the interesting events which crowded each other, day after day, in this western life, so engrossed the girls that bob forgot her vow to send a telegram for return money to chicago. she even forgot to write to mrs. maynard at newport, or to any of her society friends, until anne reminded her of a duty to her parents.
tuesday following their first sunday at pebbly pit, a rancher's wife called just before noon, to deliver invitations.
"ah heer'd tell how you-all had comp'ny this summer?" were the words with which she greeted mrs. brewster.
"yes, a few young people. will you be seated, mrs. halsey?" said mrs.
brewster, placing a chair on the vine-shaded porch.
"ah come t' ast you-all—say, you, sally, stop pickin' them flowers! mis' brewster'll lick yuh!" the visitor interrupted herself to shout at her little girl who proved to be a naughty one.
"ez ah was sayin', ah come t' leave an invite fer th' hop at bear forks. we-all is glad t' see anne stewart, which was a school-teacher some time back, an' it was fit t' celebrate her friendship, in some way. don't cha think a dance jes' th' thing?" as the visitor spoke she rocked violently back and forth.
"i'm sorry my visitors are not here to thank you themselves, but i feel sure they will be delighted to attend the dance," replied mrs. brewster, shaking her head rebukingly at the small boy who stood on the rockers of his mother's chair, and gripped hold of the back, and so was roughly swayed back and forth with the rocking.
"see har, yuh jim henderson halsey—git down from thar! ef ah ketch yuh, ah'll skin yer face fer the hop—that ah will!" threatened the mother, trying to reach her young hopeful.
but jim henderson halsey knew from dire experiences just what to expect did his mother succeed in catching him, so he dodged and ran away.
"did you-all say the gals would be in shortly?" asked the caller.
"no, i said they were not in. they are at the corral this morning."
"laws me! what a place t' spend th' mornin'. ah reckon they'll be along any time, then."
"they left here just before you came and they are practicing on our western horses before taking any long trips," explained mrs. brewster, looking regretfully at the flower-beds where the two willful children were destroying the fruits of her planting.
mrs. halsey followed her hostess's glance and jumped up. "ef yuh two varmints don't quit that, an' come right t' me, ah'll—ah'll shet yuh up in a boogy-hole!" shrilled the irate mother.
sary heard the familiar voice and instantly ran from the kitchen to assist in entertaining the morning visitor. the two bad youngsters, left to their own devices, began throwing the whitewashed stones that encircled mrs. brewster's roundels.
"how-dy, miss halsey?" was sary's greeting, her large hand extended in cordial comradeship.
"oh, it's sary dodd! how-dee, sary? ah recommember now that you-all come t' live wid miss brewster. how'd you-all like th' place?"
the visitor's frankness lost none of its curiosity as she eagerly waited to hear all about the brewster family with the mistress still present, but ignored.
sary was in her glory and made the most of it. she had just reached the point where she intended asking the "gossip" to stop to have dinner, when a crash interrupted the enlivening yellow jacket pass conversation.
"sary, run and see what those children have done!" cried mrs. brewster, mentally thanking her stars for the timely intervention.
soon the ladies heard jim henderson halsey bawling loudly, and his sister backing away from the buttery while she continued making faces at the angry help. the little girl's protruded tongue made sary rush at her with uplifted palm, but both youngsters were so accustomed to dodging these attacks, that they reached the haven of mrs. halsey's presence without a painful encounter.
"the ol' thing shook me till my teeth rattled!" wailed jim henderson, etc.
"sarves yuh right! what cha be'n up t', any way?" retorted mrs. halsey, the hope of dinner still lingering, but growing dim as sary did not return.
fortunately, for the general peace of all concerned, mr. brewster drove up to the porch, on his way to oak creek. his wife's beseeching look appealed to him understandingly.
"good morning, mrs. halsey. ah hear you-all are inviting folks to the dance at the school house. want me to give you a lift to jamison's ranch—he hasn't been invited yet!"
"why, ah figgered goin' thar after dinner. be you-all goin' off before yuh eat?"
"ah am not sure when we will have dinner to-day, the young ladies are so engaged with riding, you see."
the moment the halsey scions heard mention of "dinner" they clung to their mother's skirts and whined: "we-all wanta stay to dinnerr! don't cha go widdout dinnerr!"
"why not give the children some cake, mother, and then mrs. halsey can have a bite with jamison. he can lift her on to the next ranch, too," suggested mr. brewster.
mrs. brewster instantly acquiesced and ran to cut three generous triangles of cake, while her husband came up and lifted sally up into the deep wagon. before any of the halsey family could protest, he had turned, lifted jim henderson up beside his sister and then asked the visitor if he could help her up to the seat.
the cake was distributed, and the vexed but vanquished morning caller jabbed a hat-pin through her rusty toque and pulled her jet-trimmed shoulder cape tightly over her back, before bowing haughtily to mrs. brewster.
not until the ranch-wagon turned the edge of rainbow cliffs did mrs. brewster permit herself to leave the post of watching and slump down into the porch rocker with a sigh of gratitude.
half an hour later the sound of wheels caused her to spring up in dread, but her husband's cheery laugh relieved her fears.
