Mystery Ranch (4 page)
Authors: Gertrude Warner
She said, “Oh, that’s wonderful! Watch will love this ranch! And we’ll keep him out of your room, I promise.”
“Well, don’t promise that,” said Aunt Jane. “I like dogs in my room if they are good dogs.”
“Watch is a wonderful dog,” said Jessie. “He saved our lives once.” said Jessie, holding Watch by a strap. “I’ll keep Watch with me.”
The boys followed Violet into the bedroom. Aunt Jane was almost sitting up against her pillows. Her blue eyes were very bright.
“Hello, Aunt Jane,” said Benny, going over to the bed. “I’m Benny. And aren’t you a cute little lady!”
Aunt Jane was taken by surprise. She almost smiled.
“And I suppose you are Henry,” she said.
“Yes. We are sorry you are sick,” Henry answered. He hardly knew what to say to this strange woman.
“Who said I was sick?” asked Aunt Jane. “Well, you certainly don’t look like your grandfather.”
“No, I’m afraid not,” said Henry.
“No need to be afraid about that,” answered Aunt Jane. “I’m glad you don’t look like him. And where’s that big dog I’ve heard about?”
“Jessie, bring in Watch,” called Henry.
Everyone watched to see what the dog would do. He walked over to the bed and looked at the little old woman. Then he sat down and put out his paw.
“He wants to shake hands!” cried Benny, delighted. “Shake hands with him, Aunt Jane! You don’t want to hurt his feelings.”
For a minute, the children thought their aunt was angry. But to their surprise, she sat up and shook hands with the dog.
“Good dog,” she said, lying back again.
Watch threw back his head and looked at Jessie. His mouth was open.
“Oh, Aunt Jane, he’s laughing!” cried Benny. “He likes you!”
“Well, well,” said Aunt Jane. “I’m glad the dog likes me, at least. You can go now and eat. And shut the door when you leave. I’m very tired from all the excitement.”
The children went back into the kitchen and sat around the table, talking.
“Isn’t Aunt Jane a surprise?” asked Jessie.
“She certainly is,” said Henry, “but I like her.”
Jessie said, “Just guess what I think. Which one of us will do the most to make Aunt Jane well again?”
And three voices answered together, “Watch!”
T
he next day was one of Aunt Jane’s bad days. The boys went off gladly to look at the ranch, when they saw how cross she was.
“Now, Jane,” the girls heard Maggie say, “You let me wash your hands and face.”
“No!” was the sharp answer. Watch looked at the door and raised one ear.
“I don’t know what to do with you,” cried Maggie. “No breakfast. No washing. No clean bed. What do you want me to do?
“Do you want the window open?”
“No. This room is too cold already,” the little lady said.
“You said a minute ago that it was too hot.”
“Well, it was, a minute ago.”
“Oh, dear me,” said Maggie.
The girls looked at each other. The dog stood up and looked at the door. Violet put the last pile of dishes in the cupboard. Suddenly Maggie came from the bedroom. She shut the door behind her. She was almost crying.
“Girls, I can’t do a thing with your aunt today. She was like this all the time before you came, but I did think she was getting over it.”
“I wonder what she would say to me if I went in,” said Violet. “I’d like to try.”
“Are you sure?” asked Jessie. “Maybe she would be cross to anyone today.”
“Never mind if she is, Jessie,” answered her sister. “It won’t hurt me.”
“Of course it will hurt you, if she says mean things!” cried Jessie. “And it will hurt me, too.”
“I’d still like to try,” said Violet. “Just let me have the soap.”
Violet knocked softly on the door to her aunt’s bedroom.
“It’s Violet, Aunt Jane. May I come in?”
“All right. Come in,” said her aunt.
Violet went in quietly and put some newspapers in the chair by her aunt’s bed. On the papers she put the big washbowl. Into the bowl, Violet poured hot water.
“It’s such a hot day,” she began pleasantly. “I think hot water makes you feel cooler, don’t you?”
“Well, maybe,” said Aunt Jane. She watched the pretty little girl.
“I’ve been sick a lot myself,” Violet went on. “And one of my nurses told me that.”
Violet took one of the thin little hands and washed it gently with hot soapy water. Then she dried it on a soft towel.
