CHAPTER VIII—THE ARRIVAL OF MARGARET.
Virginia was up before the sun on the day that she was expecting the arrival of her brother and his rebellious ward.
“I’m so interested and excited,” she confided to Shags who trotted along at her side when she went down to what Rusty Pete called “the hen corral” to feed the plump biddies that resided there.
Promptly at nine o’clock they were to depart for Silver Creek Junction, at which lonely station the trains would stop, when flagged, or when passengers had so requested.
Poor Uncle Tex, dressed in a linen suit and wearing a wide panama hat, was miserably uncomfortable, and, as he stood at the window in the big living-room, he looked longingly toward the distant mountains. Even yet he could escape, but if his “gal” needed his help at this play acting, he’d try to do his best, but how he did wish that he might change places with Slim, the lithe young cow-boy who at that moment was within the range of the old man’s vision endeavoring to break the wild spirits of a bucking broncho.
Skipping to the side of the elderly man, in a manner much too frivolous for the wearer of such sombre attire.
Hearing an inner door open, he turned and beheld what might have been an elderly housekeeper in bonnet and shawl, a black bombazine dress the girl had borrowed from dear old Grandmother Slater.
Skipping to the side of the elderly man, in a manner much too frivolous for the wearer of such sombre attire, the girl caught his hand as she exclaimed merrily: “Why Uncle Tex, I mean Mr. Davis, how stylish you do look! If you have observed yourself in the mirror, I ’spect you will want to dress up like this every day in the year.”
The old man looked very miserable as he slowly shook his head. “No, ah won’t, Miss Virginia dearie,” he said. “Ah was jest thinkin’ as how ah’d rather rope the contrariest steer thar ever was than be play-actin’ this-a-way.” Then wheedlingly he added, “Don’t you spose as how you could get along jest as well without me? Couldn’t you be sayin’ as how her gardeen had gone away for a spell?”
The old man’s pleading was interrupted by a merry honking from without and Virginia caught his work-hardened hand and led him out to the waiting car.
The weather-bronzed features of Rusty Pete widened into a smile and he found it hard to keep his mirth within bounds. He wanted to shout. It was as good as a circus, he thought, to see Uncle Tex rigged up like a gentleman, but, when he saw how red and uncomfortable the old man looked, the kind hearted cow-boy refrained from uttering the bantering remark which the old overseer’s appearance had suggested. However, when he was alone on the front seat of the big touring car, his grin resembled that of the Cheshire cat, nor did it cease until the railway station was reached.
Several ponies were tied to the hitching posts and a spirited young mustang belonging to Slick Cy, a cow-boy from the Slater Ranch, reared as the car came to a stop nearby.
Uncle Tex and the supposed housekeeper alighted. Virginia, glancing at the poor old man, realized that he would probably be tongue-tied when the moment to speak arrived and so she said impulsively: “Uncle Tex, you needn’t say those lines of welcome that I taught you, if you’d rather not. I’ll play the part of a garrulous housekeeper and talk so much and so fast that you won’t have a chance to get a word in edgeways.”
There was a deep sigh of relief from the old man who said gratefully: “Thanks, Miss Virginia dearie. I wan’t cut out for play-actin’, seems like.”
“Here comes the train!” Rusty Pete sang out from the auto. Virginia and the old man turned toward the mountain tunnel through which appeared two great black engines puffing noisily. Then the long train slowly came into sight and to a standstill.
Virginia’s heart was pounding like a trip hammer. She was wondering what their ward would look like, cross and homely and disagreeable, one might judge from her letters.
There were only two people to alight and at first the western girl thought them to be a father and daughter and believed that her brother had not come. When she did recognize his walk and bearing, she could hardly keep from laughing at his disguise. Surely, he made a most good-looking middle-aged rancher, but the trim, really pretty young girl, who was walking toward them at his side, surely she could not be the ward who had written such defiant letters. There must be a mistake somewhere.
For a moment, Virginia herself almost forgot the role that she was to play, but recalling it, just in time, she hurried forward with hands outstretched. “Good day, Mr. Wallace,” she said; then to Margaret, “Are you Miss Selover?” Without waiting for a reply she hurried on.
“I am your guardian’s housekeeper. We hope that you’ll be happy here. I assure you that Mr. Davis deeply regretted the circumstances which compelled him to send for you and he hopes to be able to permit you to return to school next year if you are not happy here.” Then, the introductory remarks having been finished, as planned, Virginia concluded, “Come with me, Miss Margaret, and I will introduce you to your guardian.”
They advanced a few steps toward the station house, where Uncle Tex had been standing when Virginia had hurried forward to greet the newcomers, but the old man was not to be seen.
“Excuse me one moment,” the astonished Virginia exclaimed. Then she went over to the waiting auto. Rusty Pete’s grin was wider than ever, if such a feat were possible. “Rusty, where is Uncle Tex?” the girl asked him.
The cow-boy pointed to a cloud of dust which was rapidly disappearing in the direction of V. M. Ranch. “He got panicky, I guess, for all of a sudden he ran over here like a mad man, jumped up on Slick Cy’s horse and away he went. He didn’t stop to explanate anything, but rode as though the wild wolves were after him.”
“Poor Uncle Tex!” Virginia laughed, and then she returned to explain to Margaret that her guardian had suddenly remembered that he had a very important engagement, but that in all probability they would find him awaiting them at the ranch house.
But Virginia was wrong in her surmise. When the ranch house was reached she went at once to the small bed room near the kitchen. The door was open and the room was empty, but a neatly folded linen suit lay over a chair while the Panama hat reposed on the bed. Uncle Tex was gone to his cabin somewhere over in the mountains.
Sinking down on another chair, Virginia laughed merrily, but hearing someone tap upon the door, she sat up with suddenly resumed dignity, for she was still playing a part, but it was only her brother who entered.