Читать книгу A California Girl - Edward Henry Eldridge - Страница 10

Two miles from the Herne ranch, toward Roseland, lived the Holbrooke family.

On the afternoon of the day which was of such importance in the lives of two of our characters, Mr. Holbrooke returned from a survey of his orchard, to be met by his wife with a face full of mysterious importance.

"I've got some news, James," she said. "Now guess what it is—

"Sophia has heard from one of her old beaux," said her husband immediately.

"Get a pail of water and throw it over your dad, Sophia," said Mrs. Holbrooke. "He's always joking you about your beaux. Well," she added, "I see I'll have to tell you, you'll never guess. Charles Herne has just gone by here with a bran-new suit of clothes, a bran-new matched team, a bran-new harness, a bran-new buggy, and a bran-new wife. There! What do you think of that?"

"Why," said her husband, "I think you may see them go by here some day with a brand-new baby."

"The idea of your talking that way before Sophia; that's the way with you men, your mind is always run on such things."

"Well," said her husband, "I don't think such a subject is very foreign to your mind or Sophia's either."

"Sophy, let's you and I take your dad and throw him. We can do it," said Mrs. Holbrooke.

Since the newly-married couple that caused so much interest in the Holbrooke family had gone by, Sophia had laid down her novel, "The Banker's Daughter," and was gazing dreamily out of the window. The young lady being of a rather romantic turn of mind, had just been saying to herself, "What a perfect day to be married. Will everything be as beautiful on my wedding day, I wonder?"

"Well," said Mrs. Holbrooke, "whoever the lady may be, she has got a good man and a lovely home."

"Yes," said her husband, "a good job was done when Charles Herne came into the world."

"Don't talk so rough, James. I never saw a man like you in all my life," said his wife.

"The old man Herne had a long head on him when he sent Charles out into the world to cut his own fodder," added Holbrooke, reflectively.

"Yes," said his wife, "those hired men of his wouldn't be acting like gentlemen the way they are now if Charles had not gone out and rustled."

"Two years ago," he continued, "he devoted the entire proceeds from his orchard for one year, after paying expenses, to fixing up the cottage for his men. He had it painted and papered; had good carpets laid down on the floors; large mirrors and pictures on the walls; put in two large bathrooms with hot and cold water; a billiard table, lots of small games, all the leading papers and magazines. Bought them a fine piano, also an organ, and a lot of music, sacred and sentimental. He also bought a fine matched team with a two-seated buggy, and said: 'Boys, I want you to keep this team for your own riding out evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Take care of it among yourselves, and I hope you all may have many pleasant rides. There isn't a team in the country gets more grooming than those colts, and not a man has been known to overdrive them. I never see anything like it, those hired men at Herne's live and act as if they were members of some gentlemen's club. They always wash their hands in warm water in the winter, and are particular about keeping their finger-nails clean. On Sundays to see those men dressed up, you would think they had never seen dirt. You don't see Herne's men on a Sunday morning spending their time in washing overalls, shirts, and socks. Herne keeps a Chinaman to do that in the week day. Why, if I was to go and offer one of those men a steady job at ten dollars a month more than Herne pays, he would turn his nose up at me. You can't get a man to leave; they stick to him closer than a brother. He has ten standing applicants to fill the next vacancy he may have. And did you ever see a place where men worked so orderly, harmoniously, and thoroughly as they do on the Herne ranch? You don't see any of the trees in his orchard barked through having careless, mad teamsters while harrowing and cultivating. Herne's horses, harness, and machinery look better and last more than twice as long, because the men take great interest in caring for them. It's not all go out of pocket with Herne in what he does for his men. Some pretty big returns come back."

"Yes," said Mrs. Holbrooke, "Lena Herne told me that her brother and herself were sitting on the porch one evening, and she was talking to Charles about the men and what he had done for them, when he said, 'Lena, I would not give up the love and respect which these men have for me, and I for them, and the quiet, peaceful understanding that exists between us, for all the ranches in the county.' She said that she and her brother very often spent their evenings with the men in games, singing and a general social time, and there are lots of young people in the neighborhood that call on them to play croquet and lawn-tennis of a Saturday afternoon or to spend a pleasant evening. Just think," continued Mrs. Holbrooke, "those men at Herne's only work five and a half days in the week, and those days are short ones. I tell you, Holbrooke, those men have a far better time than you do, though you own a ranch and they don't; you are a slave compared to them."

"Some of the men say that Herne don't talk Christianity to them, but he puts some mighty big Christian principles in practice," said her husband.

It was as Sophia had mentally said, "A perfect day to be married on."

The newly married couple, as they journeyed from Roseland to Treelawn, found the sun just warm enough to be pleasant, for it was in the early part of March. The road was in fine condition, for there was neither mud nor dust. A gentle breeze wafted the sweet scented odors from the flower-decked fields, with their carpets of green. All nature seemed smiling, for was it not its mating season? What was all the chattering going on in the trees and the songs in the bushes, but the feathery tribe making love to each other. It seemed as if on this day all Nature was singing one grand anthem with a hallelujah chorus.

As the happy pair looked at the scene, they forgot for the moment their own happiness in the contemplation of Nature's grandeur.

Before them rose the variegated hills of the Sierras, the sun bringing out the brilliant coloring of the rocks; higher behind these the glittering snow-covered peaks, and above all the matchless blue of the heavens.

To them the world seemed indeed all joy and beauty, and a home together, a paradise. And so they entered upon the new life.