would-be hostess. “I thought we’d come to the end, but I stuck it out, and now Jimmie is fifteen, and he can do a man’s work. I useta have a hired man, but he got drunk and I got tired of it, so now we just look after things ourselves.”
“Oh,” said Fraley, suddenly relieved there were no men to face at the ranch.
“That’s one reason I’m hurryin’ home. Jimmie’s plantin’ t’day, an’ he’ll be tired, and Car’line’s got a cut on her hand an’ can’t milk. I got two cows, and they’ll be bawlin’ fit ta kill. I don’t let the young children milk; they’re too fresh. Last time Billy tried he knocked a whole pail of milk over on himself.”
“Oh, I can milk,” said Fraley eagerly. “If you’ll let me milk to pay for staying, I’d be glad to come to your house tonight.”
“You got such little hands I wouldn’t think you could bring the milk down,” remarked the woman, eyeing Fraley’s little brown hands that lay relaxed in her lap.
“But I can,” said the girl earnestly.
“All right. You can try. I’ve got an awful lot to do to red up. I’m expecting a man t’morra from over beyont the mountain. His name’s Carter, Brand Carter. Mebbe you’ve heard of him. He’s coming to look over some steers I’ve got for sale.”
Chapter 7
F raley’s face grew white as milk, and her heart seemed almost to cease to beat. The sustaining power seemed to ebb away from her arms and shoulder, and her whole body slumped. With the relaxing of her position, the bag on her lap began to slide and, in a second more, would have gone out onto the road. But she rallied and caught it and covered her confusion well with the effort.
“Say, you don’t need ta hold that heavy bundle!” exclaimed the woman, alert at once to be kindly. “Here! Lemme put it back in my box. There’s plenty a room there, and it can’t get out. You’re all beat out, an’ you’re white as a sheet.”
“Oh, thank you but I’m all right,” urged Fraley, gripping her precious bag close once more. “I’d rather hold it. There are some very special things in it. They might fall out. It doesn’t fasten very close together.”
“But ain’t it heavy? My land! I don’t see how you ever managed carrying all that, hiking it! I think it’s better to travel light. What you got in there? Can’t you ship ’em on by freight?”
“Oh no!” said Fraley aghast. “I wouldn’t want to trust it that way! It’s my Bible, that’s the only heavy thing, and I couldn’t be without it. Besides, I wouldn’t be sure just where to send it till I got there.”
“Why, ain’t you got your folks’ address?”
“Yes, I have the old address, but they might have moved,” said Fraley evasively.
“Hmmm! Well, you could leave it to my house till you got fixed and let me know where to send it. Me, I wouldn’t bother about just a Bible. You can buy ’em cheap anywhere.”
“Oh no,” said the girl, horrified, “not like this one. This was my mother’s Bible. She taught me to read out of it. It has things written down in the cover things that she wrote for me. I promised her I’d never let it get away from me.”
“Oh, well, that’s diffrunt, of course, ef your maw wrote things down fer you to remember. I thought ef ’twas jest a common Bible why you cud git one most ennywheres. I don’t see what use they is ennyhow. Except ta sit round on the parlor table like a nornament and hev ta dust all the time. Me, I didn’t even bring mine with me when I cum out here. I hed too much else ta think about. I never missed it. I was too busy ta dust books. Besides, I never had no parlor table. Say, why don’t you stay ta our house awhile? You cud be comp’ny fer my Car’line. Mebbe she wouldn’t be so crazy to git out an’ see the world ef she hed a girl her own age to talk to. She’s got men comin’ to see her a’ready, an’ she ain’t much older’n you. There’s one comes ridin’ over the crest of the mountain
“Oh,” said Fraley, suddenly relieved there were no men to face at the ranch.
“That’s one reason I’m hurryin’ home. Jimmie’s plantin’ t’day, an’ he’ll be tired, and Car’line’s got a cut on her hand an’ can’t milk. I got two cows, and they’ll be bawlin’ fit ta kill. I don’t let the young children milk; they’re too fresh. Last time Billy tried he knocked a whole pail of milk over on himself.”
“Oh, I can milk,” said Fraley eagerly. “If you’ll let me milk to pay for staying, I’d be glad to come to your house tonight.”
“You got such little hands I wouldn’t think you could bring the milk down,” remarked the woman, eyeing Fraley’s little brown hands that lay relaxed in her lap.
“But I can,” said the girl earnestly.
“All right. You can try. I’ve got an awful lot to do to red up. I’m expecting a man t’morra from over beyont the mountain. His name’s Carter, Brand Carter. Mebbe you’ve heard of him. He’s coming to look over some steers I’ve got for sale.”
Chapter 7
F raley’s face grew white as milk, and her heart seemed almost to cease to beat. The sustaining power seemed to ebb away from her arms and shoulder, and her whole body slumped. With the relaxing of her position, the bag on her lap began to slide and, in a second more, would have gone out onto the road. But she rallied and caught it and covered her confusion well with the effort.
“Say, you don’t need ta hold that heavy bundle!” exclaimed the woman, alert at once to be kindly. “Here! Lemme put it back in my box. There’s plenty a room there, and it can’t get out. You’re all beat out, an’ you’re white as a sheet.”
“Oh, thank you but I’m all right,” urged Fraley, gripping her precious bag close once more. “I’d rather hold it. There are some very special things in it. They might fall out. It doesn’t fasten very close together.”
“But ain’t it heavy? My land! I don’t see how you ever managed carrying all that, hiking it! I think it’s better to travel light. What you got in there? Can’t you ship ’em on by freight?”
“Oh no!” said Fraley aghast. “I wouldn’t want to trust it that way! It’s my Bible, that’s the only heavy thing, and I couldn’t be without it. Besides, I wouldn’t be sure just where to send it till I got there.”
“Why, ain’t you got your folks’ address?”
“Yes, I have the old address, but they might have moved,” said Fraley evasively.
“Hmmm! Well, you could leave it to my house till you got fixed and let me know where to send it. Me, I wouldn’t bother about just a Bible. You can buy ’em cheap anywhere.”
“Oh no,” said the girl, horrified, “not like this one. This was my mother’s Bible. She taught me to read out of it. It has things written down in the cover things that she wrote for me. I promised her I’d never let it get away from me.”
“Oh, well, that’s diffrunt, of course, ef your maw wrote things down fer you to remember. I thought ef ’twas jest a common Bible why you cud git one most ennywheres. I don’t see what use they is ennyhow. Except ta sit round on the parlor table like a nornament and hev ta dust all the time. Me, I didn’t even bring mine with me when I cum out here. I hed too much else ta think about. I never missed it. I was too busy ta dust books. Besides, I never had no parlor table. Say, why don’t you stay ta our house awhile? You cud be comp’ny fer my Car’line. Mebbe she wouldn’t be so crazy to git out an’ see the world ef she hed a girl her own age to talk to. She’s got men comin’ to see her a’ready, an’ she ain’t much older’n you. There’s one comes ridin’ over the crest of the mountain
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