“I take care of the family when they are sick,” said Violet. “Someday I am going to be a nurse.”
She washed the other hand. Then she pushed Aunt Jane’s white hair back and washed her face.
She was drying her aunt’s face when Watch walked slowly into the room, wagging his tail. Aunt Jane looked at him.
“I don’t feel like playing with you today,” she said. “Go right back to the kitchen!”
Without a sound, Watch started for the kitchen. Then he turned and looked at Violet.
Violet said, “You’re a nice dog, Watch, and I love you. But Aunt Jane said for you to go back to the kitchen.”
Watch gave them both a look and turned sadly to go. His tail did not wag.
“Never mind!” cried Aunt Jane. “Come back! You can stay! I never saw a dog that minds as well as you do. Come here if you want.”
Watch almost jumped across the room. He put his paws up on the white bed.
“No!” said Violet.
“Yes!” said Aunt Jane.
“We
never
let Watch get up on the beds,” said Violet softly.
“I
always
let my dog lie on my bed,” said Aunt Jane.
Watch looked first at one and then at the other.
“Up!” said Aunt Jane.
Watch gave a great jump and landed on the other side of the little lady. He lay down and put his head on his paws. He was not sure that he had done the right thing. He kept looking at Violet.
Violet was watching her aunt smile at Watch. She was sure that Watch had done the right thing.
N
ow that the children were together, they were very happy. Aunt Jane seemed to be getting more cheerful every day.
One morning Jessie heard her aunt call her.
“I want to see all four of you children,” Aunt Jane told Jessie. “Get the others in here before I am tired again.”
In a few minutes, the children were sitting in their aunt’s room. Watch lay down at Jessie’s feet and put his head on his paws. Only his eyes moved. He was very still.
“Now I want you to listen carefully,” said Aunt Jane, looking at each of them in turn. “What I have to say is very important.”
Since the children couldn’t be more quiet than they already were, they sat and waited for her to go on.
“I’m going to give you children this ranch. No, don’t say a word! You are the only relatives I have. You seem to be good children, and you have been kind to me.”
The children were too surprised to say anything.
“I know you are not old enough to manage the ranch alone,” she said, “so I’m going to bring Sam Weeks into it. He will manage the ranch for you. Mr. Pond, who handles my business, says that will be all right. Now, what have you to say to that?”
Henry was the first to speak. “We’re too surprised to say much, Aunt Jane! It’s wonderful!”
Watch got up and went over to the bed. He sat down and held out his paw. Aunt Jane took his paw and said, “I see you think this is a good idea. If Watch thinks that, I am sure it must be true.”
She patted the dog and went on, “The ranch is yours from this minute. All I have to do is write my name when Mr. Pond brings the papers. I want my ranch to belong to people who love it. That’s why I wouldn’t sell it to those three men.”
The four children said “thank you” very softly, as they left.
“The only thing about this that I don’t like is Grandfather,” Benny said. He threw himself down on the grass.
“You said that wrong, old fellow,” said Henry. “But we know what you mean. It leaves Grandfather out.”
“I believe some day Aunt Jane will like him,” said Violet, “and he will like her.”
“I hope so,” said Jessie.
They sat on the grass and looked at their ranch. The driveway came to the back door. It went past the windmill, past the barn, and then out again to the road. They could see woods and mountains. They could see the long chicken houses from where they were sitting.
“Who were the men Aunt Jane was talking about?” asked Henry.
“Three men came while we were buying groceries,” Violet answered. “They tried to make Aunt Jane sell the ranch to them.”
“She probably needed the money,” said Henry. “But I’m glad she gave the ranch to us instead of selling it. I hope she won’t be sorry.”
Benny said thoughtfully, “I think we ought to explore right away. If this is our ranch, we should know everything that’s on it.”
Jessie said, “Well, we could explore today. Let’s ask Aunt Jane where to go.”
The cross little lady was very pleased when the children asked her about their walk. No one had asked her advice for years.
“The first thing is, don’t get lost. Go down past the chicken houses and you will come to some woods. Go through the woods and you come to an open field. There is a stream. Follow that stream and you’ll come right back home.”
