Jessica Trent: Her Life On A Ranch Part 15

"That's a word to cure deafness. Here."

The woman pulled a gigantic cookie from her ap.r.o.n pocket and held it toward the girl, who had now come alongside. The cake was in the shape of a doll, with flaring skirt, and was promptly nibbled.

"Well, I declare! Eat your playmates, do you?"

"Yes, indeed, when you make them!"

"Who's that loping along behind?"

"Ephraim, of course. Oh! yes. A Mr. Hale, from New York."

"What's he at here?"

"Just staying. Lost his way and making a visit."

"H-m-m! Don't look wholesome. Needs picra."

"I doubt it. He has a great row of bottles in his room and takes medicine every time he eats, or doesn't. That is, since he's been at Sobrante, which isn't long."

When the wagon had halted on the road before them Ephraim had turned to his companion, with a whimsical smile, suggested:

"Better ride along as if we was glad to see her. It's like a dose of that bitter stuff she makes everybody take, whether or no--get it over with. And she isn't so bad as--H-m-m."

Mr. Hale was not sorry to do this, for his curiosity was roused. The wagon box was long and narrow, and contained as many articles as would have sufficed a family "crossing the plains" in the olden times. A kerosene cooking stove, a cat in a parrot cage, a hencoop, with mother and brood inside it, a trunk, a blanket and pillow, a pail for watering the animals, and a box of tin dishes. The cover, like a small "prairie schooner," was patriotic in extreme, s.h.i.+ning with the national colors, newly applied by Aunt Sally herself, and with no stingy hand. The arrangement was also her own, and as she considered, an improvement upon the flag; for she made the whole top a field of stars, and the sides of the stripes.

"Instead of a little weeny corner full of stars, that you can count on your fingers, I've made a skyful right overhead. I always thought if I'd had the designin' of Old Glory, I'd have made it regular, like a patchwork quilt--and n.o.body ever pieces a 'block' that way. Things must compare even, and so they would be if women had had a hand in the business."

This decorative turnout was drawn by a tandem team, consisting of a milch cow and a burro, with the cow in front. Which, after due introduction to the stranger, she explained, regulated the behavior of both animals.

"With Balaam in the middle, and him inclinin' to balk, and Rosetty in front, it works double-action. Them that use their wits is twice served. If he stops, the wagon runs onto him, and if she's in a movin'

mood, that drags him. If she gets lazy, he b.u.t.ts her and thus, why--I've tried it both ways, changing their places more'n once. This is the best.

How you like Californy?"

"Very much."

"Come for your health?"

"Partly, for that."

"H-m-m. Folks with you?"

"No. I'm alone."

"Maybe you've got no folks. Some hasn't. Ephraim, yonder, is one.

He'd be in a fix if 'twasn't for Jessie and me. I come about once in so often and straighten out all the crooks. Took them pills, Ephy?"

Mr. Hale tried to repress a smile and failed, but "Forty-niner" burst into a loud laugh, and replied:

"No, Aunt Sally, and what's more I'm not going to. Why should I? Who never have an ache or pain--that medicine will cure," he added, looking tenderly upon Lady Jess and remembering his grief of the past night.

"Well, you ought to have. 'Tisn't human nature to live to eighty and not have. I'm twenty years younger'n you are and I ache from head to foot, some days."

"Asking questions sort of wears you out, I reckon."

"Now, Ephy, don't get playful. Not at your age. It's not a good sign.

Besides, my hen chicken's been crowing more'n once this trip. That's a sign of death--somewhere."

"Giddap, Stiffleg!"

Ephraim urged his horse forward, meaning to forewarn the "boys" of who and what was coming. Jessica comprehended and quickly followed, but her object was to bespeak a different kind of welcome from that he intended.

Neither knew, then, just how heartily glad they would be before many hours were over of the helpful, yet disturbing, presence of this same masterful woman.

The Easterner was left to jog alongside the curious team and its more curious mistress, who, even, while she held the rope reins in one hand, was threading her needle and sewing that patchwork which was as characteristic of her as the ceaseless knitting was of Elsa.

In fact, when one came to look at her closely, there were seen a.s.sorted bits of cloth, fragments of some "block," pinned here and there about her person; and as he watched her nimble fingers fly from one seam to another the gentleman's amazement found expression.

"How can you manage to drive and sew at the same time? And is it necessary?"

"I guess you're a Yankee yourself, aren't you? Well, if I hadn't been able to manage how do you s'pose I'd ever have got my quilt done in time for the State fair? Fifty-five thousand five hundred and fifty pieces there's in it, and I've willed it to Jessica Trent when I'm done exhibitin' it. None of 'em bigger 'n a finger nail, and all done over paper. That's a piece of work, I 'low. What's your complaint?"

"I--I don't know as I have any. They've made me very comfortable and welcome."

"Dare say. They couldn't do otherwise. Giddap there, Balaam. Rosetty smells alfalfa, and you'll have to step out to keep up with a cow 'at does that. I mean what's your disease?"

"Oh! well--it's of no consequence."

"Man alive, don't neglect yourself. You're yallar. You've got the janders. Sure's I'm a living woman that's what it is."

"I think not. I hope not," said the poor man, but rather feebly.

"Sure. Or s.h.i.+ngles. I've never seen a real likely case of s.h.i.+ngles, and if it _should_ be that, I'd just admire to nurse you. What victuals you been eating?"

The dyspeptic winced. This sounded truly professional, for all his numerous physicians had prefaced their treatment by a similar question.

"I've been able to eat almost anything and everything since I came into this country of open-air living. The last thing was some of Elsa Winkler's swiebach and honey-sweetened coffee."

"You don't say! Oh! oh! Poison, sir, rank poison. You may as well count yourself dead and laid out----"

The unfortunate stranger s.h.i.+vered and turned pale. For some half hour past, he had been suffering various qualms which he had attributed to Elsa's hospitality, but to tell a nervous invalid that he has been poisoned is to increase his misery a hundredfold. If Aunt Sally had desired a patient she was now in a fair way to secure one; but her words were without any significance to herself beyond the fact that she favored neither Elsa nor her cookery. Elsa's knitting work had crowded her own patchwork pretty closely at that famous fair, and the handsome money prize, which she felt belonged of rights to herself, had been halved between the pair. Because, though their skill lay along different lines, they had both signed their exhibits: "From Sobrante," and, manifestly, the judges could not give two first premiums to one estate.

This memory served to change her thoughts from disease to a detailed history of the wonderful quilt, during which they arrived at Mrs.

Trent's cottage and dinner.

But this could not yet be served. Aunt Sally must needs first see her son, and after the fondest of greetings, cautiously consign to him the care of her personal outfit. She even ran after him--as he walked away, grinning and leading the now obstreperous cow--with a vial in her hand, begging:

"Now son, please me, before you eat that 'mess' of men's cooking by taking one spoonful of this dandelion relish. Made it myself, purposely for you, and I'll warrant no alcohol in it, either."

Experience had proved that protestation was worse than useless; so, with another grin, but a really affectionate "Thank you," John accepted the vial and once more started stableward.