"ah saw your difficulty and did the only sensible thing; but we-all must keep this trick a secret. if sary gets hold of it, my reputation in bear forks, or yellow jacket pass, is gone," confided sam brewster to his wife, as he glanced fearfully about for sary.
the horn for dinner sounded shortly after the master's return and, at the table, the girls were told of the visitor and her invitation to the dance, but no word of her form of departure was mentioned.
"it's lucky we have evening-dresses," remarked barbara.
"do folks dress up at these parties?" asked eleanor.
"i should say we do!" declared polly.
mrs. brewster and anne were talking in low tones and did not hear the question and answer, so they did not explain what polly meant by "dressing up."
the days intervening between the tuesday and the friday set down for the hop passed quickly. polly and her mother washed and renovated the dotted swiss dress made for the school-commencement, and to polly's delight anne added a blue sash and hair ribbons.
anne had a simple flowered-silk gown she proposed wearing. and the city girls had elaborate dresses—barbara's very much in the latest mode and eleanor's flounced and furbelowed, but modestly high in the neck as became a girl not yet "out."
sary had bewailed her fate the day preceding the eventful one. eleanor pacified her by presenting her with a net-lace collar to enliven her rusty black alpaca.
an early supper was planned, as the ride to bear forks school would take more than an hour, and every one wanted to be there for the grand march. for several hours before supper-time, barbara locked herself in the bed-room and began her toilette. she dressed her hair, massaged, and rouged and penciled her eyebrows, until she quite tired herself out.
eleanor and anne rapped again and again for admission, but barbara was obdurate about her right of possession. when she finally opened the door for her room-mates, they stared at her in amused surprise.
"your hair looks all sizzly, bob," said eleanor.
"oh, bob, remove some of that carmine from your lips!" advised anne.
"why?" demanded barbara.
"too much of it, that's all!" giggled eleanor.
but anne and eleanor had their own toilettes to make and paid no further attention to barbara. she managed to remove some of the carmine, and pat down her hair, hot she could not do things as the french maid generally did them to add to her beauty. feeling dissatisfied with her appearance made barbara irritable, but she remained in the room criticizing everything the two other girls did or said. then just before the horn sounded for supper, a knock came at the door.
"come in!" called anne, buttoning her white suede boots.
"'s onny me. ah jes' wanta ast you-all ef it is right in city sassiety, fur a widder of six months' standin' t' go t' a party whar onny old frien's will be. thar won't be no sky-larkin' er high-jinks, yo' know!"
sary's anxious tone expressed her eagerness for a favorable reply to her query on widowhood. eleanor looked at anne to answer, so she took the initiative.
"certainly, sary—come right along and enjoy yourself."
barbara was shocked. "the help's not going—surely!"
"humph! miss halsey ast me afore she mentioned you-all!" snapped sary, quite able to defend herself against barbara's pride.
"oh, bob doesn't mean it that way, sary," said eleanor, giving her sister a backward kick for silence.
"of course not! bob means that your mourning might prevent your attending the dance. but seeing we are all old friends from ranches round about, it will be like meeting your family," added anne, the pacifist.
"wall, then, ah'll go," sighed sary, as if loath to join a merry throng. "but ah hez t' have a smitch of somethin' like-ez-how miss bob hez fer her shoulders, cuz my neck's gettin' scrawny now."
barbara had draped chiffon over her neck and dress, and at sary's request, she turned angrily. "the very idea! this chiffon is two dollars a yard!"
"i've got the very thing you need, sary. you can wear second mourning now, i suppose!" exclaimed eleanor, sending a look at her sister.
she hurried to the closet and took a long flat box from the upper shelf. as she carried it over to sary, barbara stared.
"eleanor maynard! what are you giving her?"
"something i never will need this summer, and sary can use it very nicely to furbish up that black dress."
sary was too excited to wait and open the box in her own room, so she tore off the paper at once. a lovely rainbow-tinted chiffon scarf lay revealed, the predominating colors being violet.
"ah-h-h! ah'm clean locoed, miss nolla! not a soul'll ever know that rusty black alpacky is th' same dress miss pearson mourned her husband in fer five years before ah got it given me!"
"what nonsense! as if that dainty scarf will hide your outlandish dress and mountainous figure!" came insultingly from barbara.
but nothing could spoil the joy of possessing such a heavenly wisp of angel's robe as that scarf seemed to be to sary. she was deaf to all else, as she tenderly hugged the box to her ample bosom and backed from the room.
when all were seated about the table, which was spread in the living room for that night, mr. brewster smiled at polly in her gala attire. anne looked sweet and lovely in her simple dress, but the host could not quite make out the style the city girls wore. he was not accustomed to boudoir gowns of filmy lace and thin silk, and he thought they were a new style of party dress. had he known what barbara proposed wearing, he would have asked her to remain at home.
as sary passed the bread to eleanor she leaned over and beamed: "miss nolla, ah tried that on, an' you-all woulden' know me! ah'm shore he'll pick me fer a lanciers! mebbe that scarf'll give him spine enough to speak!"
