show me the place. where's polly gone?" said eleanor.
polly was found in the large living-room, looking the picture of disappointment. anne understood how she must have felt, so she diverted the attention of the newcomers to the great yawning fire-place that could hold several tree-trunks at one time.
"and do you know, nolla, every bit of wood in this house was hewn and carted here by mr. brewster? you see the government allows settlers just so much timber with which to construct a home and barns. there is a county sawmill to saw and trim logs and then the owner has to cart them himself. naturally, one hasn't time to carve fancy ideals in the wood one uses for the house. and having it sent from denver, or other large cities where labor is to be had, is also out of the question. the freight costs, and the long haul from oak creek to the pit presents difficulties not to be overcome. so folks build homes as solid and strong as they can, and leave the trimmings for a future generation." anne explained all this for barbara's benefit, and mrs. brewster smiled her gratitude to the girl.
eleanor seemed more impressed than ever after she heard of the time and labor it must have taken to construct such a house as the brewster ranch boasted; and barbara was taken back, as she had not thought of such things, but she pretended not to care.
[illustration with caption: barbara completely ignored sary.