"sary, i know right well he will!" declared eleanor, not dreaming the mischief she wrought in sary's soul at that.
sary pranced back to the kitchen, but her flighty thoughts were swinging corners in the quadrille with jeb, and the fried potatoes were gracefully shot into the coal-scuttle as the pan was waved aloft in imitation of dancers she had envied in days gone by.
"sary, hurry with the coffee-pot, please!" called polly.
and sary grabbed up the stone jug of vinegar from the back of the stove where she had placed it, and ran in to pour the beverage into cups. the combined cries of every one at the table failed to bring her to her senses, so mrs. brewster told her to go quickly and dress for the dance.
then wagon wheels sounded on the gravel road and jeb yelled: "air you-all ready?"
sary gave a last lingering look in the tiny mirror over her combination wash-stand, and realized what charms she had when rainbow chiffon adorned her person. she then snuffed out the tiny lamp-wick and hurried forth to meet her fate.
jeb was dressed regardless of all censorship. a great flaming peony in his coat-lapel reflected its scarlet on his ruddy face. his tie was a riot of colors and detracted somewhat from his purple socks and tan shoes. he wore a figured near-silk vest won at an oak creek raffle, and large checked trousers said to be the latest fashion some years back, when he squandered his money on them. with his face scoured until it shone, and his hair greased so that it was plastered down neatly, jeb felt he could woo and win the prettiest gal in the country-side. he forgot there was a "female widow" about.
the brewster party reached the school-house later than was their wont, and the cloak-room was well-filled with ranchers' wives and daughters all waiting to pass judgment on the strangers from pebbly pit.
mrs. brewster and polly entered first, shaking hands with friends and acquaintances. anne followed smiling benignly on all. barbara came next, casting disdainful looks at the ordinary women she found present. eleanor delighted in the novel experience and was anxious to meet them all.
once in the small room, the new-comers began to remove their dust-coats and wraps. the ranchers' parties then went out to make room. barbara turned to anne and whispered:
"where can i find the maid?"
"maid! we haven't one here, you know."
"no maid to help me? goodness, what shall i do?"
"you're supposed to dress at home; besides, these people do not powder or rouge, so they need no mirror or maid, you see," explained eleanor, taking delight in shocking barbara.
"then i suppose i will have to go out without a look at myself. do i look all right to you, anne?"
as she spoke, barbara dropped her evening cloak from her shoulders and pivoted for anne's benefit. her gown of rose-pink net, trimmed with elaborate gold embroidery, was extremely decollete, with narrow gold bands over the shoulders performing the double duty as sleeves and to hold the lower section of the dress up in place!
barbara turned slowly and attracted the attention of mrs. brewster, polly, and a few strangers lagging behind to watch the visitors. just then sary hurried in from the dance-hall. she gasped at the sight before her and quickly came to the rescue.
"shet yer eyes—every one! the poor dear! ah'll cover her up whiles some one finds her basque!" and sary caught up mrs. halsey's jet-trimmed cape and wound it quickly about barbara's bare neck and shoulders.
"child, how come yuh t' fergit the basque? er what hez happened to it?" cried sary, sympathetically, while barbara struggled vainly to wrench herself free from the ill-smelling wrap that generally hung in halsey's kitchen.
"ah hev it! polly, git the box nolla gave me. ah'll let miss bob wear my scarf!"
this meant supreme sacrifice for sary, but she willingly offered the one and only treasure to serve a betrayed friend. still she was at a loss to understand where that basque could be!
finally barbara squirmed free and mrs. brewster managed to say:
"sary, bob has on one of her most modern evening gowns. they are made without tops, you know!"
sary gasped and suddenly collapsed upon the chair. her strained expression, as she took a covert look at the dress, spoke volumes.
"glory be, miss brewster," whispered sary, hoarsely. "you-all don' mean it fer trut', do yuh?"
"yes, sary, it is a very expensive and stylish robe."
"an' kin you-all let her march brazen-like, like that, in front of the men!" shrilled sary, holding both wide hands over her heart.
"i never heard or dreamed there was such ignorance in the world, as i have found in colorado!" now flared barbara, turning and leaving the cloak-room.
sary waited but a second, then she cried, "ah cain't 'low jeb t' see sech sights—an' he a good bachelor-man!"
sary rushed out to spare her prey any shocks, and the other members of the party gazed at each other doubtfully.
"oh, well, it's not our funeral, potty!" said eleanor.
"shall we join the dancers?" asked anne.
"yes, but i fear bob will be ostracized," said mrs. brewster.
"serve her right! anne and i told her not to dress like that, but she would, you know. she wanted to show folks the style," explained eleanor, taking silent polly by the arm and leading her out to the main hall.
as they left the cloak-room, the girls heard the fiddler shout: "git yer pardners fer the grand march!"
and from that time on to midnight, the three girls had the best fun ever. but poor barbara stood near the cloak-room as isolated as the plague, for the ranchers dared not even look at a gown without a top, let alone dance with the doubtful thing.
